Winter means a tough time for many in our city here in Auckland. With temperatures steadily dropping and the cost of living steadily rising, keeping warm and well-fed is a daily concern for many. Gratis is an initiative that takes leftover food from cafes around the city and helps to feed those who most need it in our cities. On the Wire this week, guest producer Frances Wright caught up with Team Leader Natalie Wendzich to talk about the initiative.
After weeks of tension, the Ōtautahii City Council has voted to begin construction on Te Kaha, a brand new stadium for the city.
The cost of 683 million dollars for construction has been a major point of contention, but the effects of civic pride and support for the city's events industry could make it worth it. .
Liam had a chat with Jake McLelland, the Christchurch Central West councillor about the stadium located in his ward.
Today saw Casper host his final Friday Wire before the Second Semester Schedule Shakeup™ sees him take over the Tuesday Wire and Liam take on hosting duties from next Friday onwards! On todays show.
Casper had a chat with All Aboard Aotearoa about the recent High Court ruling on their case with Auckland Transport alongside City Counsellor Pippa Coom.
Liam had a chat with Michael Plank from the University of Canterbury about recent government changes making masks and RAT tests free.
They also spoke with Anita Rosentreter about First Unions court case against Uber.
Casper also had a chat with someone from the Real Estate Institute about housing market data and what all of the numbers mean.
And finally Liam chatted to Christchurch City Councillor James McLellan about Te Kaha, the city's new stadium, being given the go ahead.
Currently out for consultation is Auckland's Future Development Strategy which sets out how the city should grow. Alex Bonham spoke to Councillor Angela Dalton, the Deputy Chair of the Planning, Environment and Parks Committee about how the proposed compact city strategy will reduce carbon emissions, shift development away from good soils and areas vulnerable to inundation, align investment on infrastructure, transport and housing so as to be most cost-effective and make the city more walkable, cyclable and vibrant at the same time. Anyone can give feedback at https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/future-development-strategy until 4th July.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Labour’s Andrew Little about New Zealand’s first National Security Strategy, the proposed Immigration (Mass Arrivals) Amendment Bill, and reports that complaints of migrant exploitation have increased under Labour.
For City Counselling, councillor for Waitākere Shane Henderson spoke about the State of the City Report comparing Auckland to nine other cities globally and the government's plans for 19 new marine protection areas for the Hauraki Gulf.
World Vision Advocacy Campaigns and Communications Manager Morgan Theakston discussed the government's proposed legislation to address modern slavery and supply chain exploitation.
Producer Olivia talked to Climate Justice Taranaki researcher, Catherine Cheung, about the recently announced BlackRock green energy investment deal.
She also spoke to Associate Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Equity at the University of Auckland Law School, Hanna Wilberg, about issues with our social welfare system.
For City Counselling, News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Shane Henderson about Te Hononga Akoranga, COMET, an organisation addressing education disparities in local communities, becoming an independent from the Auckland Council.
They also discussed a new local initiative, recycled fabric billboards in Henderson-Massey.
They started off their interview discussing why Te Hono-nga Ako-ranga, COMET, is separating from the council.
Statistics New Zealand regularly conducts food price surveys, which includes supermarket groceries, takeaways and restaurants. The information is sorted by food groups. Recent data shows that the price of fruit and vegetables may finally be stabilising relative to inflation, although the price is still higher than this time last year.
To find out more, Arno spoke to James Mitchell, manager of Consumer Price Delivery at Stats NZ. Arno started our interview by asking what range of time the data collected covered.
Next, Arno spoke to Jeremy Neeve, who works at the Wellington City Mission, particularly the social supermarket; a new project aimed at replacing the traditional food bank model. Arno started our interview by asking him what they do.
In 2018, the Women in Urbanism organisation conducted a survey that found more than 75% of women experienced harassment while using public transport, cycling, or walking.
The current urban space, which is typically masculine in its design, has been found to not accommodate the different ways in which Women navigate around cities.
Current chair of Women in Urbanism Aotearoa, Emma McInnes spoke to producer Sofia about a new survey being conducted regarding issues identified by wāhine in urban space.
The survey, which closes on the 16th of February, seeks information and experiences from women, non-binary, and marginalised groups that can ultimately be turned into data used for better change.
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