The Wire with Nicholas

It’s almost been a month since protests began at Columbia University in New York, where students established a Gaza Solidarity encampment to demand that the university divest from companies associated with the State of Israel. 

With similar protests subsequently springing up at campuses across the globe, calling for universities to divest from Israel, the issue of ethical and responsible investment has become widely discussed in academic institutions across the globe. 

In the wake of the international student uprisings, an open letter and petition has been sent to the University of Auckland Foundation to divest from companies that are involved in gross human rights violations and weapons manufacturing. The Letter has been signed by a number of Professors, faculty members and students who are concerned about the University of Auckland’s possible investment ties, and are calling for the University to adopt a more ethical investment framework. 

Oto spoke to Dr Ritesh Shah, a senior lecturer in Critical Studies in Education and co-author of the letter, to discuss the calls for divestment to the University, as well as the current situation in Rafah, which he had also been researching.

If you'd like to sign the petition to the University of Auckland Foundation, you can find it here:

Iranian hip hop artist Toomaj Salehi has recently been sentenced to death by the Islamic Republic regime on charges of ‘corruption on earth’ for his songs criticising the regime.

He is one of the many Iranian political prisoners who have been sentenced to death for speaking out against the regime.

News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Aida Oryantal, from Voice of Iranians about the ongoing fight for democracy in Iran.

On May 9th the New Zealand Nurses organisation held a national day of action 2024, with rallies across the country calling for increased public health funding. While the government has introduced measures to increase the number of nurses in Aotearoa, staffing shortages are still frequent in wards across the country. 

Additionally, there are worries that the recently scrapped Te Aka Whai Ora could impact the already struggling sector, taking focus away from those who need health support most and potentially increasing the workload for frontline health workers. 

In our weekly catchup with the National party, Wire host Castor spoke to Katie Nimon about the government’s approach to public health policy and how the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora could affect the health sector. 

For Dear Science this week, Professor Allan Blackman chatted to us about Beethoven’s deafness, the first ever vaccination, and researchers mapping a small part of the human brain. 

Wire host Castor spoke to the National Party’s Katie Nimon about nursing shortages in light of rallies last week and how the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora could affect the health sector. 

He also spoke to New Zealand Nurses Organisation president Anne Daniels about these health issues from a frontline worker perspective. 

Producer Sofia spoke to Public Service Association Assistant Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons about the 325 job cuts to the Accident Compensation Corporation. 

She also spoke to Professor of Disability Studies and Inclusive Education Missy Morton at the University of Auckland about a new report from the Education Hub about how schools and early childhood centres are failing neurodivergent children.