95bFM: The Wire

“When Genocide Wasn't News” is a recently released Canadian book that documents major Canadian news organisations' reporting on Gaza. The book claims the media has “whitewashed Israeli violence, dehumanised Palestinians and smeared a growing protest movement.” Gabriela Perdomo Páez, Assistant Professor of journalism at Mount Royal University, says journalists who support peace efforts can easily be accused of being “biased” in favour of those promoting peace.  For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Perdomo Páez about Canadian news coverage of Gaza.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about the scrapping of NCEA, the opening of an FBI Office in Wellington, and the latest unemployment rate.  For International Desk, they spoke to Assistant Professor in Journalism at Mount Royal University, Gabriela Perdomo Páez, about Canadian news coverage of Gaza. For City Counselling this week, Producer Sanat spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about the state of Local Democracy and a new funding mechanism for councils called regional deals. He also spoke to Forest and Bird's General Policy Manager Richard Capie about the Government's new proposals around conservation land that could see a significant amount of conservation land carved out for commercial use.  And he spoke to Professor Meihana Durie about the World Indigenous People's Conference on Education, an exciting international event happening this November at the AUT campus about the international global indigenous education movement. 

With World Indigenous People's Day coming up this Saturday we had an opportunity to talk to Professor Meihana Durie, who is the Co-Chair of this year's World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education this November.  WIPCE is one of the world's most significant gatherings for Indigenous educators and thought leaders, returning to Aotearoa for the first time in 20 years It will bring together over 2,000 Indigenous experts and creatives from 20+ countries - all focused on education, language, climate, arts, and decolonisation. Professor Durie is a leading voice in Māori education and kaupapa Māori health. Producer Sanat wanted to understand how this conference fits into the broader global indigenous right's movement so I started by asking Professor Durie about the conference's kaupapa.   

The deadline for enrolling to vote in Local elections and nominations for candidates closed last week, with last minute pushes across the country to make sure as many seats as possible were being contested.  There were concerns from the Electoral Commission and Local Councils across the country that some seats might go uncontested or only have one person running. Producer Sanat wanted to understand what the state of local democracy is in Auckland and whether the council is doing enough to make sure it is healthy and thriving.  Also in today's discussion is a conversation about Regional Deals. Recently Auckland Council signed a memorandum of understanding with the government in order to begin “negotiating” a regional deal.  Producer Sanat wanted to understand what a regional deal is and what it can do for Auckland, especially as recent unemployment and homelessness figures suggest that our city has been hit hardest by the recent economic downturn.  He started off by asking Councillor Shane Henderson about the state of Auckland's Local Democracy.

Recently, AI-enabled CCTV cameras, number plate recognition systems and other smart technologies have been rolled out in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.While information about these technologies is limited, what is known is that they're primarily being used to detect traffic violations at the moment, although ethical concerns have been raised about how this technology could be used in the future. Oto spoke to Dr Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, A senior lecturer in the school of architecture and planning in the faculty of engineering and design at the university of Auckland about the rollout this new AI enabled surveillance technology in Auckland and it's ethical implications.

As Israel's war in Gaza nears its second full year since October 7th, 2023, multiple aid agencies and humanitarian groups have said that the prevalence of famine within the strip has gone beyond critical levels, with elderly Palestinians now succumbing to malnutrition-related deaths alongside the deaths amongst children that were reported earlier this year. Israel, who have maintained a blockade on the Gaza strip since 2007, began significantly restricting the amount of aid entering the enclave following the beginning of the war. While spokespeople from the government have told the international community they were allowing adequate levels of aid to enter the strip during humanitarian pauses, humanitarian groups have said the volume of aid entering the strip was far below the level needed, and that reported attacks on both aid workers and Palestinians waiting for aid by IDF personnel weakened Israel's claims of distributing aid effectively.  Oto spoke to Dr Ritesh Shah, a Senior Lecturer Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland to discuss why Israel has been facing international condemnation for its handling of aid distribution in Gaza. If you'd like to attend the seminar that Ritesh will be speaking at tomorrow, you can find the details for it here on eventbrite:

