The Wire with Joel

In the Government’s 2024 Budget, over FIVE BILLION dollars has been allocated to military spending.

Despite this being a slight decrease from the actual number spent on the military over the past few years, this still equates to over ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN MILLION per week.

Producer Joel spoke to Coordinator of Peace Movement Aotearoa, Edwina Hughes, about the 2024 Budget and her thoughts on the money allocation to military services as opposed to other services.

They started off by asking her how much the military has been allocated in previous years.

Last week the government released its budget, announcing cuts and new funding across sectors. Particularly notable were the tax cuts, promised during the campaign last year to support lower and middle-income families. The government’s calculator indicates that many will not receive a significant amount of money from these cuts, with those on high incomes benefiting the most. 

The budget also contained changes to fees free in universities, moving the free year from students’ first year to their last. 

Additionally, before the budget announcements, the government also scrapped the first home buyers grant, a policy introduced to support New Zealanders into their first homes. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Castor spoke to MP Tom Rutherford about the first home buyers bonus, public reception of the tax cuts, and the changes to fees free in universities.

The Budget 2024 includes cuts to funding for the environmental sector such as the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for the Environment, Environmental Legal Aid, and the Climate Change Commission. 

Greenpeace Aotearoa has said these cuts provide more reason to join the March for Nature on this Saturday the 8th of June. 

Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director, Dr Russel Norman, about the march and Greenpeace’s response to Budget 2024. 

She began their kōrero asking him what parts of the Budget concerned Greenpeace the most. 

June is the month for Sweat With Pride in Aotearoa, where Kiwis can sign up to sweat for 21 minutes everyday to raise money for services provided by the Burnett Foundation, Rainbow Youth, OutLine and InsideOut for our rainbow and Takatāpui communities. Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to the Burnett Foundation’s Ella Sarigson ahead of the initiative kicking off this Saturday!

It’s not too late to get involved - head to sweatwithpride.com to signup and support our rainbow and takatāpui communities.