The Wire with Oto

Health outcome gaps for Māori and Pasifika suffering from cardiovascular conditions have been apparent for quite some time.
In order to address this ongoing problem, a group of researchers involved in Manawataki Fatu Fatu for ACCESS conducted a qualitative study, where they interviewed Māori and Pasifika patients in cardiovascular care to uncover the causes behind these health gaps, as well as potential solutions. 

To discuss the study and its findings, Oto spoke to Senior Research fellow Karen Brewer from the University of Auckland, of Whakatōhea and Ngaiterangi descent, who conducted the study and had some insights to offer on Māori and Pasifika cardiovascular health gaps.

With an increase of 8.1% in the nation's unemployment rate, there are now at least 82,000 young New Zealanders, aged between 15 and 24 years, who are currently unemployed, not in education or in training. These individuals are grouped into a category known as NEETs.

The national unemployment rate is the highest it has been since the impact of COVID 19 in mid 2021 and it is expected to increase beyond 5% by next year. 

Rachel spoke to Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston about the current measures and future plans the government has to slow down the increasing rates of NEETs.

The United States and New Zealand are the only high-income countries that allow unrestricted direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines, which directs advertising towards consumers rather than medical professionals.

Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Associate Professor of Medical Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland, David Menkes, about concerns researchers have raised about direct-to-consumer advertising and how to address them. 

She started the interview asking him how direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines operates in Aotearoa New Zealand.

For Dear Science this week, Professor Allan Blackman chatted to us about reconstructing the genomes of extinct moa, a protein folding prediction programme, and a discovery forcing us to rewrite chemistry textbooks. 

Wire host Castor spoke to the National Party’s Katie Nimon about the Waikeria prison development and funding for corrections in advance of this week’s budget announcements. 

He also spoke to People Against Prisons’ Emmy Rākete about these developments and the government’s approach to crime more broadly. 

Producer Sofia spoke to Associate Professor of Medical Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland, David Menkes, about concerns over direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicine in Aotearoa. 

And Producer Ezra spoke to co-director of the New Zealand Centre for Human Rights Law Practice and Policy at the University of Auckland, Carrie Leonetti, about how Aotearoa needs to criminalise stalking.