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the government's plan to replace the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, The FBI office opening in Wellington and The party's call to the government to reverse changes to emergency housing access. He spoke with Ritesh Shah, a Senior Lecturer Critical Studies in Education, about why Israel is facing international condemnation for how it's handled aid distribution in Gaza. And he spoke to Dr Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, A senior lecturer in the school of architecture and planning in the faculty of engineering and design at the University of Auckland about the rollout of AI enabled surveillance technology in Auckland. Max spoke to Stuart McNaughton, a professor from the University of Auckland, to talk about the government's decision to scrap NCEA by 2030.

On Monday this week it was announced by the government that they are planning to drop NCEA from the national curriculum by 2030, as a part of a new education overhaul. Although the full details of the new program haven't been released, the government is planning to replace the NCEA qualification, which has been in place for more than 20 years, with a new national system weighted heavily towards exams. Associate Education Minister David Seymour described the change as more “challenging” for students, which from his perspective can “only be a positive thing”. Following on from our previous conversation with the Green Party's Ricardo Menendez-March, Producer Max spoke to Stuart McNaughton, a professor in the faculty of arts and education at the University of Auckland, to talk about the new education reforms.

They may be “green homes,” but there's plenty of grey areas. Academics such as the University of Auckland's Dr. Michael Rehm believe that the humidity standards on these eco-friendly houses need to be reassessed. Producer Faith spoke to Michael about these standards, and whether they're effective.

The government's recognition of a Palestinian state has been praised as a step forward, but many believe they need to take more practical steps to show support for Gaza. Producer Faith spoke to the University of Auckland's Professor Treasa Dunworth about the significance of the move, and what else needs to be done.

On Thursday last week, the coalition government passed legislation to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration — a ban which had been initiated by the previous government in 2018. Minister Shane Jones who drove the reversal, highlighted the impact of the ban on economic growth and energy supply in New Zealand. Opposition parties have voiced concerns about the impact of this decision for New Zealand's climate commitments. As well, yesterday Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced an overhaul of the NCEA system, to be replaced with qualifications that they say will be better to understand, and more aligned with international standards. Finally, as the United States places 15% tariffs on NZ exports, the Labour party have said the government needs to do more to strengthen our trade relationships to avoid a rise in the cost of living for kiwis. Host Sara spoke with National MP Carl Bates about all these topics. Sara started by asking him to explain the government's decision to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration in New Zealand.

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Daniel Thomas on history, pre-history, and the search for Atlantis For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the reversal of the oil and gas exploration ban, yesterday's announcement of an NCEA overhaul and US tariffs. Sara also spoke with Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman, about the oil and gas ban reversal in New Zealand, and the plans in the US to repeal the finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health. Producer Faith spoke to Professor Treasa Dunworth from the University of Auckland about the government's statement on Gaza. Faith also spoke to the university's Dr. Michael Rehm about the humidity standards in green homes, and what needs to change about the rating system.

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Daniel Thomas on history, pre-history, and the search for Atlantis. Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!

The International Court of Justice has delivered a landmark, albeit nonbinding ruling, that countries have a legal obligation to act on climate change. In this context, climate news in this past week has raised worry for climate advocates. The New Zealand government has passed legislation to reverse the 2018 ban on new oil and gas exploration projects, which is predicted to increase the country's emissions by 14.2 million tonnes according to official analysis.  As well, the United States are seeking to negate the finding that greenhouse gas emissions pose any danger to human health, with the aim to reduce the power of the Environmental Protection Agency to restrict activities that produce these emissions. Wire Host Sara spoke to Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman about these two cases and their potential consequences for global climate action.

