The Wire w/ Castor: 17th August, 2026

This week on the Monday Wire... For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about tensions in the National Party leadership, and ACT Party proposals for a local tourism dividend and voluntary student services fees. Also on voluntary student services fees, Castor spoke to president of the Victoria University of Wellington’s Students Association, Aidan Donoghue, about what such a policy could do to student life on campus.  This week, Producer Pranuja spoke to University of Otago public health researcher Dr John Kerr about medical misinformation, distrust in the health system, and how social media and generative AI can shape treatment decisions. She also spoke to University of Auckland marketing lecturer Katherine Jensen about how AI and platform algorithms influence who sees political advertising, and what that could mean for voters heading into the election.