On the Friday Wire with Ayana Piper-Healion and Noah Ferguson-Dudding:
Firstly we have our weekly catch up with Christopher Luxon where Noah asks him about the Government scrapping District Health Boards and their Ihumatao deal.
Next Ayana talks to a self advocacy advisor from IHC about navigating food and beverage advertising with an intellectual disability.
Then, Noah talks to Shayne Nahu from the Cancer Society about Smokefree 2025.
Finally Ayana finds out what the new announcement about deposit protection in banks actually means for us with NZ Bankers Association Chief Executive Roger Beaumont.
30,000 members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation have voted to strike in response to the first District Health Board pay increase offer they received last month. The organization says the decision to strike is a last resort.
A mediation is scheduled for the next few days, and the organisation is calling for a counter offer, that reflects a living wage.
Jessica Hopkins spoke to Geraldine Kirkwood, a Charge Nurse, and David Wait, from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation about staffing, pay and other issues for nurses.
Today, Ilena talked to a swathe of people about this week's announcement that the government and Auckland Council will be inveting $35 million into the Auckland Film Studios in Henderson. A privately-funded, $280 million film studio project is also being planned in Wānaka.
She spoke first with Stuart Nash, the Minister of Economic Development, to give some more details on the Auckland development. Ashley Williams and Tim Hamilton both gave their opinions on these high-end investments and how they do/don't feed back into local filmmaking. Queenstown Lakes District Deputy Mayor Calum McLeod discussed the advantages of the proposed Wānaka studio.
Finally, Nikki Boucher from Screen Wellington commented on the current status of film in Wellington, as well as the appearance of a new purpose-built studio opening in Upper Hutt. The speakers also had many thoughts on the New Zealand screen industry's role in our post-Covid recovery as a desirable, well-resourced and safe location for inter/national productions.
Ilena spoke to Kerri Nuku, the kaiwhakahaere for the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, about the Pae Ora(Healthy Futures) Bill. The legislation was introduced into parliament by Health Minister Andrew Little on Wednesday.
The Bill, which is expected to pass next year, amalgamate the 20 District Health Boards across New Zealand into a singular ‘Health New Zealand’ organisation, which will work in partnership with a Māori Health Authority.
Kerri spoke about the benefits of the bill, as well as the concerns that the NZNO have for nurses and patients.
Ilena caught up with Councillor Shane Henderson about Auckland Transport’s Parking Strategy Review and how that figures into Auckland’s wider climate change plan. He discussed changes that are being considered for parking in central Auckland districts, as well as how things might change further out, and how public transport infrastructure needs to concurrently be made an accessible and convenient alternative if we want a greener future.
This week on the Wednesday Wire, the show kicks off with our new producer Christina having her regular segment Dear Science with AUT Professor Marcus Jones. They talk about a new Pfizer antiviral to fight Covid-19; touch on the recent Glasgow Climate Pact; as well as discuss how nonsense words can make us think of specific shapes.
Zazi then has her regular talk with ACT Party’s Deputy Leader, Brooke van Velden, where they speak about the APEC Leaders Summit that recently took place, as well as the 1 News Colmar Brunton poll.
After that, Zazi talks to Professor Karin Stockin, Dr. Olga Pantos and Dr. Gabriel Machovsky about their recent research discussing how microplastics have been found in New Zealand marine mammals for the first time.
And finally, Christina chats to Waikato District Deputy Mayor, Aksel Bech, and Vanessa Williams from the Hamilton Central Business Association, about Waikato’s shift to Alert Level 2.
As of 11.59pm on Tuesday, Waikato moved into Alert Level 2 of Covid-19 restrictions. With this shift, schools and hospitality venues are now able to open their doors after six weeks in lockdown. Christina spoke to Waikato District Deputy Mayor Aksel Bech and Hamilton Central Business Association General Manager Vanessa Williams about their newfound freedoms and what it means for local businesses.
The next local election will take place this year on Saturday 8 October. The local elections determine the representatives of each city council, including the Mayor and the elected members of the District Health Boards. News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Mayoral candidate Efeso Collins about his anouncement that he would bring fares-free public transport to Tāmaki Makaurau if he is voted in as Mayor. They discuss why he is running for Mayor, why free public transport is important and how it could be made possible, and why Aucklanders should get involved by voting or standing in local government elections.
The Indonesian Government plans to develop a gold mine in a region of Papua.The Sugapa district of the Intan Jaya regency is one of the biggest gold ore reserves in Indonesia, known as Wabu Block. The area is also a conflict hotspot. Between 2020 and 2021, 12 Indigenous Papuans were killed by Indonesians security forces occupying the area.
Joe spoke to Veronica Koman, the Strategic Advocacy Campaigner for Amnesty International, speaking about the situation in Papua.
A recent report has revealed that police have seized over 95 Million dollars worth of cannabis within this year's National Cannabis Eradication operation.
The operation was ended shortly after the 2020s cannabis referendum returned a “no” vote, but was revived by six police districts earlier this year.
The program costs seven hundred thousand dollars per year and saw 79 kilograms worth of cannabis captured.
To learn more about the scheme and its effectiveness, Liam spoke to Fiona Hutton, a Criminology Professor from Victoria University of Wellington,
He first asked her what the police were intending to achieve through the operation.
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