95bFM: The Wire

Yesterday, Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong released the party's five bottom lines heading into the election.  The first was to bring prices down by giving greater powers to the Commerce Commission to go after anti-competitive businesses. The second, to introduce lobbying reform and cap political donations. The party will demand a 10-year cross-party plan for health, alongside banning bottom trawling from damaged inshore areas, with the goal of phasing out the practice entirely. And finally, they have committed to recommitting to our commitments under the Paris Accords and protecting the role of the Climate Change Commission. Conspicuously absent were the party's central tax reforms and citizens income policies, which Wong addressed in the following media standup, saying that such major changes were unlikely to happen in the short term. So to hear more about what these bottom lines will mean for the party - and how much wiggle room might be left for post-election negotiations - producer Theo was joined in our studio by Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong.

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Wire Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Greens call to clean up politics, Labour ruling things out before the election and the state of MMP. For our fortnightly catchup with The Opportunity Party, Wire Producer Theo was joined in the studio with leader Qiulae Wong to discuss the party's bottom lines heading into the election. And for Candidates of Tāmaki Makaurau today, I speak to NZ First Candidate for Mangere, Vicky Hau.

NZ First has announced a 15-point ‘Make New Zealand Healthy' plan, placing emphasis on the role of prevention in health approaches, pointing to the cost burden of avoidable health issues. However, whether or not this plan effectively tackles the issue is a different question. Prevention has also become an increased priority for other political parties, with Labour, Greens, and Opportunity all discussing prevention in their health approaches. Host Alex spoke with Professor of Population Health at the University of Auckland, and Chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa, Boyd Swinburn, about NZ First's plan, its problems, and what it and similar approaches get right going into this election.

For Dear Science this week, we chat with our experts Professor Sebastian Leuzinger and DR Syrie Hermans, talk with us about Sea Cucumbers, and Deep Water Renewal Host Alex talks with Professor of Population Health at the University of Auckland, and Chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa, Boyd Swinburn, about New Zealand First's “Make New Zealand Healthy” plan, and the role of prevention in Health policy going forward into the election. And Producer Thomas speaks to University of Auckland Associate Professor Marta Andhov about new commerce commission figures which show that bid-rigging costs taxpayers THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY MILLION dollars a year, and how we can improve procurement design.

This week on the Monday Wire...  For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about the party's minimum wage policies for this year's election.  Producer Sara spoke to Professor Sarah Hetrick about increased demand for Mental Health Services. And for Candidates of Tāmaki Makaurau, Castor spoke to Esther Tofilau-Tevaga, NZ First Candidate for the Manurewa electorate.

The latest review on youth mental health hotlines has identified a number of issues attributed to an increased demand for services. These include up to 69% of calls being abandoned due to long wait times, and a need for better training for staff dealing with increasingly complex and serious mental health calls. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has shared three initiatives to improve hotline services, including an expansion of peer support hours from 2pm and 10pm, to 9am to midnight; proactive follow up calls and a new 24/7 suicide prevention crisis line. University of Auckland Health Professors Terryann Clark and Sarah Hetrick say these direct plans are important, but addressing larger issues like poverty, youth unemployment and homelessness is also “critical”. Wire Producer Sara spoke to Professor Sarah Hetrick on this topic, firstly by asking her thoughts on the review's findings.

The Government has moved to ban voting rights for non-elected members on council committees. For Auckland Council this would apply to members of Houkura, the Independent Māori Statutory Board. And the opening of the City Rail Link has led to new search trends for “things to do in Auckland CBD” and specific downtown commercial hubs.  For City Counselling this week, Wire Host Caeden caught up with Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these topics.

The economic crunch has hit the local events sector hard. Over this government's term, the festival scene saw many final appearances of world renowned events that put Aotearoa New Zealand on the map, not least being Splore. But while our local festivals and gigs largely bore the consequences of increasing costs and decreasing sales alone, international competitors who provided large concerts often received funding from the government under a new scheme, the Major Events and Tourism package.  This generated a host of criticism at the time, but this week we found out it had also gone against official advice from MBIE. To understand the ins and outs of the issue Host Manny spoke to DJ and Industry advocate, Rob Warner, to discuss issues with the government's approach, and the revelation that the government had gone against official advice, and what he thinks could come next instead. If you want to hear more about this topic, Rob's voice, or mine, bFM released an episode of our bLine podcast about the state of the local festival scene earlier this year, you can find it where ever reputable podcasts are found under bLine #10: Festivals.  

Big tech corporations have gained a huge amount of power. Allowing them to own pretty much all digital infrastructure. This lets them set their own rules for platforms that both people and businesses rely on. It also allows them to lobby against any government decisions and laws that may restrict their control over digital territory. However, massive and powerful corporations aren't a new concept; we've seen this happen previously in history, and we've seen this unrestrained corporate power end with regulation Many argue that the foundations of today's powerful companies don't differ much from those of the past. So how can we regulate our big tech companies today? To learn more about these corporations, how they gain their power and possible solutions to regulating them. Producer Jude spoke to the University of Auckland Dean of Law, Professor Susan Watson.

This week on the Wednesday Wire... For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Greens City Vibrancy policy, their response to Labour's promise to keep tax cuts for landlords, and the revelation that the government's decision to fund large concerts over grassroots events went against the official advice. For this week's Get Action, Producer Theo spoke with Lee-Anne Duncan from Grief Education in Schools Aotearoa about their campaign to add grief literacy to the school curriculum.  Then Producer Jude spoke to the University of Auckland Dean of Law, Professor Susan Watson, about how big tech companies accumulated all their power. And finally, at the end of the show, Manny spoke to DJ and Industry advocate Rob Warner who helped break the story about events funding, to discuss why it was so harmful, and where he thinks we could go next.

The Whakaata Māori-Curia Poll has released the findings of their polling of Māori across the general and Māori rolls.  For our politics catch-up with Whakaata Māori, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Daniel Perese about these poll results.

The $5.5 Billion City Rail Link opened to passengers for the first time on Sunday.  And this week is Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, with events happening across Tāmaki Makaurau to mark the occasion.  For City Counselling this week, Wire Host Caeden caught up with Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics.

For City Counselling this week, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about the opening of the City Rail Link on Sunday and what Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori looks like in Tāmaki Makaurau.  And for our politics catch-up with Whakaata Māori, they spoke to Daniel Perese about the results of the new Whakaata Māori-Curia poll.  Flo spoke with Labour MP Shanan Halbert about Labour's new price gouging policy and their proposed Capital Gains Tax as well as the possibility of a hung parliament. Producer Eloise spoke with Dr Olivier Jutel from the University of Otago about the fallout from Macklemore being dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour.

Buy now, pay later products such as Afterpay, Klarna, and Zip allow users to pay for a variety of goods and services in - typically four - fortnightly instalments. Although these products do not charge fees or interest as long as payments are made on time, a substantial amount of providers' revenue comes from late fees. One of the distinctive points around buy now, pay later products, is how they've been marketed in a way that frames them as different to traditional debt - or not as debt at all. So how do these perceptions of buy now, pay later products potentially reflect the ways consumers make use of them? To learn more, producer Theo spoke to AUT's Professor Aaron Gilbert, one of the authors of a new study looking to increase our understanding of this relationship. The study, 'A Rose by Any Other Name: The impact of consumer perceptions of Buy Now Pay Later on BNPL use by young adults' can be found here.

In the last few days, we've seen the long-awaited opening of the City Rail Link, a huge infrastructure project that took years and billions of dollars to complete. Despite this particular project reaching completion, the country faces challenges with meeting maintenance needs of current infrastructure alongside long-term agreement on new projects. Earlier this year, a report commissioned by the national associations Civil Contractors New Zealand, Infrastructure New Zealand and Water New Zealand estimated that the stopping and starting of such projects has cost 11.8 billion dollars over the last thirty years. So what changes would the Opportunity party look to make for how we maintain and invest in our country's infrastructure? Then, shifting to another generational issue, youth voter enrolments sat at 57.45% by the end of last month. So what needs to change to see greater engagement with young people, and how will recent changes to election rules affect this turnout? But for our fortnightly catch up with the leader of the Opportunity Party, Qiulae Wong, producer Theo began by asking whether she's had a chance to travel on the City Rail Link yet.

