The Wire with Oto

The Tuesday Wire team is joined by Dr Allan Blackman for Dear Science!

Nicholas speaks to the National president of the Tertiary Education Union, Dr Julie Douglas, about the issues facing Tertiary Education in 2024 as well as the policy areas she believes need to be at the forefront of the Minister for Tertiary educations plans. 

Nicholas also spoke to mental health advocate Dr Ian Soosay about his advice for the new Government’s mental health policy.

The Coalition Government’s plans to dissolve mega polytechnic Te Pukenga has left the tertiary education sector in a state of uncertainty.

Last year individual polytechnics reported a collective loss of $185 million and strike action disrupted students' courses as tertiary education providers took concerns over pay and conditions to the government.

Nicholas spoke to the National president of the Tertiary Education Union, Dr Julie Douglas, about the issues facing Tertiary Education in 2024 as well as the policy areas she believes need to be at the forefront of the Minister for Tertiary educations plans.

E whai akei nei, coming up on the show…

For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori, Rosetta spoke to MP Takutai Kemp about the hui-a-motu held by the Kiingitanga at Tūrangawaewae Marae on Saturday, Te Pāti Māori’s calls for the New Zealand government to support South Africa’s case against Israel at the international Court of Justice, and leaked documents revealing the government's intentions to erase Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 

She also spoke to Margaret Mutu, University of Auckland professor of Māori studies, and expert on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, about Saturday’s hui at Tūrangawaewae Marae.

Rosetta also spoke to University of Canterbury (UC) Professor Ann Brower of the School of Earth and Environment, who is the lead author of the recently published research paper, New Zealand’s braided rivers: The land the law forgot, about the importance of protecting Aotearoa’s braided rivers

And finally, Rosetta spoke to Dennis Maga, FIRST Union General Secretary, about the union groups protests on Friday regarding a group of predominantly filipino migrant workers who have been left in economic hardship after recruitment group ELE entered receivership in December of 2023.

Aotearoa, and particularly Te Wai Pounamu, The South Island, is home to unique braided rivers, or rivers that are both land and water, with channels throughout the rivers that cause the rivers to change throughout the seasons. In early 2023, a group of scientists, lawyers, planners, policy experts and engineers formed a group named ‘The Land the law forgot’, which hopes to advocate for the protection of braided rivers, which sometimes go unspoken for in legislation as a grey area between land and water. Advocacy from the group has in part resulted in the Natural and Built Environments Act (2023) which exempts braided rivers from the same umbrella as riverbeds under the previous resource management act, and means they can be protected under their own circumstances. 

Rosetta spoke to Professor Ann Brower of the University of Canterbury School of Earth and Environment, who is the lead author of the recently published research paper, New Zealand’s braided rivers: The land the law forgot, about how braided rivers need to be protected moving forward.