The Wire with Sara

Kelly talks to Dr Ramzy Baroud, an internationally renowned journalist and author specialising in the conflict between Israel and Palestine surrounding the Gaza strip. Baroud talks us through the specifics of the conflict that has escalated over the last few days following the opening of a U.S embassy in Jerusalem, and his new book the 'The Last Earth'. 

This week it was reported that the wait list for state housing in New Zealand has increased dramatically. There are 8000 families on the waitlist and 2000 others wanting to different state houses. Producer, Jemima spoke to Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford about this issue. They also discussed the Government's recent announcement that the maximum price for Kiwibuild homes has increased by $50,000. 

Recent research claims the link between poverty and a child's mental health is unarguable, with children from disadvantaged homes more likely to need anti-psychotic drugs. The study was conducted at the University of Adelaide using data from the Longitudinal study of Australian Children. The findings indicate that a large proportion of children from disadvantaged families are placed on anti-psychotic medicine. 

Wire producer Darashpreet Johal, spoke to Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft to find out whether this is the case for New Zealand.

Stuart McCutcheon, Vice Chancellor of The University of Auckland, speaks with Lucy Austin about the direction of the university and the recent controversy surrounding the closure of the Creative Arts libraries:

In light of recent events such as the library closures and funding to arts being repeatedly cut I thought it was important to have a chat with the man in charge himself, Vice Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon. The most significant criticism has been a lack of communication with both students and staff. With bFM being the university radio station it seemed the perfect platform to open up this dialogue and get to know the Vice Chancellor a bit better. This is part of a two part series, the second half focuses on the library closures and construction work. Lucy Austin started the interview by asking Stuart to share a little bit about how he came to his role.

Photo credit: University of Auckland