New Zealand’s stance on Israel’s war on Gaza, for many foreign policy experts has been anything but clear. Foreign minister Winston Peters has called for a humanitarian ceasefiirie in the UN General Assembly but has been reluctant to recognise a Palestinian state.
However, the government has had no qualms about deploying Naval personnel to the Red Sea to assist the United States in combatting the Houthis, whose illegal attacks on shipping vessels have been carried out in opposition to Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza strip.
Oto spoke to Professor Robert G. Patman from the University of Otago to discuss New Zealand’s ambiguous stance on the war in Gaza, and the steps we should take to clarify our position.
Tuva'a talks to Sam V, one of the judges for the 2024 Stand Up Stand Out(SUSO) initiative established by Auckland Council initiative, in partnership with Auckland Live, Rockshop and Auckland UNESCO City of Music. SUSO provides pathways for rangatahi across the Tāmaki Makaurau region to develop their skills in music and dance composition and performance. Whakarongo mai nei!
For our regular catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez-March about the government’s recently proposed changes to the Employment relations act, the Waitangi Tribunal’s findings regarding the marine and coastal area act and the release of a draft list of 35 minerals considered essential to New Zealand’s economy.
He spoke to Marama Muru-Lanning from the University of Auckland, to discuss the idea of establishing Maori-led hospitals.
And he spoke to Robert G. Patman from the University of Otago to discuss New Zealand’s ambiguous stance on the war in Gaza, and the steps we should take to clarify our position.
Sasha spoke to Associate Professor Mark Thomas of Molecular Medicine and Pathology from the University of Auckland about the emerging MPOX vaccine.
He also spoke to associate professor Laslzo Sajtos at the University of Business School about the recent implementation of facial recognition technology in Woolworths stores.
Tuva'a has returned! Featuring Flicks 'n' That with Steve Newall, an interview with Sam V about the recent SUSO finals and puoro from artists playing at the Waiata Mai fundraiser for What's Cooking.
Facial Recognition Technology is an emergent biometric payment system that intends to simplify the process of paying for groceries, similar to Amazon’s ‘just walk out’ initiative a few years ago.
There are issues to this being actually adopted, mainly with fears of private security being violated in addition with information related to your face being stored within the company’s database. Additionally, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence Deepfakes, scammers could utilise this technology which is inherently linked to your face.
Sasha spoke to Associate Professor Laszlo Sajtos at the University of Auckland Business School about facial technology being at New Zealand’s doorstep.
The New Zealand government has recently provisionally approved the Monkeypox, or MPOX vaccine in New Zealand. This comes after two new cases being linked to the Queenstown Winter Pride festival.
The overall risk of MPOX to New Zealand still remains low, despite the World Health Organisation Director-General declaring MPOX outbreak a public emergency of International Concern. Despite this, the virus may still prove deadly without proper vaccination or treatment.
Sasha spoke to Associate Professor Mark Thomas from the University of Auckland Molecular Medicine and Pathology about the recent adoption of an MPOX vaccine.
The government recently announced a number of amendments to the employment relations act which would clarify whether a worker was legally considered to be an employee or a contractor.
The amendments included a test with four added criteria, such as a written agreement with the worker specifying they were an independent contractor and that the business did not restrict the worker from working for other businesses and requiring them to take on additional tasks and engagements among other criteria.
If a worker met all of the criteria specified in the act, they would be considered as a contractor and wouldn’t be able to challenge their employment status through the courts.
While Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden said that the changes would provide greater certainty for contractors and businesses, union members and labour rights advocates have criticised the move, saying that it would allow companies to strip away the rights of workers to boost profit margins.
For their weekly catchup, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March to discuss the recent changes to the Employment Relations Act and the party’s take on it.
They also had a korero about the Waitangi tribunal’s findings into the recent changes to the Marine and Coastal Areas act, as well as the recently released draft list of 35 minerals considered essential to New Zealand’s economy.
Nick Rattigan, aka Current Joys was kind enough to have a chat about his new single "Lullaby For The Lost", as well as their upcoming album "East My Love" (due out on October 11th via Secretly Canadian), an Americana-esque journey exploring love, trauma, heartbreak and spiritual renewal. Think a warm, comforting hug after a hard day.
(A message from Lou - although this interview was live, I did edit it as I may or may not have forgotten to turn my mic off at the end. Silly me!)
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