The Wire with Castor

Approximately 14 million children are likely to experience disruptions in nutrition support and services due to recent and anticipated global funding reductions, according to analyses by UNICEF.

The funding shortfall arises amid children worldwide grappling with record displacement, ongoing and newly emerging conflicts, disease outbreaks, and the devastating effects of climate change - all of which are threatening their access to sufficient nutrition.

Producer Amani spoke with Director of Communications for UNICEF Aotearoa Tania Sawick Mead to find out more about what further cuts to global aid funding could lead to.

Archives New Zealand and the National Library announced last week plans to cut 30 roles within the organisations. The two organisations are responsible for the preservation and retrieval of both historical and legal records in Aotearoa. The National Library also assists libraries and schools across the country in initiatives to boost children’s engagement with literacy and reading. 

To discuss the impact of the layoffs and what they say about the government’s broader approach to the situation Wire host Castor spoke to national secretary of the public service association, Fleur Fitzsimons.

This week on the Monday Wire:

For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to her about Finance Minister, Nicola Willis’ plans to combat Aotearoa’s supermarket duopoly, Green MP, Tamatha Paul’s comments about police, and Te Pāti Māori’s recent calls for mandatory police body cameras.

For our weekly catch up with The ACT Party’s Simon Court, Joel speaks to him about the Resource Management Act, or RMA reforms and concerns about the country’s health and police system, following an 11-year old being misidentified as a 20-year old by police, and administered antipsychotic drugs.

On Friday, they spoke to the spokesperson for People Against Prisons Aotearoa and Criminology Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Dr Emmy Rākete, about Tamatha Paul’s comments about police practices in the country, the reaction they have received, and whether the reaction has been justified.

They speak to the Chief Executive Officer of Consumer NZ, Jon Duffy, about Nicola Willis’ plans to combat the supermarket duopoly and how the organisation are feeling about these developments.

On Friday, they also spoke to a Senior Politics and International Relations Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Tim Fadgen, about US President Donald Trump’s ‘overreach’ in American universities, and if we should expect similar occurrences at New Zealand universities.

And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins Joel in studio to continue our discussion around the Netflix series ‘Adolescence,’  fandoms, and exploring the role of soft power.

Whakarongo mai

US President, Donald Trump, has cancelled over $400 million US dollars, or roughly $697 million New Zealand dollars, worth of research grants and contracts at Columbia University, as leaders at the university move to alter campus and academic policies to align with what the Trump Administration are demanding.

Many believe this is the Trump Administration ‘overreaching,’ their power into universities in the country and how they choose to operate.

On Friday, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to a Senior Politics and International Relations Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Tim Fadgen, about Trump’s moves, and if we could see something similar here in Aotearoa.

They started off by asking what the Trump Administration is wanting to change about how Columbia University operates.