The Wire with Joel

Ilena talks to Abdur Razzaq, chairperson of the Federation of Islamic Associations NZ, about concerns over some of the comments made and composition of panellists at "He Whenua Taurikura" hui. The hui in Christchurch is the first of it's kind and focuses on countering terrorism and violent extremism. 

This week Marcus discusses with James everyting from space exploration to natural disasters.

Marcus starts off by telling us about the latest space missions to be announced, which will be heading to explore Venus. With the conditions far harsher than Mars, different challenges are at the forefront.

Next, Marcus explains a dilemma occuring between experts around COVID-19 variants, children, and whether thry need to be vaccinated straight away. Differing opinions mean some say children are not at risk, while others say they are holding grounds for new variants to grow.

To finish everything up, Marcus talks about a landslide which pccured in India at the start of the year and some of the statistics around the slide.

This week we have the first of a weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori. News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston will speak weekly with co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer about the latest news with the Māori Party and issues in politics. 

Today Jemima and Debbie discuss how 2021 has been for Te Pāti Māori so far, the party's call for an investigation into anti-Māori hate speech and the comments made by the National Party's leader Judith Collins and Education Spokesperson Paul Goldsmith about colonisation and "separatist" policies. 

Since taking power in 2017, the Labour Government has stood by their policy "Investor State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) in future trade agreements". Including ISDS in an agreement means that foreign investors can sue the government directly for massive compensation when domestic policies impact the success of their brands.

However, under the Comprehensive Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which New Zealand is a partner, the ISDS mechanism is not removed, it is simply suspended. University of Auckland Law Professor and prominent critic of the TPPA and the CPTPP trade agreements, Jane Kelsey has raised concerns that the Labour Government's policy against ISDS is not enough. She says that legislation is necessary to ensure that the policy is not traded off in the negotations for the UK to be a part of the CPTPP and create a bilateral trade agreement with New Zealand and Australia. 

News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Jane Kelsey to break down some of the core ideas under this issue. They discuss the origins and purpose of the CPTPP, the problem with ISDS and how the Labour Government's trade agreements with the UK could be impacted by ISDS.