The Wire with Oto

For the Best of the Wire today, Oto and Sasha reflected on their favourite interviews over the past year as the bFM news team heads into the holiday period.

In April this year, Oto did an on the ground interview with Students for Fair Rent Chairman - Matthew Lee and Green Party Co-Leader - Chloe Swarbrick at a protest held by Students for Fair Rent calling for a rent strike and end to the cost of living crisis at the University of Auckland's halls of residence.

A month later, Oto spoke to organisers and attendees at another protest held by Students for Justice in Palestine - Auckland, around the time that Palestinian solidarity encampments were being held at universities across the globe.

In July, Oto spoke with Professor Emmy Rākete from the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Auckland to discuss the findings of the Abuse in Care Inquiry and how abuse in state and faith-based institutions lead to a prison pipeline that disproportionately affected Māori.

And, in his funniest and most light-hearted Interview, Oto spoke to comedian and professor in the department of chemical sciences at the University of Auckland - Dr Joel Rindelaub, to discuss the impacts of microplastics on the human brain and body.

In October, Sasha had a chat with Doctor Alex Beattie - a lecturer in Media and Communication at Victoria University of Wellington, to discuss why New Zealanders are becoming more distrustful of the media and why the younger generation is becoming more apathetic.

And, in September, Sasha talked to Associate Professor Laszlo Sajtos at the University of Auckland Business School about the trial usage of facial recognition technology by Foodstuffs in their North Island outlets.

On this week's Monday Wire, we reflect on our favourite interviews from 2024, as we wrap up our reporting for the year.

In August, for her weekly catch up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, Producer Evie spoke to him about the proposed repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act on the same day Aotearoa’s largest iwi, Ngāpuhi, was on a hikoi in opposition to the proposal. You can listen back to this interview here.

A week prior to this, Evie also spoke to Emmy Rakete, a lecturer at the University of Auckland who is Ngāpuhi herself, about the hikoi and her thoughts on the proposed repeal. You can listen back to this interview here.

In October, News and Editorial Director, and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Professor in the Faculty of Law at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Paul Myburgh, about the legislative implications of the Inquiry into the sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui, as well as Lecturer in the Department of Marine Science at the University of Otago, Dr Bridie Allan, about what environmental implications we were seeing due to the oil spillage. You can listen back to these interviews here.

And in November, Producer Yesenia spoke to E Tū Union's Savage Director of Organisations at E Tū about the core messages workers have for the ministry of Health and where the Work and Safety Act of 2015 could be improved to reflect workers vitality. You can listen to this interview here.

Whakarongo mai!

The expert mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, part of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, has written to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to express its concern about the Treaty Principles Bill.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to University of Auckland Law School Associate Professor Andrew Erueti about the letter and its significance. 

Last week, the Minister for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Judith Collins, announced that the 30-year-old Marsden Fund would no longer support social sciences and humanities. 

In 2024, Māori made up 13% of all Marsden funded investigators. By taking away the humanities and social sciences panel, that number plunges to just 5.5%.

The decision has been harshly criticised by researchers across academic disciplines. Now, 80 Rutherford Discovery Fellows have come together to present an open letter to the Minister voicing their concerns, condemning the ‘damaging changes’ to the Marsden Fund’s terms of reference which they want to see reversed, immediately. 

Producer Sofia spoke to Principal Social Scientist at GNS Science Te Pū Ao, Dr Nicholas Cradock-Henry, about this announcement and his concerns. 

She also spoke to Kaihautū of Te Whare Whakatupu Mātauranga, Te Wānanga o Raukawa; and Honorary Adjunct Professor at Te Kawa a Māui - School of Māori Studies at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, Dr Carwyn Jones (Ngāti Kahungunu), about how the Marsden Fund cuts disproportionately impact Māori researchers.