The Wire with Joel

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand has released research reporting a black market for vapes emerging in schools across Aotearoa. 

Producer Ezra spoke to the Foundation's Maori Community Liason officer, Sharon Pihema about this pressing issue.

Earlier this week, world-leading general medical journal ‘The Lancet’ published a series of papers warning about the ‘overmedicalisation’ of menopause and have emphasised the importance of a fresh and conscious approach in how we support wāhine as they age. The research emphasises the importance of  “going beyond medical treatments, to empower women using high-quality information on symptoms and treatments, empathic clinical care and workplace adjustments as required.”

Producer Jasmine speaks with the general manager of Women’s Health Action, Isis McKay, to further discuss what changing the conversation around menopause in Aotearoa looks like.

Much of our infrastructure and architecture has been constructed by able-bodied people, with little regard for those with different mobility needs.

 Accessibility for differently abled people is usually a secondary consideration, with wheelchair ramps and similar accessibility measures sometimes being crudely installed at the back of buildings as a quickfire measure to comply with building accessibility requirements, leaving those with different mobility needs often feeling like second class citizens

Producer Oto spoke to Bill McKay, a senior lecturer of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, to talk about universal design, the idea that buildings and infrastructure should be constructed in a way that is accessible to people of ALL mobility needs and capabilities.

It’s been a week since the government went ahead with its decision to dismantle Te Aka Whai Ora, the Maori health authority, reversing the 2022 initiative by the labour government to improve health services and outcomes for Maori. 

The move has been widely criticised across the country, with many calling the move a step-back in progress towards improving Maori health, and indigenous rights as a whole. 

Producer Oto spoke to Clive Aspin, a public health researcher and associate professor at Victoria University of Wellington, to discuss the dissolution of Te Aka Whai Ora, from the perspective of a health professional and what the move means for Maori Health outcomes.