On the 4th of October, the Auckland University clocktower was occupied by students calling for the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon regarding his complacency in protecting students against white supremacy. This arose after stickers and posters promoting a white-nationalist group was spotted, and McCutcheon cited the incident as ‘unfortunate’ but protected by free speech.
Bronwyn Wilde headed to the protest and spoke to some of the protestors: AUSA Women’s rights Anamika Harirajh, AUSA president George Barton, Green MP Golriz Ghaharama, and students Gabriella Brayne and Israa Falah.
Today is White Ribbon Day, an annual campaign aiming to prevent men’s violence by teaching and role modelling ‘healthy masculinity’.
This year the day is focused on tackling the causes of violence.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to White Ribbon Day ambassador Floyd Ormsby who is encouraging people to show kindness towards our young men, and to let them know that men can be caring, supportive, ethical, respectful, friendly, generous and awesome.”
They discuss White Ribbon Day and the message Ormsby wants people to take from his own experience.
Amnesty International has released a new briefing that reveals bullets were fired directly into the Manus Island refugee centre on April 14th. The Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Papua New Guinea police claimed the soldiers fired only into the air. However, Amnesty International claims that digital verification of images and videos show this is not the case. Monday Wire host Amanda Jane Robinson speaks with Executive Director of Amnesty International about the briefing.
Ximena joins Ben & Reuben for the Monday show this week while Amanda is away. They take a look at the growing use of opioid-based pain-killers in New Zealand, a new UN treaty that bans nuclear weapons, and a young new Act Party candidate running in Auckland Central. Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei joins Ximena to discuss the party's new water policy, and Kendall Hutt from AUT's Pacific Media Centre comes up to the studio to tell Ximena about a kiwi Catholic missionary who has been deported from Papua New Guinea.
Today on the Wire host Joel worked with producers Jack and Sam. They talked to youth justice advocacy group JustSpeak’s Katie Bruce about National's new policy to get tough on youth crime by sending young offenders to a military style boot camp. We spoke to Green Party leader James Shaw about the National party’s new youth offending policies as well, and we discussed the rebranding of the Green Party. We had Southern Cross with AUT Pacific Media Centre's Kendall Hutt, who talked to Stephanie and Kenneth Tapungu from Papua New Guinea about what transpired in the country's recent 2017 general election. We sat down with Cate Macinnis, a plant ecologist from the University of Auckland to talk about the Kauri dieback happening in the Waitakere ranges. Finally we celebrate 30 years of Te Reo Maori being an official language of New Zealand.
Joel and producer Sam Smith took on The Wire for October 30th. Sam talked to Auckland University senior lecturer Dr Aroha Harris about the first annual commemoration of the NZ wars. Joel chatted to Green Party leader James Shaw about party donations as well as a call for action on the Manus Island detention centre.For the Pacific News segment, Southern Cross, Joel talked with AUT Pacific Media Centre’s Kendall Hutt and PhD Student Stephanie Tapungu about the prevalence of gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea. Producer Sam Smith also talked to Auckland University Musicologist Kirsten Zemke about the outcome of the National Party Eminem copyright case, and what it means for copyright law.
Lucy Austin Speaks to Emmy Rakete from People Against Prisons Aotearoa about their protest against solitary confinement.
On the Green desk, Conor Mercer speaks with Caitlin Carew from Forest and Bird about the declining Hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin population on the Whenua Hou sanctuary Island in Foveaux Strait.
Pacific academic Scott Hamilton says New Zealand shares some of the blame for conflict on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island. Mack Smith finds out more.
Jack Marshal has a chat to landscape architect Thomas Woltz about the future of Cornwall Park and the legacy of private philanthropy.
Lastly, the Pacific nation of Palau has lost as much as half of its tourism economy cut after China imposed a ban. Mack Smith talks to an expert in Taiwan-Pacific relations to understand why.
AUT Pacific Media Centre's Michael Andrews joins Lachlan to talk about Papua New Guinea's political crisis, New Zealand media's coverage of the Christchurch massacre, and world press freedom day.
Pacific Media Watch contributing editor Michael Andrew talks to us about massacres in Papua New Guinea villages, journalism and human rights developments in the Phillipines, the further fallout of a Tongan beauty queen's controversial speech and more.
Andrew from the Pacific Media Centre joins us this week to discuss the ongoing protests and internet blackout in Papua New Guinea, the 20th Anniversary of Timor-Leste's independence and a possible assault by the Fijian Prime Minister.