The Wire with Sara

There have been reports recently that indie promoters across the city have been told to immediately cease postering in the city by Auckland Council. 

Auckland Council has cited a higher number of complaints and their signs bylaw which technically makes these posters promoting indie gigs illegal. However, an informal arrangement between both parties meant that enforcement action was rarely taken 

At the same time Auckland is a UNESCO city of music with the city’s independent music scene being renowned globally, so today I wanted to ask Councilor Shane Henderson about  Auckland Council’s rationale and see why they have suddenly changed their approach when it comes to gig posters. 

There has also recently been some commentary from Auckland Business Chamber head Simon Bridges about the state of Auckland’s regional economy.

He wants the central government to renew investment to stimulate the economy and extend a helping hand to struggling industries. At the same time regional economies in the South Island seem to be showing signs of economic recovery while Auckland still contends with the country’s highest unemployment rate. 

So I asked Councilor Shane Henderson about how Auckland Council can stimulate that growth and how that growth can have equitable benefits across the entire city.

Last week the World Health Organisation declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea.

The Papua New Guinea government has activated its emergency response supported by the Australian Government, the WHO and UNICEF. 

The government has modified it’s response after a similar outbreak in 2018. The new response involves mass vaccination campaigns, enhanced surveillance of transmission and better localised community engagement. 

I spoke to the University of Auckland’s Associate Dean Pacific Sir Colin Tukitonga about the outbreak, what the response looks like on the ground and what lessons we can take from the Pacific when it comes to vaccinations at a time where New Zealand’s vaccination rates are the lowest in the OECD.

Last week's United Nations talks to negotiate a global plastics treaty failed after a consensus couldn’t be reached.

This led to major disappointment from several countries, as well NGOs, who called the failure a “blow to multilateralism.”

For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Olga Pantos, a research scientist at PHF Science with a PhD from Newcastle University, about the failure to negotiate.

In November 2019, the autonomous region and island of Bougainville held a referendum to decide whether they should express a desire for independence, instead of continued autonomy as a part of Papua New Guinea. The result of the vote saw a landslide 97.7% majority vote for independence and would see Bougainville seek to replace South Sudan as the newest country in the world.

Yet, despite this, Bougainville remains an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea six years later. The difficult transition period has resulted in political tensions rising between the island and Papua New Guinea. However the recent signing of the Melanesian agreement in June is seen by experts as a significant step towards independence for Bougainville.

To talk about why this situation has dragged on for so long and what we can expect moving forward, Producer Max spoke to Gordon Nanau, the head of Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland.