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Electoral reforms & the Homelessness Insights report w/ National Party MP Tom Rutherford: 29 July, 2025

Electoral reforms & the Homelessness Insights report w/ National Party MP Tom Rutherford: 29 July, 2025 Electoral reforms & the Homelessness Insights report w/ National Party MP Tom Rutherford: 29 July, 2025 , 20.84 MB
Tue 29 Jul 2025

On Friday, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced various changes to the electoral system in New Zealand which he says seek to make the process of voting more efficient and effective for future elections.
These include the closing of enrolment 13 days before the official election day, prohibiting the provision of food and drink at polling booths, and a reinstatement of a total prisoner voting ban.

A number of Labour and Greens party politicians have been among those to criticise the changes as a disenfranchisement of voters which will make democratic engagement in New Zealand more difficult.

As well, last week the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development released the latest iteration of the Homelessness Insights Report which reveals that there has been a quantifiable rise in homelessness across Aotearoa.

NZ First's support of Overseas Investment Bill w/ Greenpeace's Gen Toop: 28 July, 2025

NZ First's support of Overseas Investment Bill w/ Greenpeace's Gen Toop: 28 July, 2025 NZ First's support of Overseas Investment Bill w/ Greenpeace's Gen Toop: 28 July, 2025, 8.25 MB
Mon 28 Jul 2025

Recently, NZ First has helped pass ACT’s Overseas Investment Bill through its first reading.

The amendment bill, if passed, will make it easier for multinational corporations to purchase land in the country, which has raised concerns over the environmental consequences of such as move.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Gen Toop — a senior campaigner at Greenpeace, on NZ First’s support of ACT’s Overseas Investment Bill, and Greenpeace’s concerns with the bill.

The Wire w/ Joel: 28 July, 2025

The Wire w/ Joel: 28 July, 2025 The Wire w/ Joel: 28 July, 2025, 83.98 MB
Mon 28 Jul 2025

This week on the Monday Wire:

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the scrapping of same-day election enrolments, as a part of the government’s changes to the Electoral Act, and ACT Party Leader, David Seymour’s comments that those who enrol late are “drop-kicks”.

Joel spoke to Gen Toop — a senior campaigner at Greenpeace, on NZ First’s support of ACT’s Overseas Investment Bill, and Greenpeace’s concerns with the bill.

Joel spoke to Calvin Cochran — a spokesperson for the Smokefree Expert Advisory Group, about a recent RNZ investigation alleging close connections between NZ First Party Leader, Winston Peters and multinational tobacco company, Philip Morris, and what needs to be done to combat tobacco industry lobbying.

And Joel spoke to Dr Saira Raza Khan — a Lecturer of Marketing at the University of Auckland, on the need to move away from ‘scare tactics’ in health advertising.

Whakarongo mai!

Potential lobbying between NZ First and Philip Morris w/ the Smokefree Expert Advisory Group's Calvin Cochran: 28 July, 2025

Potential lobbying between NZ First and Philip Morris w/ the Smokefree Expert Advisory Group's Calvin Cochran: 28 July, 2025 Potential lobbying between NZ First and Philip Morris w/ the Smokefree Expert Advisory Group's Calvin Cochran: 28 July, 2025, 5.87 MB
Mon 28 Jul 2025

In a recent RNZ investigation, the investigation alleges that NZ First Party Leader, Winston Peters, has close connections to the multinational tobacco company, Philip Morris.

This has raised concerns about what impact alleged tobacco lobbying has on government policies and decisions.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Calvin Cochran, a spokesperson for the Smokefree Expert Advisory Group about RNZ’s investigation, and what needs to be done to tackle tobacco-industry lobbying in Aotearoa.

Moving away from 'scare tactics' in health advertising w/ the University of Auckland's Saira Raza Khan: 28 July, 2025

Moving away from 'scare tactics' in health advertising w/ the University of Auckland's Saira Raza Khan: 28 July, 2025 Moving away from 'scare tactics' in health advertising w/ the University of Auckland's Saira Raza Khan: 28 July, 2025, 6.43 MB
Mon 28 Jul 2025

In a recent study by Dr Saira Raza Khan — a Lecturer of Marketing at the University of Auckland, published in the Journal of Advertising Research, the study looks at the advertising of health campaigns, with the need to move away from ‘scare tactics’.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about her study, and why we should move away from these ‘scare tactics’.

Proposed changes to same-day election enrolments and David Seymour's "drop-kicks" comments w/ the ACT Party's Simon Court: 28 July, 2025

Proposed changes to same-day election enrolments and David Seymour's "drop-kicks" comments w/ the ACT Party's Simon Court: 28 July, 2025 Proposed changes to same-day election enrolments and David Seymour's "drop-kicks" comments w/ the ACT Party's Simon Court: 28 July, 2025, 13.34 MB
Mon 28 Jul 2025

Justice Minister, Paul Goldsmith, recently announced a proposal to the Electoral Act and Constitution Act, removing the ability for an individual to enrol on election day.

