The Wire with Caeden

Since Covid there has been a bus driver shortage leading to around 1000 buses being cancelled every day. Alex talked to Dennis Maga, the General Secretary of First Union about the challenge to recruit drivers. Pay is part of the problem but so are working conditions. Maga describes the realities of doing split shifts, the impact on health and family life, and how bus drivers feel a duty of care for their passengers even when they are subjected to verbal and, occasionally, physical abuse. 

Auckland has been hit by a tornado, just two months after devastation by Cyclone Gabrielle and three months after deadly flooding hit the area. 

More than 30 calls were received by emergency services, with trees toppled and roofs lifting off houses in East Tamaki. 

Fortunately, no injuries were reported: but this spate of freak weather events left more questions to be answered. 

Arno spoke to Andrew James, communications meteorologist at MetService, to find out more about tornadoes and freak weather events. 

Arno started the interview by asking Andrew how tornadoes are formed. 

The National party has announced a new policy, Electrify NZ, claiming it will ‘turbo-charge’ wind, geothermal and solar power projects in order to replace coal and gas projects. This Tuesday Beth speaks to Amanda Larsson, Head of Campaigns for Greenpeace Aotearoa, about the policy and what National could be doing better.

Morgan Donoghue is the spokesperson for Ours Not Mines, an organisation that is standing up against the mining company OceanaGold and the New Zealand government over a proposed gold mine on conservation land in the Coromandel. In 2017 the Labour government promised no more mines on conservation land, yet OceanaGold is in the process of acquiring resource consent for a gold mine under conservation land. Simon began by getting Morgan to explain what OceanaGold is doing in the Coromandel and the implications of the proposed mine.