The Wire with Castor

The government also announced increased visa application fees, some of them now more than double the previous cost. The government says this change will make Immigration NZ entirely self-sufficient, no longer at any cost to the taxpayer.

However, the projected gain from this fee increase is four times as much as Immigration NZ currently spends annually. While the increased funding is expected to be reinvested in improving services, the actual impact or allocation is currently unknown. 

Additionally, increased fees may deter potential applicants and increase costs to businesses looking to hire employees from overseas. The change may therefore reduce the number of overseas teachers and healthcare professionals, among other jobs. 

Wire host Castor spoke to CEO of immigration advisory group Aims and chair of the New Zealand Association of Migration and Investment, Arunima Dhingra, about the changes and their impact on immigration. 

The New Zealand Police Association yesterday released an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon discussing firearms legislation reform. In the letter, the association called out the government for their exclusion from the policy making process, as the Police Association has been a key group calling for the introduction and continuation of a firearms registry.

The Police Association also called into question the involvement of gun lobby groups in discussions of reform, particularly the history of Associate Minister and minister in charge of the reforms, Nicole McKee. Before becoming an MP, McKee had been the spokesperson for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, a gun lobby group. This has led some to call into question her impartiality and ability to assess evidence regarding firearms legislation reform. 

Wire host Castor spoke to President of the New Zealand Police Association, Chris Cahill, about the letter, the firearms registry, and involvement of gun lobbyists in firearms legislation decision making. 

For their weekly catchup, Wire Host and News and Editorial Director, Joel, speaks to the ACT Party's Simon Court, about calls from the New Zealand police association for ACT MP, Nicole McKee, to step down from her responsibilities in the firearms reform.

Also for our week catchup, they speak to Te Pāti Māori's Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, around local council's voting on the future of Māori wards in their constituencies, the Ngāpuhi hīkoi over the government's plans to reverse section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act, and Te Pāti Māori's calls to boycott the newspaper, The Herald.

They spoke to Professor at the University of Auckland Faculty of Law, Claire Charters, around the controversial decision to include an advertisement by right-wing lobby group, Hobson's Pledge, in The Herald.

The also spoke to Professional Teaching Fellow in Social Sciences at the University of Auckland, Chris McMillan, about whether the Olympics, as well as team New Zealand, are doing enough to lower their carbon footprint.

Finally, they spoke to youth worker and co-founder of Kick Back, Aaron Hendry, about the Ministry of Social Development changing their eligability for Emergency Housing, and what this means for vulnerable youth.

The Paris 2024 Olympics games, which are set to end, have aimed to be the “greenest games in history,” implementing a lot of measures to attempt to decrease their carbon footprint.

Despite clear aims to be more environmentally-friendly, the games are predicted to emit 1.5 billion tons of carbon, similar to the amount Fiji emits annually. 

Alongside this, only two sporting bodies that make up the New Zealand Olympic Committee have developed their own sustainability strategies.

Joel spoke to Professional Teaching Fellow in Social Sciences at the University of Auckland, Chris McMillan, about the Olympics, and team New Zealand’s aims to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, and whether this is enough.