The Wire with Caeden

This week on the show, Jessica Hopkins spoke to Terry Bellamak of Abortion Law Reform New Zealand about extreme anti-abortion laws that have come into affect in Texas in the United States. 

She also talked to Debbie Sorenson from Pasifika Futures about the impact of the delta outbreak on Pasifika people, particularly the Samoan community, and the recent announcement of government funding to support Pacific health and vaccination services. 

Louis Macalister interviews SAFE’s Will Applebe and a Greyhound Trainer, Craig Roberts about the recent review of the Greyhound racing industry. 

Lastly, he speaks to Scott Hindman, a resident and member of Bethells Emergency Response Group about the impact of last weeks flooding on the Bethells Beach community. 

The third of September is National Merchant Navy Day, commemorating those who served in the Merchant Navy during the World Wars of the twentieth century.

While in-person ceremonies were disrupted by Covid-19 this year, the New Zealand Maritime Museum are still holding an online service.

Justin Wong spoke to director of the NZ Maritime Museum, Vincent Lipanovich, about the day of commemoration.

Today, Ilena spoke to Professor Howard Fallowfield, from all the way over at Flinders University in Adelaide. They talked about research that he has co-led that looks into creating a sustainable wastewater recycling program that can harvest material to use in biofuels, a renewable fuel alternative to fossil fuels.

They spoke about the advantages of this method of harvesting material for biofuel, and whether the findings of this research could be extrapolated to places like NZ and bigger cities to help reach carbon neutral targets.

Would you get tested for a fatal disease that you have a fifty percent of inheriting from your parents?

It is a decision that journalist (and bFM's former news director) Lillian Hanly has to make.

The disease in question is Huntington's Disease, a genetic neurodegenerative condition that passes on from an affected parent.  The probability for their children inheriting the disease is fifty percent and it does not skip generations.

The condition affects part of the brain from working properly over time, impacting movement, behaviour, and cognition.  It will become harder to walk, talk, reason, and swallow for those who have the condition, and it is incurable.

Lillian is now facing the question in her new documentary Fifty Percent as her grandfather, the New Zealand artist Pat Hanly, and her biological mother all have the disease.

She spoke to Justin Wong.