The Wire with Caeden

For Dear Science this week our expert Professor Allan Blackman spoke to us about a genome in a tiny fern, a paper retracted about Alzheimers, and a study on success and failure. 

This weekend’s march for nature saw 20,000 people gathering in Central Auckland to protest against the Fast Track Approvals Bill. Submissions closed just under two months ago, and the select committee is currently reviewing and proposing changes to the bill. 

The bill has been quite controversial since its proposal, with debate from both sides of parliament and the public on whether the potential benefits outweigh the costs. 

The ram raid bill, initially proposed under the previous Labour government, has equally been met with controversy, particularly for how it fails to address the core issues of youth offending, instead proposing prosecuting those as young as 12 years old.

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Castor spoke to MP Tom Rutherford about the Fast Track Approvals Bill as it moves through the select committee process, and how the current government plans to handle the ram raid bill.

Last week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced that New Zealand would reinstate its annual payment of $1 million to the United Nations Reliefs and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. 

This comes after the government stopped funding to the agency in January over accusations by Israel that the agency’s staff were involved in Hamas' attacks, of which reports later found Israel failed to provide evidence for.

The UNRWA is the United Nation's largest agency operating in Gaza and is the main humanitarian provider for Palestinians under Israeli bombardment.

Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to National Chair of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, John Minto, about the New Zealand government’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza with regards to this reinstated funding. 

She started their interview asking him about the role of the UNRWA.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Director at Kick Back, Aaron Hendry, about 20+ organisations coming together to urge the government to cull the Ram Raid Bill.

They also spoke to Greenpeace Aotearoa Programme Director, Niamh O’Flynn, about this weekend's March for Nature protests.

And Producer Castor spoke to one of the national presidents from the Tertiary Education Union, Julie Douglas, about budget announcements and how they will impact the tertiary education sector.