bCasts

Finance Minister Nicola Willis made her Pre-Budget speech, in the leadup to Budget 2025, in which she announced that the government would be halving the operating allowance from $2.4 Billion to $1.3 Billion, going to a select number of government departments that Willis has described as “the most important priorities.”

The PSA have referred to the government’s cuts to the operating allowance as an “irresponsible recipe for failure” for the health system and public sector and plan to strongly oppose any job cuts for public servants or health workers.

Oto spoke with PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons to discuss the government’s pre-budget announcement.

Heidi pops in to Morning Glory to chat about her new single Heart In Danger, and we hear it for the first time before its release this Friday, 2nd May. What a treat! They also cover Heidi's perspective on the complexities of being an independent artist and her exciting upcoming live performances. 

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about the government’s pre-budget announcement and cuts to the operating allowance, as well as the government rejection suggestions to review carbon subsidies and the Greens’ call to ban engineered stone products.

He spoke to PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimmons (Fit-Simons) for a follow up conversation about the pre-budget announcement.

And, for this week’s Get Action! He speak to Volunteer president of the Associated New Zealand ME Society Fiona Charlton about a petition to roll back the government’s benefit cuts for people experiencing long term hospitalisation.

Max spoke to Tania Sawicki Mead, Head of Communications at UNICEF Aotearoa, about the announcement that UNICEF would be launching a groundbreaking project to 3D print prosthetic limbs for war-injured children in Gaza.

And he spoke to Larah van de Meer, Research and Advocacy Manager at Autism New Zealand, about the recent study by the University of Otago, that showed that autistic pupils attend school at a noticeably lower rate than non-autistic students.