The Wire with Manny

Last Wednesday, Pharmac confirmed it would be replacing treatment Herceptin (brand name for the drug Trastuzumab) with Herzuma, another version of the drug which is equally as effective but at a lower cost. Pharmac has decided not to provide more retreatment opportunities for patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, but Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand is urging them to reconsider.

Rosetta spoke to Adele Gautier, Research and Strategic Programmes Manager for BCFNZ about the decision, and what more needs to be done to increase retreatment options in Aotearoa.

In the lead up to the election, political parties have been proposing different measures to address the cost of living crisis.

If re-elected, Labour has promised to scrap goods and services tax from fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables from 1 April next year, claiming it would save an average household about $4.25 per week.

First, News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to New Zealand Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff, and asked him what impact they believe this policy would have for low to middle income workers and their whanau. 

She also asked Child Poverty Action Group’s Alan Johnson to weigh in on how effective they believe this policy would be in alleviating cost of living pressures. 

To hear from an economist's perspective she spoke to Chief Executive and Principal Economist at Infometrics, Brad Olsen, who has been a vocal opponent of the policy. I started off the interview by asking him why he believes the policy would not benefit consumers. 

Lastly, she spoke to Senior Taxation Lecturer at AUT Ranjana Gupta, who gave her thoughts on the policy and suggested potential alternatives. 

In June, the Greens announced their Income Guarantee plan, which would be funded by a Wealth tax. Last month, Labour ruled out the possibility of a Wealth and Capital Gains tax should they be re-elected, but the polls seem to be telling a different story about what Aotearoa wants, with a recent One News poll reflecting 63% in favour of a Wealth tax.

Beth sat down with Professor of Tax Law at the University of Auckland Craig Elliffe to speak about the economic viability of a Wealth tax in Aotearoa and the national support expressed in recent polls. She also caught up with Co-leader of the Green Party Marama Davidson about the Greens' Income Guarantee plan and Labour's decision to rule out a Wealth tax.

Wealth inequality, ending poverty, and the cost of living crisis are pressing issues this upcoming election. 

The Green Party are the only party supporting a wealth tax and a universal basic income. 

Arno spoke with Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green Party's economic policies and their reasoning behind them. 

Arno started off our interview by asking how the Green’s tax plan differs from others.