On Thursday, Broadcasting and Media Minister Kris Fafoi announced that a new public media entity will be created through the merging of TVNZ and Radio New Zealand.
Fafoi has stated that this will future proof both organisations and provide a centralised source for all New Zealanders to rely on for public journalism.
The announcement has received mixed responses from across the media sector, with it being called a "solution looking for a problem” by National Party broadcasting spokesperson Melissa Lee .
Liam spoke to former MP Tracey Martin, who was a chairperson on the Public Broadcasting Governance Group about what we could see out of the new entity.
The Government has introduced legislation that would see random roadside drug testing beginning in 2023. Police would use saliva testing to check for the presence of drugs in a driver's system, and if the test detects any, the driver will be fined and stopped from driving for a minimum of 12 hours.
Emilia Sullivan spoke to Kali Mercier, Policy and Advocacy Manager of the New Zealand Drug Foundation about how this new legislation would work.
In the 10 weeks of 2022, 10 cyclists have sadly died on our roads. While Auckland Transport has adopted 'Vision Zero', an approach that aims for zero deaths on our roads by 2050, there is a desire for a more immediate response.
Emilia Sullivan spoke to Tony Mitchell, Chair of Bike Auckland to get his views on the current state of cycling in Auckland.
Today, Greenpeace has set sail on a peace flotilla to Helena Bay in Northland, in protest outside Russian oligarch Alexander Abramov’s residence, amidst the conflict in Ukraine. Joe speaks to Niamh O'Flynn, the Programme Director for Greenpeace, while they were on their way to Helena Bay.
Today on The Wire, our regular interview with Labour’s Andrew Little is back. Tuva’a speaks to Little about hospital bed capacity, health system restructure and the new Pharmac review.
Emilia speaks to Kali Mercier, the Policy and Advocacy Manager of the New Zealand Drug Foundation about new roadside drug testing legislation.
She also talks to Tony Mitchell, Chair of Bike Auckland about the current state of cycling safety in Auckland, whether we will see a change in the urgency of reforms as gas prices get steeper, and how more kiwis turn to cost-efficient transport such as cycling.
Finally, Joe speaks to Niamh O'Flynn, the programme director for Greenpeace, who today was sailing to Helena Bay to protest against the war in Ukraine.
This week on the Wire, Frances and producer Alex kick off with the new weekly segment 'EuroVision'. Europe Correspondent Cameron Mulgan updates Frances from the ground about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and we talk a little about International women’s day celebrations in Europe.
Alex speaks with National’s Dr Shane Reti about how the government can do more for Pacific peoples during the pandemic and Frances talks to Professor Maurice Curtis from the University of Auckland about a big new study that’s come out on the effects of covid-19 on the brain
Then Alex has his weekly chat to the ACT party’s Brooke Van Velden, this week about what the “cooling” housing market means for first home buyers and whether the NZ-UK FTA signed last week is a good precedent for future trade deals. He also speaks with Dr. Bodo Lang about what the Commerce Commission's report on the supermarket sector means for consumers.
At the end of the show we farewell our News and Editorial Director, Jemima, as she heads off on a new adventure. That's us for this Wednesday!
This week on our new segment 'EuroVision', Wire host Frances Wright catches up with our European Correspondent Cameron Mulgan. Cameron joins Frances from London, and updates her on developments in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, what it’s looking like on the ground for refugees around Europe, and a little about International Women’s Day in Europe.
Producer Alex and Dr Shane Reti of the National Party discuss how the government can do more for Pacific peoples during the pandemic. Pacific peoples have suffered infections at a rate eight times higher than non-Maori and four times higher than Maori. Dr Shane issued a press release on Saturday calling for greater collaboration between government and faith and community leaders, as well as action on housing, to try and combat this. We discuss this in greater detail.
This week, one of the biggest COVID-19 brain imaging studies was released from researchers in the UK. In the study, researchers looked at the results of 785 people before and after Covid-19 infection. The scans showed that those infected with Covid-19 display changes in areas of the brain that affect memory and smell, and that the virus may result in increased cognitive decline. To understand the study and its findings a little further, Frances caught up with Professor Maurice Curtis from the University of Auckland where he is the head of department in Anatomy and Medical Imaging. They talked about the results of the study and its implications for life going forward.
Producer Alex talks with Dr. Bodo Lang what the Commerce Commision report on the supermarket sector means for the average consumer. Released on 8 March 2022, the report details reforms designed to increase competition and reduce prices, but is significantly lighter than previous drafts. Dr Lang is a marketing Associate Professor at the University of Auckland who has extensive experience in the academic and private sectors whose research has included work on consumer behaviour and food products.