Podcasts about act party

This week on the Tuesday Wire...  For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about making English an official language of Aotearoa and reducing the minimum proposed homes for Auckland down to 1.6 million.  They also spoke to Dr. Mohsen Mohammadzadeh from the University of Auckland's school of architecture and planning about PC 120 and how to best develop Auckland as a city for the future.  And producer Alex spoke with Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning, Timothy Welch, about the Infrastructure Commission's suggestion of a $9 toll on the harbour bridge, whether it's the right move, and what it means for Auckland's Infrastructure planning.

This week on the Tuesday Wire...  For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about making English an official language of Aotearoa and reducing the minimum proposed homes for Auckland down to 1.6 million.  They also spoke to Dr. Mohsen Mohammadzadeh from the University of Auckland's school of architecture and planning about PC 120 and how to best develop Auckland as a city for the future.  And producer Alex spoke with Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning, Timothy Welch, about the Infrastructure Commission's suggestion of a $9 toll on the harbour bridge, whether it's the right move, and what it means for Auckland's Infrastructure planning.

Advocates warn the removal of requirements for assisted suicide would open Pandora's box. The ACT Party is pushing for changes to its End of Life Choice Act. Proposed amendments include removing the six-month prognosis requirement and adopting all 25 recommendations for a Health Ministry review. Ethos Alliance chief executive Alex Penk says it would open up euthanasia as an option to more long-term conditions and disabilities. "If you're a doctor at the moment, for example, who says I can make my peace with euthanasia for end-stage cancer, say - they might start to feel quite differently about this when you start talking about diabetes, frailty, renal failure..." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day, and more! The ACT Party is looking to make changes to the End of Life Choice Act, and it's prompted concerns from critics about what it could mean for the healthcare system? Do we think these are warranted? The Government is looking into tolling the Auckland Harbour Bridge, as well as the second harbour crossing. Do we think this is realistic? What do we think of the new birth statistics data. More women are delaying kids until they get older. What do we think of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Alliance Party officially launched its campaign for the 2026 General Election at its National Conference in Christchurch over the weekend. Members from across Aotearoa gathered at the Trade Union Centre to ratify the party's constitution, elect national officers, and confirm the policy platform for the upcoming election. The President of the Alliance Party is Victor Billot and he joins us tonight LIVE at 9pm.Dr Grant Duncan joins us tonight LIVE at 9.30 to talk about his latest Substack on David Seymour's "State of the Nation" speech when Duncan calls our Seymour's games of Libertarian "freedom" and, among other conclusions, writes "populist tactics worked for ACT only so long as National was weak. [Rodney] Hide was ACT Party leader from 2004 to 2011, overseeing their humiliating decline from nine seats to just two in 2005. He was dumped as party leader in April 2011, to be replaced by an even less competent politician: Don Brash. ACT then fell to 1% and below. The market had spoken."See Grant's Substack here https://grantduncanphd.substack.comAndrew Eagles from the New Zealand Green Building Council joined Q&A on Sunday with an exclusive new analysis that outlines why his organisation believes the LNG import terminal plan is a mistake, and why a different plan for massive uptake of solar and heat pump hot water systems would work better.++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

This past week has seen the government announcing plans to construct a facility for the storage of liquid natural gas. The plans have been criticised by activists, academics, and opposition members, who say it compromises our government's commitment to reducing emissions.  Yesterday also saw ACT Party Leader David Seymour deliver his State of the Nation speech, noting different parts of society and the economy his party takes issue with. He particularly raised "five warning lights", of issues that the country must "overcome".  For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to Simon Court about each of these issues, starting with liquid natural gas. 

This week on the Monday Wire... For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about Liquid Natural Gas imports and David Seymour's State of the Nation speech.  They also spoke to Professor Emeritus at Massey University, Ralph Sims, about the sustainability of an LNG terminal. And they spoke to University of Auckland Professor of Electrical Engineering Nirmal Nair about how the LNG plans would benefit power companies.  Producer Alex spoke to Professor Emeritus in Law at the University of Auckland, Jane Kelsey, about the ongoing rumblings around reforms within the World Trade Organisation, New Zealand's role, and what changes to the organisation would mean for us. He also spoke with Professor in Chemicals and Materials Engineering at the University of Auckland, and Deputy Director of the Green Energy Engineering Centre, Brent Young, about the governments LNG terminal proposal, and what it means in the context of our wider approach to fixing our energy woes.

