The Wire with Joel

Over the weekend former Cuban leader Fidel Castro died aged 90. Castro brought communism to the island nation, overthrowing dictator Fulgencio Batista during the revolution of 1959. His death has been met with mixed reaction with parties in the streets of Miami amongst the local Cuban community who fled his rule, while others celebrate what he achieved as leader in the form of bringing free education and healthcare to the country. Reporter Sam Smith speaks to Cuba’s Ambassador to New Zealand Mario Alzugaray Rodriguez about Castro’s death and his legacy.

Last Friday the government launched the Disability Confident campaign which aims to support employers to hire and retain disabled employees. 95bFM producer Hannah Ross spoke to Disability Issues Minister, Nicky Wagner, about what the campaign consists of.

The Government announced this week that it will update the Equal Pay Act and amend the Employment Relations Act to implement recommendations of the Joint Working Group on Pay Equity. This will make it easier for women to file pay equity claims with their employers, rather than having to go through the courts. It will also assist employers in addressing those claims. I spoke with Minister for Workplace Relations Michael Woodhouse about this update.

Forest and Bird are disappointed in the sentence handed to a fisherman who killed dozens of albatrosses. Daniel Smyth was given 300 hours of community work on Wednesday, after pleading guilty to causing the deaths of nearly 40 albatrosses. The group says the Ministry of Primary Industries needs to do more to address these kinds of incidents. Forest and Bird's Seabird advocate Karen Baird spoke to 95bFM reporter Mackenzie Smith, who began by asking her what was wrong with the albatross killer's sentence.