The Wire with Castor

The Child Poverty Action Group has released their policy and three key asks for this election: free preschool education for every child; a warm, safe dry home for every child and good food for every child.

Caeden spoke to Sarita Divis about what the Child Poverty Action Group is pushing for in the lead-up to the election and why these demands are so important.

Caeden started by asking why they’ve highlighted these three asks.

For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Karen Chhour about renters' rights and ACT's policy for 17-year-olds to be tried in adult court.

She also spoke to Professor of Public Health Nick Wilson from the University of Otago about addressing poor ventilation on public transport. 

Producer Caeden Tipler spoke to Child Poverty Action Group’s Sarita Divis about their calls leading up to the election. 

And Rebecca Kingi, who is a new mum, about funding cuts facing Nga Hau Birthing Centre. 

Producer Nicholas Lindstrom spoke to Jackie Paul, an advisor that worked on a new report into the housing crisis released by Te Kahui tika Tangata the Human Rights Commission.

For our regular catch-up with Labour MP Andrew Little, he spoke about more than 6300 overseas workers joining Aotearoa’s health workforce in the past year and expansions to working visas for New Zealand and UK residents. 

News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins talked to Professor of Medicine and Acting Dean of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, Warwick Bagg, about the need for more medical students and why the University is against National's proposal to have a third medical school at the University of Waikato.

And for Get Action! Otago University Students’ Association President Quintin Jane and Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association Te Aka Tau-ira President Jessica Ye discussed their petition to make tertiary education more accessible and introduce a universal study wage for all.

Producer Rawan Saadi spoke to screenwriter and Associate Professor Shuchi Kothari about the Pan-Asian Screen Collective and the initiative to have more Asian stories on screen. 

A new initiative by Koi Tū, The Centre for Informed Futures, highlights the importance of play in the cognitive, physical, and mental wellbeing of children. Koi Tū are calling for the government to ease the burden of raising children and to make it easier for children to have access to play.

Not only is play important in honing motor skills, it also helps expand the brain and prepare it for things such as numeracy and literacy. 

Arno spoke with Dr Felicia Low, a research fellow at Koi Tū, to find out more about the importance of children’s play. Arno started the interview by asking how the initiative came about.