Podcasts about act party

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about the government choosing not to go ahead with the Climate Change Commission's recommendations on how to reduce methane emissions. Producer Alex spoke to Lisa Ellis, a Professor in Philosophy at the University of Otago, about the government's decision to reject the climate change commission's recommendation to include shipping and aviation emissions from our national emissions targets, and what that means for our Paris Agreement commitments. Joel spoke to Boyd Swinburn, a Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health at the University of Auckland and Co-Chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa about San Francisco's lawsuit against companies producing highly-processed food, and what we could see as a result here in New Zealand. And Alex spoke to Chief Advisor at Forest & Bird, Richard Capie, about the Fast Track Amendment bill, the lack of engagement with feedback in the Environment Select Committee's report recommending any changes, and what it means for our environment. Whakarongo mai!

The government has recently rejected all of the Climate Change Commission's recommendations regarding strengthening the country's methane targets recommendations. The commission's recommendations include strengthening the county's 2050 methane emission targets, continuing lowering emissions after 2050, and that international shipping and aviation, which represents 9% of the county's total emissions, should be included within targets. Despite the commission saying that there would be upfront costs, many of the changes would result in cost savings over time, however, the government rejected this claim. For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about the government rejecting these recommendations.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader talks about using KiwiSaver to buy a farm. Plus, he enters the age-old debate on the age of eligibility for the National Super. And - is Chris Hipkins’s capital gains tax politically palatable or a poisoned chalice?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the shake-up to regional councils, and the Justice Committee recommending the Electoral Amendment Bill pass. Producer Alex spoke with Research Fellow at the department of primary healthcare and rural health at the Dunedin School of Medicine, Dr Geoffrey Noller, about the roll out of roadside drug testing for substances such as Marijuana beginning in wellington, and what it means for road safety and legal Marijuana users. And Alex spoke with Professor in pediatric endocrinology at the Liggins Insititute at the University of Auckland, Paul Hofman, about the governments ban on puberty blockers, and what it means for the mental health of young trans people. Whakarongo mai!

The government has recently announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs. The ‘shake-up' of regional councils has left concerns that the move would water down environmental regulations at a local level, reduce Māori and iwi voices in decision making, and would result in central government overreaching into local politics. As well as this, Parliament's Justice Committee has recommended passing the Electoral Amendment Bill, albeit with some amendments For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about both of these topics, starting with the changes to regional councils.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the shake-up to regional councils, and the Justice Committee recommending the Electoral Amendment Bill pass. Producer Alex spoke with Research Fellow at the department of primary healthcare and rural health at the Dunedin School of Medicine, Dr Geoffrey Noller, about the roll out of roadside drug testing for substances such as Marijuana beginning in wellington, and what it means for road safety and legal Marijuana users. And Alex spoke with Professor in pediatric endocrinology at the Liggins Insititute at the University of Auckland, Paul Hofman, about the governments ban on puberty blockers, and what it means for the mental health of young trans people. Whakarongo mai!

The government has recently announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs. The ‘shake-up' of regional councils has left concerns that the move would water down environmental regulations at a local level, reduce Māori and iwi voices in decision making, and would result in central government overreaching into local politics. As well as this, Parliament's Justice Committee has recommended passing the Electoral Amendment Bill, albeit with some amendments For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about both of these topics, starting with the changes to regional councils.

