The Wire with Oto

This week on the Monday Wire...

For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about the NZ First Leader, Winston Peter’s anti-DEI members bill, the Infrastructure Investment Summit, and the recent changes regarding Whānau Ora.

For our weekly catch up, Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about one of the key school lunch programme providers going into liquidation, NZ First's anti-DEI members bill and the ACT Party’s critique of University of Auckland TeTiriti Course.

Joel spoke to the National Secretary for the Public Services Association, Fleur Fitzsimons, about Winston Peter’s anti-DEI members bill, and how this will affect the public sector.

Joel also spoke to the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation New Zealand, Shaun Robinson, about the government’s removal of RSE guidelines in schools without implementing a clear alternative.

And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio today to discuss ‘Mobility’ and the power that brings to the individual - and the requirement of an economy to support it.

Whakarongo mai!

The United States is seeing a surge in backlash to the Trump administration's policies, particularly those focused on undermining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion domestically and the administration’s foreign policy position on Palestine.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to University of Waikato Senior Lecturer in history Garritt Van Dyk about the history of boycotts and the resurgence of this protest tactic against Trump.

They then spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News for his perspective from the ground on these growing opposition movements, particularly the impact of these movements within Universities.

It seems that the United States continues to be a hot topic for many people and journalists following Trump’s inauguration. This is not only because of his intense challenging of the pre-established international order or his strong determination to turn the world into his view, but also with his alliances with prominent billionaires and tech entrepreneurs.

While he has been successful in his establishment of chaos to rouse the public while quietly enacting new policies fundamentally but slowly changing the country, questions arise around his right-hand man, Elon Musk, and his own personal agenda. It seems as though pretending to be a man of the internet and “i am become meme” archetype has not worked out for him, and he has shown his true colours much like other people in great positions of power and money.

Sasha spoke to Chris Ogden, Associate Professor from The University of Auckland about Elon Musk’s comments about the United States leaving the UN, the potential implications and stability of the world order shifting towards a multipolar governance.

Throughout many Pacific island nations, the belief in sorcery and black magic as the cause of disease, death and other forms of misfortune is a major contributor to violence amongst a number of families and communities.

Despite outreach from community leaders, church groups and government officials, many say that sorcery-related violent incidents are increasing in bopth rural and urban areas in countries such as Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, with many of the victims being women.

Oto spoke to Post-Doctoral Fellow in Pacific Studies Dr Kerryn Sogha Galokale, who is from the Solomon Islands, about the prevalence of sorcery related violence in the west pacific, it’s impacts and what community groups are doing to address it.