The Wire with Caeden

The Supreme Court in the recent Smith v Fonterra case ruled that Iwi Leader Mike Smith can proceed to trial against Fonterra, and six of the other largest greenhouse gas emitters. In this case, he argued that their emissions would harm him and his interests to customary land, including loss of cultural and spiritual sites, and fisheries. 

Olivia talked to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland Law School, Vernon Rive, about this decision. He also discussed what judicial decisions means for overarching climate action, and other implications of this case.

The government has announced its intention to scrap legal funding for section 27 cultural reports. These reports are used in court sentencing for judges to learn more about the offenders’ cultural background and their lives. This decision has been criticised, with experts saying that scrapping reports would make trials slower and more expensive, and would negatively impact Māori. 

Olivia talked to Professor of Law at AUT, Kris Gledhill, about this decision, the issues with it, and how Aotearoa New Zealand compares with other countries.

The Labour Party’s controversial Three Waters reforms were repealed last week. National’s replacement plan seeks to address the complaints of many who pushed back against the bill, while maintaining support for challenged regions. 

Additionally, this Sunday saw National Leader Christopher Luxon pushed out of the yearly Big Gay Out event by protestors. Amongst other issues, the protestors are standing against proposed changes to the school curriculum, removing and replacing gender, sexuality, and relationship-based education guidelines. 

Producer Castor spoke to National’s James Meager about the Three Waters replacement, including recent environmental concerns. He also discusses the curriculum changes, and how the National Party supports queer young people.

This week on Dear Science, Alan brings us some interesting food news - from why blueberries aren't really blue to "meaty rice". Also, Alan and The Wire team attempt to take you to lower frequencies as we discover that lower voices might be the key to social standing. All here on Dear Science, thanks to MOTAT!