The Panel with Penny Ashton and Mike Rehu (Part 1)

Education Minister Chris Hipkins has declined the application for Victoria University to legally change its name to the University of Wellington. Mr Hipkins says this is because not enough opinions were canvassed, considering the level of opposition to the change by staff, students and alumni. The panelists tell us what they think. A call for calm today by Charlene Kraatskow, mother of Nathan, the boy killed on his bike when hit by the car Rouxle Le Roux was driving. A large petition has been presented to Parliament calling for her home detention sentence to be revisited. We ask the panelists for their thoughts on the case. Recent New Zealand Transport Agency figures suggest that alcohol or drug-impaired drivers are involved in 41 percent of fatal crashes. With the announcement of a referendum on cannabis, the panelists discuss whether - if it were to pass - there would be more cases of driving while stoned. Caroline Perry, director of Brake NZ, tells us what kind of testing she's like to see put in place. The NZ Transport Agency has approved the business case for the startup trial of the new rail service between Hamilton and Auckland. The new train could be up and running in just over a year. The total cost of the five-year trial is estimated at more than $70 million. We speak to Hamilton Councillor Gary Mallett about his reservations over the project.