Over the weekend, Associate Foreign Minister Aupito Williams announced that a medical and logistics team had been sent from New Zealand to Papua New Guinea to assist with the Covid-19 crisis there. Oxfam Aotearoa says this is a good start but argues that New Zealand can do more to support Papua New Guinea. News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Oxfam Aotearoa's Communications and Advocacy Director Dr Jo Spratt about how Covid-19 has impacted PNG, how New Zealand is stacking up as a good neighbour to PNG on an international scale and whether New Zealand has the means to support other nations during the economically devestating pandemic.
In the last week, RNZ has come under fire for its use of Te Reo with Don Brash among others annoyed by its presence on national radio, and television. Brash says he doesn’t understand the language, says it has no value to him, and that it is being rammed down peoples throats. Other people like media commentator John Drinnan say RNZ does not have a strategy for its use of Te Reo, with no reason given as to why it is being used and what is being said. The Monday Wire team were joined for a live panel discussion on the use of Te Reo in the media by news director Lillian Hanly, Morning Glory host Geneva Alexander-Marsters, and former Wire producer Atereano Mateariki.
Papua New Guinea's National Capital District is heading to the polls today, amid fears the election will be subverted. The governor of Port Moresby has claimed there are problems with the electoral roll and polling places. He's also told media that reports are circulating of illegal ballot paper printing, and people bribing officials of the Electoral Commission. Amidst all this, Transparency International have set up a corruption hotline to help people report wrongdoing in the election. Daniel spoke to head of Transparency Papua New Guinea Arianne Kassmen, and started by asking what they hope to achieve with the hotline.
Over 400 solar panels are now powering the school of architecture and design innovation at Victoria University in Wellington, after being installed on the roof of the building in July. The solar panels are expected to save up to 21 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide released into the environment each year. The initiative is part of the university’s zero carbon plan, which describes using the campuses as a living lab for climate action research.
Rosetta spoke to Alan Brent, Chair of sustainable energy systems at Victoria University, about the project, and what more needs to be done to make renewable energy more accessible in Aotearoa
The Zonta Club of Auckland and Auckland Libraries are holding a panel discussion addressing the issue of violence against women and children. The discussion is being held tonight at Auckland central library at 5:30pm. 95bFM producer Hannah Ross spoke to one of the panelists, Janet Fanslow, who is an Associate Professor from the School of Population Health at Auckland University, about what the panel is focusing on.
It’s estimated that more than half of New Zealand’s 41 thousand homeless are aged under 25. Tonight a documentary about why this is a problem & how it urgently needs to be addressed will be screening for free at AUT, with a panel of academics & people on the frontline tackling the issue to discuss the issue afterwards. Ahead of this event tonight, Ximena speaks to panel member and housing spokesperson for the Child Poverty Action Group, Alan Johnson, about the controversial issue.
Dr Brian Greene is professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University and co-founder of the World Science Festival, an annual week-long series of seminars and panel discussions that has taken place in New York since 2008 (loads of those panel discussions are available to watch here)
Ahead of his live talk this Sunday - A Time Travelers Tale - Dr Greene spoke to Hugh Sundae about string theory and science in the age of Trump.
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