The Wire with Jessica

The Ministry of Social Development is not immune to job cuts seen in other public service departments, with MSD calling for voluntary redundancies after cost-saving efforts failed to meet Government targets. For our weekly catch-up with Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni Wire Host Caeden asks her about the impact of cuts at MSD, especially amongst other Government policies disadvantaging beneficiaries.

They also ask about the Samoan Citizenship Bill led by Teanau Tuiono, and the impact of losing independent media giants such as Newshub for democracy.

Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono passed the first reading of his member's bill in parliament yesterday. The bill would restore citizenship to Samoan’s born between 1924-1948 who had their citizenship stripped in 1982 legislation. 

The bill received unexpected support from the Act Party and NZ First Party to go through to select committee, with the only party voting against it being National.

Wire Host Caeden spoke with AUT Lecturer in Criminology Laumua Tunufa’i about the bill and it’s historical context.

A new study into dementia in New Zealand is seeking to fill gaps in our understanding of how dementia affects our communities.

The study will be the largest of its kind and will aim to talk to more than two thousand older people and their families.

The study will also seek to understand the prevalence of dementia across four ethnic communities Pakeha, Chinese, Indian and Fijian Indian, with parallel studies taking place in Maori and Pasifika communities.

Nicholas spoke to the lead researcher for the Indian and Fijian Indian parts of the study Professor Rita Krishnamurthi, I began by asking about what prompted the research .

Humanity is currently going through a stage in its history known as the “AI Spring”, an ongoing period of advancement in the world of artificial intelligence, heavily impacting the technology we use on a daily basis.
As to be expected, there are numerous ethical concerns to be raised regarding the development of artificial intelligence. The use of AI in modern military conflicts has demonstrated the capabilities of this new technology to cause large-scale destruction to human lives. The Israeli Defence Force, for example, have been using AI in their weapon systems to acquire targets in their war on Gaza, contributing to one the highest rates of civilian casualties in any modern conflict. 

Dr Thomas Gregory is a Senior lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Auckland, with expertise in civilian casualties and contemporary conflict. Oto spoke with him to discuss how AI is being used on the battlefield, and how it has impacted civilian lives in modern conflicts.