Many will likely remember Sunday 13 September as the day that Auckland's city rail link opened. After nearly ten years of planning and construction, Auckland finally has an underground rail line, and many hope this will lead to a renaissance in the city.  News Director Castor and Wire Producer Liam went to the opening of the CRL and caught the very first train departing at 4:57 AM from Ōtāhuhu. The passion was palpable on the day, everywhere one looked one could sense the passion of a lot of people passionate about trains and public transport. We interviewed members of the public to gauge people's feelings and hopes for the future.  Liam also spoke to Viv Beck, Chief Executive for Heart of the City, about what the CRL will mean for businesses in Auckland, and to Bevan Assink, Chief Metro Officer for KiwiRail, about how the opening day went from an operational perspective and what the CRL will mean in the context of Auckland's wider rail system. Here is their report...

For Dear Science this week, we chat with our experts, Professor Sebastian Leuzinger and Dr Syrie Hermans,, about plants and their senses. For our Weekly Catchup with the National Party, Host Alex speaks with MP Ryan Hamilton about the CRL, Auckland Council's troubles with Fast-Tracked developments, and NZ's condemnation of Illegal Israeli Settlements Producer Thomas chats to Public Service Association National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons about an internal review into Ministry of Social Development errors, and how they may have been caused by cuts to the workforce. Thomas also talks to University of Auckland Associate Professor Helen Petousis-Harris, about New Zealand's flu vaccination rates being critically low. And this week we have a City Rail Link special. News director Castor and Producer Liam caught the very first train on the opening day and interviewed members of the public. Liam also interviewed Viv Beck from Heart of the City and Bevan Assink from KiwiRail about how significant this moment is for Auckland.

This year New Zealand has seen a particularly bad flu season, with multiple Emergency Departments across the country being overloaded with sick patients and running well above capacity. With an aging population the flu is becoming an increasingly serious illness for the country, but despite this only 58% of over 65 year olds, and a quarter of the total population have been vaccinated. To discuss the impacts of a low flu vaccination rate and how New Zealand can improve its numbers, producer Thomas talked to University of Auckland Associate Professor Helen Petousis-Harris.  

Last week a review into a number of Ministry of Social Development payment errors over the past few months were released. It found more than 30,000 social welfare payments were wrongly suspended. Many were directly caused by a mistake made in legislative change meaning pensioners missed out on Winter Energy Payments, but others were from a subsequent processing backlog causing large workloads. The Public Service Association has said a lot of these mistakes could have been avoided if the MSD was properly staffed. This government has cut more than 700 roles, or almost 10% of the workforce. To discuss the review, and impacts of low staffing in the MSD producer Thomas talked to PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.  

New data from the New Zealand Police on the initial rollout of roadside drug tests has found that THC was one of the most commonly detected drugs. The testing stations are part of a response to high numbers of road deaths involving drug use. However Cannabis Clinic CEO Waseem Alzaher has voiced concerns that the testing data does not distinguish between recreational and medicinal cannabis use, nor does it identify the actual impairment caused by use. Producer Sara spoke to Alzaher about the issue as it relates to medicinal cannabis users

Last week saw protests around the country by the Stop Data Centres NZ movement. Protesters in Auckland gathered outside the Data Centre Leaders Summit held on Symonds Street against the creation of Data Centres in New Zealand, which many worry will lead to negative environmental, health and economic impacts.  I spoke to protesters including Shane McCoy, Alby Barr and Daymond Goulder-Horobin, about why these protests have been organised, what their concerns about data centres are, and what impact they hope this action will have. 

Last month National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, or NAWAC, member Sandra Faulkner confirmed that despite being elected as Vice President of the Federated Farmers she would continue her role on the committee. This has raised serious concerns of conflict of interest, NAWAC is meant to provide independent advice to the minister responsible for animal welfare while Federated Farmers is a lobby and advisory group which often pushes for policies which try impact the commercial use of animals. To discuss the decision to allow Faulkner to remain on the committee and what impacts the conflict of interest could have producer Thomas talked to SAFE Campaign Manager Emily Hall.  

