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Today on Ready Steady Learn, Associate Professor Chris Ogden speaks to Milly and Rosetta about his involvement in the Raising the Bar event in Auckland next Tuesday 26 August - which involves University of Auckland academics giving 20 talks in 10 central Auckland bars! His talk is on Global authoritarianism: how to spot it and how to stop it. Whakarongo mai nei!

Your weekly lazer pointer to lyrical largesse & melodic majesty

Friday August 22 is National Poetry Day, and to celebrate, Wordcore Wayfinders are producing Illuminated Horizons - a high-energy inter-arts event blending spoken word, music, movement, and projection. The event runs 22 August in West Auckland and includes 20+ artists across poetry, sound, and visual performance - and Christian Jensen, producer & Wordcore Wayfinders co-director is up in studio alongside performers Club Ruby, for a chat about the event! Whakarongo mai nei!

For their bi-weekly catch up with Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, Milly and Rosetta ask Desley about Auckland Council's recent crackdown on indie gig posters across the city - which they have refered to as "visual clutter". They also chat about recent rates increases. Whakarongo mai nei!

In recent weeks, the central government has pushed through numerous amendments to the Resource Management Act, in an effort to help streamline consent processes for corporations.

However, these changes— in particular ones surrounding freshwater planning and waterway pollution requirements — have been criticised especially by environmental advocates as disregarding the negative impacts to the environment and affording too much power to financial interests in the case of natural resource management.

As well, this past week Education Minister Erica Stanford announced a proposal to ban books with “too much” reo Māori in them from early learning materials in the ‘Ready to Read phonics scheme’. 

While she justifies the changes as being of genuine literary necessity for children’s learning, many have contended the changes as an act of racism against te reo Māori which asserts white supremacy in the education system.

University of Auckland’s student magazine Craccum is moving to establish independence from the Auckland University Student Association following recent proposals by the university to further cut the magazine’s funding.

Without consultation, Craccum’s budget was cut in 2025, forcing the magazine to reduce production from weekly issues to fortnightly, and occasionally even less, as well as cull their editorial team from 14 to 6 paid members, and rely on unpaid contributors for 90% of their content.

Ahead of 2026, the university is proposing a further decrease in budget of 22%, or $33,000, which would mean the removal of another six issues throughout the year.

The editorial team at Craccum are calling out to students to support them to revitalise the magazine and restore funding to the magazine which they say has been a ‘taonga’ at the university for just under 100 years

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin talks to us about Inca record keeping, the regeneration of snail eyes, and imaging embryo implantation.

Thanks Cushla for joining us, thank you MOTAT, and thank you science!

With the ongoing cost of living crisis, many kiwis have had to make choices between feeding themselves, and their pets– often skipping meals and putting their pets first. 

Producer Faith spoke to NZ Food Network CEO Gavin Findlay about the issue, and what needs to be done to address food insecurity in Aotearoa

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin talks to us about Inca record keeping, the regeneration of snail eyes, and imaging embryo implantation.

Thanks Cushla for joining us, thank you MOTAT, and thank you science!

It's Rātu Brekkie! Today on the show: Isthmus'n That with Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, a chat with the organisers of National Poetry Day, and Ready Steady Learn! Plus news, weather, surf, yarns, and plenty of gooood music. Whakarongo mai nei!