The Wire with Caeden

For their final interview this year, News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to ACT's Brooke Van velden about the Government's expansion to the immigration fast track list. They also discussed Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenksy addressing Aotearoa’s parliament and what we can expect from the ACT Party next year. 

Then she spoke to Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker about how people can minimise the risk of catching and spreading Covid-19 this summer. 

And for our Best of the Wire special, we recapped the year that was in news and current affairs. This year, Emilia Sullivan spoke to Geoff McLay from Victoria University Law School about the Supreme Court hearing arguments in a case against Aotearoa’s seven largest polluting companies. On Eurovision, our Europe Correspondent, Cameron Adams, spoke to Emillia about Russia’s mobilisation and so-called annexation referendums in Ukraine. And on The Green Desk, Frances spoke to Gabrielle Feather, a PhD student at the University of Tasmania about the changing climate and its connection to mental health.

For Tomorrow's World, Stella Huggins speaks to Professor in Critical Health Psychology at Massey University, Sarah Riley about Menstruation Tracking Apps.

And the Wire team brings you the best of the Monday Wire, recapping the year that was in news and current affairs.

This year, Stella Huggins spoke to former Auckland Deputy Mayor, Penny Hulse about an ongoing review on the future of local government. 

We revisit Aotearoa becoming the first country in the world to have explicitly legalised drug checking. Spike Keith spoke to Know Your Stuff’s Brin Ryder about drug testing services at summer festivals. 

Spike also interviewed the NZ Drug Foundation’s Sarah Helm about their findings that overdose deaths in the past five years have increased by 50%.

And finally, we look back at Stella's interview with Chris Wilson, a Senior Lecturer of Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland, about his report on his colleague James Halpin, infiltrating Action Zelandia, a far-right extremist group in Aotearoa.

Stats NZ has created 80 New Zealand sign language videos for the 2023 census.

The project was a joint collaboration between the Deaf Community, Deaf Aotearoa and Victoria University of Wellington.

They hope this will make deaf people feel more included around census time.

David spoke to Lachlan Keating from Deaf Aotearoa about the topic

On The Wire this week for Rāmere Friday!

Joe speaks to Fiona Tolich, long-term campaigner and advocate for SMA, about Pharmacs funding of SPINRAZA, a first-of-its-kind medicine for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the number one cause of genetic death in Kiwi children under two. 

Daniel speaks to Merewalesi Yee, who is a PhD student at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia about her project that seeks to advance the understanding of human migration in Fiji caused by climate change. He also speaks to Leba Gaunavinaka who is a climate change adaptation specialist at the Fijian Ministry of Climate Change about relocating Fijian communities whose land is inhabitable due to climate change.  

David chats to Shane Henderson for our regular segment, City Counselling. They look at Auckland Council Group’s Annual Budget 2023/2024. David also speaks to Lachlan Keating from Deaf Aotearoa about creating NZ Sign Language videos for the 2023 census.

That's us for the Friday Wire!