The Wire with Oto

New Zealand’s stance on Israel’s war on Gaza, for many foreign policy experts has been anything but clear. Foreign minister Winston Peters has called for a humanitarian ceasefiirie in the UN General Assembly but has been reluctant to recognise a Palestinian state.

However, the government has had no qualms about deploying Naval personnel to the Red Sea to assist the United States in combatting the Houthis, whose illegal attacks on shipping vessels have been carried out in opposition to Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza strip. 

Oto spoke to Professor Robert G. Patman from the University of Otago to discuss New Zealand’s ambiguous stance on the war in Gaza, and the steps we should take to clarify our position.

This week on the Tuesday Wire... 

For Dear Science, our expert Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about the ig Nobel Science prizes.

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Katie Nimon about the Waitangi Tribunal report on the government’s proposed changes to the Marine and Coastal Areas Act and about Māori wards. 

They also spoke to Senior Lecturer of Urban Planning, Dr. Timothy Welch, about Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed second harbour bridge. 

And on the Green Desk, Jack Marshall spoke to freshwater scientist, Ian Kusabs, about monitoring kōura, New Zealand’s freshwater crayfish. 

And producer Josef spoke to CEO of the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation, Ah-Leen Rayner, about Pharmac’s proposal to fund Enhertu for HER2-positive advanced breast cancer.

The government recently announced proposed changes to the Marine and Coastal Area Act, which, among other changes, would require iwi to prove continuous and uninterrupted occupation of a coastal area since 1840 to make a claim. The proposed changes were reviewed by the Waitangi Tribunal, and the resulting report was released yesterday. In their weekly catchup, Wire host Castor asked Katie Nimon about the government’s reaction to criticisms in the report.

They also asked about the government’s policies on Māori wards. Last year the National Party campaigned on putting Māori wards to referendums, with the goal of ‘restoring democracy’. Since asking councils to vote on the issue, all but two of Aotearoa’s local councils have voted to retain their wards. Local government minister Simeon Brown has expressed some discontent at this response, implying that the government may push for binding referendums. 

Wire host Castor spoke to National’s Katie Nimon about these issues in their weekly catchup, starting with the Marine and Coastal Area Act.

Last week, workers at Woolworths walked out of their stores,with another strike being planned for tomorrow afternoon over ongoing negotiations between First Union for better pay and working conditions for workers.

On Friday, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the National Secretary for Retail and Finance at First Union, Rudd Hughes, about Tuesday’s walkout.

They started off by asking Huges why there was a walkout of over FORTY stores.