1[Caucus] Campaigns rev into gear over climate, dentalcare and cellphones Get your teeth into the big announcements on climate change, cellphones and teeth. Caucus debates the BlackRock deal, China, free dentalcare affordability and teachers as the "phone police". Drivers, start your engines. The campaign seemed to get into gear this week with the government making a number of announcements that looked to have at least one eye on the October election. Is this finally going to be a climate election? Chris Hipkins has now had a week or two in which his Cabinet is the same at the start as at the finish, so he was able to stand in front of a lot microphones talking about the things that he reckons matter to New Zealanders. Front and centre was the $2 billon BlackRock investment fund, to help New Zealand reach the goal of 100 percent renewable energy. He called it a "watershed" in New Zealand's transition away from fossil fuels. But then his predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, said climate change was New Zealand's was having her generation's "nuclear-free moment" back in 2017 and our greenhouse gas emissions are much the same now as they were then. So will it make a difference? This week's Caucus drills into the deal and what it means. From a climate point of view, it puts the transition away from fossil fuels at the head of the policy pack. The government stressed it was a "world first" and grabbed global attention. Its hope is that it's the sort of thing that makes you proud to be a New Zealander, in contrast to your justice minister being arrested, which most certainly does not. For NZ Inc it's a PR win for the country's clean, green image, as it is for BlackRock - a big investor in fossil fuels which is looking to build its greentech investments as well. Getting global headlines for a "world first" (eg Bloomberg: "New Zealand Works With BlackRock in Pursuit of 100% Green Power") and having serious people spending serious money here is always a win for the government of the day. But it's only a drop in the bucket of the estimated $42b the we'll need to spend to get to 100 percent or our $210b infrastructure deficit. It exposed some gaps between the major parties in other areas as well. Labour's partnership with American financiers to build green infrastructure stands out in a week when National's leader Christopher Luxon said he would "absolutely" take money from China's massive Belt and Road Initiative for more roads. Then again, Labour's commitment to the environment was questioned when in the same breath it enthusiastically announced Waka Kotahi's plans for another harbour crossing in Auckland, which included three lanes of roads each way alongside light rail. The Greens called the promises of more roads "bonkers". They, however, were more focused on chompers this week. They announced a plan for free dentalcare for adults, at a cost of $1.4b in its first year. An estimated 40 percent of New Zealanders can't afford to visit the dentist when they need to, said Greens co-leader Marama Davidson. "Every year millions of people put off going to the dentist because it is too damn expensive". The Caucus team thought it was something swing voters could really get their teeth into (sorry, couldn't resist). Though it creates tension with Labour in a week where Chris Hipkins declared he wanted a low-spending election campaign. Meanwhile, National was focused on getting mobile phones out of the hands of schoolchildren. It declared a cell phone ban covering all schools. It's interesting comparing Luxon's release this week with one from National's education spokesperson Anne Tolley in 2009. Tolley's release promised schools would no longer need to "police" children. "I believe boards of trustees should be able to make their own decisions... I am confident they will act responsibly." Parents can be trusted to decide "good and bad" and schools don't need increasing bureaucracy" and "regulation for regulation's sake". Tolley was announcing the end to a ban on unhealthy food being sold in schools. They shouldn't be the "food police", she said. But now National wants schools to be "phone police". [Season 2023, Episode 02, Thursday 10 August 2023, 14:00]

2[Voices] "You have to experience it live" - Steven Logan on the APO This week, timpani and his love for classical music - Steven Logan of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra talks about all this and more with Kadambari Raghukumar. In this episode of Voices, we're going into the world of timpani with US-born Steven Logan - principal timpanist of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, the APO. Steven’s always passionate about timpani but he’s even more excited that usual - he has some new toys - a new set of timpani that have arrived from the Netherlands. The timpani's roots go back to medieval infantries when it was used as a military percussion for drummers on horseback before becoming the magnificent, staple sound in classical orchestras since the late 1700s. The kettle drums are made with a membrane of calf or goat skin stretched over the head, making them quite sensitive to humidity and heat which affects the pitch as a consequence. It's peak concert season these days and the APO been playing at the Town Hall almost every week. Steven was between rehearsals just after the opera Die Tote Stadt and Troy Kingi's Matariki performance with the orchestra. Listen to the full conversation with Steven, recorded at the Auckland Town Hall, where he chats about his love for classical music, growing up in the US and joining the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra seven years ago. [Monday 07 August 2023, 05:00]