The Wire with Caeden

For City Counselling this week, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about Council voting to investigate Council ties to companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and Auckland Council's new AI assistant tool. 

And they spoke to Sue Coutts, Director of External Affairs at Zero Waste Aotearoa, about a proposal to export New Zealand waste to Fiji for incineration.   

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke to Shanan Halbert about the latest developments in the Iran conflict, rising fuel pressures linked to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, and the government’s response to recent cyclone events here in Aotearoa. 

She spoke with Professor Treasa Dunworth from the University of Auckland about recent comments from US President Donald Trump and what these developments could mean from a legal perspective.

And she spoke with Associate Professor Jennifer Frost from the University of Auckland about the US military draft and how it connects to broader concerns around power and militarisation.

Over the weekend, Hungary held its 2026 general election, which saw the largest voter turnout in Hungary’s history as a democratic state. The electrified populace delivered a landslide victory for the relatively new ‘Respect and Freedom party,’ securing them a two-thirds majority in parliament. 

Incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has lost power after 16 years. For some younger voters, he is the only Prime Minister they can remember. Orbán has been a controversial figure throughout his long political career. To some, he is a power-hungry authoritarian who has stood in the way of European unity. To his supporters— which include US president Donald Trump—he is precisely the kind of strongman that a country like Hungary needs.

Producer Toby spoke to Chris Ogden, professor of global studies at Auckland University, about what Orbán’s defeat means for the future of global authoritarianism.

This week, on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin speaks with us about Male Contraceptives, osteoarthritis, and Kākāpō breeding

For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Alex spoke with Ryan Hamilton about the Auckland City deal between the Council and the Government, and Cyclone Vaianu.

For Green World today, Producer Liam spoke to Troy Baisden, Co-president of the New Zealand Association of Scientists and Adjunct Professor at Victoria University of Wellington, about the Ministry for the Environment’s recent Our Freshwater 2026 report on the state of Aotearoa’s freshwater systems, and causes for concern as well as opportunities for change. 

Host Alex also spoke with Teaching Fellow in the International Office at the University of Otago, Dr Balazs Kigilics, about Viktor Orban’s defeat inm the Hungarian elections, and what it means for the country after 16 years.

Last week, the Government and Auckland Council agreed on the ‘Auckland City Deal’, which seeks to enhance co-ordination between the two bodies to enable better investment in the city to get the most out of what Mayor Wayne Brown has called the ‘Engine’ of the economy. This will see better communication between the mayor and prime minister, co-operation on certain legislation, and funding.

The weekend also saw Cyclone Vaianu hit the country, with parts of the country facing damage and flooding. The government now has the job of responding to the damage, and deciding what needs to change, looking forward to future cyclones.

This week, Host Alex spoke with National Party MP Ryan Hamilton about each of these topics.