The 2017 Parliamentary Drug Law Symposium kicked off today in Wellington, bringing together a range of international and domestic speakers to talk about how better drug laws can be developed for the 21st Century. An increasing number of countries around the world are shifting their stance towards controlling drugs, away from a prohibitive approach and towards law & policy that promotes health and wellbeing. One of the speakers at the Symposium is Professor of Criminology at Durham University, Fiona Measham, who is also the Director of a non-profit in the UK that provides drug safety testing, as well as welfare and harm reduction services at nightclubs and festivals. 95bFM reporter Pearl Little catches up with Fiona to find out a little more about her work.
Today Newsroom reported that the New Zealand Family Court has made frequent inappropriate comments about domestic violence victims. For example, a judge concluded that a victim was a "successful school teacher" and "a robust and resilient person" and therefore "did not have an ongoing need for protection". This was after the victim had suffered whiplash from being bodyslammed by her former partner. In response to this report, Jemima spoke with Dr Henry Kha who is a family law lecturer in the Faculty of Law at UoA. They talked about how domestic violence is responded to in the law, why victim-blaming comments made by the Family Court matter and how these negative patterns will change. If you're ever in need of help for a domesic violence issue, please call Womens Refuge at 0800 733 843 or HELP at (09) 623 1700.
This week, it’s all about abortion. The first reading of the government’s abortion reform bill is set to go to first reading today. It would take abortion out of the Crimes Act, meaning there is no test for abortion up to 20 weeks - and from then on, a statutory test focusing on the mental and physical wellbeing of the woman. It’s a slightly more conservative version of one of three tests proposed by the Law Commission. But, after the Bill was announced earlier this week, NZ First has announced plans to seek a referendum on the issue. So, what does it all mean for the Bill? The Minister talks to Stewart Sowman-Lund.
On Felix's weekly catch up with Brooke van Velden from ACT, they spoke about the government's climate change policy and a possible change to the laws surrounding Māori wards.
Jade talks to President of the Abortion Law Reform Association of Nz (ALRANZ) who are supporting the new Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Safe Areas Amendment bill by MP Louisa Wall.
Earlier this week, ACT leader David Seymour announced that the basic outline of the treaty principles bill, which would be introduced to parliament in November later this year, would include acknowledgements saying that iwi and hapū had specific rights to their lands.
This comes after more than 400 Christian leaders in Aotearoa signed a joint letter condemning the bill and asking MPs to strike it down, as well as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon making an official statement saying that he wouldn't support the bill beyond its first reading.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March to discuss the recent changes to the treaty principles bill and whether or not it guaranteed protections for Iwi and Māori.
We also talked about government cutting pay parity agreements for relief teachers at Early Childhood Education Centres, as well as Concerns over Nicole McKee's efforts to reform gun laws
Last week, the government’s ban on gang patches officially came into effect. Under the new law, gang insignia is now officially banned in public places and police now have the power to break up large groups in public for causing fear and intimidation and can issue orders preventing gang members from associating or communicating for up to three years.
While hailed by the coalition government as a bold step in their “Tough on Crime” approach to law and order, the law has been questioned by experts and even a number of police officers themselves, who say that a suppression approach to policing gangs is likely to push gang activity to the periphery instead of eradicating it, and that it would disproportionately target marginalised communities.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendedz-March about the gang patch ban coming into effect and the party’s take on it.
They also had a discussion about the fall in New Zealand’s ranking on the Climate Change Performance Index, as well as the Ministry of Health's evidence brief and position statement on puberty blockers.
Last week it was revealed that two of the ten participants in the government's pilot bootcamp programme were on the run.
The youth were two months into the community rehabilitation phase of the programme, following the three month youth justice residence phase. Both teens were found in the weekend, but had allegedly reoffended, and are now set to come before the court.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, who have been heavily advocating for this programme, Producer Evie spoke to Simon Court about this incident.
She also talks to him about proposed changes to employment law which would give employers the power to dismiss workers earning over $180,000 without the employee refuting the decision.
And finally, she talks to him about David Seymour’s incumbent run as Deputy Prime Minister, which is set to begin in May of next year.
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