The Wire with Caeden

Last week, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced the government’s decision for New Zealand to exit the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. The organisation was formed in 2021 by countries and other stakeholders to discuss the phase-out of fossil fuels in favour of more environmentally friendly fuel sources. The decision to leave the alliance follows the repeal of the ban on Oil and Gas exploration, which the government says is a necessary decision to ensure we have the necessary resources to transition towards more environmentally friendly fuel sources. The Green party has criticised the move, saying it undermines our international reputation as a front runner on environmental issues and our personal commitments to combating climate change. 

The government has also announced upcoming changes to ADHD diagnoses, allowing General Practitioners (GPs) to diagnose ADHD and prescribe medication. The change follows long wait times and difficult processes for children and adults with ADHD to access a diagnosis or the necessary medication.

In our weekly catch-up with National’s Tom Rutherford, Tuesday Wire Host Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with the departure from the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance.

As electronics continue to become a more and more accepted part of everyday life, so does the need to dispose of them when they cease to function as intended. This leads to a lot of electronics being disposed of incorrectly, along with all manner of other rubbish.

While that may seem harmless on the surface, this can lead to combustion of rubbish trucks, which can be filled with all kinds of waste that can range from harmless biodegradable banana skins to highly explosive aerosol cans and very flammable lithium ion batteries.

When disposing of electronic waste, it is recommended to consult with the Auckland Council website for a full list of approved e-waste disposal locations.

Producer Sam spoke to Saeid Baroutian, Professor of Chemical & Materials Engineering at the University of Auckland at the University of Auckland about an experiment they carried out in conjunction with Auckland Council about the dangers posed by electrical fires in rubbish trucks.

From tomorrow onwards, the Healthy Homes Standards will come into effect.

The guidelines require landlords to meet minimum standards of heating, insulation, ventilation, among other things; a law that was signed into effect in 2019.

Despite this, many are concerned that landlords can ‘self-confirm’ they meet these standards without external scrutiny.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Medical Director of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation, Bob Hancox about these guidelines, and how the organisation are feeling about the standards heading into tomorrow.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about the Regulatory Standards Bill, last weekend's Destiny Church protest, and the Taxpayers Union-Curia Poll on Cook Islands Citizenship.

For International Desk, they spoke to 95bFM reporter Sanat Singh about Zohran Mamdani’s all-but-confirmed primary win that has made him the Democratic nominee for the New York City mayoral race.

For this week’s City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about the council’s emergency preparedness plans for the disabled community, and the proposals for flood mitigation at the Takapuna Golf Course

She also spoke with far-right extremism expert Byron Clark about last weekend’s Destiny Church protest

Finally, she spoke with University of Auckland doctoral student Tom Wilkinson about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, in light of tensions between Israel and Iran.