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The Wire with Joel

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How Does The Weight-Loss Drug, Wegovy, Impact Obesity in Aotearoa W/ Boyd Swinburn: July 02, 2025

How Does The Weight-Loss Drug, Wegovy, Impact Obesity in Aotearoa W/ Boyd Swinburn: July 02, 2025 How Does The Weight-Loss Drug, Wegovy, Impact Obesity in Aotearoa W/ Boyd Swinburn: July 02, 2025, 18.68 MB
Wed 2 Jul 2025

Wegovy, also known as Ozempic when marketed in lower doses, is a weight-loss drug that is already making headlines globally, and now as of the 1st of July, it’s available for prescription in Aotearoa.

Given that New Zealand is currently ranked 31st in the world for obesity rates, according to The World Obesity Federation, some experts believe Wegovy could have a major impact on obesity levels nationwide. Especially if it were to become publicly funded.

To talk about why the drug isn’t publicly funded at the moment, and what kind of impact Wegovy could have on obesity in Aotearoa, Producer Max spoke with Boyd Swinburn, Professor of Population, Nutrition and Global Health at the University of Auckland.

Healthy Homes Standards Have Arrived w/ Bill McKay: July 02, 2025

Healthy Homes Standards Have Arrived W/ Bill McKay: July 02, 2025 Healthy Homes Standards Have Arrived W/ Bill McKay: July 02, 2025, 16.82 MB
Wed 2 Jul 2025

As of the 1st of July 2025, the Healthy Homes standards have kicked in. This requires all rental properties to meet the regulations, designed to improve renters’ health, by preventing damp, mouldy and cold conditions.

Now that the final deadline has passed, landlords who fail to comply with the standards could face fines of up to $7200. The only problem is who might be regulating them…

To break down what this means for renters, landlords and the wider housing sector, Producer Max spoke to Bill McKay, from the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.

New Research shows that Stable public housing boosts children’s wellbeing w/ Dr Jaimie Monk from Motu Economic and Public Policy Research: 2 July, 2025

New Research shows that Stable public housing boosts children’s wellbeing w/ Dr Jaimie Monk from Motu Economic and Public Policy Research: 2 July, 2025 New Research shows that Stable public housing boosts children’s wellbeing w/ Dr Jaimie Monk from Motu Economic and Public Policy Research: 2 July, 2025, 12.97 MB
Wed 2 Jul 2025

A study was recently conducted by Motu Economic and Public Policy Research comparing outcomes for children living in public housing with their peers living in privately owned homes.

The study found that children aged between 0-9 who lived in public housing faced a number of disadvantages, exhibiting higher levels of behavioural difficulties in early childhood.

Oto spoke to Dr Jaimie Monk, a research fellow at Motu, about the study and the links between public housing and children’s wellbeing

New report highlights poor state of New Zealand drinking water w/ Greenpeace Aotearoa's Will Applebe: 2 July, 2025

New report highlights poor state of New Zealand drinking water w/ Greenpeace Aotearoa's Will Applebe: 2 July, 2025 New report highlights poor state of New Zealand drinking water w/ Greenpeace Aotearoa's Will Applebe: 2 July, 2025, 18.48 MB
Wed 2 Jul 2025

Recently, the Water Services Authority published their Taumata Arowai report analysing the state of drinking water safety.

The report found that seven registered water supplies exceeded levels of nitrate contamination, carrying possible risks of increased risk of preterm birth and other health conditions for a number of rural communities in the North Island.

Oto spoke with Greenpeace Aotearoa’s Freshwater Spokesperson - Will Applebe who says that the contamination of water supplies, largely caused by industrial agricultural output, is linked to the government’s removal of freshwater protections and their planned changes to the Resource Management Act.

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party's Ricardo Menendez-March: 2 July, 2025

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party's Ricardo Menendez-March: 2 July, 2025 Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party's Ricardo Menendez-March: 2 July, 2025, 22.88 MB
Wed 2 Jul 2025

Last week it was revealed that the government had withdrawn New Zealand from the Beyond Oil and Gas alliance, an international coalition dedicated to phasing out the use of fossil fuels.

This was confirmed by climate change minister Simon Watts, who said that the exit from the alliance was prompted by the government’s repeal of the oil and gas exploration ban.

In that same week, Immigration minister Erica Stanford recently announced that the government was looking to electronically monitor some asylum seekers and migrants, in preparation for mass arrivals of asylum seekers by plane.

And, just recently, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith introduced a number of sentencing reforms that included capping the discounts judges can give to offenders and treating one-punch attacks as separate offenses.

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez March to get the party’s take on all of these issue.

