The Wire with Caeden

The Treaty Principles Bill was officially put to bed last week, as it was voted down in parliament by all parties besides ACT. The bill spent a long time in the public spotlight and has been met with extensive criticism from across the political spectrum. Now that it’s done, Wire host Castor asked Nancy Lu about whether the bill met the government’s expectations and whether they’d explore something similar in the future.

Last week, we also saw a report released about the harassment of female MPs. The harassment levels have been concerning to many, especially given targeted campaigns and posts from some members of parliament or political parties encouraging this harassment. 

In our weekly catchup with the National party, Tom Rutherford was absent this week, so Castor spoke to Nancy Lu about these issues, beginning with the Treaty Principles Bill.

Yesterday the government announced a proposal to change the requirements when it comes to drivers licence testing. 

The announcement by Transport Minister Chris Bishop revealed the axing of the full license test, meaning drivers on their restricted licence would automatically gain their full license after 18 months. Bishop says these changes would make it ‘more efficient, accessible and affordable’ for drivers to get their licence. 

The changes come with new safety measures such as drivers needing a completely clear record for 18 months before gaining their full licence, lowering the number of available demerit points for restricted drivers from 100 to 50, as well as introducing a zero alcohol limit for all drivers on their learners and restricted, not just those under 20. 

The AA is welcoming some of these changes, but says more safety measures could be taken with New Zealand already having one of the worst rates of fatal crashes in the OECD.

Producer Evie spoke to General Manager for Students Against Dangerous Driving, Donna Govorko about the proposal, and how the group feels about the potential changes.

A new report led by the University of Otago Wellington has found high rates of abuse and harassment against female members of parliament in Aotearoa. 

Eleven MPs from across the political spectrum participated in the study which found they were regularly harassed, threatened with rape and even death threats.

The study is led by Dr Rhiannon Watson and Dr Lucy Hammans and builds on previous research into harassment of MPs. 

Thursday Wire Host Caeden spoke to Dr Lara Greaves (Ngāpuhi, Pākehā, Tararā), associate professor in politics at Victoria University, about the study and its broader context in Aotearoa and global politics.

Caeden started by asking if she could explain the key findings of the study.

Last week United States Senator Cory Booker gave a marathon 25-hour speech, or “filibuster”, in the Senate. 

Booker’s speech included a broad range of criticisms of President Donald Trump, including his widespread cuts with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and his threat to annex Greenland and Canada.

Booker had over 1,000 pages of prepared material, including stories from 200 Americans who had written to Booker about Trump’s actions. 

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Charles Hunt from Boise State University in Idaho about Booker’s speech, its historical basis, and its impact on a growing anti-Trump movement in the United States.

They started by asking if he could explain what a filibuster is.