Tāmaki was hit with severe heavy rain warnings in recent days, with extreme weather and states of emergency declared around the motu. These heightened caution around risks of flooding in areas affected by 2023 Auckland Anniversary floods.
Last week, there were changes to national laws that now allow ‘granny flats’ to be built on properties without the need to obtain resource consent.
And stripping of marine life from rock pools around Whangaparāoa has raised discussion of shellfish protections, but not without increasing racial tensions in community discourse.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about how these topics impact Tāmaki Makaurau.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about the Manage My Health security breach and Labour’s proposed streaming levy.
And, they spoke to Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary of the Public Service Association, about the election date falling on November 7th, or what is also known as Public Service Day.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Jasmine spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about this week’s heavy rain and threats of flooding, changes to granny flat building regulations and marine protections of shellfish.
Last week Herenga ā Nuku published Aotearoa’s first report on the state of public land access. Jasmine also spoke to Doug Macredie, the Strategic Relationships Manager at Outdoor Access Commission who published the report, and Professor Margaret Mutu, about the significance of the publication for Tangata Whenua
The Outdoor Access Commission, Herenga ā Nuku, published Aotearoa’s first report on the state of national public land access. The report revealed how up to a third of Māori land is ‘landlocked’, citing this as one of the biggest challenges to public access in 2025.
Producer Jasmine Gray first spoke to Strategic Relationships Manager of Herenga ā Nuku, Doug Macredie, about the research journey and the address of increasing accessibility to landlocked areas for land owners.
She then spoke to Professor Margaret Mutu, who spoke on the report from the wider historical colonial context of the ability of Tangata Whenua to access their land. Margaret particularly highlighted the discrepancies between Pākeha landowners and Māori in their legal and physical abilities to access and utilise land under their ownership with ease.
Both perspectives provide valuable insight into the background and significance of the report.
The government had announced meat would be inspected by officers employed by meat companies rather than independent inspectors, as is the current model. The PSA's National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says companies will be able to cut corners in terms of inspection and bow to company pressures.
She also says the privatisation can impact New Zealand's reputation as a meat exporter as well.
Current US foreign policy under the Trump administration has significantly broken with long-term partnerships and traditional structures of the so-called international rules based order. With the US being at odds with its long-term strategic partners Canada and Europe, the future of NATO as well as security in the pacific have become contentious issues. Trump’s actions have revealed contradictions within the previous dominant functioning of International Relations with his administration’s foreign policy radically utilising the power position asserted and given to the US on the world stage.
Flo spoke to Dr John Battersby, senior fellow for the center for defence and security studies at Massey University about current global security, the practical absence of an international rule based order and implications of US foreign policy on New Zealand.
Te Huia, the railway linking Waikato and Tāmaki Makaurau, is coming to the end of its five-year trial.
Despite a rocky start in 2021, Te Huia has proved popular with its riders with the Waikato Council waiting to hear back from Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport on a proposed extension for another year of funding.
With the future of the inter-regional railway line uncertain, producer Theo spoke with Lindsey Horne, spokesperson and committee member of the transport advocacy group 'The Future is Rail' about Te Huia, regional railways, and the future of rail in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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