Ron Gallipoli and Billie Fee are in the studio to talk about An Imposter, a song cycle and a melodrama opening at Basement Theatre tomorrow evening. Whakarongo mai nei!
Wedged in between a city-rail link office and an empty building is a netball-sized green sanctuary; otherwise known as OMG: the Organic Market Garden farm.
Charity organisation For The Love of Bees revitalised the small block of land into a regenerative farm that provides vegetables for over 40 families alongside hosting bee-friendly workshops.
The garden is an outlier in the way its farming benefits the soil and ecosystem in stark comparison to western practice, which are the leading cause of soil degradation.
Sofia spoke to Head Farmer Jake Clarke about the garden and its nourishment of both soil and community
This is the full version of Casper’s interview with Auckland mayoral candidate Efeso Collins, of which an abbreviated segment was played on the Thursday Wire.
Efeso Collins is currently a councillor for the Manukau Ward, and his campaign for mayor has been endorsed by Labour, the Greens, and the similarly aligned local body group city vision. His flagship campaign policy is making Auckland's public transport fees-free.
Last week Transport minister Chris Bishop announced steps towards improvements to public transport from the Northwest of Auckland. The plan involves three stages, each promoting faster and more consistent public transport from the region. While early stages are planned for the next few years, later stages will be coming over the next ten or more years.
The government has also announced $53 million towards subsidising teachers registration fees. This announcement follows extensive campaigning from teachers on this issue, eliminating a barrier for new and long-time teachers in Aotearoa.
In our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues, starting with the transport upgrades in Northwest Auckland.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Labour Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about new beneficiary data from the Ministry of Social Development and last week's worker's strikes.
For States of the States this week, they speak to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about the recent Donald Trump rally in Madison Square Garden, accusations of voter fraud, and how the US is looking ahead of next week's election. They also speak to Tom Unger, political activist and former political show host at Radioactive, about their assessment of the imminent election from the ground in New York City.
And they speak to Mike Lee, Associate Professor of Business at the University of Auckland, about the growing anti-consumerism movement associated with Halloween.
And News and Directorial Director Joel spoke to Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, Dr Ritesh Shah, about Israel banning the UNRWA from operating in Israel and East Jerusalem.
The government also announced increased visa application fees, some of them now more than double the previous cost. The government says this change will make Immigration NZ entirely self-sufficient, no longer at any cost to the taxpayer.
However, the projected gain from this fee increase is four times as much as Immigration NZ currently spends annually. While the increased funding is expected to be reinvested in improving services, the actual impact or allocation is currently unknown.
Additionally, increased fees may deter potential applicants and increase costs to businesses looking to hire employees from overseas. The change may therefore reduce the number of overseas teachers and healthcare professionals, among other jobs.
Wire host Castor spoke to CEO of immigration advisory group Aims and chair of the New Zealand Association of Migration and Investment, Arunima Dhingra, about the changes and their impact on immigration.
The government recently announced increases to visa application fees across several groups, in some cases more than doubling the cost to applicants. These changes are due to increase revenue for Immigration NZ, and are said to make the organisation 100% self-sufficient.
On the 12th of August, the New Zealand Police Association released an open letter to the government calling out their exclusion from discussions around firearms legislation reform. The letter spoke to the necessity of existing legislation, and criticised the involvement of former and present gun lobbyists in the process, including the minister in charge Nicole McKee. According to the ACT party website, McKee was formerly the spokesperson for The Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, a gun lobbyist group.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Katie Nimon, Wire host Castor asked about the changes to visa application fees and the involvement of police and gun lobbyists in firearms legislation reform.
The change to subsidising teachers registration fees has been well received by teachers across the country. A long anticipated change, it should eliminate a barrier to new teachers and a hurdle for existing teachers to cover.
Education minister Erica Stanford also recently announced new classroom upgrades across the country to areas facing more overcrowding. Many schools across the country face overcrowding as an imminent issue, forcing students into hallways, libraries, or other extra rooms.
To discuss the change to teachers registration fees, overcrowding in schools, and what can be done to address these issues, Tuesday Wire Host Castor spoke to president of the Post Primary Teachers Association, Chris Abercrombie.
Gwilym and Tom make a devastatingly good Fentimans cola cocktail keg! Take the full time bartending out of your party with a big batch cocktail or punch. If you don't have an ikegger cocktail keg, this is still great to make in a giant bowl!
However, for those wishing to make a single serve: