The Wire with Caeden

Homeowners across the motu are facing an average rates rise of 15 percent in the next year.

Councils say they need to balance the need for investment with affordable rates increases, but that budgetary pressures have reached a “tipping point”.

For their weekly interview, News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to ACT’s Simon Court about their party’s stance on investing in local infrastructure, amid the government reducing funding for public transport.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Caeden speaks to Labour spokesperson for Education and Women Jan Tinneti.

For City Counselling they speak to Auckland Councillor Lotu Fuli about feminist cities.

And they also speak to E Tū negotiation specialist Michael Wood about the job losses at TVNZ.

Jessica spoke to World Vision New Zealand’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, about their report on the rising cost of basic food items in Aotearoa.

And Jasmine speaks to Dr. Hayden McRobbie from Te Whatu Ora and Sharon Pihema from the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation about Youth Vaping Culture in Aotearoa and the efficacy of current prevention initiatives.

The population of Aotearoa is growing rapidly, increasing by more than 100,000 people annually, with the largest recent growth happening in the years after COVID-19. In order to accommodate for this increase, Aotearoa needs to ensure that there is robust investment going into its public infrastructure so that the growing population has adequate access to services such as medical care and public transport. 

Currently, the coalition government seems to be ensuring the opposite of that, cutting around $2.4 billion in expenditure across the public sector to fund tax cuts as part of their commitment to what they call “fiscal responsibility”. As a result, it is speculated that already limited and struggling public services in Aotearoa will become more scarce and inaccessible to both Kiwis and the growing population. 

Oto spoke to Craig Renney, the economist and director of policy at the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, who wrote a report titled “Investing in a growing population” that specifically details the problem and impacts of public spending cuts on the growing population here in Aotearoa.

It’s been almost two months since the national hui at Ngāruawāhia, a unifying gathering of Maori and Iwi from across the Motu in response to policies by the coalition government, that many have said are anti-Maori. Despite widespread outrage against these policies, the government has appeared to double down and proceed with controversial moves such as disestablishing the Maori health authority and the proposal of ACT’s treaty principles bill. 

In response, Ngāti Kahungunu have called for another national hui to be held in May this year at Ōmahu Marae in Heretaunga, Hastings, where a major point of discussion is expected to be centred around Kotahitanga, or the united Maori movement. 

Oto spoke to Eru Kapa-Kingi, a legal academic at the University of Auckland of Te Aupouri and Ngāpuhi descent, and discussed the significance of the next national Hui.