Alongside this comes the proposal of halting the ability to enrol during the advanced voting period.

This move has received backlash - including from within the government. This morning, Attorney-General, Judith Collins KC, says the move goes against the Bill of Rights Act.

During the 2023 general election, over 450,000 enrolled in the 12-day period, with 110,000 enrolling on election day.

A significant proportion of those later enrolments consist of young people, and in areas of bigger Māori, Pacific, and Asian communities.

In light of this move, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, says those who have left voting to the last minute are “drop-kicks”. As well as this, the ACT Party’s justice spokesperson, Todd Stephenson, added to this, saying “Democracy works best when voters are informed, engaged, and take the process seriously,” and that “It’s outrageous that someone completely disengaged and lazy can rock up to the voting booth, get registered there and then, and then vote to tax other people’s money away.”

For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel spoke to him about this move.

Jaswant Singh business liquidation, Dog Control Act 1996, & Auckland’s local alcohol policy w/ Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson: 24 July, 2025

Jaswant Singh business liquidation, Dog Control Act 1996, & Auckland’s local alcohol policy w/ Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson: 24 July, 2025 Jaswant Singh business liquidation, Dog Control Act 1996, & Auckland’s local alcohol policy w/ Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson: 24 July, 2025 , 18.73 MB
Thu 24 Jul 2025

This week, Auckland council is facing scrutiny as Council chief executive Phil Wilson investigates the liquidation of a company owned by chief of staff, Jaswant Singh. 
His property company which called in for liquidation in June, has no assets and owes sole creditor Inland Revenue just under $560 thousand dollars.

In other news, Auckland Council is reinvigorating calls for stronger powers and the dog control act, as community leaders report a crisis of abandoned and roaming dogs across Auckland.
Both the local council and community organisations like SPCA are urging the central government to take action and support on-the-ground efforts with legislative change.

As well, a recent survey has found that local alcohol policy changes enacted at the end of 2024 have had a positive impact in Auckland. But one community advocate believes the council should not be complacent about improving policies to make the community safer against the harms of alcohol.

Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke with Shane Henderson about all of these topics, starting with Singh’s company liquidation

The War on Gaza, Pay Talk Protection Bill, and KiwiSaver Hardship Withdrawals w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 24 July, 2025

The War on Gaza, Pay Talk Protection Bill, and KiwiSaver Hardship Withdrawals w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 24 July, 2025 The War on Gaza, Pay Talk Protection Bill, and KiwiSaver Hardship Withdrawals w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 24 July, 2025, 10.06 MB
Thu 24 Jul 2025

Earlier this week New Zealand Parliament voted to support a joint statement with 27 other countries calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Wednesday, Labour MP Camilla Belich’s members bill titled the “Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill” passed its second reading.

And 50,000 people have made withdrawals from their KiwiSaver for the reason of financial hardship this year.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden asked Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about all of these topics. 

Changes to open-plan classrooms w/ the New Zealand Principals’ Federation’s Blair Dravitski: 24 July, 2025

Changes to open-plan classrooms w/ the New Zealand Principals’ Federation’s Blair Dravitski: 24 July, 2025 Changes to open-plan classrooms w/ the New Zealand Principals’ Federation’s Blair Dravitski: 24 July, 2025, 7.44 MB
Thu 24 Jul 2025

Last week, Education Minister, Erica Stanford, announced that the construction of open-plan classrooms would be halted.

The National Party had previously petitioned for the classroom design in 2011, with the idea of pushing for flexibility in the way students were taught, and to accommodate a shift in how technology is used in educational spaces.

However, the classroom design has received a mixture of responses. 

Some say the classroom design resulted in a noisy and distracting environment.  Despite this,  surveys by the Council for Educational Research showed that most teachers liked open-plan classrooms, adding that students benefitted from the classroom design.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Blair Dravitski about the government’s move regarding open-plan classrooms.

Dravitski is a spokesperson on the topic for the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, and Tumuaki/Principal of Te Uru Tarata | Lemonwood Grove School in Rolleston.

The Wire w/ Caeden: 24 July, 2025

The Wire w/ Caeden: 24 July, 2025 The Wire w/ Caeden: 24 July, 2025, 63.09 MB
Thu 24 Jul 2025

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about the war on Gaza, Labour MP Camilla Belich’s pay secrecy bill, and the increase in KiwiSaver hardship withdrawals. 

For International Desk, they spoke to Ralph Hall, advisor at the Electoral Reform Society in the United Kingdom, about the significant electoral reform in the UK. 

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the New Zealand Principal’s Federations’ Blair Dravitski, on the government stopping the construction of open-plan classrooms.

For this week’s City Counselling, Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about the liquidation of council chief of staff’s business, calls for stronger powers to respond to roaming dogs, and Auckland’s local alcohol policy.