Recently, a study was published by Australia's Museums Victoria Research Institute, examining deep sea ecosystems around Aotearoa's waters. The study mapped the global distribution of brittle stars, which are closely related to starfish, the links between deep-sea ecosystems from Iceland to Tasmania and the impacts of climate change and deep sea mining on said ecosystems. 95bFM Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke with Sadie Mills, invertebrate collection manager at Earth Sciences New Zealand, to discuss what this research means for understanding biodiversity beneath the waves especially within the context of climate change and deep-sea mining

The Israeli founded and based company SodaStream is the most popular sparkling water maker in New Zealand, supplying sparkling water machines to over 400,000 households in Aotearoa, with around 30% of families using one to make beverages at home. The company has also had involvement in the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, previously having a factory in the Ma'ale Adumim settlement in the internationally recognised Palestinian west bank. For this week's Get Action! Oto spoke with Brandon Johnstone, a BDS coordinator at Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa about a petition calling on retailers and stockists to swap out SodaStream for more ethical alternatives. If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here:

Last week, the government announced that they'd be scrapping same-day election enrolments, alongside a number of other changes to electoral laws. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said that current electoral laws were “placing too much strain on the system” and increased the time needed for the vote count. Earlier this week, the Climate Change Commission released its annual monitoring report on emissions reductions,  which showed that Aotearoa New Zealand was on track to meeting its first emissions budget for the period of 2022-2025, but not towards meeting future budgets around the 2050 period. And the Greens recently launched a petition calling on Rail Minister Winston Peters to reinstate passenger rail services across the country. For our weekly catchup with the Green party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March to get the party's take on all of these issues.

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the government's move to scrap same-day election enrolments, the Climate Change Commission's recent annual monitoring report on emissions reductions and the Greens petition to reinstate passenger rail services across the country. And for this week's Get Action! He spoke with Brandon Johnstone, a BDS coordinator at Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa about a petition calling on retailers and stockists to swap out SodaStream for more ethical alternatives. Max spoke with Dr Catherine Morgan from the University of Auckland, to talk about the new project to develop an AI tool that can predict dementia risk. Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke with Sadie Mills the invertebrate collection manager at Earth Sciences New Zealand about a study looking into deep sea species in Aotearoa's waters

About 70,000 people are currently affected by dementia in New Zealand. Because of this, the healthcare cost of the neurological condition is around $274 million per year and is expected to double by 2050. But what if we could predict who was most at risk, years before obvious symptoms appear? At the moment, health professionals can struggle to assess whether a person is likely to get dementia, based on reports of their memory loss and ability to function from patients and families. As a result, a $4 million project, which includes a team of experts from the University of Auckland and Singapore, has begun to create an AI tool that can identify a person's dementia risk. To talk about how this new AI tool would work, as well as how it might impact the future of prevention and treatment of the neurological condition, Producer Max to Dr Catherine Morgan, a senior research fellow from the University of Auckland.

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chats with us about an astronomical discovery, the passing of the great Tom Lehrer, and the latest estimate on your required daily step count In our weekly catchup with the National Party's Tom Rutherford, I ask about the government's recent electoral reforms, and the latest Homelessness Insights report In light of this homelessness report, I also speak with Manaaki Rangatahi spokesperson Brooke Stanley about her views on addressing homelessness in Aotearoa, as well as Dr Madeline Shelling from Ihi Research about the health impacts of housing insecurity for Māori and Pacific populations  Finally, Faith spoke to commercial law Professor Alex Sims from the University of Auckland about the ongoing problems caused by AI deepfakes, and what Denmark is doing to tackle them.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development's latest Homelessness Insights Report shows that there has been an increase in homelessness across Aotearoa. In particular, the report —  like other research including a report from Ihi Research last year — highlighted a disproportionate impact of homelessness on Māori and Pacific populations, as well as women and younger demographics. I was interested in delving into the correlation between these findings about homelessness and health outcomes for the populations who face exacerbated impacts. I spoke with both Manaaki Rangatahi spokesperson Brooke Stanley, and Māori health researcher Dr Madeline Shelling about the impact of homelessness on Māori and Pacific health. My first interview is with Brooke from Manaaki Rangatahi.   I also spoke with Madeline Shelling. I started by asking her to talk about how this latest report connects to previous research on the impact of homelessness on Māori

