The Wire with Sara

For their weekly catch up with the Green Party Oto spoke to Ricardo Menendez March to Shane Jones’s new mining strategy and critical minerals list, as well as his and NZ First leader Winston Peter’s comments in Parliament about migrants and the Kāinga ora Turnaround plan introduced by Chris Bishop.

He spoke to Dulani Jayasuriya - A senior lecturer in the accounting and finance Department at the University of Auckland, about the Deepseek AI model developed in China and how it might impact businesses here in Aotearoa.

And he spoke to Antje Fielder, Senior Lecturer in Management and International Business at the University of Auckland, to discuss US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China and how they will impact exporters.

Sasha spoke to the Professor of Law and Business at The University of Auckland, Alexandra Andhov, about the idea of the Trump Crypto Launch.

And he spoke to Justin O’ Sullivan from the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, about the government lifting the ban on genetic research.

95bFM producer Castor spoke with President of the Post Primary Teachers Association, Chris Abercrombie, the effectiveness of the charter school model and what more the government could do for existing public schools.

Donald Trump, inaugurated nearly two weeks ago, launched his own meme coin, a cryptocurrency that originates from a personality or internet culture. The coin was launched on January 17th, two days before his entering into office, and has now accumulated close to 100 million in trading fees over this time. 

The coin reached 14.5 billion dollars overall market value, now falling by two-thirds its original value. Questions have been raised about conflicts of interest, and intersection of business and government. 

Sasha spoke to Professor of Law and Business at The University of Auckland, Alexandra Andhov, about the Trump Crypto Launch and the wider influence of meme coins and cryptocurrency.

Proper compensation for survivours of institutional child sexual abuse has long been a difficult issue to navigate, as current frameworks across commonwealth jurisdictions leave many questions regarding financial redress unanswered. 

In light of New Zealand's recent Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, as well as Australia’s 2017 Royal Commission, and a 2022 independent inquiry from England and Wales, a team of legal experts from New Zealand, Australia, and the UK will be investigating, and comparing each jurisdiction to develop appropriate frameworks for addressing institutional abuse.

Producer Athena spoke to Brian Coote Chair in Private Law, and Professor at the University of Auckland, Dr Jodi Gardner, about the importance of this research, and what the team hopes to develop.

The government has announced the reversal of blanket speed limit restrictions in 38 sections of New Zealand’s road network with new Transport Minister, Chris Bishop, announcing a further 49 sections will be set to be reviewed during public consultation in the coming months.

This would increase the speed limits in multiple areas, from the Northland region to the top of the South Island.

These developments have faced mixed reactions, with many local leaders deeming this move “reckless”.

There are concerns that in certain regions, the reversal of speed limits would be on stretches of roads that have schools, a shared pathway, and communities.

On Friday, News and Editorial Director, and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Transport Planner for Movement; an alliance of national organisations advocating for safe and accessible active transport in Aotearoa that had previously placed an application for judicial review into the decision, Bevan Woodward, about the government changes to speed limit restrictions, and the group’s concerns regarding this.

They started off by asking if there was adequate reasoning for the reversal of speed limits in these sections.