The Wire with Oto

For Dear Science this week, Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about ancient Roman wine, dating a solar flare using polar trees, and the brightest cosmic explosion ever. 

Wire host Castor spoke to the University of Auckland’s Professor James Russell, about conservation and pest eradication in Aotearoa.

He also spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa’s chair, John Minto, about recent hypocrisy from the government regarding Iran’s recent attack on Israel. 

Producer Sofia spoke to the Chief Executive of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand, Letitia Harding, about the government’s laws and policies for vaping. 

She also spoke to Group Manager Conservation Advocacy and Communications at Forest and Bird, Richard Capie, about job cuts at the Department of Conservation. 

Small business, Trade Jobs NZ, is facing a legal dispute with Trade Me over its name and branding, with Trade Me claiming copyright infringement for using the words 'Trade' and 'Jobs'.

Trade Me told 95bFM they cannot go into the details of the case while it is before the Court, but they provided us with the following statement: 

“We have used the name Trade Me Jobs since 2006. It’s an important part of our business. We’ve worked hard to build a distinctive brand that is recognised and trusted by Kiwis. We rarely take the decision to go to court and we don’t take the decision lightly – it is something we would only consider as a last resort.”

News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Trade Jobs NZ owner, Colleen Getley, about their business and opposition to Trade Me’s claim.

For our regular catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s plan to address low truancy levels post-COVID-19, and Court’s X post stating he stands with Israel.

She spoke to Professional Teaching Fellow in Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Dr Brian Marsh, and Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Dr John Fenaughty, about how the government can improve school attendance rates.

And she reported on Trade Me’s legal action against small business Trade Jobs NZ, speaking to the owner of Trade Jobs NZ, Colleen Getley.

Producer Ezra spoke to Associate Professor of Environmental Science at The University of Waikato, David Campbell, and Senior Ecologist at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Olivia Burge, about the climate-saving potential of Wetland Conservation.

The Ministry of Social Development is not immune to job cuts seen in other public service departments, with MSD calling for voluntary redundancies after cost-saving efforts failed to meet Government targets. For our weekly catch-up with Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni Wire Host Caeden asks her about the impact of cuts at MSD, especially amongst other Government policies disadvantaging beneficiaries.

They also ask about the Samoan Citizenship Bill led by Teanau Tuiono, and the impact of losing independent media giants such as Newshub for democracy.