The Wire with Joel

In Tāmaki Makaurau 500 – 1000 bikes are reported stolen each year. However, it is estimated that the actual number is between 2500 – 5000. 7% of people who have a bike stolen don't replace it and stop riding altogether, and bike theft becomes a financial barrier to choosing to bike. 

Bike Auckland is an advocacy group who are working to create a better city for people on bikes. They are wanting to reduce barriers that stop people riding bikes, so people can keep using their bikes – for the planet, for climate change, for safe live-able cities and for mental and physical health.

Bike Auckland have recently partnered with Project 529 to tackle bike theft with the launch of a new bike registration and recovery system called 529 Garage. This week on the Wire, Frances caught up with Gabriel Gati who is on the leadership team with Bike Auckland and spoke about bike theft in the city and what this initiative of 529 Garage might do to reduce it.

If you are interested in getting your bike registered with 529 you can send an email to 529@bikeauckland.org.nz, visit www.529garage.co.nz or find their app by searching 529 Garage.

Recently, the Herald revealed that a woman, who was a student at the University of Auckland, had been sexually assaulted by another student from her university of hall of residence. The perpetrator was reprimanded and prohibited from contacting the victim, but eight months on, he remains enrolled at the university.

Christina spoke to Vivien Whyte and Lily Chen from Thursdays in Black about the incident. They discussed rape culture on campus and the university’s response.

Today on the Wire, host Christina caught up with AUT Professor Marcus Jones for Dear Science. They talked about Russian and Ukrainian geopolitics reaching the International Space Station, an electrical circuit board that can learn on its own, and the implications of mapping the genome of an IVF embryo.

Producer Trishil Dahya spoke with Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clarke about a proposed bill to bring transparency around the tax and business affairs of foreign and domestic companies.

Christina talked to Karen Orsborn from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission about their latest report on mental health and addiction in Aotearoa.

And finally, Christina spoke to Vivien Whyte and Lily Chen from Thursdays in Black about rape culture and sexual violence in the University of Auckland.

Last week saw the announcement of Aotearoa’s re-opening to international tourists, after two years of closure due to the pandemic.

Travellers from Australia can arrive from mid-April, and travellers from other visa-waiver countries can visit from the first of May. 

The loss of tourism saw a drop of 15.6 billion dollars within the first year of the pandemic, and the state of the job market has left employers optimistic yet uncertain about the future. 

Liam had a chat with Ann-Marie Johnson from Tourism Industry Aotearoa about the state of the industry and what’s to come.