The Wire with Castor

To little fanfair the government announced a huge overhaul of key ministries, merging the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the local government functions of the Department of Internal Affairs into a new agency.

Coming on the back of the yet more fast-track approvals reforms, which have cut out community voices like Forest and Bird, and led to criticisms of environmental destruction, the move is a huge overhaul in governance, leaving many critics alarmed that this is yet another move pulling the country away from climate mitigation and adaptation.

To understand why the government's plans to merge these key ministries is alarming them, I spoke to Ora Taiao Co-ordinator Marnie Pricket.

In Wellington, failure at the Moa Point wastewater treatment plant has led to millions of liters of wastewater being sent into the Cook Strait. 

The incident has shed light on what scientific experts have been saying for years — that water infrastructure in New Zealand is out of date and incapable of handling the growing effect of climate challenges without deeper investment.

The Salvation Army released their State of the Nation report which has found an increase in issues across the justice system, child welfare, and poverty contributing to declining social equality in Aotearoa.

As well, NZ First leader Winston Peters is campaigning on a referendum on Māori seats in New Zealand.

Wire Host Sara spoke to National MP Ryan Hamilton about all of these topics, starting with Moa Point. 

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman chats with us about a new solar solution, the periodic table anniversary, and the latest research on human senses
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to National MP Ryan Hamlilton about Wellington’s wastewater treatment plant failure, the State of the Nation, and NZ First’s call for a Māori seats referendum
For Green World, news-teamer Alex spoke to Nikolai Siimes, a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Auckland, about Biodynamic Alternatives to Fungicides
Producer Vihan spoke to the University of Auckland’s Shahper Richter on balancing AI and human values.

The government’s plans to construct a liquified natural gas import terminal have sparked a lot of conversation over the past week about the role of natural gas in our energy infrastructure, and what more we need.

Producer Alex spoke with Professor in Chemical and Material Engineering at the University of Auckland, Brent Young, about how this proposal fits in to the issue it seeks to solve, and what more needs to be done within our energy infrastructure.

Next, News Director Castor spoke to Professor Emeritus at Massey University, Ralph Sims, about the sustainability of Liquid Natural Gas and potential alternatives.

Finally, they spoke to the University of Auckland’s Professor of Electrical Engineering Nirmal Nair about how energy companies stand to benefit from the LNG changes.