The Wire with Oto

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Director at Kick Back, Aaron Hendry, about 20+ organisations coming together to urge the government to cull the Ram Raid Bill.

They also spoke to Greenpeace Aotearoa Programme Director, Niamh O’Flynn, about this weekend's March for Nature protests.

And Producer Castor spoke to one of the national presidents from the Tertiary Education Union, Julie Douglas, about budget announcements and how they will impact the tertiary education sector.

For their regular catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March about the recent Budget 2024 announcement, specifically regarding the areas concerning the Environment, tax and Te Tiriti o Waitangi

For this week’s Get Action! Oto also spoke to President of the Criminological Society at Otago University Clara Donne about a petition to the government to roll back Youth Offender Boot Camps

Producer Rachel and Joel spoke to Coordinator of Peace Movement Aotearoa, Edwina Hughes, about the allocation to the military in the 2024 Budget.

They also spoke to Coordinator of Auckland Action Against Poverty, Brooke Stanley, about cuts to public services and social support in the Budget.

In the Government’s 2024 Budget, over FIVE BILLION dollars has been allocated to military spending.

Despite this being a slight decrease from the actual number spent on the military over the past few years, this still equates to over ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN MILLION per week.

Producer Joel spoke to Coordinator of Peace Movement Aotearoa, Edwina Hughes, about the 2024 Budget and her thoughts on the money allocation to military services as opposed to other services.

They started off by asking her how much the military has been allocated in previous years.

Last week the government released its budget, announcing cuts and new funding across sectors. Particularly notable were the tax cuts, promised during the campaign last year to support lower and middle-income families. The government’s calculator indicates that many will not receive a significant amount of money from these cuts, with those on high incomes benefiting the most. 

The budget also contained changes to fees free in universities, moving the free year from students’ first year to their last. 

Additionally, before the budget announcements, the government also scrapped the first home buyers grant, a policy introduced to support New Zealanders into their first homes. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Castor spoke to MP Tom Rutherford about the first home buyers bonus, public reception of the tax cuts, and the changes to fees free in universities.