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Report highlighting abuse female politicians face in Aotearoa w/ the Victoria University of Wellington's Lara Greaves: 10 April, 2025

Report highlighting abuse female politicians face in Aotearoa w/ the Victoria University of Wellington's Lara Greaves: 10 April, 2025 Report highlighting abuse female politicians face in Aotearoa w/ the Victoria University of Wellington's Lara Greaves: 10 April, 2025, 6.67 MB
Thu 10 Apr 2025

A new report led by the University of Otago Wellington has found high rates of abuse and harassment against female members of parliament in Aotearoa. 

Eleven MPs from across the political spectrum participated in the study which found they were regularly harassed, threatened with rape and even death threats.

The study is led by Dr Rhiannon Watson and Dr Lucy Hammans and builds on previous research into harassment of MPs. 

Thursday Wire Host Caeden spoke to Dr Lara Greaves (Ngāpuhi, Pākehā, Tararā), associate professor in politics at Victoria University, about the study and its broader context in Aotearoa and global politics.

Caeden started by asking if she could explain the key findings of the study.

The ethics of bringing back the Dire Wolf and other extinct species w/ The University of Otago's Nic Rawlence: 9 April, 2025

The ethics of bringing back the Dire Wolf and other extinct species w/ The University of Otago's Nic Rawlence: 9 April, 2025 The ethics of bringing back the Dire Wolf and other extinct species w/ The University of Otago's Nic Rawlence: 9 April, 2025, 17.1 MB
Wed 9 Apr 2025

American company 'Colossal Biosciences' claim to have brought back the Dire Wolf using genetic engineering and preserved DBA, despite the species having been extinct for over 10,000 years.

Producer Max spoke with the Director of the Otago Paleo Genetics Lab at the University of Otago, Nic Rawlence, about the supposed "de-extinction" of the Dire Wolf, as well as the ethics of bringing back extinct species.

The Wire w/ Oto: 9 April, 2025

The Wire w/ Oto: 9 April, 2025 The Wire w/ Oto: 9 April, 2025, 113.35 MB
Wed 9 Apr 2025

For their weekly catchup w/ the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about the Justice Committees recommendations for the treaty principles bill, the $12 billion boost to the New Zealand Defence Force and Donald Trump’s Tariffs on New Zealand

He spoke to Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington for a follow up conversation on the government’s boost to the defence budget.

And he spoke to Shaun Awatere, Kaihautū Māori Research Impact Leader at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, about the state of the environment report released by the Ministry for the environment.

Max spoke to the Director of the Otago Paleo Genetics Lab at the University of Otago, Nic Rawlence, about the supposed “de-extinction” of the Dire Wolf, and the ethics of bringing back extinct species.

For this week’s Green Desk, Producer Sara spoke to Rongoā Māori expert kuia Donna Kerridge, on her upcoming EcoFest 2025 event into understanding Māori medicine.

The State of the Environment Report w/ Manaaki Whenua’s Shaun Awatere: 9 April, 2025

The State of the Environment Report w/ Manaaki Whenua’s Shaun Awatere: 9 April, 2025 The State of the Environment Report w/ Manaaki Whenua’s Shaun Awatere: 9 April, 2025, 24.44 MB
Wed 9 Apr 2025

Just Yesterday, the Ministry for the Environment released their Our environment 2025 report, highlighting the impacts of land use on the ecosystem of Aotearoa.

The report revealed that between 75-95% of Taonga birds, reptiles, frogs and freshwater fish species were at risk of extinction or being threatened and that a significant proportion of groundwater had accumulated excess nitrate due to activities such as intensive farming, logging and urbanisation.

These findings also paint a grave picture for te iwi Māori and tangata whenua, whose livelihoods and mana whenua are also threatened by the extinction of native species and degradation of land.

Oto spoke to Shaun Awatere, a Kaihautū Māori Research Impact Leader and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, about the findings from the Ministry for the Environment’s recent report and the initiatives led by Iwi and Hapu to address it.

The New Zealand Defense Force Defence Boost w/ Peace Action Welington's Valerie Morse: 9 April, 2025

The New Zealand Defense Force Defence Boost w/ Peace Action Welington's Valerie Morse: 9 April, 2025 The New Zealand Defense Force Defence Boost w/ Peace Action Welington's Valerie Morse: 9 April, 2025, 16.04 MB
Wed 9 Apr 2025

Wednesday Wire Host Oto spoke to Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington for their take on the government’s $12 Billion dollar boost to defence spending.

