The Wire with Caeden

On Tuesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a vote of no confidence from his Conservative Party colleagues with a margin of 211 votes to 148. 

Former Tory leaders Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Theresa May have in the past survived no-confidence votes, only either to step down shortly thereafter, or suffer defeat in the next general election.

To find out what this could mean for the future of both Boris Johnson and the Tory party, Emilia Sullivan spoke to Associate Professor Neal Curtis.

Welcome back to the Wednesday Wire! This week:

Stella speaks to Dr Lucy Stewart about the state of the scientific research ecosystem in Aotearoa.

Trishil celebrates World Ocean Day by speaking to Associate Professor Travis Horton from the University of Canterbury about his research into Ocean protection with the use of satellite and drone technology.

Alex speaks with ACT party deputy leader Brooke Van Velden about the Government’s new Rural Health Strategy and ACT’s Housing Infrastructure Bill. 

Stella speaks to Dr Lee Beattie about the walkability of towns in Aotearoa and the positive outcomes that can be achieved with programmes for active transport.

Science has proven to be a key part of how Aotearoa’s society functions, but its importance isn’t reflected in the amount of funding allocated to research. Stella spoke with Dr Lucy Stewart, senior scientist and co-president of the New Zealand Association of Scientists about the recent budget's allocation of funding to research, and the intricacies of the research system.

Join Christina and AUT Professor Allan Blackman for your weekly fix of Dear Science! This week, Allan and Christina discussed the imperial system vs the metric system (and got a bit carried away!). They also discussed a super reactive chemical in the atmosphere that could alter how we do climate modelling, and a silk tag that could tell you whether your medications are safe or dodgy.