The Wire with Max

Auckland Council’s Policy and Planning committee met yesterday to vote on a new plan that would zone the city for two million homes, primarily around train stations and rapid bus routes. 

This plan is a response to legislation put forward by housing minister Chris Bishop which requires councils across the country to zone for higher density housing.

This plan has not been without controversy, with councillors claiming that Aucklanders are being “put to the firing squad” 

Deputy PM David Seymour has publicly disagreed with his own housing minister, arguing that suburbs like Epsom and Parnell don’t have the right infrastructure to accommodate for this growth. 

Advocates for the plan, including mayor Wayne Brown argue that the council cannot continue to drag its feet on the need for housing that is closer to the city, and is more affordable. They argue that it’s better to build in places with pipes, public transport routes and job opportunities. 

The plan passed with a majority last evening, so Producer Sanat talked to Councilor Julie Fairey about the plan change and what it means for the future of the city.

Earlier this month, four out of five members of Brazil’s supreme court voted to convict the former president, Jair Bolsonaro, for plotting a military coup after losing the 2022 election. 

However, members of the right-wing political opposition that support Bolsonaro are attempting to pass a bill that would give him amnesty. 

For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Dr Marieke Riethof, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Politics at the University of Liverpool, about the conviction of Bolsonaro and the public response.

Amid the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, a growing number of nations, including Western allies such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and France, have announced their recognition of a Palestinian state. These moves have intensified pressure on New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, to follow suit.

But with Israel’s war on Gaza now into its second year, and the Palestinian death toll surpassing 65,000, many Palestinians, experts, and advocates argue that recognition alone is not enough. They describe it as symbolic at best and instead call for stronger international measures, such as sanctions and arms embargoes against Israel. 

Meanwhile, the very notion of a two-state solution is being challenged, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to expand annexation and settlement in the West Bank in retaliation against countries that recognise Palestine.

I spoke with Dr Ritesh Shah, Senior Lecturer in Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland, about why the current wave of countries recognising Palestine is seen as largely symbolic, and what more meaningful steps the international community should take.

A new study led by the University of Otago has found that, each year, firearms injuries are costing the New Zealand hospital system an average of $1.48 million and costing the country a further $321 million in years of life lost. The researchers investigated firearms-related hospitalisations and deaths from assaults, accidents and suicide between the years 2000 and 2018. The total cost of hospital care over the 19 years was $28.2 million.

Lead researcher Dr Lucy Telfar-Barnard, a senior research fellow at the University of Otago, Wellington, says more than 1,000 people died and 2,115 people were hospitalised as a result of firearms incidents between 2000 and 2018. More than 80 per cent of those hospitalised needed surgery, with most of the injuries from accidents.

To talk about this study, Producer Max spoke to Dr Lucy Telfar-Barnard.