The Wire with Joel

The Auckland hospitality sector is seeking support from the government to get through the latest lockdown. Over the weekend, 300 members of the sector decided, during an online emergency meeting, that they need the wage subsidy at Level 2 and resurgence payments to get them through lockdown. However, this decision came before the government's three-step roadmap announcement and the assurance that Auckland will remain in Level 3 for the foreseeable future. 

Jamie Freeman, the President of the Auckland Branch of Hospitality New Zealand, says that the future feels uncertain with the government providing no clear plan to support the industry through the latest lockdown. News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Jamie about what happened at the meeting, the sector's response to the three-step plan and what the Auckland hospitality industry could look like once the city is out of lockdown. 

Joe talks to Sandra Grey, the National Secretary from Te Hautu Kahurangi, the Tertiary Education Union, on their most recent report about the increasing stress tertiary institutions are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yesterday, the Government announced its three-step roadmap to get Auckland out of Alert Level 3. The first step will begin tonight at 11:59pm and will allow people to catch up outdoors in groups of 10 people from no more than two households.

To get a clearer understanding of how the roadmap works, as well as address some of the critiques of the decision, News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu, an immunologist at the University of Otago Wellington, and Professor Michael Plank, a Covid-19 mathmatical modelling expert from the University of Canterbury. They discuss initial reactions to the announcement, critiques of the plan putting vulnerable communities at risk and whether the vaccination roll out will be able to keep ahead of a wider delta outbreak. 

Stop Sexual Harassment on Campus Aotearoa (SSHOC) is a group of students and staff from New Zealand’s eight universities campaigning for an independent body to monitor the handling of sexual violence issues. 

This follows criticism of several universities for their response to reports of sexual misconduct on campus.

Jessica Hopkins speaks to Associate Professor Nicola Gaston, from the University of Auckland about SSHOC's proposal for proactive change to current institutional practices.