The National Party could join coalition partner NZ First and campaign on repealing the Regulatory Standards Act at the next election, deputy leader Nicola Willis says. This is despite the law, which was pushed by the Act Party during coalition talks, being less than a month old, and having been passed into law with votes from both National and NZ First. Speaking to Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills on Newstalk ZB, Willis said National had not “come up with what our party position will be after the election”. “We haven't ruled out repealing it either. We haven't taken a position yet, but it's not impossible that we would go to the campaign trail saying, ‘yes, we met our coalition commitment, we supported that into law, but actually we agree with the concerns of some people, it hasn't operated as we'd hoped and we want to repeal it'. “We haven't come to a position yet, but we haven't ruled it out.” NZ First leader Winston Peters shocked the coalition last week when he said his party would campaign on repealing the law it had just helped to pass. His position is that the coalition obliged his party to pass the law, but his party is free to repeal it in the next Parliament. Willis said she was “comfortable” with this position. “They joined the Cabinet, they used their votes to ensure it is passed into law – they did their bit,” Willis said. Willis is not the only National MP to float repealing the law. Last week, when her colleague Chris Bishop was asked what the party was thinking, he replied, “you'll see our policy going into the election”. “I'm not going to give you a commitment on National policy,” he said. All three opposition parties say they will repeal the law if they have the numbers next term. Labour MP Duncan Webb has even submitted a member's bill to the ballot which, if drawn, would give NZ First the opportunity to repeal the law this term of parliament. Peters, however, described this as game-playing and said he would not be supporting the effort. Act leader David Seymour attacked Peters' about-turn on the law, saying it looked as though Peters was gearing up to join another Labour-led coalition, something Peters has said he would not do while Chris Hipkins was leader of the party. The Regulatory Standards Act is designed to improve the quality of government regulation by establishing a set of principles for what constitutes “good regulation”. Part of the controversy surrounding the law is the fact these principles are closely aligned to Act's political worldview and do not constitute more universally recognised principles of good regulation. The act is also controversial for the creation of a regulations board that acts as an assessor of compliance against these principles, although power to act on what the board says ultimately still rests with ministers and Parliament. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Arms Act has been home to New Zealand's gun laws since 1983, though it's had many, many iterations. The coalition has now overhauled the legislation - but it's not exactly the shake-up many were expecting. Political reporter Anneke Smith takes a closer look at the changes and explains why the ACT Party didn't get everything it wanted. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

David Seymour isn't impressed with New Zealand First's promise to campaign on repealing ACT's Regulatory Standards bill. The Bill passed last Thursday - supported by New Zealand First, National and ACT - and became law two days ago. NZ First leader Winston Peters has since called it a 'terrible overreach' and 'not fit for a modern democracy'. Seymour gave his opinion on this move. "People want to play politics - I mean, it's not even an election year yet." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Deputy PM and Act Party leader comments on Trump dropping tariffs, Federated Farmers' petition to end the consenting crisis, and we ask why the Government is scoring so badly on inflation, cost of living and the economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago, Kelston Boys High School in West Auckland said they were at the front of an unsupported, attempted takeover to turn the school into a charter school. As well as this, more recently, the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport, a charter school set to be established next year, was signed with a trust that did not exist. Amendments have also been made to the Education and Training Act, removing a clause requiring school boards give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The move has seen backlash from the National Iwi Chairs Forum and a growing number of schools, who have launched a petition against the move.  Finally, the controversial Regulatory Standards Bill has passed its third reading and is now set to be implemented into law. The bill previously received 156,000 public submissions, with 98.7% of those voicing their opposition to the bill. For our weekly catch-up with ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about these topics. They started off by asking Court about Kelston Boys High School and the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport, and how concerning these developments are for the ACT Party.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about charter schools, changes to the Education and Training Act, removing school boards' responsibilities to adhere to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the Regulatory Standards Bill passing into law. Producer Alex spoke to Greenpeace Campaigner Gen Toop about the passing of the Regulatory Standards Bill into an Act last week, and what it means for corporate interests over the environment in Aotearoa New Zealand. Joel spoke to George Perry, a Professor in the School of Environment at the University of Auckland, about the recent Tongariro wildfires that have devastated the region. And Alex spoke to Professor in Public Health at the University of Auckland, Chris Bullen, about New Zealand dropping in the Global Tobacco Interference Index rankings, and what that means for smoking policy and health in Aotearoa. Whakarongo mai!

A few weeks ago, Kelston Boys High School in West Auckland said they were at the front of an unsupported, attempted takeover to turn the school into a charter school. As well as this, more recently, the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport, a charter school set to be established next year, was signed with a trust that did not exist. Amendments have also been made to the Education and Training Act, removing a clause requiring school boards give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The move has seen backlash from the National Iwi Chairs Forum and a growing number of schools, who have launched a petition against the move.  Finally, the controversial Regulatory Standards Bill has passed its third reading and is now set to be implemented into law. The bill previously received 156,000 public submissions, with 98.7% of those voicing their opposition to the bill. For our weekly catch-up with ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about these topics. They started off by asking Court about Kelston Boys High School and the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport, and how concerning these developments are for the ACT Party.

New Zealand's effective ban on military-style semi-automatic firearms has survived the coalition's overhaul of the Arms Act. The government has been rewriting the country's gun laws, as part of National's coalition agreement with the ACT Party. Fears the reforms might liberalise access to semi-automatic guns - used in the March 15 terror attacks - have not materialised. Political reporter Anneke Smith has more.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about government ministers announcing they are considering banning rough sleeping in Auckland's CBD and the Regulatory Standards Bill passing its second reading. Producer Alex spoke to  Dr Iresh Jayawardena, a lecturer in Architecture and Urban Planning and lead researcher for the Future Cities Research Centre about Earth Science New Zealand's new Flood Risk Map, and what it says about our infrastructure's exposure to climate based harms. And Joel spoke to Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about NZ First's members bill proposed a ban on the private sale and use of fireworks, touching on why we are seeing so many members bills from the party. Whakarongo mai!

Concerns have been raised that rough sleepers will be pushed into unfamiliar suburbs outside of Auckland CBD, following government ministers' consideration of new measures. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says he had been tasked with making sure police were equipped to halt public disorder. When questioned explicitly about the ban, he said, "We're working our way through those issues... when we've got something to announce, we'll announce that." As well as this, the Regulatory Standards Bill has passed its second reading in Parliament, having seen a few changes made to the bill in the select committee process. The bill, having received 156,000 public submissions, almost 99% in opposition to the bill, is controversial. Constitutional experts and critics of the bill have expressed concerns that the amendments do not address its failings, and the “ideological” way it has been written means that if passed, the bill will have a lasting impact. The bill also lacks references to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. For our weekly catch-up with ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about both these topics.

We ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader, who’s really calling the shots in the Coalition government? Plus, we discuss Chris Hipkins’ capital gains tax, and Trump at Apec.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Deputy Prime Minister, and Act Party leader, comments on the quarterly CPI Inflation Index - 3% up from 2.7% - with the leading contributors being local council rates and energy costs. Plus, with two big farmer votes coming up, why is Winston Peters meddling with his nationalistic views? We also look at politically motivated mega-strikes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inflation's cooling — but are Kiwis actually better off? In this episode of Where's My Money, we sit down with David Seymour, leader of the ACT Party, to unpack what “inflation being gone” really means, why government can't fix your wallet, and how regulation might be slowing New Zealand down. #WheresMyMoney #DavidSeymour #ACTParty #NZPolitics #NewZealandEconomy #KiwiMoney #InflationNZ #FinancePodcast #EnableMe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government's Jobseeker Support changes for 18-to-19-year-olds, and the government's amendments to the Policing Act. Following Joel's chat with Simon, they spoke more about the amendments to the Policing Act with Gehan Gunasekara - the Convenor of the Surveillance Group within the Privacy Foundation and an Associate Commerical Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about concerns these changes will create a “surveillance state”. Producer Alex spoke to a Professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland, Rochelle Constantine about what the new Hauraki Gulf Protections Act means for our larger wildlife. On Thursday, 95bFM Intern Zanoor spoke to Dr Lucy Hardie, a Health Research Fellow at the University of Auckland, about research showing global vaping companies are using tactics to target young people. And Alex to an Associate French Professor at the University of Auckland, Deborah Walker-Morrison, about the ongoing political crisis in France, and what the instability means for President Emmanuel Macron and his party going forward. Whakarongo mai.

