The Wire with Joel

The proposed government Data and Statistics bill has been criticised for its potential to threaten the political independence of the role of the government statistician.

The reforms would allow the government statistician to defer powers at will to other agencies, allowing for wider data collection.

To get a sense of why experts are wary of such changes, Casper spoke to one of the most prominent critics of the bill, former government statistician Len Cook.

This week on the Tuesday Wire Casper and Emily were joined remotely by Marcus Jones who caught them up on the latest science news. Casper had his weekly chat with the National Party’s Dr. Shane Reti, talking this week about the elective surgery waiting list.

Casper also spoke to Len Cook, the former government statistician, about the dangers of a proposed Data and Statistics bill.

Emily spoke with Jason Young from the New Zealand China Resarch Institute about New Zealand’s relationship with China- past, present and future. She also chatted with Water Safety New Zealand’s Chief executive Daniel Gerrard about their new report on drownings in Aotearoa

This week on The Wire for Rāhina Monday!

Joe speaks to Dr Michele Bannister, a Senior Lecturer from the University of Canterbury about scientists seeking meteorite footage. He also chats to Paul Scofield, a Senior Curator of Natural History and Adjunct Professor in Palaeontology in the Geology Department at the University of Canterbury about the ancient waterfowl recently found at St Bathans in Central Otago. 

Trishil speaks to Professor Lara Greaves about the Green Party Leadership Vote and Professor Stephen Hoadley about the Grain Crisis in Ukraine and Russia’s disinformation campaign against the West on the matter.

Isla and Stella discuss how Mātauranga Māori can aid science in the management of kauri dieback. They talk with Dr Amanda Black and Dr Nick Waipara about the cultural significance of kauri and the scope of biosecurity in Aotearoa.

That's us for this weeks Monday Wire!

A meteor’s sonic boom was heard across South Canterbury at around 8:00pm on Thursday night. It didn’t take long for reports to come through on social media by people from across the South Island. The arrival was caught by at least four specialised meteorite detection cameras, as well as on CCTV and by at least one lucky astrophotographer.

This is New Zealand’s second meteorite this month. On July 7th, a meteor crashed near Wellington during the day with a force equivalent to 1,800 tonnes of TNT, creating a sonic boom heard across New Zealand. Two weeks on, Canterbury experienced its own meteor strike.

Joe spoke to Dr Michele Bannister, a Senior Lecturer from the University of Canterbury, on the matter