The Wire with Joel

Last week, several politicians including the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Auckland attended Auckland's City Rail Link test run. As the project nears completion, the CRL team is busy running tests to ensure this new upgraded rail system is ready for use on the day it launches on an unspecified date in 2026.

Several political leaders were invited to a test last week where they went through the three new stations that are a part of New Zealand’s first underground rail system. 

This comes at a time where Central Government is becoming increasingly stand-off ish with Local Governments across the country with rhetoric aimed at focusing councils on “Roads, Rubbish and Rates” 

This has come to a head with a recent move to introduce a rates cap which threatens to put a hard ceiling on what Local Councils can spend on in their communities. 

The CRL has been under construction for nearly a decade and costs more than $5.5 billion dollars with the project going over budget and over schedule on multiple occasions, drawing criticism from those who believe we are spending too much money on ineffective infrastructure projects. 

Producer Sanat talked to Councilor Julie Fairey today about the value that CRL will give to the city and why we have such a hard time nationally building ambitious infrastructure projects.

Many questions have come up in recent weeks due to the government’s proposal to ditch the NCEA curriculum by 2030. Most people are wondering what the future of education will look like in Aotearoa, given that NCEA has been used throughout most of New Zealand since the start of the millennium.

Professor John Morgan is the head of the School of Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland. Morgan published an article earlier this week to look at what caused NCEA to be introduced in the first place and what the larger context of this new educational reform is.

Producer Max spoke to Morgan to discuss how recent global events have impacted education and what the future of schools might look like in Aotearoa.

In the lead up to the US Presidential elections, one of Donald Trump’s key campaign promises was to broker a truce between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours, dubbing himself the “President of Peace.”

Almost 7 months into Trump’s presidency and more than 3 years since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, the war has only continued to escalate and no peace or ceasefire deals have been achieved yet.

However, hopes for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine have been reignited for some following the announcement of Talks between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that will take place this Friday.

Albeit, there have also been concerns surrounding those same talks, noting that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other EU leaders haven’t been invited, with Russia insisting on holding on to it’s territorial gains as part of ceasefire conditions. 

Oto spoke to Stephen Hoadely, a retired Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Auckland, about the upcoming talks between Trump and Putin to negotiate a ceasefire in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Rotorua Hospital has elicited concerns and outrage over people smoking and vaping in what’s meant to be their “smokefree” entrances. Hospital staff, patients, their visiting relatives, and public health experts think that those in charge of implementing the rules need to come down harder on smokers. 

Experts such as Professor Chris Bullen believe the smokefree regulations need to be reformed, and have questioned their effectiveness. Producer Faith spoke to Chris about his concerns, and how the issue of nicotine consumption on hospital grounds needs to be addressed.