The government has recently announced that 18-to-19-year-olds whose parents earn $65,528 annually will no longer be eligible for Jobseeker Support. The Government estimates that 4300 young people would become ineligible under this new policy. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says these changes to Jobseeker Support eligibility are “tough love” and that he did not want the government to “send a message to young people” that 18-to-19-year-olds could “just drift into welfare and that's it”. 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 topic. They also discussed the government saying they would amend the Policing Act to guarantee police have the power to collect intelligence through means of photographing and videoing potential perpetrators. But first, they discussed the changes to the Jobseeker benefit.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government's recent energy reforms, and about the three New Zealanders aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla who have been intercepted by Israel. Producer Alex spoke to Doctoral Candidate at the University of Auckland Luke Bird about concerns around Sportwashing with the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States in the midst of human rights concerns under the Trump Administration. Joel spoke to the National President of the Tertiary Education Union or TEU, Julie Douglas, about the University of Auckland, Massey University, and the Victoria University of Wellington, all announcing they will not be using software to detect AI in student's work, and what this means heading forward. Following their chat with Douglas, Joel also spoke to Shahper Richter, a Senior Marketing Lecturer at the University of Auckland, about using “interactive oral assessments” or IOA's, as a way to combat AI in testing students. Whakarongo mai!

On Wednesday, the government announced new energy reforms in its Energy Package. This follows a review into the sector being undertaken by Frontier Economics. Despite this, the government has decided not to follow a significant amount of recommendations within the review. For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Court about this package, and some of the backlash the government has received from the sector regarding it. They also discussed Samuel Leason, Rana Hamida, and Youssef Sammour, being detained in Israel by attempting to deliver aid to Gaza. The interception of these vessels is illegal under international law, as the interceptions took place in the Mediterranean Sea between 70-80 nautical miles off of the Gazan coast. This comes a month after over a hundred humanitarian groups have signed an open letter calling for Israel to allow essential aid into the besieged Gaza Strip. They say they are “not authorised” to deliver aid, unless they comply with tough Israeli measures. Joel also spoke to Court about the three New Zealand detainees, and what the government is doing to get them home. But first, they discussed energy reforms.

The Act Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister has his say on Ecan, Paris and Palestine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has announced some new secondary school subjects and changes to current ones, which will be a part of the proposed new curriculum. Some of the subjects include: earth and space sciences, civics, politics, and philosophy, media, journalism and communications, and te mātai i te ao Māori However, art history as a subject is set to be axed, instead being integrated into other visual art subjects such as design, painting, and photography. In addition to this, outdoor education as a subject is set to become fully vocational. Those in these sectors have criticised these moves, with Auckland Art Gallery's head of curatorial and exhibitions Sarah Farrar, saying the move will close doors for young people, with Claire Amos, principal at Albany Senior High School, saying that making outdoor education vocational will result in a loss of funding for the subject. For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host spoke to him about these topics.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about the new school subjects set to be implemented into the new, proposed curriculum, and the drastic changes to art history and outdoor education. Producer Alex spoke with the University of Otago's Robert Patman about international support for Palestinian Statehood, and whether or not Foreign Minister Winston Peters will follow his Australian and Canadian counterparts. Joel spoke to the Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad about the temporary pause of international adoptions, and what this means for children overseas. And Alex spoke with the University of Aucklands Helen petousis-Harris about the CDC reviewing vaccine recommendations and regulations under an anti-vax committee. Whakarongo mai!

We tell the Deputy PM and Act Party leader that we need to draft urgent legislation, and rush it through the House. No, not to get out of Paris or to recognise Palestine. But rather, to ban the box kick. This is a national crisis!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Saturday, roughly 20,000 marched in the pro-Palestine rally, the ‘March for Humanity,' with protesters walking from Aotea Square to Victoria Park in Auckland's CBD.  For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Simon about the rally and what protestors are calling on the government for, regarding their response to Israel's war on Gaza, as the death toll in Gaza reaches over 64,000, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. As well as this, Regulations Minister and ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, has not ruled out changes to the labelling of alcohol, nicotine, and tobacco products. However, firstly, they discussed the ‘March for Humanity' rally.

