The Wire w/ Joel: 11 August, 2025

This week on the Monday Wire:

For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s proposed overhaul of the NCEA curriculum to a different curriculum.

Producer Alex spoke to Emeritus Professor at the University of Auckland, Ruth Bonita about the continued lower excise rate on heated tobacco products, and how it plays into combatting smoking harm and Aotearoa’s smokefree goals.

Joel spoke to Angela Ballantyne, a Professor of Bioethics at the University of Otago, on research she led into medical professionals using AI to transcribe patient notes and the concerns of doing so.

And Alex spoke to the Chair of the Meningitis Foundation, Gerard Rushton, about Pharmac’s decision to increase eligibility for the meningococcal B vaccine to all children under five, and the foundation’s desire to see funding expand to all young people.

Whakarongo mai!