95bFM: The Wire

This week on the Monday Wire... For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to ACT MP Simon Court about selling conservation land, youth unemployment, and arts and culture funding for Auckland's CBD.  Producer Thomas spoke to University of Auckland Professor of conservation biology James Russell, about the Conservation Amendment Bill. He also talked to University of Auckland Professor Dr Sally Mackay about making food health star ratings mandatory. And Producer Jude spoke to Auckland University senior research fellow, Dr Sarah-Jane Guild about the development of wireless brain sensors.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand is currently consulting on a proposal to make health star ratings mandatory, with the present voluntary system coming under fire. Currently, only 36% of eligible packaged foods in New Zealand display a health star rating, well short of the 70% goal set by food ministers in November 2025.  Additionally, a recent briefing by the Public Health Communication Centre had nutrition experts arguing that labels can help improve dietary choices, encourage product reformulation and strengthen transparency. Front-of-pack nutrition labelling is also recommended by the World Health Organisation. To discuss making food health star ratings mandatory, producer Thomas spoke to University of Auckland Professor Dr Sally Mackay.  

One hundred Kiwi kids are diagnosed with a life-threatening condition called Hydrocephalus yearly. Hydrocephalus is a condition where the brain gets an abnormal amount of fluid buildup, which causes harmful pressure on brain tissues.   The current standard treatment for it is a shunt implantation, which is a tiny silicon tube that gets inserted into the brain to drain any excess fluid into other parts of the body harmlessly. However, these shunts have the tendency to get blocked about fifty percent of the time. And if they don't get replaced in time the raised pressure in the brain could cause huge damage and even death. The major problem is that symptoms of a failed shunt are very common and are hard to interpret.  To fix this, researchers have been developing an implantable wireless brain sensor, which will be able to read brain pressure wirelessly and safely at home.  To learn more about this new technology and how it will work in the future. Producer Jude spoke to University of Auckland Senior Research Fellow Dr Sarah-Jane Guild.

After passing its first reading in May submissions are currently open for the conservation amendment bill, which would see up to 60 percent of current conservation land become open for sale as long as it's not considered important for threatened species.  Additionally, the bill adds a new responsibility to the Department of Conservation to recognise and enable economic opportunities as much as possible from the land and resources it manages. The bill has faced significant public pushback, with a recent poll finding that 64% of New Zealanders oppose it, including the majority of the current government coalition's regular voters. With submissions closing on the 2nd of July, producer Thomas spoke to University of Auckland Professor of conservation biology James Russell about the bill and its contentious proposals.

The Government is considering expanding prescribing powers for emergency paramedics, allowing them to prescribe certain medicines, including antibiotics, for conditions such as respiratory and ear infections.  Supporters say the move could improve access to healthcare, particularly in underserved communities, but some experts are warning that stronger safeguards are needed to prevent unnecessary antibiotic use and growing antimicrobial resistance.  Producer Pranuja spoke with Professor Bruce Arroll from the University of Auckland about the safeguards needed with this policy to protect public health.

Last week, the Independent Childrens Monitor Aroturuki Tamariki released its second annual report on outcomes for Māori in the care and protection system. The report looks at the existing context of Māori children and young people's struggles in state care systems, and assesses current outcomes. It examines what is currently being done to support Māori within the system, and what more could be done to remediate the current inequities.  To discuss the report, and what more New Zealand's protection and care systems could be doing to support our tamariki Māori, News Director Castor spoke to the Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad.  

This week on the Thursday Wire... For City Counselling, News Director Castor spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about Labour's $20 fare cap policy, proposed scenarios for changes to PC 120, and Council's plans for Matariki.  They also spoke to Director of Wellbeing, System Leadership, Data, and Insights at Te Hiringa Mahara, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Dr Ella Cullen, about the state of Mental Health services in Aotearoa. And they spoke to the Children's Commissioner, Claire Achmad, about a recent Aroturuki Tamariki report on Māori outcomes in the care and protection system.  For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about the Government's Jobseeker target, and the fallout from the Immigration New Zealand controversy.   She also spoke with Professor Bruce Arroll from the University of Auckland about the proposed prescribing powers for paramedics and the safeguards needed to protect public health.

