The Monday Wire with Will Pollard

95bFM: The Monday Wire with Will Pollard

95bFM: The Monday Wire with Will Pollard

12.15 Dr Jian Yang, University of Auckland Politics Department

China has suspended top-level relations with Japan this week as an ongoing dispute over the detention of a Chinese ship captain escalates. Earlier this month, the Chinese captain was involved in a boat collision with Japanese vessels near a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea. The Japanese call the islands Senkaku, while they are Diaoyu to the Chinese. The islands are uninhabited but they are strategically important, and while Japan currently controls them, China has not given up its claim to possession. This latest incident has brought the issue to the fore, but what do the ongoing tensions mean for relations between the countries and the wider region? We have Dr Jian Yang from the University of Aucklands Politics Department on the line at quarter past the hour to give us some context.

12.25 Allan Matson, Historic Places Trust Board Member

On the weekend there was a meeting of minds down on the Queens Wharf to discuss the future of Aucklands heritage sites under the new amalgamated council. Allan Matson of the Historic Places Trust was at the event, and he talked with me earlier this morning about his hopes and fears for Aucklands places of historical importance in the coming years. Will the Super City take Super Good Care of our heritage? Ill play that interview at around 12.25pm.

12.35 - Steve Paris, Private Schools Survey Organiser

The President of the Law Commission, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, issued a report a year ago about Private Schools and the law. The report suggested the current legislation was out-of-date and needed revision, with some "serious gaps" in the act needing to be filled by giving more flexible powers to deal with situations where schools were not meeting requirements. The resulting Education Amendment Bill went to Select Committee and is due to come back to parliament next month, but not everyone is happy with whats on the table. Steve Paris is one of the organisers of a national public survey aimed at getting the publics opinion of the amendments heard. Paris says that while the law commission recommended introducing greater measures to ensure student welfare was protected, this doesnt seem to be what is being offered by the amendment bill. But why does the wider public really need to care about what happens to private schools? Find out at around 12.35pm

12.50 Michael Lai and Sam Durbin, AUSA

And lastly today, we have a couple of the good people from the Auckland University Students Association up in the studio to talk about Politics Week! AUSA have organised a truckload of politics-themed events for this week on the university campus - including talks, debates, and film screenings. Stay tuned to hear Michael and Sam give us a rundown of just whats on offer, so you can get yourself along in attendance.

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