The Wire with Caeden

The government announced two new initiatives aimed at moving young people out of benefit dependency, and are looking to motivate them to stay in work by providing a $1000 incentive if they are able to keep stable work for more than 12 months. In the same announcement, they stated that young adults, aged 18 and 19, will no longer be eligible for Jobseeker payments if their parents can support them, for which they set the bar as an annual household income of just over $65,000.

In addition to this, The Green Party conducted a public interview on Monday, with the families of the three New Zealanders who were detained by Israel aboard the Sumud flotilla. The goal of the flotilla was to break through Israel’s illegal blockade that has existed since 2007, and provide aid to those suffering in Gaza.

As a result of rising tensions towards the Government’s stance on Gaza, Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ Auckland home was vandalised on Tuesday, the day after the press conference where Chloe Swarbrick urged the Government to act against Israel. Peters then quickly blamed the vandilisation – where a protestor broke his window and left a note saying “welcome to the real world” – on what he described as the “radical left”.

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Wednesday Wire Host Max speaks to him about the vandalisation of Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ Auckland home, what the Green Party is asking of the government as a next step in Aotearoa’s stance on Gaza. As well as the Government’s initiatives aimed at moving young adults towards independence.

We also spoke about Associate Education Minister David Seymour’s announcing a change to how the government contracts school attendance services.

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman about Dame Jane Goodall, discoveries in Bearded Vulture’s nests and fresh clues of a new planet.  

For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the government’s Electricity Plan, the Defence Industry strategy and the Freedom Flotilla activists
Sara also attended a press conference yesterday on the NewZealand activists detained by Israeli forces while attempting to deliver aid into Gaza. On this topic, she spoke to two experts on international humanitarian law on New Zealand and the international community’s obligations to respond to the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

For Green World, Producer Jasmine spoke with Fiona McCormack, Associate Professor in Marine Anthropology at the University of Waikato, about the incoming Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill

For Dear Science this week, our expert,Professor Allan Blackman about Dame Jane Goodall, discoveries in Bearded Vulture’s nests and fresh clues of a new planet.

Love all things trams? LIVE Day: Trams is on at MOTAT next Sunday 19 October! Check out their impressive collection and catch a ride on one of the steam trains.

Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!

This week in Aotearoa, the Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill is set to pass its third reading in parliament. The legislation extends existing protections and introduces new areas of marine reserve. The move is providing what many have described as long overdue in Aotearoa’s conservation efforts, as only 0.3% of our waters are currently under full marine protection. However, experts have also raised concerns about the balance of consideration of commercial fisheries comparative to that of local whānau and hapū groups.

Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Fiona McCormack, an Associate Marine Anthropology Professor at the University of Waikato, about the nature of this legislation and what it means for wider marine conservation efforts.