The Wire with Castor

Last week, the Government announced a bill which they say will enable the development of time of use schemes, also known as congestion charges.

Generally, time of use schemes charge motorists to use roads depending on time and location. This encourages motorists to adjust their travel time, and method of transport to reduce road congestion.

Under the planned legislation, councils propose their own time of use schemes to the central government. Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency then provides strong oversight in the development of schemes to consider the impact on motorists and businesses.

Under the plan, all final proposals will require the approval of the central government.

Last year, Auckland Council voted in favour of a time of use scheme and has been planning to introduce it by 2025. However, there are concerns among experts that the proposed legislation may make it more difficult for the successful implementation of time of use schemes; by over-exposing councils to central government oversight.

Producer Josef spoke to one such expert, Senior lecturer in Urban Planning at the University of Auckland, Dr Timothy Welch, about the legislation, congestion charges, and how Auckland’s own scheme might be impacted.

Fonterra’s recently revealed ‘regenerative agriculture’ practices have been criticised for greenwashing. The announcement indicates that Fonterra believes existing practices, such as cows eating outside, constitute regenerative agriculture. 

Greenpeace disagrees, pointing out Fonterra’s position as Aotearoa’s biggest climate and freshwater polluter. They accuse Fonterra of greenwashing - performatively claiming environmental friendliness while continuing to pollute or harm the environment. 

Wire host Castor spoke to Greenpeace’s Sinead Deighton O’Flynn about greenwashing at Fonterra and the company’s environmental impact.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith recently confirmed the new Human Rights and Race Relations Commissioners: Dr Stephen Rainbow and Dr Melissa Derby. Following the announcement, the two were met with controversy for previous discriminatory comments.

Dr Rainbow had previously criticised the platforming of transgender activist Shaneel Lal, and expressed anti-Palestine views. Dr Melissa Derby has similarly expressed anti-transgender views at events. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Katie Nimon, Wire host Castor asked about the appointment of these two individuals and the alignment of their views with the government. 

The government also recently announced one point three billion dollars of funding to address drink and drug driving. While the funding is appreciated by the NZ Police Association, there are worries that there aren’t enough police officers to meet the new targets. 

Castor discussed each of these issues with Katie in their weekly catchup. 

The government recently announced that they’ll be moving forward with changes to maths teaching in schools a year earlier than intended. 

Changes revolve around implementing stricter structure to the way maths is taught, and introducing more standardised maths assessments for children in years 0-8. 

The Prime Minister has said that this may mean deferring the arts and music curriculum to allow for these changes. 

In a Newsroom article, Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Peter O'Connor says that pushing the arts curriculum to the side would be detrimental for students. 

Producer Evie spoke to O’Connor about why arts and music is so important for students, as well as having the ability to lift their maths and literacy results.