95bFM: The Wire

This week on the Wednesday Wire...

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the National Party's proposed Social Media Ban and walk back of the bed night levy.

Producer Theo spoke to Professor Boyd Swinburn, co-chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa, on lobbying reform in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Finally Manny spoke to Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago, Michael Baker, about the mega flu season disrupting the nation.

Have you or your friends and family been taken out with the flu this season? 

Influenza A has raced through the country, combined with RSV, colds, and Covid 19 to make for the worst flu season in at least a decade.

This has placed additional strains on our already stretched healthcare system. In a letter signed by 100 nurses, healthcare assistants and other emergency department staff at North Shore Hospital sent to Health NZ chief executive Dr Dale Bramley, they detailed how they were lacking half the staff needed to reach capacityHealth NZ has acknowledged the staffing concerns and Bramley has urged the public avoid emergency department visits unless they needed urgent care.

Given that the Flu already contributes to 1-2% of deaths in the country, have we been taking it seriously enough?

Host Manny spoke to University of Otago's Professor of Public Health, Michael Baker, to understand what you can do to navigate this flu season.

Lobbying in New Zealand has been making a few headlines recently, with the particularly prominent example of Fonterra and Z Energy successfully getting the government to legislate against climate lawsuits. Even more recently, the Opportunity Party has been campaigning on making some significant reforms to lobbying in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Currently, New Zealand has next to no lobbying regulation, and has been given a score of ZERO by the OECD on the area.

The Health Coalition Aotearoa has been at the forefront of calling for change, pointing to the outsized harm of alcohol, tobacco, and ultraprocessed food industries on our health.

So, to learn more about what lobbying actually is, and what can be done about it, Producer Theo spoke to the co-chair of the Health Coalition Aotearoa, Professor Boyd Swinburn.

This week we’ve seen two moves from the government that have created opposition even amongst allied groups.

The first is their proposed Social Media ban, opposed by both member parties of the coalition government. It would mimic the Australian policy passed earlier this year, placing responsibility to block underaged accounts on the social media companies. If they fail to adhere to adequately to the ban they’d be at risk of fines up to 10% of the their GLOBAL revenue. For a company like META, who owns facebook and Instagram, 10% could be over $36 Billion NZD. Thats about equivalent to the annual government revenue from GST.

So why does it seem that only Labour is at all interested in supporting them and what is the Greens opposition to it?

Second, the National Party has ruled out a bed-night levy on visitors in Auckland and Queenstown accommodation, on the grounds that they are promising no new taxes. The only problem? Earlier this year they agreed to explore the policy in the Auckland Deal with Auckland Council. Their rejection of the policy, that would allow the Council to raise revenue from visitors, is another in a long line of cutting off real and potential revenue lines for the council, including scrapping the regional fuel tax and proposals to cap rates increases.

So for this week’s catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March, we discuss the Greens reaction to national parties' proposed social media ban for under Sixteens and their walk back on the bed night levy.

This week on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science this week, we chat with our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin, about bacteria and insulin, duller butterflies, and bioballoon

Producer Thomas talks to University of Auckland associate professor Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere about ACT’s new ‘one law for all’ policy, and the danger of the party describing judges as ‘activists.’ 

Thomas also speaks to New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate Jean Classey about nurses in North Shore hospital ED declaring a state of emergency due to understaffing.

And producer Liam chats with Professor Andrew Shelling from the University of Auckland on his proposed ban on genomic discrimination, which still has no regulations in New Zealand. We discussed why genomic discrimination is a problem, why it is taking New Zealand so long to implement such a ban, and what benefits such a ban would have.

Last week, the ACT party announced a new ‘one law for all’ election policy, which would add three principles to the Constitution Act and restrict courts from considering Maori tikanga in their decision-making.

Under the policy, any bill that references Te Tiriti o Waitangi would be required to retroactively detail the specific obligations it implies. 

Party leader David Seymour described the policy as a way to rein in “activist judges” and stop the Supreme Court from pushing the line on parliamentary legislation.

Seymour’s use of the term activist judge has been criticised as politicising the judiciary, and his claims that parliamentary sovereignty has been overpowered have been called into question.

To discuss the ACT party’s new policy and anti-judiciary language, producer Thomas spoke with University of Auckland associate professor Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere.

Genomic discrimination by insurance companies, where the presence of certain mutations can lead to a person paying higher premiums or being refused insurance entirely due to perceived risk of carrying a heritable disease, is a growing concern worldwide. Yet, unlike most OECD countries, New Zealand currently has no safeguards to stop genetic discrimination from happening, meaning that insurance companies have the legal right to request genetic data from clients. 

A number of academics and organisations have formed the Against Genomic Discrimination Aotearoa coalition (AGenDA), and are pushing the government to ban genomic discrimination by insurance companies completely through a submission to the Contracts of Insurance Bill 2024 which has yet to be accepted. 

I spoke with Professor Andrew Shelling, a medical geneticist at the University of Auckland and one of the co-leads of AGenDA, about how significant of an issue genetic discrimination is, why New Zealand still has no laws on the issue, and the benefits that a ban would have.

Last week, nurses from the North Shore hospital emergency department wrote a letter to Te Whatu Ora chief executive Dr Dale Bramley declaring the department was in a state of emergency due to overcrowding.

The letter claimed that understaffing meant the ED has been operating at up to 300% capacity, leading to long wait times and patients sometimes being treated in corridors.

The nurses have called on Te Whatu Ora to immediately employ an additional 25 nursing full-time equivalents, so patient demand and safer care can be met. 

Dale Bramley's office has responded to the letter, acknowledging the need for more staff, but only providing an offer that is less than half of the nurses' demands. 

To discuss the understaffing crisis at the North Shore ED, producer Thomas spoke to New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate Jean Classey.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a treaty New Zealand is a signatory to, is intended to guide policy around tobacco industry interference in policymaking. A new study from honorary research fellow at the University of Auckland, Melissa Jade-Gregan, has found that in many cases, politicians are unaware or actively flouting portions of the treaty, raising concerns over undue tobacco industry influence on legislation. 

To discuss the study, its implications, and potential solutions for the issues it identifies, News Director Castor spoke to author Melissa Jade-Gregan.

While the health sector has faced struggles over the past few years with overcrowding and understaffing, this year’s influenza spikes have seen the sector under particular strain. With emergency departments unable to meet the needs of patients, ambulances sometimes being rerouted between hospitals, and nurses consistently overworked, the health sector is bursting at the seams. While the government has enacted multiple policies aimed at addressing the issue, few have had significant impact. 

Also in the past week the ACT Party has proposed a new working with children card, that would see those working with children in Aotearoa assessed continuously rather than once every three years. The policy is aimed at cutting costs for the public sector and ensuring safety is monitored more closely.

Lastly, the government also announced last week a Detailed Business Case into a new Waitematā harbour crossing, with investigations into a tunnel, bridge replacements, or even a new bridge across Meola Reef as proposed by Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. Transport Minister Chris Bishop believes the development, if it happens, would be the largest and most expensive infrastructure project in New Zealand history. The development is especially interesting given the recent history of CRL delays and ACT’s record of opposing large-scale government spending. 

To discuss each of these issues News Director Castor spoke with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, beginning with the issues in the health sector.