The Wire with Caeden

Check out the full podcast for this week's Tuesday show, where we speak to Marama Fox about the Ture Whenua bill's setback, the Australian West Papua Association about their call to the Australian government following the arrests of 150 Papuan protestors, an expert in New Zealand aid policy about Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee's talk of removing the word aid, an Auckland University associate professor about new research into the dangers of pedestrians wearing headphones, and more. 

With various studies and government statistics showing an increase in the prescription of Opioid-based painkillers, experts have warned NZ may be facing an epidemic similar to the United States.

For more, 95bfm producer Ben speaks with Susan Paton, of the Addiction Practitioners Association.

Ximena joins Ben & Reuben for the Monday show this week while Amanda is away. They take a look at the growing use of opioid-based pain-killers in New Zealand, a new UN treaty that bans nuclear weapons, and a young new Act Party  candidate running in Auckland Central. Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei joins Ximena to discuss the party's new water policy, and Kendall Hutt from AUT's Pacific Media Centre comes up to the studio to tell Ximena about a kiwi Catholic missionary who has been deported from Papua New Guinea. 

Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that the protected status of Ruahine Forest Park could not be revoked to allow the development of a huge irrigation and water storage scheme. Producer India spoke to Dr Ann Brower, a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management, about the issues involved in the land exchange between the Department of Conservation and the Hawkes Bay Regional Council that was needed for the development to go ahead. She also spoke to the CEO of Forest & Bird, Kevin Hague, about his reaction to the Supreme Court's decision.