The Wire with Alex

In the past few months, following Auckland's long lockdowns, residents saw a boom in graffiti on public structures.  

This has led to a lot of discussion about the artform, and its place in the cultural zeitgeist.

While everyone from artists to politicians to locals agree that graffiti on private residential property is vandalism, the conversation of painting on public structures like bridges and trains has been more divided.

Jack Horsnell spoke with Graffiti artist, CAPO, street art expert, Dr Reuben Woods and Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson to understand why this discussion is taking place. 

The Clean Slate Act has recently been under discussion, as activists fight for the scheme to be extended to those who’ve been imprisoned. 

The scheme currently allows criminal records to be sealed, drastically assisting former criminals with getting employed, becoming a tenant and getting a mortgage. 

The scheme currently does not apply to those who've been imprisoned within their lifetime, instead focusing on those who have paid fines or undergone other forms of punishment. 

To learn more about the scheme and how it could be changed, Liam spoke to Liam Martin, a Criminology professor at Victoria University of Wellington.

A recent government announcement would allow ‘additional consenting pathways’ in some of New Zealand’s precious wetland areas.

This development, especially the potential consenting of coal mines in wetland areas, would massively endanger the country’s eco-systems and carbon sequestration.

Casper had a chat with Tom Kay, the freshwater advocate at Forest and Bird about the government’s announcement, why wetlands are so precious and how they will be impacted.

Work has begun to move rocks from Waiheke Island’s Kennedy Bay where there are plans to build a Marina consisting of 180 berths, a floating car park, and onshore facilities like sewage containment and a cafe. This is despite the immediate area having a large, but declining, population of Korora, or Little Blue Penguins.

Concerns have been raised over the council and the Department of Conservation’s handling of resource consent granting, and failures to consider tikanga and the protection of local species.

On Tuesday, Mayor Phil Goff discussed the issue on the Breakfast show, and Emilia Sullivan spoke to Bianca Ranson from Protect Pūtiki about their response to the mayor’s comments.