The Wire with Joel

Recent advice to the government suggested that the cost of international carbon credits to meet New Zealand's climate obligations might be as high as $23.7 billion dollars by 2030. Alex talked to climate scientist Kevin Trenberth about how carbon credits work (do they work?) and how else one might spend the money to mitigate and prepare New Zealand for the climate impacts ahead. 

Following the deaths of two infants, doctors and scientists worry that this winter could see a whooping cough epidemic unlike those seen in recent years. Helen Petousis-Harris is an associate professor of primary health at the University of Auckland, and she spoke to Simon about the low vaccination rates and those that are at the most risk in the community. Simon started by asking Helen what whooping cough is.

Morgan Donoghue is the spokesperson for Ours Not Mines, an organisation that is standing up against the mining company OceanaGold and the New Zealand government over a proposed gold mine on conservation land in the Coromandel. In 2017 the Labour government promised no more mines on conservation land, yet OceanaGold is in the process of acquiring resource consent for a gold mine under conservation land. Simon began by getting Morgan to explain what OceanaGold is doing in the Coromandel and the implications of the proposed mine.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s plan to address the budget shortfall includes cutting funding to many public services, while retaining expensive golf courses that ratepayers are paying for. 

It also suggests selling public assets like shares in Auckland Airport to help fill a $295m budget shortfall. 

FIRST Union, a union representing 30,000 workers in Aotearoa, recently made a budget submission to Auckland Council. They branded Mayor Wayne Brown’s Submission as insufficient and irredeemable, and made several suggestions for improvement. 

Arno spoke to FIRST Union President Robert Reid, and started off by asking what FIRST’s position is on the proposed $21m budget cut for bus services.