Auckland’s 21 local boards united in a letter to Mayor Wayne Brown last week, rejecting that they must absorb a $17.6 million budget shortfall tied to the Fairer Funding Initiative.
The letter, dated March 10, highlights the significant pressures imposed on local board activities due to the cost-cutting measures, asserting that local boards had “no control over the budget” and "all decisions were made without any reference to any Local Board”.
While Wayne Brown responded earlier this week, ensuring that local boards would not need to seek extra funding to cover the budget shortfall this year, these discussions will become relevant again for next year’s budget.
Group chief financial officer for Auckland Council, Ross Tucker, says the council "is embarking on a challenging transition to an equity-based funding model that will see local boards being empowered with more budget autonomy as well as greater budget responsibility".
Also, as the need increases to address the number of roaming dogs on the street, as well as the number of dog attacks, Auckland Council has opened a council-operated dog adoption centre.
Last year, less than half of roaming dogs were claimed by their owners, the lowest amount in a decade. The adoption centre which opened on the weekend will house over forty dogs in an effort to relieve the strain on animal shelters around Auckland.
Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these issues this morning. To start off, she asked him to explain the purpose of Auckland Council’s Fairer Funding Initiative.
World Vision has just released their annual Price Shocks Report for 2025, examining food price inflation around the world.
They found that while New-Zealand and other wealthier countries saw an improvement in food affordability, many poorer nations reported significantly worsened price to wage ratios.
While the report highlights a clear need for adequate funding for global humanitarian aid, in 2024 only 47% of required humanitarian food assistance was funded, leaving millions without support.
As conflict, climate change and other global crises exacerbate conditions in the worst-off regions, World Vision is calling for the New Zealand government, among other wealthy nations, to contribute more to assist populations suffering from food insecurity.
Producer Sara spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong about this report and World Vision’s call to action for the government. Here is that interview.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis is encouraging international supermarket companies to enter Aotearoa.
However, researchers on retail and marketing say it will take too long for an international player to make a difference in the New Zealand market and problems with the duopoly need to be addressed first.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to one of these researchers, Lisa Asher from the University of Sydney, about this topic.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about a potential trade deal with India spearheaded by the Prime Minister, the liquidation of school lunch provider Libelle, and the Labour-led Wage Theft Bill passing its third reading in Parliament.
For International Desk, they speak to Tania Sawicki Mead, Director of Communications at UNICEF Aotearoa, about the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire.
And they speak to Lisa Asher from the University of Sydney about the best ways to disrupt the supermarket duopoly in Aotearoa.
For City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about a letter from Aucklands local boards to Mayor Wayne Brown concerning the seventeen point six million dollar budget shortfall, as well as Auckland Council’s new dog shelter in response to an increase in roaming dogs
She also spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, about their latest annual Price Shocks Report, and what the New Zealand government should be doing to address global food insecurity.
Gather round this sunny Thursday morning with a palatable Morning Glory set list.
Sofia speaks with Delbert Anderson on musicianship rooted in his Diné heritage. The first International Anthem segment takes flight with a select few artists plucked from the Chicago label's to introduce us to the jazz-adjacent sounds to come.
Chris catches us up on the arrest of Gandalf, the Northland green fairy, brain receptors for cannabis, Helius has been thrown a million-dollar lifeline and the Dutch government are moving forward with a cannabis experiment despite outcry and vocal opposition from coffeeshops and the ruling coalition parties. Thanks to The Hempstore!
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