The Wire with Manny

For City Counselling this week, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about Council voting to investigate Council ties to companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and Auckland Council's new AI assistant tool. 

And they spoke to Sue Coutts, Director of External Affairs at Zero Waste Aotearoa, about a proposal to export New Zealand waste to Fiji for incineration.   

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke to Shanan Halbert about the latest developments in the Iran conflict, rising fuel pressures linked to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, and the government’s response to recent cyclone events here in Aotearoa. 

She spoke with Professor Treasa Dunworth from the University of Auckland about recent comments from US President Donald Trump and what these developments could mean from a legal perspective.

And she spoke with Associate Professor Jennifer Frost from the University of Auckland about the US military draft and how it connects to broader concerns around power and militarisation.

The use of AI across industries and governments is increasing at a rapid rate. However, recent gaffs involving improper AI usage in government agencies have continued to raise concerns about these tools’ shortcomings, and how well regulated they are.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the government has provided advice on how agencies should go about using AI, but has stopped short of regulating this technology itself.

This week, experts will be gathering at the University of Auckland for the Law, Technology, and Government Conference, which will discuss government use and regulation of AI, amongst other issues.

This morning, producer Theo was joined by Professor Alexandra Andhov, an organiser and speaker at the conference, to discuss Aotearoa New Zealand’s approach to AI and government.

Last week, the Government and Auckland Council agreed on the ‘Auckland City Deal’, which seeks to enhance co-ordination between the two bodies to enable better investment in the city to get the most out of what Mayor Wayne Brown has called the ‘Engine’ of the economy. This will see better communication between the mayor and prime minister, co-operation on certain legislation, and funding.

The weekend also saw Cyclone Vaianu hit the country, with parts of the country facing damage and flooding. The government now has the job of responding to the damage, and deciding what needs to change, looking forward to future cyclones.

This week, Host Alex spoke with National Party MP Ryan Hamilton about each of these topics.

On Sunday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán suffered an election defeat, heralding the end of his 16-year regime that has seen his government come under fire for a variety of claims regarding the illiberal and anti-democratic nature of his leadership. WIth the Tizsa party, led by Péter Magyar winning 138 seats to Orbán’s Fidesz’s 55, the election signals a rejection of Orbán’s platform, which has seen both an authoritarian domestic approach, and Hungary often working in opposition to the EU, in favour of Russia.

Host Alex spoke with a Teaching Fellow for the International Office at the University of Otago, Dr Balazs Kiglics, about the election, and what Magyar’s victory might mean for Hungary both domestically and internationally.