The Wire with Caeden

This week on the Wednesday Wire:

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about Labour’s new capital gains tax, slashing of funding for the Māori news organisation’s The Hui and Te Karere, and the party’s campaigning plans one year away from the next general election.

And Joel spoke with Lisa Darragh, a Senior Curriculum and Pedagogy Researcher at the University of Auckland, about the government’s new maths curriculum of years 0 - 10.

And Producer Manny spoke with James Russell, Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Auckland and Peter Morton, Coordinator of the Department of Conservation’s predator control program about an impending explosion of predator populations.

Whakarongo mai!

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin chats with us about Napoleon’s army, pill-sized bioprinters, and mushroom memory chips. 
For Green World, Wire Host Sara spoke to University of Auckland Professor Jacqueline Beggs about an upcoming clean tech conference

Producer Faith spoke to Rob Weinkove from the Malaghan Institute of Medical research about access to medical gene therapies in Aotearoa
Faith also spoke to Prudence Walker from the Human Rights Commission NZ about how disabled public servants need to be better supported.

The results of this year’s Te Taunaki Public Service Census highlight that almost a third of disabled public servants felt discriminated against at work. The Human Rights Commission’s disability rights commissioner Prudence Walker believes that the results highlight the need for more support towards public sector workers living with disabilities. 

Producer Faith spoke to Prudence about the discriminations faced, and how we can achieve a shift in attitude, rather than just strengthening laws.

Today, about 100,000 public sector employees are going on strike.

The action has been labelled as a “mega strike”, as it includes teachers, nurses and other public sector workers who are calling for better pay, staffing levels, and working conditions.

The government is strong against the strike, with Public Services Minister Judith Collins issuing an open letter, which she called the action “politically motivated.”

Rob Campbell, who has a background in trade unionism, business leadership, governance and public service, wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, with his view on how the government should be responding to the strikes.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Campbell about the strike and his letter.