Last Saturday over 30 protests against the conservation amendment bill were held across the country.  While the government has already made changes to the bill due to public lash back, removing a clause which would allow for the sale of large amounts of conservation land, protestors believe the bill still places an unnecessary prioritisation of economic development on conservation land. With protests continuing next month with the Auckland march on nature, pressure on the government looks set to continue until significant changes are made To discuss the protests against the conservation amendment bill, producer Thomas spoke to Greenpeace policy advisor Gen Toop.  

This week on the Monday Wire... For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about tensions in the National Party leadership, and ACT Party proposals for a local tourism dividend and voluntary student services fees. Also on voluntary student services fees, Castor spoke to president of the Victoria University of Wellington's Students Association, Aidan Donoghue, about what such a policy could do to student life on campus.  This week, Producer Pranuja spoke to University of Otago public health researcher Dr John Kerr about medical misinformation, distrust in the health system, and how social media and generative AI can shape treatment decisions. She also spoke to University of Auckland marketing lecturer Katherine Jensen about how AI and platform algorithms influence who sees political advertising, and what that could mean for voters heading into the election.

Last week saw the National Party go through a period of suspected internal conflict, after a leadership challenge was mounted against Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Following a multi-hour long caucus meeting, Luxon spoke to media, claiming he has the full support of his caucus. National MP and former minister Chris Penk was subsequently stripped of his portfolios. The incident has raised concerns over Luxon's ability to lead both his party and the country, especially as this is not the first leadership vote this year.  Also last week, the ACT Party proposed two new policies they would campaign on in the leadup to this year's election. First, thanks to calls for a bed levy in Auckland, ACT has instead posed a local tourism dividend that would come directly out of central government funding. They say this dividend would be better suited to address the problem of local government funds for tourism and arts/culture, though some have been sceptical.  The second ACT party proposal is to make student services fees at universities voluntary, so that students can choose the services they'd like to pay for from a checklist.  To discuss each of these issues News Director Castor spoke with the ACT Party's Simon Court, beginning with the National Party leadership. 

The ACT Party has announced plans to campaign on a policy of making student service fees voluntary. These fees contribute to student events, student media, and various other services across campus. The ACT Party believes it is unfair to charge students for services they may not use, instead offering a tickbox system so that people can opt to pay for the services they prefer. The policy is one ACT says would benefit students, though multiple student organisations across the country have pushed back.  To discuss their concerns, News Director Castor spoke to President of VUWSA, Aidan Donoghue, about how making these fees voluntary could impact student life on campus.

A recent New Zealand case report has highlighted the potential consequences of medical misinformation, after a nine-year-old developed serious complications when prescribed antibiotics were not used as directed. But the case may point to something broader than a single false claim online, with distrust in doctors, the health system and government institutions also shaping how people make decisions about treatment. Producer Pranuja spoke to University of Otago public health researcher Dr John Kerr about how medical mistrust develops, the role social media plays in amplifying it, and how health professionals can respond without pushing hesitant patients further away. She started by asking about the case and how medical misinformation played a role in it.

An RNZ analysis of election-year Facebook and Instagram advertising has found a clear gender divide in who is seeing different parties' ads, with National and ACT reaching more men and the Greens reaching more women. But political parties do not have complete control over those audiences, with Meta's algorithms also deciding who is most likely to see and engage with particular messages. Producer Pranuja spoke to University of Auckland marketing lecturer Katherine Jensen about how AI and platform algorithms are shaping political advertising, whether voters are being shown increasingly different versions of the same campaign, and whether New Zealand's election rules are keeping up.

