The Wire with Joel

On the Wire with Christina, Marcus Jones kicked off the show with Dear Science, discussing the end of particle physics and why the Tonga volcanic eruption was so explosive.

Christina spoke to political scientist Dr Lara Greaves about Labour’s Cabinet reshuffle on Monday.

She also spoke to End Conversion Therapy co-founder Shaneel Lal about allegations of homophobia at Bethlehem College and their treatment of LGBTQ+ students.

Aneeka had her regular catch up with the National Party’s Dr. Shane Reti, where they discussed gangs.

Christina talked to Dr Jarrod Gilbert, a sociologist from the University of Canterbury about New Zealand's war on gangs.

And finally, Jack spoke to Byron Clarke about the far-right's adoption of conservationist ideology.

Matariki is just two weeks away on June 24th, and progressively more discussions on how to properly celebrate the public holiday are taking place. 

A specific spotlight has been placed on light pollution, with some regional councils receiving backlash on plans to put on fireworks displays.

A petition has also been launched, calling for turning off lights in central cities to clear the skies and make the constellation visible.

To learn more about light pollution, Liam spoke to Richard Easter from UoA about how it could affect Matariki as well as the world in general.

Alongside the environmental effects of Light Pollution, many are talking about the cultural issues of the inability to see Matariki in central cities. 

This is only one of many fears of how Matariki will be celebrated, with concerns being raised of the commercialisation of the holiday and the loss of its meaning. 

I also spoke to AUT’s Paul Moon, who is a professor for the schools NZ history and Māori culture programmes, about the holiday, its significance and what meaning could be at risk.

Today on the Friday Wire Casper talked to Auckland city counsellor Shane Henderson about the council passing the mayor’s climate budget, as well as the Ports of Auckland’s scrapped automation project. He also spoke to Clair Insley from the Vegan Society of Aotearoa about the importance of plant-based diets in combatting climate change.

Liam spoke to Richard Esther, as well as Paul Moon about Light Pollution, Matariki and how they intersect. Liam also spoke to Jessica Godfrey from Vicbooks about their closure in VUW’s Piptea campus due to the anti-parliment protests.

In a world-first, a New Zealand study has confirmed microplastics are present in Antarctica’s Ross Island region. Kiwi researchers analysed fresh snow from 19 sites, finding an average concentration of 29 microplastic particles per litre of melted snow. These microplastics most likely come from plastic products used at local scientific research stations, however, this team’s modelling also suggests their origin could have been up to 6,000 km away.

Joe spoke to Dr Holly Winton, a Research Fellow in Antarctic ice core climatology from the Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, on the matter.