The Wire with Caeden

Over 400 solar panels are now powering the school of architecture and design innovation at Victoria University in Wellington, after being installed on the roof of the building in July. The solar panels are expected to save up to 21 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide released into the environment each year. The initiative is part of the university’s zero carbon plan, which describes using the campuses as a living lab for climate action research.

Rosetta spoke to Alan Brent, Chair of sustainable energy systems at Victoria University, about the project, and what more needs to be done to make renewable energy more accessible in Aotearoa

Last week, one of Aotearoa’s most commonly used political online tools, Vote Compass, launched for 2023. The tool has been used for elections in New Zealand since 2014, and is the product of a collaboration between TVNZ, An academic advisory panel of New Zealand political scientists, and the data science company Vox Pop Labs. 

The compass asks a series of questions about a person’s personal stance on topical issues, and then aligns their views on the spectrum of political parties and their policy.

Rosetta spoke to Danny Osborne, associate professor at the school of psychology at the University of Auckland, and member of the academic advisory panel for vote compass, about his involvement with the project.

This week our election coverage topic is the climate crisis and environment.

Rosetta spoke to Jenny Sahng, spokesperson for Vote For Climate, about the newly launched campaign urging the public to vote with climate change in mind this year.

Producer Rawan spoke to Ellie Hooper, the Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace Aotearoa about the Green Party's proposed Healthy Ocean's Act.

For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Rawan spoke to Simon Court about some of the party's environmental policies, including proposed changes to the RMA, their pledge to improve the economy through affordable renewable energy, and their freshwater management policies.

Rosetta spoke to Alan Brent, Chair of Sustainable Energy Systems at Victoria University about the newly implemented solar panels which power the school of Achitecture and Design Innovation.

Finally, Rosetta also spoke to Danny Osborne, associate professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland, about his involvement as an academic advisor in Vote Compass, an online tool which aligns voters' personal values with party policy.

As the election quickly approaches, politicians have been ramping up their marketing strategies. “Attack adverts” have been the central focus as of late, with both Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins weighing in.

Olivia spoke to Associate Professor from the Department of Marketing from the University of Auckland Business School Dr Mike Lee about the current marketing strategies being employed, and how they compare to previous elections.