The ACT Party is looking to roll out some new policies as the local elections draw closer. One key proposal involves scrapping voting rights for unelected council members - impacting mana whenua appointees and youth councillor positions. New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom has been quick to weigh in on these changes, and suggests the Government has bigger things to worry about. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following on from my chat with MP Simon Court, I spoke to Dr Maria Armoudian, an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland, the director of the University's Sustainability Hub, and the co-director of the Ngā Ara Whatū Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society at the University, on the ACT Party's stance on the Paris Agreement. ACT's stance on the Paris Agreement has received substantial criticism. Despite NZ First also being in support for moving away from the Paris Agreement, National have been staunch on continuing with this framework, alongside the Opposition Parties. Greenpeace campaigner, Amanda Larsson, has referred to ACT Party Leader David Seymour's comments regarding the framework as “rage-baiting the extremist edge of the farming community to grab headlines” and that Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, “mustn't bite”. This comes as Luxon indicated last week changes to our methane targets. Methane makes up almost a third of global warming, and is over 80x more powerful than CO₂ in the short term. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to Armoudian about this, starting with how important the Paris Agreement is, and what exactly the framework is.

Recently, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, announced the party's position statement on climate, saying that if the Paris Agreement isn't reformed, the country should leave the agreement. The Paris Agreement, signed by New Zealand by the then National-led government in 2016, aims to keep the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with an overall aim of keeping the temperature increase to 1.5°C. Currently, Aotearoa is one of 195 UN parties to adopt this framework. If the country were to leave the Paris Agreement, the country would join the likes of the US, who signed an executive order to withdraw this year, and Iran, Libya, and Yemen, who have never formally joined the agreement. For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about the Paris Agreement, and our future with this framework.

The Prime Minister ponders the Act Party’s new position on the Paris Agreement. David Seymour is effectively siding with Winston Peters. How much heat/friction is this going to cause for the Coalition? We also discuss the latest Roy Morgan Poll, the Amazon deal and relaxing foreign investment. Are New Zealand farms next on the chopping block?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finally, we have a serious party who has spent time thinking about it - and is now seriously suggesting that New Zealand should pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Now, that was what came from that ACT Party announcement that I told you would be coming today that you needed to keep an eye out for. ACT says Paris isn't working for New Zealand and it says we should push for the agreement to be reformed - and if it isn't reformed, then we should pull out of it. It isn't working, ACT says, because it's pushing up our food prices and it's pushing up our power prices and it's forcing the farmers off the land to make way for trees. And you can add to that list something that we've seen a lot of this winter and last winter - it is shutting down industry because of those high power prices. Now, there will be a lot of people who hear this from ACT and write it off as nutty climate change denier stuff. It is not. Think about the Paris Agreement critically, right? Set aside, you know, your vibes, whether you want to help the climate, set all of that stuff aside. Just think about this critically as to whether it works or not. And you can see it doesn't work. I mean, I stand to be corrected, but I cannot see any country that is meeting the targets. We will not meet the targets. The US, one of the world's biggest polluters, has pulled out. China, the world's biggest polluter, is still building coal-powered plants. I mean, we are fretting about the one coal-powered plant that we've got and they're building heaps of them. India, another one of the biggest polluters, is also doing the same with coal-powered plants. In which case, why would a country responsible for 0.17 percent of the world's emissions - or something like that - continue to persist with the Paris Agreement? Because we're not saving the planet, we're just making Kiwis poorer. And power is so expensive that we now have people who cannot turn on the heater every time Huntley burns expensive coal. Coal, by the way, which is not expensive, but which we have decided to artificially make expensive in order to save the planet. Now, the Nats have shot this down already and say it's not happening. That's smart politics for them, because they've got to hold on to the swing voters who might react badly, you know, without thinking things through to anything that looks like climate change denial. The Nats might want to be careful about what they rule in or out hard before the election, because they might need flexibility afterwards, given both of their coalition partners want out of Paris. ACT officially wants out unless things change, New Zealand First keeps hinting at it. And if National is honest with itself, they should want to get out of it too, because Paris is making us poorer, but not doing anything to save the planet. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early last week, ACT MP, Todd Stephenson, re-lodged his End of Life Choice Amendment Bill, which seeks to expand the eligibility of the End of Life Choice Act. This follows recommendations from the Ministry of Health's office review into the law, which was an official requirement of the original 2019 Act. Stephenson's bill has accepted all 25 recommendations. National's coalition agreement with ACT requires any proposed changes to the Act having to be progressed through as a member's bill. As well as this, Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche, has not ruled out absorbing ministries such as the Ministry of Women and Ministry of Pacific People into larger ministries. In 2023, the ACT Party had campaigned on removing these ministries. And last week, The Justice Select Committee report into four-year parliamentary terms recommended a referendum on the potential move, but had recommended some provisions of ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, be scrapped. These provisions include an incoming government only being allowed a four-year term if the government agreed to give the opposition the majority in the select committee. This would mean that some governments would be three-terms, and some would be four terms. For our weekly catchup with ACT MP Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about all these topics, starting with Todd Stephenson's members bill.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about ACT MP Todd Stephenson's members bill being re-introduced to develop the End of Life Choice Act, Public Service Commissioner, Sir Brian Roche's potential changes to different multiple ministries, and the Select Committee's recommendations regarding four-year parliamentary terms. Producer Alex spoke to Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Canterbury, Dr Cassandra Mudgway about the need for AI regulations in regards to protecting women and vulnerable communities from AI-based harms. Joel also spoke to Stephen Young, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Otago, on ‘sovereign citizens,' following the killings of two Australian police officers, with the alleged perpetrator, Dezi Freeman, having expressed strong support for the movement online. Alex spoke with the Programme Director and Associate Professor in Global Studies at the University of Auckland, Chris Ogden, about Trumps America acting as a “rogue state”. And on Thursday, Intern Zanoor spoke to Andrew Eruiti, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about his new research, showing that certain principles of human rights in the country are ironically being used to restrain Māori governance and tino rangatiratanga. Whakarongo mai.

