The Wire with Joel

Term two has officially begun, however, this is going to look very different for lots of different people. The government has indicated a progressive return to school with the priority right now being online learning. The government announced last week the moves they are making to prepare for that, and Lillian outlines that announcement in this piece. What is clear though is the issue regarding access to the internet and devices. This is something The Wire is going to look into further, but today we are going to touch on some of the resources available online now. 

Bevan Morgan works for an organisation called School Kit. They work with different sponsors from both the public and private sector to produce educational resources on their behalf. These resources are free for teachers once they sign up. When they are commissioned by the likes of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage for example, School Kit tells their community of teachers what is coming and how to access it. The resources include a teacher guide with research and links to activities and resources they have developed. Along with this is a box of gear to enhance that learning. Lillian spoke to Bevan about what they are doing to provide some kits to the Ministry of Education at this time, given the resources they already have available. 

To finish up, we hear a statement from an anonymous parent of their experience of Day 1, Term 2 - the online version, and Lillian outlines the government's latest announcement of support for Tertiary students - also something that will be looked at in more detail in coming Wire's. 

Last week, Te Huirangi Waikerepuru passed away. We touched on the gravity of this loss on The Wire on Thursday but time hadn’t really allowed for a proper tribute. Over the weekend, these tributes flowed. One in particular caught Lillian's eye. Marae, the tv programme on TVNZ on Sunday mornings, had transformed its programming format in order to act as an actual marae for the show so that people around the motu can acknowledge and pay tribute to Huirangi, as they would on a marae at a tangi. Covid19 rāhui restrictions have meant that tangihanga have not been able to occur as they normally would and this has been a huge source of pain for many. Scotty Morrison is the presenter of Marae TV and Lillian spoke to him to understand more about why they decided to do what they did, and started by asking him to explain a bit about Huirangi Waikerepuru himself, and why such an acknowledgement was necessary.

Laura Kvigstad updated us with the highlights of today's parliamentary Epidemic Response Committee.

Lillian spoke to Scotty Morrison, host of the TVNZ's Marae, on the show becoming a virtual marae so orators around the country could pay tribute to the late te reo advocate Huirangi Waikerepuru.

International Desk reports on the recent spat between Taiwan and the World Health Organization.

Bronnie speaks to Janna Tay from Oscen Magazine about their online workshop festival connecting people to the creative arts during the rāhui.

Oscar chats with Samuel Miller McDonald about Covid-19 and climate change.

And now for State of the States...

In breaking news, Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the US presidential race. Lillian Hanly recaps his campaign.

But, with the democratic primary being muted compared to the pandemic, a movement beyond Bernie Sanders appears to be happening.

With the number of strikes rapidly growing across the United States, COVID-19 is turning out to be an unprecedented labour crisis.

Rachel Simpson speaks to Dr Paul Taillon, a senior history lecturer at the University of Auckland. He specialises in working people and the labour movement in the United States and has written on gender, race and unionism in the States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They speak about the increase in worker solidarity despite push back from corporates and the government, how grassroots strikes are organised despite social distancing regulations, and whether a general strike may be imminent.