This week on the Thursday Wire's weekly catch-up with Labour's Andrew Little, Spike asks about the Defence Force's ongoing support for regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, and public servants' political neutrality code of conduct.
The impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle have continued to be a major priority for the New Zealand Government, as they are likely to continue to be for the foreseeable future.
Recent photographs and examinations have revealed just how bad the extent of the damage has been, with areas in the west coast of Auckland and east coast of the North Island drastically affected.
The government's plan is slowly being solidified and outlined, as discussed by defence minister Andrew Little in his chat with Tuva’a Clifton this morning.
With new prime minister Chris Hipkins cabinet reshuffle. Andrew Little switched over from the health portfolio to the defence portfolio, retaining all other titles.
This was shortly before the floods hit Auckland and cyclones hit Te Ika A Maui, the north island.
This has seen the New Zealand Defence Force deployed to assist thousands of people across the country, saving many stranded on rooftops and in need of safety.
We had a chat about all that and more in our first weekly catch up of 2023.
New reports have recently revealed that, despite the government's investments into mental health, there are the same number of acute mental health beds available in Aotearoa as there were five years ago.
This report has also come as new ministry of health figures have shown some improvements to the general health sector since 2017, as well as new possibilities for pharmacists to treat minor ailments.
All that and more was covered in Tuva's chat with Health Minister Andrew Little for this week.
Staffing Shortages in New Zealand's mental health services has been highlighted as a major issue recently, leading many in desperate need of help left behind.
Despite the government saying they’ve boosted the workforce, psychologist vacancies increased by 113% in the last half decade.
Tuva’a had a chat with Health Minister Andrew Little about the issue, as well as efforts to migrate health workers into Aotearoa.
95bFM 