Te Hiringa Mahara, the mental health and wellbeing commission, released a system report on Tuesday this week. The report looks into the state of mental health services in Aotearoa - whether they adequately provide for everyone, who falls through the cracks, and what kind of improvements could be made.  To discuss the findings from the report, News Director Castor spoke to Director of Wellbeing, System Leadership, Data, and Insights at Te Hiringa Mahara, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Dr Ella Cullen, about the state of Mental Health services in Aotearoa.

This week on the Wednesday Wire... For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the call for a budgetary office, the growing wealth disparity, and gig workers rights.  Producer Theo spoke to the Executive Director of Transparency International New Zealand, Julie Haggie, on the regulation of political donations in Aotearoa New Zealand. Then, for this week's Get Action, Theo spoke to the Sudan Advocacy Network Aotearoa's Fatima Sanussi, on their petition to urgently establish a Sudan Special Humanitarian Visa Pathway. Finally, Producer Toby spoke to Dr. Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski about their new book ‘He Told Us,' examining the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack.

While the election is still over four months away, parties are already deploying what has become an election period staple, the budget hole. The idea that a party vying for government may have bungled the numbers is quite the attack, but without every kiwi trying to break down the numbers themselves, we often have to be taking at least someone at their word. The Green party is among a number of voices proposing a fix to this - a parliamentary budget office that would vet the costs of party policies and be able to answer that age old question, how big is their hole. And ahead of the release of their own tax policy the Greens have highlighted that The richest 150 New Zealand individuals and family dynasties now own as much as half of the country between them. These numbers, from the National Business Review, show that this small group of kiwis grew their collective wealth from  $102b to $129b last year, that's a 26% increase in just one year. As the current government gives tax breaks to landlords, and cuts to social services, the Green party says they should be looking at this growth instead, but how do they propose we claw that wealth back? For our weekly catch-up with the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the call for an independent parliamentary budgetary office, the growing wealth disparity, and gig workers rights.  

This week on the Monday Wire... For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, host Thomas spoke to ACT MP Simon Court about the party's proposed Nationally Determined contribution towards the Paris Agreement, funding for the Liquified Natural gas import terminal and public transport policy. He also talked to Victoria University Professor of Climate Science & Physical Geography James Renwick about a study which found concerns with costal flooding events in Wellington. And he spoke to Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton about Pharmac changing eligibility criteria for diabetes medication and Health NZ stopping cardiology groups from objecting. Caeden also spoke to Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand Chief Executive Letitia Harding about calls from the World Health Organisation to ban flavoured tobacco products.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has renewed calls to ban flavoured nicotine products, particularly sweet, fruity, and confectionery-style flavours, which it says drive addiction amongst young people.  WHO has warned that tobacco and nicotine companies are deliberately creating products that are “more appealing, easier to use and harder to quit” for adolescents and young people. Thursday Wire Host Caeden caught up with Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand Chief Executive Letitia Harding about the calls for restrictions and how this applies in a New Zealand context.

A new study has been released that shows the impact of human-induced climate change on global sea levels, focusing on the change from 1900 to 2005.  It found that, worldwide, one in a hundred-year flooding event had a median increase to the 1 in 8-year event average over this time. Even more concerningly, the study found that the increase was not geographically balanced, and Wellington coastal floods have increased to roughly a twice-per-year occurrence. Relevantly, last week Wellington faced large swells up to 9 metres, resulting in a state of emergency and mandatory evacuation orders at numerous bays in the area. To discuss the results of the study and how best to respond to the findings, host Thomas talked to Victoria University Professor of Climate Science & Physical Geography, James Renwick.

Pharmac has recently proposed changing who can receive funded treatment for key diabetes medication, moving it in line with a cabinet directive from 2024 saying public services should be prioritised on the basis of need, not race. There has been an outcry from health professionals, such as the cardiac network, saying data shows that Maori and Pacific people are more at risk of diabetes, regardless of their socio-economic status, and the best way to maximise health benefit for dollars spent is by targeting these groups. Further criticism has been directed at Health NZ, which has banned the cardio network from objecting to the removal of eligibility criteria, saying it would breach the 2024 cabinet directive. Cardiologists will be forced to make submissions as individuals, a move the network has said is silencing scientific evidence in the name of politics  To discuss the eligibility changes and Health NZ silencing cardiologists, host Thomas spoke to Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton.

