The Wire with Castor

This week on The Monday Wire...

Host Thomas spoke to Doctor Justin Sobion from the University of Auckland Law School about the government’s attempted climate law change and  how it goes against the International Court of Justice’s recommendations.

He then talked to University of Auckland Professor of commercial law Gehen Gunasekara about the police amendment bill and how it could diminish privacy rights.

For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News Director Castor asked about the government’s stance on immigration amidst a rise in anti-immigration sentiment overseas. 

They also spoke to Director of Wellbeing, System Leadership, Data, and Insights at Te Herenga Mahara, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Dr Ella Cullen, about plans for a social media ban in New Zealand as results emerge from the ban in Australia. 

And finally they spoke to Ben Wright from Lobbying Reform NZ about a recent petition the organisation has put to government asking for more transparency around lobbying.

A recent report from the Auditor-General found more than half of people leaving prison have an unmet housing need. Producer Pranuja spoke with Dr Alice Mills, Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of Auckland, about why housing is central to reintegration, and what gaps exist in the current system.

For City Counselling this week, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about the need for council to be involved in discussions about the details of an additional harbour crossing, and the number of job losses in the Auckland Transport restructure. 

And they spoke to Māni Dunlop from Te Ao Māori News for our new bi-weekly catch-up on the political issues of the week from a Māori perspective.

News Director Castor spoke to kaumatua and climate activist Mike Smith about his court case against Fonterra in the wake of the government removing its legal basis. They also spoke to Professor of Law at the University of Waikato, Alexander Gillespie, about the legal ramifications of such a decision. 

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about the Government disestablishing the BSA and scrapping the tertiary Fees Free scheme, as well as the Government’s new citizenship test.

She also spoke with Associate Professor Alice Mills about why secure housing is central to reintegration for those leaving prison.

This week on The Wednesday Wire...

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Immigration Amendment Act, the axing of Fees Free and the potential increase in the pension age.

He then spoke to honorary associate professor working in the Pensions and Intergenerational Equity Hub at the Economics Policy Centre, Susan St John, about the pension age in more depth - why she opposes raising it and what alternatives she prefers.

Then Toby spoke to infectious disease expert Siouxsie Wiles from the University of Auckland about the Huntavirus.

And Theo spoke to Dr Ulrich Speidel from the University of Auckland’s School of Computer Science on the recently released government report on our undersea cable resilience and security.