As we recorded our Green Party Catchup this morning, the National Party was just about to sit down for a Caucus Meeting to once again test the support for sitting party leader, Chistopher Luxon.. But what has motivated such a crisis in the party leadership? Was it the seemingly spur-of-the-moment captain calls by Luxon to rule out the Opportunity Party and put forward a third Referendum on MMP? Or was it the lack of pushback against comments from their coalition partner, NZFirst. Two weeks ago, NZFirst Leader directed comments in the House against Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan, targeting his Chinese heritage, suggesting everyone in China lied. This created a huge amount of criticism both locally and internationally, making headlines across the Globe, not least as Peters is the coalition's Foreign Minister. But consequences the minister who unleashed sho much damage? Nill. So for this week's catch-up with the Green Party's Ricardo Menendez March, we discuss the ructions within the National Party, the fallout from New Zealand First's racially charged comments targeting him and his colleague, Lawrence Xu-Nan, and changes to jobseeker that he'd like to see.  

This week on the Wednesday Wire... A National Party leadership vote casts its vote over the show. For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the ructions within the National Party, the fallout of New Zealand First's racially charged comments targeted at him and his colleague, Lawrence Xu-Nan, and jobseeker policy changes that he'd like to see. Producer Jude spoke to the University of Auckland, Senior Lecturer, Dr. Ulrich Speidel about what AI should be used for.  And for this week's Get Action, producer Theo spoke to Layba Zubair on her campaign to progress affirmative consent law reform.  

The government's COVID-19 inquiry recently returned a series of recommendations around New Zealand's preparations for future pandemics. While the government accepted the vast majority of these recommendations, there are concerns about the implementation, especially as the pandemic and its management have become a topic of significant political polarisation.  To discuss the inquiry and how politics is influencing our disease management, News Director Castor spoke to Professor of Public Health Michael Baker.

This week on the Monday Wire... For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about discriminatory comments from NZ First MPs and candidates, and about the possibilities of plug in solar in Aotearoa.  They also spoke to Professor of Public Health Michael Baker about the recommendations from the latest COVID-19 Inquiry and how politics is influencing pandemic management.  And Producer Pranuja spoke to Associate Professor of Social Sciences, Carisa Showden, about proposed changes to New Zealand's sexual consent laws.

Last week, NZ First leader Winston Peters made derogatory comments towards Green Party MP Lawrence Xu-Nan. The comments echoed racist stereotypes about immigrants and led to strong backlash from members of the public and politicians across parliament. This is not the first example of discriminatory comments from NZ First politicians this year. Candidate Stuart Nash spouted misogynistic rhetoric about National MP Katie Nimon earlier this year, and Deputy Leader Shane Jones made some derogatory comments about Indian migrants even earlier in the year. While MPs continue to call out these comments, little is being done to actually respond to them, especially as ACT and National continue to support NZ First in power. Also this past week saw the Ministry for Regulation advising that legalising plug-in solar could provide significant benefits. While plug-in solar rarely generates enough electricity to power a home, it can alleviate power costs especially in sunny months, reducing the burden on households and the electrical grid.  For this week's catchup with ACT's Simon Court, News Director Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with NZ First leader Winston Peters' comments.

This week on the Tuesday Wire... For Dear Science this week, we chat with our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin, about a new giant salamander that lived over 3 million years ago being described in Japan, fungi which can eat polystyrene and how sperm whales sleep vertically.  For our weekly catchup with the National Party, news director Castor spoke with MP Ryan Hamilton about comments by Stuart Nash and New Zealand's climate targets. Host Thomas spoke to PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons about the employment leave bill and the 200,000 workers it might make worse off. And Producer Liam spoke to Dr Kerry McInerney, a computer science lecturer from the University of Auckland, about public perceptions towards AI Data Centres in New Zealand.

Over the weekend, the Green Party announced their proposal to have a one year national moratorium on the consenting of new Artificial Intelligence Data Centres until proper regulations have been set up. Consent for a 3.5 billion dollar hyperscale AI data centre has already been approved for Southland, which is set to be the second highest consumer of electricity in the country, requiring 280 MW of power. While supporters claim that it will bring in jobs and allow New Zealand to be at the forefront of the AI industry, many have raised concerns about the harm it could cause to New Zealand's natural environment, the strain it will put on our energy and water resources, and the fact that projects have been seemingly approved with little public consultation.  I spoke to Dr Kerry McInerney from the School of Computer Science at the University of Auckland, about public perceptions towards AI Data Centres in New Zealand, concerns that have been raised and whether there can be a social license for data centres to be implemented.

