Kia ora, and welcome to The Wire for Rāpare Thursday!
On today's show:
A special report covering yesterday's Auckland University staff strike and march through campus.
Spike speaks to Dr. Tim Welch about the downsides of the Auckland Light Rail plan, and Dr. Richard Arnold about the 2023 census.
Simon speaks to Shane Henderson for City Counselling about how communities out west are dealing with the aftermath of extreme weather and the upcoming Council budget, and Professor Nathan Consedine about using compassion as a KPI in the healthcare industry.
For their weekly interview, News & Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to ACT’s Karen Chhour about the Health NZ chair being sacked, the government's tourism workforce plans, and School Strike 4 Climate.
Drag Queens Erika and CoCo Flash from Rainbow Storytime NZ discuss the importance of drag storytime events in Aotearoa.
For Action Station, Producer Daniel Teunissen speaks to the Area Manager of the Citizens Advice Bureau Auckland City, Kate Anderson, about Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposal to cut its funding for the service.
Our Europe correspondent Cameron Adams reported on the 'Art is a Weapon' festival in Berlin.
And Daniel interviewed Paul Callister, from the Institute of Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, about why restoring long-distance passenger rail should be a part of Aotearoa's strategy to lower its climate emissions.
The future of Auckland is a debate that many individuals are engaging in after the weather events of the past few months. Professor John Morgan outlines his vision for what a liveable Auckland looks like and how we go about transitioning to a city that works for all Aucklanders in the face of the climate crisis. Simon started by asking Professor Morgan if we need to rethink what is normal after the recent weather events.
News & Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins speaks to ACT’s Karen Chhour about the government banning TikTok from all parliamentary devices and reprioritising spending to refocus on the cost of living and Cyclone Gabrielle recovery.
Hanna Thompson talks to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about the ongoing impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle and centring indigenous voices in the climate crisis debate.
Caeden Tipler speaks to Samah Huriwai-Seger from the Aotearoa Liberation League and Hibiscus and Bays Local Board member Jake Law about an anti-co-governance roadshow in Ōrewa.
Nicholas Lindstrom chats to “Tutira Mai” Cyclone Relief Concert volunteer Lewis Johnson about the event.
And Alex Bonham interviews urban advocate and former Christchurch councillor Mike Davidson about how we can make our cities safer for tamariki
The proposed cuts are set to affect many public services, including the city's libraries. Duane Leo is the National Secretary for The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi. Simon spoke with Duane about the funding of public services and the broad range of people that use them. Simon began by asking Duane why libraries are important to the community.
Andre Fa’aoso spoke to Sandra Morrison from the University of Waikato and Christina Tausa from the University of Canterbury about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s most recent Synthesis Report from a Māori and Pasifika perspective.
Arno Cronje talked to Molly Grant, a researcher from the University of Auckland and author of the Growing Up in New Zealand research program on child poverty rates.
Alex Bonham spoke with Cath Handley, Waiheke Local Board chair and Elena Keith from Quiet Sky Waitemata about the impacts of helicopters on the city’s suburbs and islands.
And on the Green Desk, Jack Marshall discussed polyamorous southern elephant seals with a PhD Student at the University of Tasmania, Sophia Volzke.
The New Zealand Geographic Board has recently accepted City Rail Link and Auckland Transport's proposal to rename Britomart as Waitematā station. Professor Robin Kearns is an advocate for renaming places around Aotearoa New Zealand that better reflect the local history as opposed to being named after people and places with little or no relevance to the land. Simon began by asking Professor Kearns why it is important to embrace Māori renaming in Aotearoa New Zealand.