The Act Party leader talks beer, lefty haters, collateral damage, Dad Dancing and twerking, Grant Robertson's denial over Covid spend up, bike helmets and fiddling while Rome burns when there are bigger fish to fry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple of weeks ago in our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, we discussed multiple countries moving to formally recognise Palestinian Statehood, and what New Zealand's plans were in this regard. Last week, Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, said the country would carefully weigh its position over the next month in recognising the state of Palestine. During a debate in Parliament, the government's delay in recognising a Palestinian state, as opposed to other countries such as France, the UK, Canada, and Australia, led Green Party co-leader, Chlöe Swarbrick, to refer to the country as “outlier,” and called for the government MPs “with a spine” to “stand on the right side of history”. This led to her being ordered to leave Parliament by Speaker Gerry Brownlee, after refusing to apologise for her statement. As well as this, last week, Education Minister, Erica Stanford, announced cancelling the early-reading book At the Marae from its Ready to Read Phonics Plus series.  The government's reasoning for this is through “mixed” evidence suggesting that learning both English and te reo Māori for young learners could confuse them. The move has been widely criticised by linguists, academics, and educators, for being “an act of racism” and “white supremacy”. For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, Producer Castor spoke to Simon about both these topics, starting with recognising a Palestinian state. Find out more about the Māori words which are a part of the official Oxford English Dictionary here

The Prime Minister has confirmed a Waikato medical school's coming, with construction beginning this year. The Government's putting $83 million towards the $230-million-dollar project, with the rest coming from Waikato University and philanthropic investors. It'll offer a graduate-entry programme, focused on primary care and rural health. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the ACT Party quickly released a statement taking credit for driving down the price of the project. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT Party leader David Seymour announced plans to address the supermarket duopoly at the party summit on Sunday. Seymour proposed that international competitors haven't begun operations in New Zealand due to restrictive approval processes.  Seymour says that while his opponents have proposed breaking up the duopoly or imposing taxes, his solution of introducing a third competitor would be the only truly effective answer.  Wire host Castor spoke to Emeritus Professor of Economics, Tim Hazledine, about his thoughts on Seymour's proposal and alternative solutions to break up the New Zealand supermarket duopoly.

The ACT party held its annual rally in Auckland on Sunday, celebrating policy wins, and encouraging its supporters to "keep the government" and look to ACT to "make it better." Political reporter Lillian Hanly was at the rally.

The ACT Party has used its annual rally to differentiate itself from its coalition partners - while also calling for all three parties to be returned to power next year. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Corin Dann.