The Green Party has announced a new policy to fine individuals and companies for privacy breaches. This includes fines of up to $500,000 for breaches by individuals and $10 million for corporates.  Wire Host Caeden spoke to Professor Gehan Gunasekara, a privacy law expert at the University of Auckland Business School, about this proposal. 

For Politics with Māni Dunlop from Te Ao Māori News, Wire Host Caeden asked about a new investment from the Government in Māori businesses and funding for Māori organisations in Budget 2026.  And they spoke to Professor Gehan Gunasekara, a privacy law expert at the University of Auckland Business School, about a new Green Party policy that would fine individuals and businesses for privacy breaches.  For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, News Director Castor spoke with Shanan Halbert about the party's newly announced $20 fare cap and its broader policy plan for this year's election.  And Castor spoke to Professor Michael Baker from the University of Otago about influenza management and improving New Zealand's public health response.

Labour has announced its first major policy in over six months: a proposal to cap public transport costs at $20 a week in major centres and $10 elsewhere. The party says the policy would help with the cost of living and make public transport more accessible. The announcement comes after the coalition government removed several public transport subsidies introduced under Labour, including half-price fares for young people and free fares for children. Alongside the fare cap, Labour has already announced a targeted capital gains tax to fund three free GP visits a year and a proposed Future Fund aimed at investing in infrastructure and innovative Kiwi businesses. For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, News Director Castor spoke with Shanan Halbert about these policies.

The Government has announced it is investing $5 million into Māori-owned businesses as part of its initiatives to support economic growth and create jobs.  It follows a mixed bag of funding and cuts to Māori organisations in Budget 2026.  For Politics with Māni Dunlop from Te Ao Māori News, Wire Host Caeden has Māni on the line to discuss these recent announcements. 

Per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (or, PFAS) have been called ‘forever chemicals'. That's because these synthetic chemicals are incredibly durable, lasting thousands of years. This durability has made this large group of chemicals useful in a variety of industries, from cosmetics to electronic and cookware. However, PFAS have been linked to a myriad of health risks including cancers, liver damage, and suppressed immunity, bad news, given their ubiquity within the environment and humans. Recently, the Australian Government moved to sue the manufacturing giant 3M for $2.4b NZD, for their use of forever chemicals in firefighting foam, which contaminated numerous defence force bases across the country. While no such legal action is yet on the cards for New Zealand, increased attention is being given to the presence of PFAS in our environment. In 2022 PFAS were for the first time included in the suite of compounds analysed in a quadrennial groundwater survey. However, there is still a lack of information on how present PFAS are in Aotearoa New Zealand, so later this year the Environmental Protection Authority will be engaging with councils and other agencies to carry out further groundwater testing. To learn more, producer Theo spoke with the Environmental Protection Authority's acting manager of hazardous substances applications, Dr Shaun Presow.

Last week, the United Nations released a report on the environmental cost of artificial intelligence, giving estimates for the amount of carbon, water, and land that will likely be dedicated to powering AI in the near future. For example, the report predicts that by 2030, Artificial Intelligence could consume 3% of the world's electricity and require more water than the total amount drunk by the entire population of Earth annually.  However, experts in AI also predict that the technology will continue to become more efficient as time goes on, requiring less electricity, water and land to operate. To explain how all of this can be true at the same time, some people in the AI world have invoked the so-called “Jevons Paradox”—referring to an insight from the Victorian-period economist William Stanely Jevons, who noticed that the increased efficiency of steam engines went hand-in-hand with increased coal consumption. This morning, producer Toby spoke to Dr. Amanda Turnbull-McRae, senior lecturer in Law at the University of Waikato, about this apparent economic paradox as it relates to the future of AI.

