The Wire with Joel

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Wednesday Wire host Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the government’s announcement to expand support services for rough sleepers, Green MP Benjamin Doyle’s resignation from Parliament and Erica Stanford’s recently announced measures to crack down on overstayers.

And, for this week’s Get Action! He spoke with Fiona McDonald from Education Outdoors New Zealand about her petition to keep outdoor education on the list of senior curriculum subjects.

Wire producer Max spoke to Stephen Hoadley - a retired professor in international relations, to discuss the potential for more European and US sanctions against Russia.

And he also spoke to Will Alexander, a former actor on Shortland Street to discuss the recent global news of an Actors strike against Israel.

And Wire producer Manny spoke to Dr Sue Adams, Senior Lecturer of Nursing, to discuss Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora’s nursing reforms leaked last week and their implications for the workforce.

Hundreds of actors, directors and other film industry professionals, including the likes of Olivia Colman, Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton have signed a pledge, which was submitted by the group “Film Workers for Palestine”, where they have vowed not to work with Israeli film institutions that they say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”, the pledge is inspired by the cultural boycott that contributed to the end of apartheid in South Africa.

Taking it back to last year, Will Alexander, a New Zealand actor who has appeared on Shortland Street in the past, chose to go on a hunger strike due to what he referred to as the New Zealand government being complicit in an ongoing genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.

As he has personally acted against Israel in the past, Producer Max spoke to Will to get his opinion on the news of other global actors choosing to strike against Israel and how an actor can shape public perception.

Recent Budget documents have shown an almost $8.5 billion hole in future funding.

Most of these cost pressures were in Education, the Defence Force, Health, Disability Support Services, and Transport.

As well as this, the government has outlined their plans to assist those rough sleeping. This follows the government previously tightening the eligibility for those seeking emergency housing, which critics say has resulted in an increase in those sleeping on the street.

This follows the release of the Homeless Insights Report, showing a large spike in those sleeping without adequate accommodation.

And Auckland Transport is set to face some large changes.

For our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Carl Bates, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Bates about these topics, starting with the hole in future funding.

This week on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science, our expert, Allan Blackman, chatted with us about the Voyager One getting really hot in space, breakfast impacting life expectancy, and nuclear fusion in Palladium metal. 

For our weekly catchup with the National Party, News director Joel spoke to MP Carl Bates the recent Budget documents have shown an almost $8.5 billion hole in future funding, the government’s expansion of support for those rough sleeping, and changes to Auckland Transport.

Producer Faith spoke to researcher and epidemiologist from Massey University, Professor Jackie Benschop, about the changing risk factors of leptospirosis in Aotearoa.

She also spoke to tax expert Nick Miller from Tax Justice Aotearoa about big tech companies’ tax avoidance, and what steps the government needs to take to address it.