The Wire with Caeden

Last week, a 1News Kantar Public Poll found 50% of Kiwis don’t want Aotearoa to become a republic. Just 27% said they were in favour of ditching the monarchy, a drop from last November, when the same question was asked.

To discuss this poll and whether it’s time for Aotearoa to become a republic, Christina spoke with Lewis Holden, chair of the New Zealand Republic campaign.

This week, the Wire with Christina kicked off with a Dear Science Nobel Prize special with Joel Rindelaub.

Christina also spoke to Dr Shane Reti from the National Party for their weekly segment, where they discussed meningitis and a bill to reduce alcohol harm

In the wake of last week’s poll results on whether Aotearoa should become a republic, Christina spoke with the New Zealand Republic campaign chair Lewis Holden.

She also spoke to Dr Roshini Peiris-John about her study on the impacts of skin tone on racial discrimination.

And earlier on Breakfast, the b farewelled Auckland Mayor Phil Goff as he prepares to retire from politics. Jess takes us all the way back to the outgoing mayor's very first bFM Breakfast interview with Mikey Havoc in 2017.

In 1923, Te Rangi Hīroa (Sir Peter Buck) documented the last confirmed capture of a special fish – the upokororo or New Zealand grayling. Now, researchers are using using its ancient DNA to finally provide some answers to how it went extinct. 

Genetic data provides a new tool in the search for survivors. Environmental DNA in water samples from remote catchments can now be compared routinely to known DNA from the upokororo.

Fish populations are in sharp decline globally. Lessons learned from past extinctions, like that of the upokororo, can help us preserve fish species for future generations. Hopefully we can heed the lessons from the past.

Joe speaks to Dr Nic Rawlence from the Palaeogenetics Lab at the University of Otago on the matter.

This week on The Wire for Rāhina Monday!

Joe speaks to Chief Executive of the Breast Cancer Foundation Ah-Leen Rayner, about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and how we can support breast cancer initiatives and spread awareness of early detection.

Joe also speaks to Dr Nic Rawlence, from the Paleogenetics Lab at the University of Otago, about the extinct upokororo and how his research into its ancient DNA can teach us about how we treat our waters here in Aotearoa.

Joe finally speaks to Dr Tom Logan from the University of Canterbury about the work he’s doing with the Christchurch City Council surrounding climate change.

That's us for the Monday Wire!