On Friday, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced various changes to the electoral system in New Zealand which he says seek to make the process of voting more efficient and effective for future elections. These include the closing of enrolment 13 days before the official election day, prohibiting the provision of food and drink at polling booths, and a reinstatement of a total prisoner voting ban. A number of Labour and Greens party politicians have been among those to criticise the changes as a disenfranchisement of voters which will make democratic engagement in New Zealand more difficult. As well, last week the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development released the latest iteration of the Homelessness Insights Report which reveals that there has been a quantifiable rise in homelessness across Aotearoa.

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chats with us about an astronomical discovery, the passing of the great Tom Lehrer, and the latest estimate on your required daily step count Thanks Allan, thank you MOTAT, and thank you science!  

The growing usage of AI deepfakes has been for a number of different reasons… Whether it's just for fun, or to jeopardise someone's career, these AI-generated images, videos, and voice recordings have become more accessible and easy to make. Deepfakes have been used for financial fraud, during election campaigns to taint the reputations of mostly female candidates, and also to spread propaganda and misinformation. However, Denmark has proposed a law to grant individuals copyright over their own face, body, and voice. Although the move has been hailed as world-leading, and a step forward to address the harms of AI deepfakes, it has drawn criticism for not being effective enough. It has also provoked concerns about the act of copyrighting one's likeness to the same degree as intellectual/artistic property. Producer Faith spoke to Professor Alex Sims from the University of Auckland's commercial law department about the proposition, and its effectiveness.

Recently, NZ First has helped pass ACT's Overseas Investment Bill through its first reading. The amendment bill, if passed, will make it easier for multinational corporations to purchase land in the country, which has raised concerns over the environmental consequences of such as move. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Gen Toop — a senior campaigner at Greenpeace, on NZ First's support of ACT's Overseas Investment Bill, and Greenpeace's concerns with the bill.

This week on the Monday Wire: News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the scrapping of same-day election enrolments, as a part of the government's changes to the Electoral Act, and ACT Party Leader, David Seymour's comments that those who enrol late are “drop-kicks”. Joel spoke to Gen Toop — a senior campaigner at Greenpeace, on NZ First's support of ACT's Overseas Investment Bill, and Greenpeace's concerns with the bill. Joel spoke to Calvin Cochran — a spokesperson for the Smokefree Expert Advisory Group, about a recent RNZ investigation alleging close connections between NZ First Party Leader, Winston Peters and multinational tobacco company, Philip Morris, and what needs to be done to combat tobacco industry lobbying. And Joel spoke to Dr Saira Raza Khan — a Lecturer of Marketing at the University of Auckland, on the need to move away from ‘scare tactics' in health advertising. Whakarongo mai!

Justice Minister, Paul Goldsmith, recently announced a proposal to the Electoral Act and Constitution Act, removing the ability for an individual to enrol on election day. Alongside this comes the proposal of halting the ability to enrol during the advanced voting period. This move has received backlash - including from within the government. This morning, Attorney-General, Judith Collins KC, says the move goes against the Bill of Rights Act. During the 2023 general election, over 450,000 enrolled in the 12-day period, with 110,000 enrolling on election day. A significant proportion of those later enrolments consist of young people, and in areas of bigger Māori, Pacific, and Asian communities. In light of this move, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, says those who have left voting to the last minute are “drop-kicks”. As well as this, the ACT Party's justice spokesperson, Todd Stephenson, added to this, saying “Democracy works best when voters are informed, engaged, and take the process seriously,” and that “It's outrageous that someone completely disengaged and lazy can rock up to the voting booth, get registered there and then, and then vote to tax other people's money away.” For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel spoke to him about this move.

