The Wire with Joel

Sustainability, recycling, carbon emission etcetera are terms commonly overused by corporations and companies who engage in greenwashing to make consumers feel less guilt. However, new groups of architects are dedicated to creating homes which meet all the standards of style and comfort without compromising the environmental impact that comes with construction.

Through a newly developed carbon calculation technology, architects can integrate carbon offsets to prioritise sustainable housing, which can greatly reduce a project’s environmental footprint. 

Sasha spoke to Dr Sarosh Mulla, senior lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning, about the new carbon calculation tech and the future of sustainable housing. Additionally we also discussed what generates the greatest amount of waste during a construction project and how carbon calculation aims to fix that.

About two weeks ago, the government announced a series of changes to the Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa.
Some of the changes included updating the definition of migrant exploitation to specify incidents occuring only under an official employment contract and excluding measures falling under lawful employment terminations.

Immigration minister Erica Stanford has said that the new changes would specify the terms of the visa and reduce the time migrants may be in vulnerable situations, however a number of human rights advocates have disagreed with this reasoning, saying the changes to the visa would reduce support for migrant workers and put more power in the hands of employers.

Oto spoke to Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner at Te Kāhui Tika Tangata - The Human Rights Commission, to discuss the recent changes to the Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visas and how it’ll impact migrant workers.

On the 29th of October, worker’s unions across the country held rallies over concerns of what they have dubbed this government’s “anti-worker” agenda.

These concerns stem from elements such as the government’s cuts on public services, scrapping fair pay agreements, and re-introducing 90-day trials.

Attendees of the rallies included Labour leader, Chris Hipkins, and several members of Te Pāti Māori, including co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, with the Public Service Association sayingroughly 10,000 individuals showed up to the rallies overall.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Assistant Secretary for the Public Service Association, Fleur Fitzsimons, about the rallies, and what the atmosphere was like for those attending the hui.

Last week, the Christchurch City Council voted to sanction Israel.

This follows calls from the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa to stop purchasing merchandise from companies that have links to funding Israel’s war on Gaza, according to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The staff report on Wednesday shows that council did not have any business with companies identified on this list, with recommendations passed by council members that amended the policy to prevent future business with these companies.

Despite passing, councillors Aaron Keown, and Kelly Baber voted against, with councillors James Gough, Victoria Henstock, and Mark Peters abstaining.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the National Chair of the Palestinian Solidarity Network, John Minto, about the sanctions, and why these sanctions are so important.