The Wire with Caeden

On Monday, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins gave his State of the Nation speech at the Auckland Business Chamber.

And the Government has announced it will give the Police new powers to issue 24-hour ‘move-on’ orders in town centres across the country.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about both of these topics.

Homeless, rough sleepers and beggars have often been used as a shorthand by some for decline in the city centre. For some, it’s evidence of the state's increasing failure to provide support people at vulnerable points in their lives; for others, the continued presence of rough sleepers being permitted is a sign of a lack of social rules. This week the government seems to have firmly fallen in with the latter. 

They are set to implement legislation that would empower police to implement ‘move on’ orders, which, if issued, would require you to vacate public areas or face up to $2,000 in fines or 3 months in prison.

The move has garnered huge criticism with many viewing the move alongside the governments cuts to emergency housing and support services leaving people with no where to go other than prison.

Another move that has flown a little under the radar has been the amalgamation of the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the local government functions of the Department of Internal Affairs into a single ministry. This amalgamation has alarmed critics who are concerned that the government's track record on climate and environmental policy spells ill for this new agency. 

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wire Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the amalgamation of key ministries into a mega ministry but began by talking about the expansion of police powers with move-on orders.

For Dear Science, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin chats with us about the ‘Spinosaurus’, a repellent for bed bugs, and research on the inner ear and hearing loss 
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to National MP Ryan Hamlilton about ‘move-on’ orders to take place in New Zealand’s cities, Auckland’s housing intensification changes, and the plans for a Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions & Transport
For Green World, Sara spoke to CEO of WWF New Zealand, Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, about the environmental NGO roadmap looking at an ‘environmental reset’ in New Zealand policy.
Producer Vihan spoke to the University of Auckland’s Dr Emmy Rākete on the new move-on orders for rough sleepers and how it can affect Aotearoa’s social landscape. 
Producer Toby spoke to Auckland University’s Chris Ogden about the geopolitical significance of the Chagos Islands, and why Donald Trump is so unhappy about Britain ceding them to Mauritius.

The Government has introduced new move-on orders for rough sleepers across the country. The new orders give police the authority to ask rough sleepers to relocate from an area for 24 hours, and leaves support for them up to the police. If rough sleepers fail to comply with these orders, they are liable to pay $2000 in fines. 

Producer Vihan spoke to Professional Teaching Fellow at the University of Auckland's School of Social Sciences, Dr Emmy Rākete, on what the rationale is behind these new orders and their impact on the social landscape of Aotearoa.