The Wire with Castor

This the New Zealand Brake charity has organised road safety week. Sponsored by the NZ transport agency, Beca and ACC the campaign aims to raise awareness for driver safety and the continued high rate of serious trauma and deaths from crashes in New Zealand.

With a specific focus on youth due to their higher risk of being in crashes  the campaign will have Beca and NZTA officials travel to schools around the country to run safety activities and teach kids about road safety. 

This year the theme for the week is road safety heroes, shining a light on those who help save lives on the roads.

To discuss the road safety week campaign and how we can improve road safety in New Zealand producer Thomas talked to Director of Brake New Zealand Caroline Perry

The Modern Slavery Bill has passed its first reading in Parliament with strong cross-party support. The Bill would introduce mandatory reporting for large businesses, requiring them to publish annual statements on modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains.

World Vision says the Bill is an important step in strengthening New Zealand’s response to child labour, human trafficking, and exploitation.

Producer Pranuja spoke with World Vision New Zealand’s National Director TJ Grant about what the Bill would change, how modern slavery can end up in everyday products, and what happens next at the select committee.

Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter has put forward a bill to parliament that would remove any chance for prosecution of someone who needs medical assistance for a drug overdose.

The bill has passed through its first reading, with support from the Greens, Labour, ACT, and Te Pāti Māori. It is now set to go to select committee for consultation.

To discuss why the bill has come about and what kind of impacts it could have on drug safety in Aotearoa, News Director Castor spoke to executive director of the NZ Drug Foundation, Sarah Helm.

In March, the Prime Minister’s Science, Innovation, and Technology Advisory Council released a report to the Prime Minister calling for a change in how science, innovation, and technology are funded in Aotearoa New Zealand. Of the $1.7 billion of government spending on science, innovation, and technology, the report identified $839 million for potential reprioritisation.

Needless to say, this marks a large shift in how research will be done in Aotearoa New Zealand, with an increased emphasis on ‘mission-led’ research (where the government determines what research is funded) compared to ‘investigator-led’ research, which is competitively funded and curiosity-driven. Within this ‘mission-led’ approach, the report calls for increasing funding for ‘advanced technology’, such as AI. However, many scientists are concerned with what this approach will mean for the areas Aotearoa excels in, and point to the significant disruption that the pursuit of ‘fashionable’ research, directed by bureaucrats, will cause.

So to better understand this shift in the direction of science research in Aotearoa New Zealand, producer Theo spoke with Professor Nicola Gaston, Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland.