The Wire with Oto

Disability communities have been rallying against a surprise change in purchasing rules in the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha. Communities have said the changes will have massive impact, despite no consultation on these changes or a formal announcement. 

The Department of Conversation also recently proposed staffing cuts to meet funding demands. DoC controls a third of Aotearoa’s landmass which is all conservation land. It remains uncertain how job losses in the Ministry could impact conservation land management.

For weekly catch-up with the Labour party Wire Host Caeden spoke to Labour spokesperson for Disability Issues and Conservation Priyanca Rahdakrishnan about both of these issues.

The Public Health Communication Centre of Aotearoa have publicised their submission that is strongly against the proposed fast-track approvals bill. The submission outlines seven objections, ranging from democratic rigour to the imperative relationship between the environment and the health of New Zealanders. Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to research fellow Marnie Prickett about the organisation’s submission.

A reminder that today is the last day for the public to submit this legislation so if you’d like to share your feedback you can use the objections listed on the PHCC website to make your own.

Read the PHCC Summary here

Have your say on the Fast Track bill here

It has been one month since the government announced the Fast Track Approvals Bill, which has seen widespread criticism from conservationists and the general public, who say the bill is undemocratic and  will push the biodiversity of Aotearoa further into decline. 
As we are in the last week of submissions to the select committee regarding the bill, the Green party have opened up a submissions page on their own website that citizens are welcome to add their signatures to, and published a guide on how to add their own Submissions.
Oto spoke to Greens MP Ricardo Menendez, about submissions for the Fast Track Approvals bill and the current state of the bill since it was announced.
They also had a conversation about the government’s recent changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa, and what they mean for migrant workers here in Aotearoa.

It’s been one month since TVNZ announced a massive restructuring process, cutting their Sunday and Fair Go current affairs segments and axing 68 jobs in a cost cutting plan that they attributed to a decline in advertisement revenue.
Employees at TVNZ were reportedly only given a few days to review the restructuring proposal after it was announced and offer feedback. E Tu, the union for media workers in Aotearoa, said that both the cuts and the rushed consultation process were unacceptable and violated the collective agreement between TVNZ and their staff, which requires the consultation process for such a massive restructuring to be more comprehensive and to begin at a much earlier stage. As such, E Tu has filed a claim against TVNZ with the Employment Relations Authority, to get TVNZ to go back to the drawing board and consult their staff more effectively.

Oto spoke to Michael Wood, the negotiation specialist at E Tu, to discuss the union’s claim and what it means for the wider media landscape in Aotearoa.