In a recent study by Dr Saira Raza Khan — a Lecturer of Marketing at the University of Auckland, published in the Journal of Advertising Research, the study looks at the advertising of health campaigns, with the need to move away from ‘scare tactics'. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about her study, and why we should move away from these ‘scare tactics'.

In a recent RNZ investigation, the investigation alleges that NZ First Party Leader, Winston Peters, has close connections to the multinational tobacco company, Philip Morris. This has raised concerns about what impact alleged tobacco lobbying has on government policies and decisions. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Calvin Cochran, a spokesperson for the Smokefree Expert Advisory Group about RNZ's investigation, and what needs to be done to tackle tobacco-industry lobbying in Aotearoa.

The government is considering amending the Terrorism Suppression Act, which was enacted in 2002.  In a copy of the document seen by Newsroom, the Ministry of Justice says the reason for the potential overhaul stems from existing offences in the law not “captur[ing] the full range of behaviours or activities of concern that are part of the contemporary threat from terrorism”. Some of the proposed amendments include making membership of a terrorist entity a criminal offence, establishing new offences for public support of an assigned terrorist act or designated groups, which would include the display of insignia, and updating definitions for digital forms of support.  Despite these proposed amendments, concerns have been raised over what would be defined as a ‘terrorist entity,' and what implications this could have on free speech and political participation, in light of events seen overseas. News and Editorial Director Joel, spoke to Richard Jackson — a Professor in Peace Studies at the University of Otago, about these potential amendments, and the concerns around this move.

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the recently published inflation statistics, The Greens call to lower the voting age to 16 and The most recent unemployment statistics on beneficiaries. For this week's Get Action! Oto spoke with Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab from Thyme for Action about a petition of hers calling for the Palmerston North City Council to adopt a ceasefire motion and ethical investment policy in response to Israel's war in Gaza. And he spoke with Marnie Prickett from the University of Otago in Wellington and the Public Health Association about the Public Health Association's freshwater policy statement. News and Editorial Director Joel, spoke to Richard Jackson — a Professor in Peace Studies at the University of Otago, about the government's potential overhaul of the Terrorism Suppression Act, and how this could potentially impact free speech and political participation.

Freshwater quality across Aotearoa has been in decline for some time, with almost 70% of monitored groundwater sites failing to meet drinking water standards for E. coli and almost half of the country's rivers being unsuitable for recreational activities like swimming due to bacterial contamination. Many concerns about the future of Aotearoa's freshwater have been exacerbated by the government's recent changes to Freshwater National Direction, with experts speculating that many of the proposed policy changes would favour commercial activity and lead to the further contamination and pollution of freshwater sources. Oto spoke with Marnie Prickett - A research fellow at the department of public health at the University of Otago in Wellington and a member of the Public Health Association about a freshwater policy statement put out by the Public Health Association calling for urgent action to protect freshwater in Aotearoa and outlining freshwater protection as a critical public health priority.

This week Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka spoke in an interview about the potential effect of changes to emergency housing on the rising number of homeless people in New Zealand. While he proudly announced that the Government had met its target to reduce emergency housing numbers by 75%, he acknowledged that ‘many' have reported the effect of government policies on increased numbers of people rough sleeping.  Especially in Auckland, observations and reports of homelessness have increased substantially, with community leaders and Auckland council urging the government to deliver a more effective policy response to alleviating the issue.  While Potaka was not willing to admit that government policies have been a main contributor to rising homelessness, there has been a clear public callout for meaningful change from the central government

The government's $231m boost for breakthrough technology has drawn praise for being a step forward, but scientists, researchers, and academics have criticised the risks involved– and how the money was reallocated.  Producer Faith spoke to Professor Nicola Gaston from the University of Auckland about the investment, and the potential opportunities it will create.