Health experts claim the ACT Party's red tape-busting Regulatory Standards Bill threatens to harm patients by undermining the public health system. Ruth Hill explains.

Hearings on the regulatory standards bill are currently underway, with around 23,000 total submissions both written and oral. Early analysis of the submissions estimated 88% percent are in opposition, while only 0.3% are in support.  The bill has been pushed by Minister for Regulation and ACT Party leader David Seymour, who says it should support the government to reduce regulation and ensure the protection of individual rights and private property. The bill has been criticised for not including clauses around Te Tiriti o Waitangi or environmental protections. It has also been criticised for potentially undemocratic elements, placing large amounts of control in the hands of the unelected Ministry for Regulation. In our weekly catch-up with the National party, Wire host Castor asked Tom Rutherford about the regulatory standards bill in light of the select committee hearings and new criticisms.

Submit on the Regulatory Standards Bill while you listen to this podcast! It only takes 5min, and then you know you've done something fab ~! As a txter said: "The simplest, easiest submission only needs two sentences. In the Statements box type 'I oppose the regulatory standards bill'. In the Reccommendations box type 'I reccommend the Bill be rejected and that all parties be prevented from trying to resubmit the Bill in the future." So simple. Thank you for your thoughts, astute txter! Personally, I don't believe the country wants our legislation to be based on ACT Party principles -  take 5 and have your say, it's important~! If you want to know more about the Bill this video from Te Ao with Moana is well researched and clear. The closing date for submissions is 1.00pm, Monday, 23 June 2025.

The ACT Party has recently announced that candidates standing in local elections, if elected, will oppose attempts to mitigate emissions at a local level. ACT Local Government spokesperson, Cameron Luxton, says council's should “focus on what they can control,” and not “costly symbolic declarations”. 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. We also discussed the government's sanctions on Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. New Zealand has joined countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada, and Norway, in banning Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over allegedly “inciting extremist violence" against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and “undermin[ing] peace” for a two-state solution. Finally, we discussed changes being made to the proposed anti-stalking laws. But first, we discussed ACT candidates opposing attempts to mitigate emissions at a local level.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about ACT local candidates opposing moves to mitigate the climate crisis at a regional level, the ban of Israeli MPs Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for visiting the country, and changes to proposed anti-stalking laws. Joel also spoke to Claudia Rozas — a lecturer in Critical Studies at the University of Auckland, about the new English curriculum, and the need for Māori and Pacific authors to be engaged with. Producer Samantha spoke to PSA organiser Claire Nickson about staffing and funding cuts at the National Geohazard Monitoring Centre and its implications for the public. Samantha also spoke to Justin Sobion, Professor of Law at University of Auckland about the Princess of Tonga calling for whales to be granted legal personhood. Whakarongo mai!

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial and Monday Wire Host Joel speaks to her about the proposed suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke standing, and NZ First Party Leader, Winston Peters' comments about Waititi's moko kanohi during the debate. For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, they speak to him about David Seymour being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, Seymour's claims that bots drove fake submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill, and the proposed suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs being held. They speak to Margaret Mutu — a Professor of Māori Studies at the University of Auckland about the suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs and her concerns around the ruling. Joel speaks to Michael Swanson — a PhD Candidate in New Zealand Politics at the University of Otago, about ACT Party leader, David Seymour, about being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, and if this will impact how the current government operates. And Producer Samantha speaks to Renee Hosking, the lead medical student researcher at the University of Otago about a study showing that a large proportion of vape juice packaging misstates the nicotine content present. Whakarongo mai

David Seymour has been sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister as per coalition agreements. He will be taking over from NZ First Leader, Winston Peters. During his first speech as Deputy Prime Minister, Seymour said that the ACT Party would be “Labour's worst nightmare”. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Michael Swanson — a PHD Candidate in New Zealand Politics from the University of Otago about what this will mean heading forward, what the role of deputy is, and if this will have an impact on the re-election of the current coalition government.

Debate's been sparked about the use of online submission tools in the legislative process after comments from ACT Party leader David Seymour. In-Depth journalist Ella Stewart spoke to Corin Dann.