The Wire with Joel

A council-proposed alcohol ban after nine-pee-em will be voted on and most likely go through in December. The idea behind the ban is to prevent preloading of alcohol before events, and further reduce drunkenness on Auckland streets. Supermarket corporation Foodstuffs and Woolworths have been lobbying against the proposed ban for several years, spending millions of dollars to be able to continue to sell alcohol after nine-pee-em, however the council will be voting on this decision in December. Sasha spoke to professor of population health Peter Adams from the University of Auckland about the implications of the council-proposed alcohol sale ban.

Last week, the Government announced a bill which they say will enable the development of time of use schemes, also known as congestion charges.

Generally, time of use schemes charge motorists to use roads depending on time and location. This encourages motorists to adjust their travel time, and method of transport to reduce road congestion.

Under the planned legislation, councils propose their own time of use schemes to the central government. Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency then provides strong oversight in the development of schemes to consider the impact on motorists and businesses.

Under the plan, all final proposals will require the approval of the central government.

Last year, Auckland Council voted in favour of a time of use scheme and has been planning to introduce it by 2025. However, there are concerns among experts that the proposed legislation may make it more difficult for the successful implementation of time of use schemes; by over-exposing councils to central government oversight.

Producer Josef spoke to one such expert, Senior lecturer in Urban Planning at the University of Auckland, Dr Timothy Welch, about the legislation, congestion charges, and how Auckland’s own scheme might be impacted.

Fonterra’s recently revealed ‘regenerative agriculture’ practices have been criticised for greenwashing. The announcement indicates that Fonterra believes existing practices, such as cows eating outside, constitute regenerative agriculture. 

Greenpeace disagrees, pointing out Fonterra’s position as Aotearoa’s biggest climate and freshwater polluter. They accuse Fonterra of greenwashing - performatively claiming environmental friendliness while continuing to pollute or harm the environment. 

Wire host Castor spoke to Greenpeace’s Sinead Deighton O’Flynn about greenwashing at Fonterra and the company’s environmental impact.

The government recently announced that they’ll be moving forward with changes to maths teaching in schools a year earlier than intended. 

Changes revolve around implementing stricter structure to the way maths is taught, and introducing more standardised maths assessments for children in years 0-8. 

The Prime Minister has said that this may mean deferring the arts and music curriculum to allow for these changes. 

In a Newsroom article, Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Peter O'Connor says that pushing the arts curriculum to the side would be detrimental for students. 

Producer Evie spoke to O’Connor about why arts and music is so important for students, as well as having the ability to lift their maths and literacy results.