The Wire with Caeden

One of the projects included in the government's recently announced fast track list is a construction project that would increase the capacity of Paremoremo, Auckland Prison.

The project would add a series of new rooms, floors and beds to the prison, which would double the prison’s inmate capacity from 600 to 1200.

The announcement has been criticised and denounced by prison reform activists in Aotearoa, with one of their concerns being that, without adequate staffing to accommodate an increase in prisoners, the upgrades would lead to chaos and more antisocial behaviour in the prison. 

Oto spoke to Emmy Rākete, a Lecturer in Social Sciences at the University of Auckland and founder of People against prisons Aotearoa, to discuss the announcement of fast tracked upgrades to Auckland prison.

Homelessness is not a new issue, but rather a persistent one, and will never go away unless our society confronts it directly. This is an issue which affects all of us, as no one is guaranteed housing or basic needs. 

Work and Income have declared changes to their emergency housing as of August. These changes make it harder for those experiencing homelessness to receive the help they need, as they now need to fill a criteria to receive this help.

The Kickback Organisation, a charitable trust focused on delivering support for those experiencing homelessness, are advocating for parliament to pass legislation to support those at risk of homelessness. Similar legislation has been successful in Wales.

Sasha spoke to Aaron Hendry from Kickback about their campaign efforts, and their event at their charity on Karangahape road.

Our catchup with the National party is back on this week with our usual MP Katie Nimon. Wire host Castor started off by asking about Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, a program supporting teachers and teaching staff to integrate tikanga and te reo Māori into their classrooms. The funding for the program was recently cut, with education minister Erica Stanford pointing to poor mathematics outcomes as a justification for funding reallocation. 

They also asked about the Fast Track Approvals bill, now that the list of 149 projects is out for consideration. The types of projects on the list range widely, from the expected housing, energy, and infrastructure developments to the less expected Eden Park and prison upgrades. 

A total of 149 projects have been selected for fast tracking through the government's new Fast-track Approvals Bill.

There’s a variety of projects on the list, in sectors including farming, infrastructure, energy, and mining. 

The fast track approvals bill went through public consultation without a public release of the list of projects. 

This meant the public didn’t have specific details when submitting on the bill. 

Now the 149 projects on the list have been revealed, a number of environmental concerns have arisen over projects that were successfully opposed in the past. 

Forest and Birds Richard Capie calls this an assault on Aotearoa’s democracy. 

Producer Evie spoke to Capie about the list of projects and Forest and Birds concerns around them.