The Wire with Max

Negotiations with the International Seabed Authority recently came to a close, resulting in the failure of deep sea mining companies to get a green light to begin plundering the ocean.

Today Beth speaks to a member of the Green Party and Fisheries Spokesperson, Eugenie Sage, about deep sea mining in Aotearoa, and what needs to happen to protect our oceans.

A new study using biological evolution models to trace the origins of the English language has made some remarkable discoveries. 

The study used a list of known words in different languages to find a common ancestor for these languages, and incorporated divergence dating so that researchers could estimate when each language diverged from the root language. 

The ancient language in which English has its origins is called Proto-Indo-European and dates back 8,000 years ago. It has been geographically isolated, and found to be the root of many modern day languages as well as English. 

Arno spoke with Professor Quentin Atkinson, a Professor in Psychology at the University of Auckland, to find out more about the study. Arno started our interview by asking about the methodology of the study.

Youth crime has become a hot political topic with some parties promising a tougher attitude if elected. 

However, others believe white-collar crime is just as much of a concern, and that the underlying causes of youth crime should be addressed first.

Dr Ronald Kramer, a Professor of criminology at the University of Auckland is concerned with the debate around youth offending. 

He recently wrote an article for Newsroom warning readers to be wary of letting the vague concept of 'youth justice' saturate the political agenda.

Arno started our interview by asking him what we can expect discussions about youth crime to centre around in the lead up to the election.

Following the passing of the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (safe areas) Amendment Bill in March of last year, the Government has implemented six abortion safe areas, or spaces outside abortion clinics protected from anti-choice harrassment, across Aotearoa. 

Wire producer Rosetta spoke to Abortion Law Reform Association New Zealand president Ella Shepherd about why the safe areas are important and what more needs to be done to increase abortion care accessibility.