The Wire with Castor

Bird feeding. It's one of life's simple pleasures that leads to rats, botuilism, and skewed biodiversity.

Though basic knowledge of bird feeding guidelines is present in Aotearoa, it is more often than not ignored, as demonstrated by the loaves of white bread that lay scattered in Auckland's Western Springs park.

Auckland regional representative for Birds NZ, Ian Mclean shares, his expert knowledge on what really happens when we feed birds. 

This week on the Wednesday Wire:

Nicholas spoke to Associate Professor Mike Rehm about the reintroduction of interest deductibility and the implications for renters. 

He also spoke to Professor Nicolas Lewis about the Government’s proposed bill to change regulations around the fast-tracking of consents for development.

Sofia spoke to Senior Research Fellow at the University of London, Dr Ladam Hashemi tells us about her research project at the University of Auckland that found higher vaccination rates for new migrants.

Oto spoke to Hiraia Haami-Wells, a student at the University of Auckland, to talk about a project she founded called “Kurutao”, aiming to bring more Tauira Māori into the world of entrepreneurship.

To end the show, Sofia spoke to Bird Connoisseur and Auckland regional representative for Birds New Zealand Ian Mclean about what really happens when we feed the birds at western springs

The coalition Government has announced that they will reintroduce interest deductibility for property owners with a mortgage.

This would mean that property owners with a mortgage would be able to deduct the interest they pay on their mortgage, from their total income when calculating how much tax they pay.

The coalition government has claimed that this move will help both landlords and renters with David Seymour that landlords not being able to deduct interest from income is a cost that is inevitably passed on to tenants, contributing to New Zealand having all time high rental costs.

This claim has been disputed with economists saying that the reintroduction of interest deductibility will have little to no effect on the prices landlords choose for their rentals.

Nicholas spoke to Associate Professor Michael Rehm about the changes.

National Science Challenges were established in 2014 with the aim to tackle New Zealand’s biggest science-based issues and opportunities. 

They are funded through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. 

The challenges have invested over $680 million dollars of funding over ten years, however, they are due to expire at the end of June this year. 

Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Co-President of the New Zealand Association of Scientists and honorary professor at the University of Auckland School of Environment, Professor Troy Baisden, about the impending expiry, the significance of this loss, and the future of science research funding in Aotearoa.