Ireland is to become the first country in the world to include mandatory cancer warning labels on alcohol products. A move that has been hailed as world-leading.  Aotearoa hasn't followed their lead just yet, but Marlborough winery Villa Maria Estate have complied, by putting the warning on all their bottles getting sold in Ireland. Many public health experts have praised these moves, and believe it's time for us to address alcohol issues, here in Aotearoa. Producer Faith spoke to public health expert Dr. Karen Wright from the University of Otago about these decisions, and what further steps we need to take.

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Daniel Thomas, chats with us about snake and spider venom, saber-toothed tiger extinction, and penguin travel patterns, thanks to MOTAT. In our weekly catchup with the National Party's Tom Rutherford, Wire Host Sara asks about the government's recent $6billion infrastructure announcement. Sara also speaks to youth homelessness advocate Aaron Hendry about the rise of homelessness in light of Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka's most recent interview. Producer Faith spoke to the University of Auckland's Nicola Gaston about the government's $231m support of breakthrough technology, and whether there are any concerns about AI and synthetic biology. Faith also spoke to the University of Otago's Dr. Karen Wright about Villa Maria Estate's recent decision to put cancer warnings on their wines sold in Ireland.

In recently released research from the Child Poverty Action Group, the research shows low-income families below the Income Floor are struggling to pay for bare essentials. Below the Income Floor refers to the minimum income needed to live and belong. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Isaac Gunson, a spokesperson from the organisation, about these findings.

Te Kāhui Tika Tangata - The Human Rights Commission, are calling for cross-party support for slavery laws. This follows members' bills from both sides of the House to tackle modern slavery. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner for the Commission, Professor Gail Pacheco, about these calls.

The government has recently announced that Te Pūkenga is set to return to ‘regional governance,' re-establishing 10 polytechnics that were merged under the previous Labour-led government. For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about these developments with Te Pūkenga. They also discussed Labour MP, Camilla Belich's member's bill — the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill, passing its second reading. In the government, National are in support of the bill, however, New Zealand First, and ACT, are not. We discussed why ACT are not supportive of the bill, despite their coalition partner, National, being in support. But first, they discussed the re-establishment of the 10 polytechnics that were previously merged under Te Pūkenga.

As the climate and sustainability crises continue to worsen and corporations and governments refuse to act the question must be asked, do we need to rethink our entire society? From one built on resource extraction for profit, to one built around sustainable local living. Producer Sam spoke to Professor of geology at the University of Auckland, Phil Shane, about the sustainability of our society.

This week on the Thursday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to MP Shanon Halbert about the re-establishment on TEN polytechnics that were previously merged under Te Pūkenga, and Te Pāti Māori members accusing the party of being ‘greedy' for running MP Peeni Henare in the upcoming Tāmaki Makaurau by-election. For this week's City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about her recent biking accident and her hopes for road safety in Auckland, as well as the recently released State of the City report. For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Natasha Lindstaedt from the University of Essex on the backslide of democracy in Georgia, particularly due to Russian influence, and the public response. Joel spoke to Tom Wilkinson, a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Auckland, about Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, nominating US President, Donald Trump, for a Nobel Peace Prize. And on Monday, Producer Sam spoke to Peter Adams, a Professor in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, about the government's alcohol levy, in light of recent lobbying by the alcohol industry. Whakarongo mai!

On the 25th of June, our regular City Counselling guest Julie Fairey was involved in a road collision while she was biking in her local area. Fairey wrote about the close call, which she says could have been a lot worse, in a piece published in the Spinoff, as a reinvigoration of her previous advocacy around the need for road safety measures that improve how safely and efficiently Aucklanders can get around the city. As well, this week we've seen the release of the State of the City report, which compares Auckland on metrics including opportunity and prosperity, culture and experience, place and connectivity, innovation and knowledge, and resilience and sustainability. The report found that we are ‘falling behind' other cities, with the biggest emphasis placed on our poor economic productivity in comparison with similar locations. Producer Sara spoke with Julie Fairey about both of these topics, firstly by asking her what motivated her to write about her recent collision.