This week on the Wednesday Wire..... For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the ongoing scandal over the government's missing emails with lobbyists; and energy policy. Producer Toby spoke to senior lecturer in Law at the University of Waikato Dr. Amanda Turnbull-Rae about the future of Ai energy use Producer Theo spoke to the Environmental Protection Authority acting manager of hazardous substances applications, Dr Shaun Presow, on upcoming groundwater testing of PFAS. He then spoke to the University of Auckland's Dr Gerhard Sundborn, a member of the New Zealand Beverages Guidance Panel, on the policy brief they released this morning calling for a ban on sugary drinks in schools.

The revelation of hidden correspondence shared between major NZ polluters and a private email account of someone working in the Prime Minister's Office has sparked a spiralling scandal.  Why were the emails not revealed when any such correspondence had been specifically requested if it existed?  Were key law changes made specifically to end a high-profile court case against these polluters?  How could the government's failure to provide such emails not be in breach of fundamental transparency rules? And what else might be hidden?  The Greens are now asking the Ombudsman to expand his investigation into the emails to use the full breadth of the powers availableto him to determine what has gone down. And this week the government walked back their plan to fund an import terminal for Liquid Natural Gas with a levy, or tax, on Kiwis' energy bills. While the policy is still going forward, how it will be funded remains an open question. And following the energy shock caused by the US war with Iran, the Greens highlighted their support for Rewiring Aotearoa's Ratepayers' Assistance Scheme to provide cheap loans for installing home solar systems, which they say would make widespread solar uptake accessible to more kiwi's, lowering energy bills and increasing energy security. So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the ongoing scandal over the government's missing emails and energy policy.  

Sugary drinks are a favourite for many children across the country. However, this consumption of high-sugar drinks is proving harmful, with dental issues, heightened risk of diabetes, and other health issues tied to these drinks. Despite this, sugary drinks are stil readily available to children across Aotearoa New Zealand, even within their schools. This morning, the New Zealand Beverages Guidance Panel, published a policy brief calling for the ban of sugary drinks from school grounds - prohibiting them from being purchased or brought by students into schools To learn more, I spoke to the University of Auckland's Dr Gerhard Sundborn, a member of the New Zealand Beverages Guidance Panel, on their policy brief.

Two weeks ago, the 2026 Budget revealed the government's spending and funding plan. Notably absent, however, is support for care workers, except for a minor boost to mileage rates while the fuel crisis is ongoing. The E Tū union, however, has said that these changes do little to match the inflated costs, and still leaves support and care workers woefully unsupported in the midst of an already struggling health system. Host Alex spoke with the National Secretary of E Tū, Rachel Mackintosh, about the state of care work in NZ, and what this budget means for the priority given to care work by the government.  

The Carrington Hospital, also known as Building One, was built in 1867 and stands as a monument to Victorian era healthcare in New Zealand. Until 2018, this category 1 heritage building was part of Unitec's Mt Albert Campus, but was sold to the government as part of the Carrington Residential Development - Te Kukūnga Waka. The goal was to build 4,000 new homes in collaboration with Ockham Residential and various iwi. However, concerns have been raised by locals about the degrading state of Building One as well as whether local infrastructure will be able to cope with intensification. I spoke to a range of individuals who want to see the building preserved, and attended some of their protests. This Carrington Building One movement is also active on Facebook and Instagram.  Among the people I spoke to were Chris Casey, Chair of the Cachet Foundation, Helen White, MP for Mt Albert, Gareth Hughes, operator of the Waterview Coffee Project, Allan Matson, President of the Civic Trust as well as a high school student from Mt Albert. I also reached out to the owner's Ockham Residential and Marutūāhu, as well as Auckland Council and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, for comment. 

This week on the Tuesday Wire... For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chats with us about taking too many vitamins, bees, and AI failing psychological tests. For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Alex spoke with MP Ryan Hamilton about the US threat of further tariffs on New Zealand, our relationship with the US, and changes to local government committees to limit the impact of unelected members. Producer Liam spoke to a range of people, including Chris Casey of the Cachet foundation, about the current deteriorating state of the former Carrington Hospital in Mt Albert, also known as Building One, and efforts to see it restored and repurposed.  And Alex also spoke with Rachel Mackintosh, National Secretary of E Tū, about where the 2026 Budget leaves struggling care and support workers in Aotearoa.

