The Wire with Sara

Already in October 2010 Māori health organisations raised concerns about the shocking toll tobacco use has in their communities. They found that overall people were smoking less, but more and more maori and pacific people were smoking. 

As response the NZ government developed the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan. The plan features three radical interventions. One, called the smoke-free generation strategy, will make it illegal to ever sell combustible tobacco products to those born in 2009 or later. The goal is to create an ever-growing generation that never picks up the smoking habit. Together with two other policies, reducing nicotine content in tobacco to below addictive levels and less retail outlets selling tobacco, tobacco use would virtually end.

There are two issues: Vapes and Inequities. Daily smoking rates are in general at an all-time low but remain high for Māori. 34% of Māori teens aged 14 and 15-year vape regularly and The statistics are even higher for Māori girls of this age, with 40% vaping regularly. 

Daniel spoke with associate professor Andrew Waa, Public Health researcher at the University of Otago, about these issues. 

E whai akei nei, coming up on the Thursday Wire…

We have various pieces covering the policy changes announced by prime minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday. First, Liam spoke to VuW’s Peter Thompson about the RNZ-TVNZ merger being scrapped.
They also spoke to E Tu Unions Amy Newman about the minimum wage increase
And lastly they had a chat with Jake Roos from Don’t burn our Future about the scrapping of Aotearoas biofuel mandate. 
For The Green Desk, Troy Matich speaks to Amanda Larson from Greenpeace Aotearoa about how record fuel profits are impacting the climate. 
And producer Hanna Thomspon Lisa Woods, Amnesty International campaign director, about the pulling back of hate speech law reform. 

After years of campaigning by community groups to table better protection against hate speech, the government has announced that law reform will be postponed and referred to the Law Commission. While some claim this move better recognises the right to freedom of expression, others argue the right should be balanced against other rights, such as the right to freedom from discrimination. 

Hanna spoke to Lisa Woods, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand's Campaigns Director, about Aotearoa's hate speech laws, why reform is urgently needed, and what can be done in the interim. 

Lastly in the series of chats about the policies Hipkins axed, we have something that’s actually been added: a minimum wage increase. 

This aims to see the minimum wage increased by a dollar fifty on the first of April, to 22.70 to meet inflation. 

However, some business groups have called to attention the impacts of the increase will have on employers in small businesses. 

 Liam Hansen spoke to Amy Newman from E Tu Union about the raise.