The Wire w/ Oto: 2 July, 2025

The Wire w/ Oto: 2 July, 2025 The Wire w/ Oto: 2 July, 2025, 79.21 MB
Wed 2 Jul 2025

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about The government pulling out of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, the government’s plan to electronically monitor asylum seekers and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith's sentencing reforms.

He spoke to Will Applebe from Greenpeace Aotearoa about a new study uncovering high levels of nitrate contamination in rural freshwater bodies.

And he spoke to Dr Jaimie Monk, a research fellow at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, about a study she conducted uncovering the links between public housing stability and child wellbeing.

Max spoke with Bill McKay to talk about the Healthy Homes standards being introduced

And he also spoke to Boyd Swinburn, to talk about the Weight-loss drug Wegovy being available for prescription in New Zealand.

Further calls to lower voting age w/ Make It 16's Sam Allan: 1 July, 2025

Further calls to lower voting age w/ Make It 16's Sam Allan: 1 July, 2025 Further calls to lower voting age w/ Make It 16's Sam Allan: 1 July, 2025, 6.21 MB
Tue 1 Jul 2025

A majority of Youth MPs across the political spectrum are calling for the current voting age to be decreased for local and general elections, allowing 16-and-17-year-olds the right to vote.

These Youth MPs have also signed an open-letter calling for the voting age to be lowered.

This follows the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that the current voting age of 18 discriminates against 16-and-17-year-olds, with the decision made on the grounds listed in the Human Rights ACT 1993.

A bill to allow 16-to-17-year-olds to vote in local elections had previously passed its first reading in August 2023, but was axed by the government last year.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Make It 16 member and Youth MP for Ilam, Sam Allan, about lowering the voting age, and what it means to have young voices represented in local and general elections.

*This caption has been edited to clarify that not all political parties had Youth MPs who had signed the open letter. NZ First Youth MPs did not sign the letter.

The Wire w/ Joel: 1 July, 2025

The Wire w/ Joel: 1 July, 2025 The Wire w/ Joel: 1 July, 2025, 83.31 MB
Tue 1 Jul 2025

This week on the Tuesday Wire:

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chats  about the importance of uranium 235, thanks to MOTAT.

In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Tuesday Wire Host Castor asks about New Zealand’s exit from the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, and new systems in place for ADHD diagnosis.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, speaks to Make It 16 member, and Youth MP for Ilam, Sam Allan, about a majority of Youth MPs backing calls to lower the voting age in both local and general elections.

And Joel speaks to the Northland Regional Manager for Forest and Bird, Dean Baigent-Mercer, about a recently conducted NIWA-led study that shows Aotearoa’s native forests are absorbing substantially more carbon dioxide than previously thought.

Whakarongo mai!

New Zealand exiting Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, new systems for ADHD diabnosis w/ National's Tom Rutherford: 1 July, 2025

New Zealand exiting Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, new systems for ADHD diabnosis w/ National's Tom Rutherford: 1 July, 2025 New Zealand exiting Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, new systems for ADHD diabnosis w/ National's Tom Rutherford: 1 July, 2025, 12.58 MB
Tue 1 Jul 2025

Last week, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced the government’s decision for New Zealand to exit the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. The organisation was formed in 2021 by countries and other stakeholders to discuss the phase-out of fossil fuels in favour of more environmentally friendly fuel sources. The decision to leave the alliance follows the repeal of the ban on Oil and Gas exploration, which the government says is a necessary decision to ensure we have the necessary resources to transition towards more environmentally friendly fuel sources. The Green party has criticised the move, saying it undermines our international reputation as a front runner on environmental issues and our personal commitments to combating climate change. 

The government has also announced upcoming changes to ADHD diagnoses, allowing General Practitioners (GPs) to diagnose ADHD and prescribe medication. The change follows long wait times and difficult processes for children and adults with ADHD to access a diagnosis or the necessary medication.

In our weekly catch-up with National’s Tom Rutherford, Tuesday Wire Host Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with the departure from the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance.

New NIWA-led research on carbon dioxide w/ Forest and Bird's Dean Baigent-Mercer: 1 July, 2025

New NIWA-led research on carbon dioxide w/ Forest and Bird's Dean Baigent-Mercer: 1 July, 2025 New NIWA-led research on carbon dioxide w/ Forest and Bird's Dean Baigent-Mercer: 1 July, 2025, 8.62 MB
Tue 1 Jul 2025

Recently, new NIWA-led research has shown that Aotearoa’s native forest’s are absorbing substantially more carbon dioxide than previously thought.

This has raised concerns that the government is not doing enough to regulate pests that are harming native forest carbon sinks.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Northland Regional Manager for Forest and Bird, Dean Baigent-Mercer, about this, and what the government is doing regarding these concerns.