The Wire with Max

Today on the Wire, Joe Wickins speaks to University of Waikato Director of the Transgender Health Research Lab, Dr Jaimie Veale, about some of the issues surrounding the reaction to Laurel Hubbard's participation in the women's weightlifting event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. They go on to discuss how this impacts the wider LGBTQI+ community.

Jemima Huston reports on the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill, which was introduced by the Government last week. 

Tomorrow’s World is back! This week Isla and Stella dive into the world of microplastics. Drawing on interviews with Dr Shinji Kihara from the School of Chemical Sciences at the University of Auckland, they discuss how nanoplastics affect human cellular function, and how prevalent they are in Aotearoa. 

Joe talks to Mental Performance Coach David Niethe, who works with elite athletes, about the issue of the mental wellbeing for athletes and how this impacts the young people. 

Jemima wraps it up with an interview with Stephen Stockwell, who is the station manager of community radio station 4ZZZ based in Brisbane Australia. They speak about how the stop-start lockdowns taking place in Australia, due to the Covid-19 Delta variant outbreak, are impacting the creative industries across the country. 

With the recent backlash towards Kiwi Olympic weightlifter Laurel Hubbard competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Joe speaks to Dr Jaimie Veale, an expert in transgender studies and public health, about the global reaction. They discuss whether the argument over transgender athletes competing in the Olympics has turned into a hateful sentiment towards transgender people. They also touch on how this impacts the wider LGBTQI+ community.

Over the weekend, New Zealand's first mass vaccination event took place in Manukau. The event saw over 15,000 people receive vaccines, with second doses planned for mid-September. 

Louis spoke to the event's lead organiser Alex Pimms, as well as Manukau Ward Councillor Efeso Collins, who has voiced concern over the event's communication. 

A recent proposing from an NCEA working group has suggested incorporating Mātauranga Māori into the high school science curriculum. The proposal has received a considerable amount of backlash, including from a number of University of Auckland academics.

Noah Ferguson-Dudding spoke to National MP Christopher Luxon to discuss why he has criticised parts of the plan. He also spoke to Dr Lucy Stewart, from the New Zealand Association of Scientists, to discuss how Mātauranga Māori interacts with Western science.