For their regular catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March about the recent changes to the fast track approvals bill, as well as the government’s plans to remove natural gas import barriers and the contamination of the Ohinemuri river.
He spoke to Kirsten Tilleman from the University of Auckland to talk about active bystanders and the role they play in reducing harassment on Auckland’s public transport.
He spoke to Nicola Owen from Disabled People Against Cuts Aotearoa to talk about austerity measures affecting the disabled community.
And he spoke to Dr Joel Rindelaub from the University of Auckland to talk about microplastics in human brain tissue.
Sasha spoke to Samantha Marsh from the University of Auckland to discuss worsening language skills in preschoolers.
He also spoke to Bill Kay Blake from NZ Institute of Economic Research about the rise of forestry farming over livestock farming
Last Sunday, the Cabinet proposed five changes they would make to the Fast-Track Approvals bill, which they recommended to the Environment select committee.
Some of the changes included shifting the final say on fast-tracked projects from ministers to an expert panel, requiring an iwi authority representative to be present on the panel alongside experts in Māori development and the environment, and extending the timeframe for comments on fast-tracked projects.
However, despite Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones saying the changes were based off feedback from submitters to make the fast-tracking process more inclusive, many advocates and experts say the bill still poses a threat to the environment and that it still prioritises development over conservation.
For their weekly catch up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March about the party’s take on the changes to the fast-track approvals bill.
They also talked about the government's plans to remove natural gas import barriers, and arsenic contamination of the Ohinemuri river caused by mining
In a recent research paper funded by Our Land and Water National, the country will continue to see a significant shift away from livestock into pine forestry.
The implications this will have will not only be seen in nature, but also in the communities that rely on yearly income to support their families, rather than income that comes every twenty-five years. This paper also highlights the environmental issues that come with this transition, however neither are great for the environment.
Sasha spoke to Bill Kaye Blake, leading author of this paper on what’s driving the trend of replacing livestock farms with pine forestry.
A recent study involving commuters in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, found that women and people of intersectional identities were more likely to avoid using public transport out of fear of harassment.
Anti-harassment strategies proposed in that study promoted the idea of encouraging members of the public to become “active bystanders” during situations of harassment, where they could intervene by helping to de-escalate situations, reporting harassment incidents to transport staff and directly confronting perpetrators as a last minute resort.
Oto spoke to Doctoral candidate Kirsten Tilleman from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Auckland, to discuss what active bystanders are and the role they could play in preventing harassment on Auckland’s public transport
A recent report from the education review office (ERO) and the New Zealand Medical Journal (NZMJ) has found that early childhood teachers are seeing more children than ever with poor language skills. This, in part due to Covid-19 and increasingly prevalent screen and device usage.
Low language and speaking skills can have further implications down the line as children become older, this is quite jarring as New Zealand is a first world country with high access to healthcare and childcare.
Sasha spoke to professional research fellow in the department of General Practice and Primary Care, Samantha Marsh, about the implications of early childhood screen use and impacts of Covid-19 on children.
Amongst the numerous austerity measures the government implemented since coming into office are a variety of cuts that have impacted organisations and services for the disabled community of Aotearoa.
Some of these measures include the scrapping of a programme that would pay disabled workers the minimum wage, the restructuring of Whaikaha, the ministry for disabled people, and general austerity cuts likely to have an impact on the disabled community such as public transport fare increases and minimum wage stagnation.
Oto spoke to Nicola Owen from Disabled People Against Cuts Aotearoa, who have been leading a number of rallies and campaigns across the motu advocating for the disabled community of Aotearoa and protesting against the austerity measures that directly impact them.
If you're interested in following Disabled People Against Cuts Aotearoa and keeping up to date with their rallies and campaigns, you can follow their Facebook page here:
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of New Mexico in the United states revealed a high concentration of microplastics located in the brain tissue of a number of test subjects, as well as many other organs in the body.
While experts are still evaluating the exact physiological impacts of microplastic contamination, higher concentrations of these substances have been found in the brain tissue of subjects suffering from conditions such as early onset-dementia.
Oto spoke to Dr Joel Rindelaub, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland, to discuss the presence of microplastics in human brain tissue and their potential impacts.
If you'd like to catch Joel's science-comedy show “Science Is No Joke”, you can get your tickets here:
95bFM 
