The Wire with Oto

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about the seizure of the Madleen freedom flotilla by Israeli Defence Forces and the greens’ calls for Sanctions on Israel, The government's new Parent Boost Visa and the unrest in Los Angeles opposing the US immigration policies and how it could impact immigration policy here in Aotearoa.

For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Network New Zealand about a petition calling for Aotearoa to be kept incinerator free.

And he spoke to Neal Curtis a professor in the Faculty of Arts and Education at the University of Auckland to discuss why “reclaim the wealth” is a better phrase than “tax the rich.”

Max spoke to Brigid Carroll, a professor at the University of Auckland, to talk about the traits that make an effective leader.

And he spoke to Heemi Kapa-Kingi, Co-Founder of the ‘Soften Up Bro’ movement, to talk about men’s mental health.

Although there have been concerns raised about whether robots will replace workers, there have been proposals for how we can utilise this new technology without jobs being at stake.

Producer Faith spoke to PhD student Yuan Gao from the University of Auckland about her research on how robots can help patients suffering from dementia. She has focused on making sure they won’t be a replacement for caregivers, but how caregivers can work alongside them– along with the importance of differentiating the robots from humans for the patients.

These past few weeks in politics have seen various issues that we spoke about in our weekly catchup with the National Party.

First up, at the Aotearoa Music Awards, National MP Chris Bishop was heard making disdainful remarks such as “what a load of crap” during a performance by singer Stan Walker. 

Second, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngārewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi were recently suspended from parliament for 21 days for their haka protesting the Treaty Principles Bill. The penalty is far harsher than any previous penalty for an MP, raising questions about whether it is justified or sets a dangerous precedent. 

Finally, the government recently announced a new visa for parents of migrants, allowing them to come to New Zealand for a longer period of time than traditional visitors without having to acquire residency.

Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues in our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, starting with Chris Bishop’s comments at the AMAs. 

The government recently announced a new visa for parents of migrants, allowing them to come to New Zealand for a longer period of time than traditional visitors without having to acquire residency.

The Parent Boost Visa is designed to support migrants who may be struggling with workloads or who want to bring their parents here through a more clear pathway. 

Wire host Castor spoke to CEO of immigration advisory and support group Aims Global, Arunima Dhingra, about how this parent boost visa will benefit migrants and address the issues they face more generally.