The Wire with Joel

There are at least 150,000 children in Aotearoa living under the poverty line who come from households dependent on government assistance schemes like Working for Families. 

However, as Susan St John, associate professor in economics at the University of Auckland Business School and spokesperson for Child Poverty Action group, said in a recent newsroom article, there are barriers in accessing support schemes for low-income families not found in those aimed at Kiwis over the age of 65, such as the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. 

Oto had a chat with Susan about the state of government assistance for low-income families in New Zealand, and why she believes it’s better to be old than young if you’re poor in New Zealand.

For their regular catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March about: 

• The government’s decision to boost Pharmac Funding
• The introducing of a new Sentencing Category for Young Offenders
• And the implementation of check-in requirements for those on the Jobseeker Benefit.

He also spoke to Susan St John from the University of Auckland to talk about assistance gaps in the Working for Families Scheme

And he speak to Paula Lorgelly, also from the University of Auckland, for her perspective on the government’s recent Pharmac funding announcement.

Rawan spoke to Bianca Ranson from Forest and Bird about The Hauraki gulf protection bill being recommended to parliament in its entirety.

And spoke to Aaron Hendry from Kickback about a Petition of his against the government's new Ram-raid Bill.

The government announced cancer drug funding on Monday, which was met with support from the Breast Cancer foundation, who say the funding will significantly benefit those currently struggling with cancer. 

The announcement was met with some criticism, as it was a campaign promise for the National party last year, but was absent in last month’s budget. This led to some uncertainty around how the funding would be provided if at all. 

Wire host Castor spoke to chief executive of the Breast Cancer Foundation, Ah-Leen Rayner about the funding, how it will benefit patients, and potential improvements for the future.

On Sunday the government announced new measures to combat increased rates of youth offending. Along with increased police presence on Queen Street, they also promised the introduction of military style boot camps for youth offenders. 

Military style boot camps have been implemented several times in Aotearoa, to minimal success. They have been met with criticism for their failure to address the root issues of youth offending, and the high rates of reconviction. 

The government has also met recent criticism for its cuts in the public sector, particularly for ACT party leader David Seymour’s comments that more cuts should be expected. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Tom Rutherford about the boot camps proposal and the impact of cuts in the public sector.