The Wire with Alex

The government has announced a $25 million funding boost for the health sector, with 378 new roles. The government says the boost will support our health system to manage during the winter illness period. 

Health unions have said that while they’re grateful for the funding, more is necessary to address the core issues within the health sector. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation pointed to existing understaffing across the country, and noted that, while a good step, this solution does not come close to fully solving the problem. 

To discuss the state of nursing and if the funding boost will help, News Director Castor spoke to Chief Executive of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Paul Goulter. 

Community groups across Aotearoa are organising a National Day of Action to protest against the move-on orders proposed by the government. The Day of Action will be on Sunday, 29th of March, criticising the targeting of people who are already struggling on the streets.

The proposed changes would see police officers empowered to force homeless people to relocate, for behaviours such as begging or seeking to inhabit a space. Multiple groups have opposed the changes, claiming they punish people unfairly for something largely outside of their control. 

To discuss the move-on orders and the day of action, Wire host Alex spoke to founder of Kick Back, Aaron Hendry. 

This week, Lawyers for Climate Action New Zealand took the Climate Change Minister Simon Watts to Wellington’s High Court on the government’s lack of consultation in dismantling dozens of climate policies shortly after the last election. 

Also under scrutiny, is the government’s over-reliance on offsetting climate emissions through planting pine trees.

Internationally, similar court cases have pressured governments like that of the Netherlands and United Kingdom to revisit their own climate change policies.

Next week, leaders in the field of climate litigation will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau to discuss these developments and more, with an eye to the changes occurring internationally.

To understand this arena of the climate crisis, I spoke to Associate Professor of Law, and Chair for the upcoming Climate Litigation Conference, Vernon Rive.

This week on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, about hotter superconductors, hexagonal diamonds, and Pi.

For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Alex spoke with Ryan Hamilton about the Government’s pay offer to primary school teachers on individual agreements, and the criticism of the move by the NZEI union. We also spoke about the release of the second phase of the Royal Commission Inquiry into the COVID-19 response, and what it tells us.

And Producer Liam spoke to Debra Ashton, the Chief Executive of SAFE for Animals, about the government’s decision not to go ahead with repealing the ban on live animal exports by sea.