The Wire with Castor

Last week Foreign Minister Winston Peters made a trip over to the US to meet with the new Trump administration. 

On the trip, Peters carried out a number of meetings with officials such as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Peters has since revealed very little about what was discussed or achieved in these meetings, instead simply stating he was ‘very pleased’ and ‘more confident going out than coming in.’ 

The main questions ahead of the trip were around what effect Trump’s tariffs may have on Aotearoa, as well as what trade with the US will look like moving forward. However little has been revealed following the trip.

Producer Evie spoke to Geopolitical Analyst at the University of Otago Geoffrey Miller about the trip and what Aotearoa can expect to come out of it.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about a potential trade deal with India spearheaded by the Prime Minister, the liquidation of school lunch provider Libelle, and the Labour-led Wage Theft Bill passing its third reading in Parliament.

For International Desk, they speak to Tania Sawicki Mead, Director of Communications at UNICEF Aotearoa, about the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire.

And they speak to Lisa Asher from the University of Sydney about the best ways to disrupt the supermarket duopoly in Aotearoa.

For City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about a letter from Aucklands local boards to Mayor Wayne Brown concerning the seventeen point six million dollar budget shortfall, as well as Auckland Council’s new dog shelter in response to an increase in roaming dogs

She also spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, about their latest annual Price Shocks Report, and what the New Zealand government should be doing to address global food insecurity.

World Vision has just released their annual Price Shocks Report for 2025, examining food price inflation around the world.

They found that while New-Zealand and other wealthier countries saw an improvement in food affordability, many poorer nations reported significantly worsened price to wage ratios. 

While the report highlights a clear need for adequate funding for global humanitarian aid, in 2024 only 47% of required humanitarian food assistance was funded, leaving millions without support.

As conflict, climate change and other global crises exacerbate conditions in the worst-off regions, World Vision is calling for the New Zealand government, among other wealthy nations, to contribute more to assist populations suffering from food insecurity.

Producer Sara spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong about this report and World Vision’s call to action for the government. Here is that interview.

Recently, Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, met with India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in Delhi to discuss a variety of different topics. Notably, Modi alleged there has been ‘anti-India activities by some illegal elements’ in Aotearoa.

Many believe Modi’s statements refer to the Khalistan movement in Aotearoa; a movement aiming to establish an independent homeland for Sikhs in India.

More specifically, many believe Modi is referring to the Khalistan ‘referendum’ in Auckland in November last year.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to an activist with the Aotearoa Alliance of Progressive Indians, Sapna Samant, about these allegations by Modi and how she believes his criticisms are more to do with the anti-Hindutva, or anti-Hindu-nationalism, movement in Aotearoa.

They started off by asking her about the Khalistan movement in New Zealand.