Isn't David Seymour the guy who got himself into government at the last election and then went and set up a new government department? But, despite the irony, I agree with him that we need fewer government departments and fewer Cabinet ministers. Previously, the ACT leader has described the public sector as "a big, complicated bureaucratic beast". There are the numbers to back that up. We have 82 cabinet portfolios, 28 ministers and 41 separate government departments and agencies. David Seymour thinks that's crazy and says ACT will campaign in this year's election on changing that. And, instead of having 41 government departments and agencies, he wants us to have no more than 30. As for cabinet ministers - at the moment there are 28, David Seymour thinks we need no more than 20. I remember Oliver Hartwich from the NZ Initiative think tank saying last year that we could get away with having as few as 15 cabinet ministers, instead of the 28 we have at the moment. But he thought that 20 was more realistic. As for government departments, they are monsters. They operate in silos. They compete with each other for funding. They don't talk to each other. That's why there's so much duplication. For example, do we need a Ministry of Education and an Education Review Office? I don't think so. Do we need a Ministry of Justice and a Department of Corrections? Possibly not. As for cabinet positions, do we need a mental health minister? Could that all be part of the health minister's job? And don't get me started on things like the Minister for the South Island or the Minister for Auckland that Labour brought in. So, I'm with David Seymour and I think we could do with fewer government departments and agencies. But it will never happen. Talking about having less government departments and less cabinet ministers is easy and politicians talk about it because they know it tends to go down well with people. But it will never happen. Because, whether people admit it or not, they still expect the government and its departments to fix everything. And, unless that changes, the government isn't going to get any smaller. And its list of departments isn't going to get any shorter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Monday Wire... For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about Liquid Natural Gas imports and David Seymour's State of the Nation speech.  They also spoke to Professor Emeritus at Massey University, Ralph Sims, about the sustainability of an LNG terminal. And they spoke to University of Auckland Professor of Electrical Engineering Nirmal Nair about how the LNG plans would benefit power companies.  Producer Alex spoke to Professor Emeritus in Law at the University of Auckland, Jane Kelsey, about the ongoing rumblings around reforms within the World Trade Organisation, New Zealand's role, and what changes to the organisation would mean for us. He also spoke with Professor in Chemicals and Materials Engineering at the University of Auckland, and Deputy Director of the Green Energy Engineering Centre, Brent Young, about the governments LNG terminal proposal, and what it means in the context of our wider approach to fixing our energy woes.

ACT Party leader David Seymour delivered his State of the Nation address this morning. He says this government is on track to produce positive change, but it's not happening as quickly as it could be. ACT says there are three ways to break our country's slump: equal rights, positive thinking, and a smaller government. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Act Party leader on why it’s worth listening to Question Time, and what he makes of the Indian FTA.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Act Party leader and Deputy PM comments on Act's ag policy, Winston’s election campaign in full swing, and whether Waitangi Day will be divisive this year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a Parliament first, National and Labour are teaming up to tackle modern slavery. Backbench MPs from the rival parties have put forward new legislation, and they are using a new rule to fast-track it up Parliament's agenda, skipping the usual "biscuit tin" lottery. But this big show of bonhomie appears to have been by necessity. Despite the prime minister's personal passion for the topic, it seems the ACT Party was blocking it from going through Cabinet. Political reporter Russell Palmer has more.

Labour MP Camilla Belich joins us LIVE at 9pm to talk about National and Labour joining forces to get modern slavery legislation into Parliament, using a new process to skip the biscuit tin for the first time. The MPs backing it say the process was needed because the ACT Party and its Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden refused support.Eru Kapa Kingi and Bianca Ranson join us tonight to talk about Toitū Te Aroha — a kaupapa centered in love, connection, and community which this Saturday at 11:00 AM at the Kōmititanga at Britomart in Tāmaki, to then march to Aotea Square. Toitū Te Aroha is uniting as one to demonstrate the power of our community and show that we want a world where differences are celebrated and bring us together, rather than divide us.Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) assaulted during town hall meeting: "Here's the reality that people like this ugly man don't understand; we are Minnesota strong and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us." ++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

ACT leader David Seymour says voters need to see the result of coalition policies before heading to voting booths. The Prime Minister's announced the election will be held on November 7 - a later date than the past two, which were held in October. Seymour says the Government's done a lot of work on the economy, and a later election will give voters time to see that. "And I think it's only fair that people get to judge the Government on the benefits of its policies delivered before they choose." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Act Party leader David Seymour will become New Zealand’s deputy prime minister tomorrow, taking over from Winston Peters. He will be the 19th person to be the country’s second in command. First elected to Parliament in 2014 – the last decade and a bit has seen Seymour’s meteoric rise from being his party’s sole MP to now sitting alongside 10 colleagues after Act’s best ever result in the 2023 election. That result has allowed him to push through big changes around issues like regulation and government spending – but championing legislation such as the Treaty Principles Bill has also made him a lightning rod for controversy and backlash. Today on The Front Page, Seymour joins us to talk his new role, backlash, regulations – and his thoughts on the opposition. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marti sits down with David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Leader of the ACT Party, inside the Beehive. David opens up about his background in an electrical contracting family, learning early on that "you come in at the end of the job when most of the screw-ups are already made." They discuss the "unbalanced relationship" of current employment laws, where employers face massive risks just to part ways with underperforming staff. David explains why he believes "no one really knows very much" and why the government needs to stop promising to build 100,000 houses and start letting businesses use "trial and error" to succeed. He also shares the success of Charter Schools (like Vanguard) and why removing rigid union contracts was the key to their performance.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Act Party leader makes his final appearance for 2025 as we discuss tomorrow’s Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update (Hyefu). Plus, who is his Ag Person of the Year?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has announced the overhaul of the Resource Management Act (RMA), which will be replaced by two different bills, the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill. The RMA is set to be fully replaced by 2029. The RMA, which has been in effect for 34 years, is polarising across the political spectrum. In announcing the reforms, RMA Reform Minister, Chris Bishop, says that “pretty much everything” will be quicker and less costly under the new regime. For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about this overhaul of the RMA. They also discussed The Education and Workforce Committee's interim report on the harms young people experience online, with a majority recommending a ban on social media for under-16-year-olds. But first, they discussed the overhaul of the RMA.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.