The Wire with Oto

As family violence service provider Shine amps up their July ‘light it orange’ campaign, the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children have released a statement condemning the decision by Minister for Children and for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour to disestablish Te Pūkotahitanga.

This collective is a Māori partnership body for the elimination of family violence and sexual violence, which gives Māori leaders a critical voice at the decision making table. 

In their statement they said the decision “is disrespectful to both Māori and non-Māori, and furthers the systematic erosion of Tiriti-based governance, entrenching distrust of the Crown across all communities.”

Following a report released earlier this week by the National Mortality Review Committee which found that Maaori women are disproportionately impacted by family and sexual violence, experts in this field have stressed the need for a stronger multi-agency response that is effective, proactive and includes crisis support.

There have also been calls for a national conversation that “treats gender-based violence as a public, not private, issue”, and highlights the issue of femicide in Aotearoa.

To discuss this topic further, Producer Sara spoke with Chair of the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children, Leonie Morris, about what the disestablishment of Te Pūkotahitanga means for mahi and outcomes relating to Māori

Recently, the Water Services Authority published their Taumata Arowai report analysing the state of drinking water safety.

The report found that seven registered water supplies exceeded levels of nitrate contamination, carrying possible risks of increased risk of preterm birth and other health conditions for a number of rural communities in the North Island.

Oto spoke with Greenpeace Aotearoa’s Freshwater Spokesperson - Will Applebe who says that the contamination of water supplies, largely caused by industrial agricultural output, is linked to the government’s removal of freshwater protections and their planned changes to the Resource Management Act.

A study was recently conducted by Motu Economic and Public Policy Research comparing outcomes for children living in public housing with their peers living in privately owned homes.

The study found that children aged between 0-9 who lived in public housing faced a number of disadvantages, exhibiting higher levels of behavioural difficulties in early childhood.

Oto spoke to Dr Jaimie Monk, a research fellow at Motu, about the study and the links between public housing and children’s wellbeing

As of the 1st of July 2025, the Healthy Homes standards have kicked in. This requires all rental properties to meet the regulations, designed to improve renters’ health, by preventing damp, mouldy and cold conditions.

Now that the final deadline has passed, landlords who fail to comply with the standards could face fines of up to $7200. The only problem is who might be regulating them…

To break down what this means for renters, landlords and the wider housing sector, Producer Max spoke to Bill McKay, from the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.