Morning Everyone! Our usual chat with Deputy Leader of the National Party is postponed to another week... so we make up for it with some extra tunes & mischief. Festival reviews, fishing rods & bass guitars.
On the ninth of February, the government announced its plans to incentivise migrants to invest in New Zealand. Foreign investment refers to when an individual, company or government invests money in businesses in another country. Foreign investment can bring economic benefits such as job creation, increased capital flow and access to new markets, which New Zealand is severely lacking.
The government aims to welcome more people to contribute to Aoteroa and make it easier to do so. The new “Invest NZ” agency is modelled off the success of Ireland’s Industrial Development Agency and Singapore’s Economic Development Board.
Sasha spoke to the University of Auckland’s Burt Burmester about the government’s foreign investment strategy. He claims that incentivising foreign investment from sovereign wealth funds does not grant New Zealand access to highly sought-after industrial knowledge. We also spoke about alternatives to foreign investment strategies and how to increase New Zealand’s capital. Here is that interview.
For their weekly catch up with the Green Party, Oto spoke to Ricardo Menendez March about US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians in Gaza. We also spoke about the Overhaul of the Public Works Act and The government's plan to change climate reporting laws for companies.
And, for this week’s Get Action! He spoke to Brenda Leeuwenberg, a resident of Ruakākā who started a petition to stop a sand mining proposal in the Bream Bay Area by the McCallum Brothers.
Sasha spoke to Burt Burmester, from University of Auckland Business School, speaking to us about the government’s foreign investment strategy.
And Amani spoke to Dr Joel Rindelaub, Senior Lecturer of Chemical Sciences at the University of Auckland, about the prevalence of microplastics in the human body, especially in brain tissue.
Last week, and less than a month after the ceasefire in Gaza took place, US President Donald Trump announced plans to administer the Gaza Strip under American control after the final stage of the ceasefire and to relocate the strip’s Palestinian population, turning the Gaza strip into what Trump has described as the “Riviera of the Middle-East”.
While lauded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right cabinet, Trump’s proposal was unanimously rejected and condemned, both by Middle-Eastern nations in the region but also US and Israeli allies like Canada and the United Kingdom, who reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution.
However, while Aotearoa’s official policy is also to support a two-state solution to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, there has been no comment on Trump’s proposal by Foreign Minister Winston Peters, or any other government official.
For their weekly catch up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March to discuss Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians in Gaza and the lack of a response to it from the New Zealand government.
They also discussed the government's plan to change climate reporting laws for companies, and the overhaul of the Public Works Act to compensate Māori for confiscated land.
A recent study at the University of New Mexico has found that there could be a spoon’s worth of microplastics in the human brain.
The study found that the extent of the harm to human health is unclear, although an increased inflammation and risk of future adverse cardiovascular events is likely.
Producer Amani spoke to Senior Lecturer of Chemical Sciences at the University of Auckland, Dr Joel Rindelaub, about the prevalence of microplastics in the human body, and what its impacts might be.
Today, Elle had the pleasure of speaking to New York-based Been Stellar! To match the style of their music, we had a curation of modern shoegaze, post-punk and a funky track from United Future Organisation.
David Slack and Jonny chat about NZ First's proposed Financial Markets (Conduct of Institutions) Amendment (Duty to Provide) Amendment Bill and the ramifications it may have on our environment and more. Whakarongo mai nei.
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