Defence Minister Chris Penk recently tabled New Zealand's nuclear free stance for debate, when he suggested it could be a topic New Zealand should look into. In an interview with Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan, however, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon denied that the country's stance would change any time soon. While du Plessis-Allan asked about the military applications of nuclear technology, she also mentioned the potential benefits of nuclear energy. It's an important question, especially as New Zealanders see rising energy prices and seek to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  To discuss the benefits of nuclear energy and how it compares to our current energy infrastructure in New Zealand, News Director Castor spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland and co-director at the Geothermal Institute, Sadio Zarrouk.

This week on the Monday Wire... For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News director Castor spoke to MP Laura McClure, filling in for Simon Court. They asked about the Budget 2026 and funding for health, defence, and cuts to fees free.  They also spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland and co-director at the geothermal institute Sadio Zarrouk, about nuclear energy and if it has a place in New Zealand's energy ecosystem.  Producer Thomas spoke to University of Auckland Social Sciences Professor Barry Milne about a new study which has linked ‘deaths of despair' with living in deprived areas.  He also talked to Greenpeace freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe about the organisation calling for New Zealand to follow Denmark and lower the drinking water nitrate limit.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Aotearoa New Zealand later this year. The expected visit follows the signing of the trade agreement between India and New Zealand last month. However, Prime Minister Modi is a controversial figure in Indian politics, largely for his religiously divisive policy and anti-Muslim speeches. Wire Host Caeden spoke to Sapna Samant, GP, storyteller, and activist, who is critical of Indian Prime Minister Modi and his supporters in the diaspora, about his expected visit.

A survey of Automobile Association members' views on time-of-use charging has been presented to the Auckland Council's Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee.  The survey found that members were open to congestion charging if it worked, even if they thought it was unfair. Labour leader Chris Hipkins gave a ‘State of Auckland' speech last week, focusing on the need for cross-party collaboration on infrastructure projects. Wire Host Caeden spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these topics.

The recent OECD report conducting an autopsy on the economy here in Aotearoa came back with huge concerns and transformative suggestions going forward. And while some, such as the suggestion to raise the age of superannuation, have been taken on board by the leading National Party, others, like a renewable energy transition, have been poo-pooed. Current energy policy discussions in New Zealand have focused on liquid natural gas, also known as LNG, which needs to be stored in special conditions. The government is moving forward with plans to spend over a billion dollars on a terminal specially designed to import LNG into the country and fund it with a tax on electricity. But buying natural gas is no simple endeavour. Along with petrol, LNG prices are spiking at the moment, and standard practice is to set up to buy a regular contracted amount, which, due to limited storage conditions, may have to be used or risk costing us more. To understand the ins and outs of the OECD report on energy policy, we got Emeritus Professor of Economics and former director of the Energy Centre, Basil Sharp, to sit down with Host Manny in the studio to share his concerns with LNG and his ideas to on how to reform the electricity market.

Last week, figures published by RNZ showed that Afterpay made close to $20m in late fees in Aotearoa New Zealand, in the year to December 2025. This revenue is an increase on their 2024 earnings, and comes after legislation was introduced to bring Buy Now Pay Later lending services—such as Afterpay—under similar regulation to other lenders. Prior to September of 2024, buy now pay later lenders were exempted from the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act that governs other lenders. This is because, unlike other lenders such as credit card companies, buy now pay later schemes do not charge interest or any other fees—so long as the debts are repaid on time—meaning they did not meet the definition of a ‘consumer credit contract'. After September of 2024, however, they came under the act, with some exemptions, such as that they don't have to carry out the same checks as other lenders to see if a borrower can actually afford a loan. A later amendment exempted them from the prohibition on charging unreasonable fees and also exempted them from being required to ensure default fees do no more than reasonably compensate the provider for their costs. Earlier this year, Consumer New Zealand and FinCap (with support from Victoria University and funding from the Borrin Foundation) published the second stage of their report examining Buy Now Pay Later schemes in Aotearoa New Zealand, before and after these regulatory changes. So, to discuss the recently reported Afterpay late fee revenues within the wider context of what that report found, producer Theo spoke to the senior policy advisor at FinCap, Jake Lilley.