Workplace relations minister Brooke van Velden's employment leave bill is set for its third reading today. The bill is meant to replace the Holidays Act and move to a hours-based accrual system with a leave compensation payment for additional and casual hours. The Public Service Association has spoken out against the bill, calculating that it could leave up to 200,000 workers worse off due to the change to overtime payments. Over half of those negatively affected workers are in the healthcare sector. Van Velden has denied the calculation saying it wouldn't be accurate as the new bill only sets new minimum standards, meaning worker conditions may stay the same. The PSA has accused the government of feigning ignorance of the harm the bill will cause. To discuss the employment leave bill and the 200,000 workers who may be worse off, host Thomas spoke to PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.  

An ongoing inquiry into Fire and Emergency NZ has identified that the organisation is making multiple questionable spending decisions. Not only are equipment and vehicles for firefighters underfunded, but higher-ups are consistently seeing pay bumps.  Also on firefighting, Labour's Kieran McAnulty recently had his member's bill drawn, which would see volunteer firefighters covered by ACC for injuries.  Last week saw an announcement that inflation has reached a two year high, mostly due to the ongoing fuel crisis thanks to the US/Iran conflict. As the conflict wears on, pressure is on the government to improve fuel resilience and expand our use of renewable energy. For our weekly catchup with ACT's Simon Court, News Director Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with Fire and Emergency NZ funding.

This week on the Monday Wire... For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about Fire and Emergency NZ, ACC cover for firefighters, inflation at a two year high, and improving Aotearoa's fuel resilience.  They also spoke to Professor of Communications, Mohan Dutta from Massey University about a Facebook post from the ACT Party's Parmjeet Parmar criticising a University of Auckland lecturer.  And they spoke to E tū director Mat Danaher about a proposed digital restructure at Stuff and broader trends at media organisations looking to digitise jobs.  And Producer Pranuja spoke to Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe about the Climate Change Commission's warning that New Zealand is off track to meet its emissions targets, and whether the Government's climate policy changes are responsible.

News media company Stuff is proposing a restructure to its digital team, with up to eight cuts. The announcement follows cuts across different news organisations in Aotearoa, with Newshub and Re: News announcing closures and job cuts at multiple other organisations.  E tū has raised concerns over the cuts in particular, noting the importance of well staffed news organisations in holding the government accountable and keeping people up to date on current affairs.  To discuss E tū's concerns, News Director Castor spoke to the organisation's director Mat Danaher.

One week ago, ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar posted on Facebook to criticise University of Auckland Law Lecturer Treasa Dunworth over her comments about the ACT Party and the Treaty Principles Bill. The post generated a multitude of responses - many supportive of Dunworth and many criticising her teaching style and suggesting she should be fired.  In an article released also last week, the situation was compared to broader international movements criticising academics for speaking out against culture-war issues.  To discuss the issue, how it works in Aotearoa, and what it might mean for academics, News Director Castor spoke to the article's author, Professor of Communications Mohan Dutta.

A new report from the Climate Change Commission has warned that New Zealand is no longer on track to meet its emissions-reduction targets, with agricultural methane identified as a significant risk. Greenpeace says the findings reflect a series of climate policy reversals by the Luxon Government, including the return of offshore oil and gas exploration, the removal of the Clean Car Discount and changes to methane targets. To discuss whether New Zealand's climate progress has stalled and what would be needed to get the country back on track, Producer Pranuja spoke with Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe.

For City Counselling, Wire Hosr Caeden spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about Council passing amendments to Plan Change 120 earlier this week and the Regional Historic Heritage Grant opening for applications.  For our Politics with Māni Dunlop from Te Ao Māori News, they asked about the Government scrapping Mana Whakahono ā Rohe iwi-council agreements, the latest Jobseeker numbers from the Ministry of Social Development, and rising inflation. For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about inflation, Fire and Emergency NZ, and criticisms of move-on orders.