The Wire with Spike

The Crescent Under the Southern Cross  is a short documentary that tells the story of Four muslim men who served for the Australian Defence Force during World War two. Last week, the director of the film, Dr. Simon Wilmot spoke about why these men were in Australia, and what they did during the war. This week in part two, Dr. Wilmot highlights how these men were treated after the war, and the effect the White Australia immigration policy had on them. He also discusses why it is important to remember these men's stories. This week he begins by sharing what was promised to them upon their return.

A massive study has been undertaken involving tens of thousands of accounting questions across hundreds of university campuses. These questions were fed into ChatGPT AI software, and the answers marked by the professors as though they were student’s answers. 

The results were quite astonishing. 

Arno spoke to Ruth Dimes, Business masters programme director at the University of Auckland, to find out more about the study and to see how real humans stack up against our AI counterparts. Arno started by asking about the aims of the study. 

AUKUS - a security pact signed between Australia, the UK and the US is a contentious topic for Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Due to its pro-nuclear sentiments, New Zealand has been inherently hesitant to join the pact because of the impact it could have on New Zealand’s diplomatic relations with its Asia-Pacific allies. 

Anti-AUKUS sentiments have dominated the political discourse around the topic, with many academics and politicians past and present against the pact because of the geopolitical tensions it could muster. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark called the AUKUS deal an “entanglement” that New Zealand shouldn’t get itself into. 

To receive more input, Andre Fa'aoso spoke with Doctor Arama Rata, an independent researcher and spokesperson for Te Kuaka, a group that advocates for progressive foreign policy.

On the Wednesday Wire with Andre:

Host Andre Fa'aoso spoke with Doctor Arama Rata about the domestic tensions around New Zealand joining the AUKUS security-pact. 

Jack Cormack-Neto chatted to Principal Science Advisor at the NZ Drug Foundation, Emily Hughes, about what they found at drug checking during 2022. 

On The Green Desk, Jack Marshall interviewed Marine Ecologist Aaron Egerhe about the economic value of kelp forests.

Producer Alex Bonham spoke to Chief Executive Officer of Ecomatters Environment Trust, Carla Gee and senior organic waste advisor at the Auckland Council Elise O’Brien, about the potential for food scraps to improve soils and avoid tonnes emissions each year. 

Producer Arno spoke to Richard Easther, astrophysicist at the University of Auckland, about the SpaceX Starship launch. 

Arno also spoke with Ruth Dimes, Business masters programme director at the University of Auckland, about a study comparing students performance to ChatGPT AI.