This week on the Wedne For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the changes to accommodation supplement eligibility, NZ First's proposal to buy BNZ, and the power of minor parties. He then spoke to Emeritus Professor of Economics and former director of the Energy Centre, Basil Sharp, about the recent OECD report's findings on Aotearoa's energy policy. Producer Theo spoke to Jake Lilley, the senior policy advisor for FinCap, on Afterpay's recently publicised late fees revenue, and the issues of buy now pay later lending services. Finally, News teamer Liam spoke to Professor Warwick Bagg, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Health Sciences at the University of Auckland, about the recently announced changes to undergraduate health programmes and what this will mean for students.   

This week has seen discussions on New Zealand Firsts announcement that if they win the election they plan to buy BNZ and nationalise it into kiwibank, a plan some estimate to cost $30,000,000,000 and has been completely ruled out by their coalition partner in the National Party. Despite this, it's sparked conversations around how we should be engaging with our banking sector, the vast majority of it dominated by Australian owned banks. And critics fear that National party changes to the accommodation supplement is going to hit poor working families at a time they're already doing it rough, nullifying other support that they are offering the rest of the country more broadly, repeating a pattern of policies that hurt poorer communities worse than the rich. So for our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March on what impact he thinks will come from restrictions to the accommodation supplement, particularly for the poor, they then discussed New Zealand Firsts policy to buy BNZ bank, and whether minor parties tend to over promise if they are constrained by the major parties who they will inevitably have to work with if they make into parliament.

This week on the Tuesday Wire... For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman speaks with us about politics and expertise, solar storms and trees, and droughts in Aotearoa.  For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Alex spoke with MP Ryan Hamilton about the state of the Social Media Ban for Under-16s, the Prime Minister's comments about immigration, and the upcoming budget.  And for Green World this week, Producer Liam spoke to Professor Nicolas Lewis about the government's plan to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment and merge it into a combined Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport, and what effects this will have in the short and long term? 

Public submissions for the policing amendment bill are currently being made, and several privacy concerns have been raised.  The bill is split into two parts, with the first focusing on intelligence gathering and the second giving police new powers to declare a wider range of public areas off limits earlier.  The impact of the first part on privacy rights in particular has been up for debate, as new changes would allow police to take photos and record in public with a much lower bar of justification and are not required to provide a right to access or deletion.  Originally, police were forced by the courts to stop taking photos unless they were directly related to a case, after it was revealed in 2020 that they had been taking photos of TENS of THOUSANDS of people not suspected of any crime, the majority of whom were Māori youth. To discuss the policing amendment bill and its potential privacy impacts, host Thomas talked to University of Auckland Professor of commercial law Gehen Gunasekara.

At the end of last year, Australia introduced a ban on social media use for those under the age of 16. While the policy was discussed across the globe in multiple countries, Australia was the first to actually introduce it.  New Zealand is one of the countries looking into introducing its own social media ban, despite a growing amount of evidence that the bans are ineffective. Young people are not only often resourceful enough to dodge the ban, but often the most significant causes of mental harm and distress run much deeper than just social media content.  With New Zealand announcing a pause to development of our social media ban policy on Thursday last week, News Director Castor spoke to the Director of Wellbeing, System Leadership, Data, and Insights at Te Herenga Mahara, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Dr Ella Cullen.

Lobby Reform NZ recently put forward a petition to the government asking for three changes that would improve transparency around lobbying. These changes have been compared to some introduced in New Zealand's international counterparts, which allow members of the public to assess with greater accuracy how different politicians are being influenced. In New Zealand, the legislation around lobbying is relatively lax, leaving the public almost entirely in the dark.  To discuss the petition and the scale of lobbying in Aotearoa, News Director Castor spoke to Ben Wright from Lobby Reform NZ. You can find more information about Lobby Reform NZ on their Instagram. You can find more information about their petition here. 

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.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says the council must be involved in any final decision on a second Waitematā harbour crossing.  And the number of jobs that will be lost in the Auckland Transport restructure has been revealed - a net reduction of 20.  For City Counselling this week, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics.

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.

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.