Peace Action have referred to the defence boost as a “shocking waste” that would have been better spent on our infrastructure and medical system and that The Defence Capability Plan ties NZ to America’s territorial ambitions against China.

Aotearoa Businesses Struggling with the Impacts of Infrastructure Construction w/ Retail NZ's Carolyn Young: 8 April, 2025

Aotearoa Businesses Struggling with the Impacts of Infrastructure Construction w/ Retail NZ's Carolyn Young: 8 April, 2025 Aotearoa Businesses Struggling with the Impacts of Infrastructure Construction w/ Retail NZ's Carolyn Young: 8 April, 2025, 14.07 MB
Tue 8 Apr 2025

A new report has highlighted the pressure major infrastructure projects are putting on local businesses and communities.

The research from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research shows short-term disruptions are being felt across the country: from Auckland’s City Rail Link to Wellington’s ‘Let’s Get Wellington Moving’ and CBD upgrades in Tauranga and Dunedin.

While it’s widely accepted that Aotearoa needs to invest in infrastructure to futureproof the economy, Retail NZ says more support is needed to help businesses get through the long and often disruptive construction periods.

Producer Amani spoke to Retail NZ’s Chief Executive Carolyn Young to find out more on this.

This description has been edited to add clarification that the work in the report was undertaken as a part of the New Zealand Institute of Economics's (NZIER) Public Good Programme, and has not been funded by Retail NZ.

Changing regulation around baby formula w/ the University of Auckland’s Dr. Gergely Toldi: 8th April, 2025

Changing regulation around baby formula w/ the University of Auckland’s Dr. Gergely Toldi: 8th April, 2025 Gergely Toldi: 8th April, 2025, 8.72 MB
Tue 8 Apr 2025

The government has announced plans to revisit proposed Trans-Tasman rules on baby formula regulation. The plans were initially rejected following lobbying from formula companies including Danone and The a2 Milk Company, who have also shifted their stance on the standards.

To discuss the changes and what they represent for consumer confidence, Wire host Castor spoke to the University of Auckland’s Dr. Gergely Toldi.

The Wire w/ Castor: 8th April, 2025

The Wire w/ Castor: 8th April, 2025 The Wire w/ Castor: 8th April, 2025, 111.4 MB
Tue 8 Apr 2025

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chats with us about research into multiple sclerosis, links between marriage and dementia, and a new massive particle collider. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the government introducing a competitor to the supermarket duopoly and how New Zealand’s economy will manage in the wake of US tariffs. 

They also spoke to Dr. Gergely Toldi about the government’s baby formula changes and what brought them about.

Producer Amani spoke to Retail NZ’s Chief Executive Carolyn Young on how businesses are struggling with the impacts of infrastructure construction around the country.

And she spoke to University of Otago’s Dr Kimberley O’Sullivan on the recent increase to power prices.

Power Price Increases and Consumer Care Obligations Changes w/ University of Otago's Dr Kimberley O'Sullivan: 8 April, 2025

Power Price Increases and Consumer Care Obligations Changes w/ University of Otago's Dr Kimberley O'Sullivan: 8 April, 2025 Power Price Increases and Consumer Care Obligations Changes w/ University of Otago's Dr Kimberley O'Sullivan: 8 April, 2025, 11.72 MB
Tue 8 Apr 2025

From April 1st, Aotearoa households can expect an average increase of around $10 per month in their electricity bills, as lines and transmission charges rise to cover increased costs and investment in the electricity network. 

Changes to the consumer care obligations have also come into place, giving households more of a say if their power were to be cut off.

Producer Amani spoke with University of Otago’s Dr Kimberley O’Sullivan to find out more on this and which advice she has for households which experience the repercussions of the increases.

Supermarkets and Tariffs w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 8th April, 2025

Supermarkets and Tariffs w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 8th April, 2025 Supermarkets and Tariffs w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 8th April, 2025, 10.1 MB
Tue 8 Apr 2025

Nicola Willis recently took over responsibility for grocery regulation after recently appointed consumer affairs minister Scott Simpson identified a conflict of interest. Willis says she is interested in introducing a competitor to the New Zealand supermarket duopoly, though whether this competitor will come from overseas or internally remains to be seen. 

Also in politics this past week are US president Donald Trump’s tariffs, which have had massive economic impact in the US and internationally. While New Zealand is minimally affected by the tariffs, our economy only recently exited a recession, so we may be in a position of vulnerability to further economic instability. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with plans to address the supermarket duopoly.

You can find the press conference referenced by Tom Rutherford here