The Wire with Oto

The National, ACT and New Zealand First coalition government announced its coalition deal on Friday, and in the agreement is a pledge to repeal amendments to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 and regulations before March 2024. This decision would push back against legislation that works towards denicotisation, reducing retail outlets, and the goal of creating a smoke free generation. The decision comes as somewhat of a surprise, as the National Party’s Dr Shane Reti, who is set to be sworn in as the Minister for Health, has been vocal in his support of smokefree legislation in the past.

Health Coalition Aotearoa has released a briefing for the incoming government, and in it the group urges the government to implement the laws and reach the goal of Smokefree 2025. Rosetta spoke to Co-chair of the smoke-free expert advisory group for Health Coalition Aotearoa, and national tobacco advocacy lead for the national public health organisation Leitu Tufuga about the incoming coalition government’s decision to repeal a series of smoke-free legislation. They also discussed the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority, as well as other health policies announced in the coalition agreements.

This week, we are recommending our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s MP for Tāmaki Makaurau Takutai Kemp. Rosetta had a kōrero with Takutai about Te Pāti Māori’s success in the election, going from the previous two seats in parliament to 6 electorate seats this term. We spoke about her priorities for the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate, the coalition agreement announcement from National, ACT and New Zealand First on Friday, and which policies Te Pāti Māori is most concerned about from the incoming government. Finally, they spoke about the party’s vocal stance on Palestinians in Gaza, including their calls to expel the Israeli and United States ambassadors.

For our regular catch-up with the Labour Party, Caeden talked to Deputy Leader, Carmel Sepuloni, about the Labour Party calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and coalition negotiations.

Castor spoke to Senior Communications Advisor to the Chief Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission, Aaron Packard, about a recent public opinion poll on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and how this relates to the Treaty’s role in politics and education.

Castor also spoke to a lead author of a recent study from the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Eli Kliejunas, about the impact of meat and dairy consumption on household greenhouse gas emissions.

Oto spoke to Senior Lecturer in Comparative and International Education at the University of Auckland, Dr Ritesh Shah, about the impact of long-standing Israeli conflict on the mental health of children in Gaza. 

News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Communications and Campaigns Manager of Consumer NZ, Jess Walker, about news research from PriceSpy which found fake sales are on the rise in Aotearoa.

And finally, she spoke to Chief Executive of Mindful Fashion, Jacinta FitzGerald, about how they believe people can be more mindful of their fashion consumption, particularly with Black Friday happening this week.

Research from the University of Auckland has found reducing meat and dairy consumption within families could also reduce that family’s greenhouse gas emissions. 

I spoke to one of the study’s lead authors and honours student at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Eli Kliejunas, about the research and how changing our eating habits could help us meet our climate targets.