For Dear Science this week, Doctor Cushla McGoverin chatted to us about underwater bumblebees, UV light for biofilm, and data analysis by Borderlands players.  

Wire host Castor spoke to the National Party’s James Meager about absence rates in schools, ministry of education job cuts, and the school cellphone ban. 

He also spoke to President of the Secondary Principals Association NZ and Principal of Papatoetoe Highschool about these same issues from a frontline perspective. 

Producer Sofia spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland Faculty of Law, Carrie Leonetti, about criminalising stalking.

In early April, Christopher Luxon and David Seymour addressed journalists with promises of several policies aimed at reducing absences in public schools. 

These policies join other policies introduced by the current government, such as the school cellphone ban and ban on disposable vapes, which hope to improve education outcomes in our schools and increase attendance. 

Additionally, the government recently announced 565 job cuts in the Ministry of Education, including some currently vacant roles, in part of their larger move to cut costs across all ministries. 

Wire host Castor spoke to the president of the Secondary Principals Association NZ and principal of Papatoetoe highschool, Vaughan Couillault, about these changes and how they affect teachers on the ground in Aotearoa. 

For Dear Science this week we chatted to Dr. Cushla McGoverin about bumblebees submerged in water, UV light destroying biofilm, and data gathering by Borderlands 3 players. 

In early April, Christopher Luxon and David Seymour addressed journalists with promises of several policies aimed at reducing absences in public schools. 

These policies joined other policies introduced by the current government, such as the school cellphone ban and ban on disposable vapes, which hope to improve education outcomes in our schools and increase attendance. 

Additionally, the government recently announced 565 job cuts in the Ministry of Education, including some currently vacant roles, in part of their larger move to cut costs across all ministries. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to James Meager about these issues, both the theory behind the policies and how the policies will functionally be implemented.

Last week, the Independent Police Conduct Authority released its summary of police’s handling of Farzana Yaqubi’s complaints of a man stalking her, eight weeks before she was murdered in December 2022 by the same man. 

The report found a litany of police failures in its handling, including that  its assessment matrix did not consider all lines of inquiry.

New Zealand is one of the few countries that does not treat stalking as a crime.

As a result of the IPCA’s report and Yaqubi’s death, many have called for this to change. 

Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland Faculty of Law, Carrie Leonetti, about current laws for stalking in Aotearoa, the importance of criminalising it, and what that could look like. 

Featuring G Jones, Fred Again.., and Odezsa to round it off

The Green Party's proposed bill restoring the automatic citizenship rights for Samoans born between 1924 and 1949 passed its first reading in parliament last week.

Meanwhile, the recent Designing our Constitution 2024 conference shed light on the potential of Tiriti-based constitutional transformation to rectify historical injustices and present challenges faced by Māori and Pacific communities in New Zealand.

Producer Ezra spoke to Senior Lecturer of Law at The University of Auckland, Dylan Asafo about the legal implications of the Green's proposed bill and the potential for Tiriti-based Constitutional Reform.

Before they grace the stage at 95bFM's Fancy New Band on May 3rd, Shooless stop by for a chat about their brand new single 'Sunsets', the origin of their name, as well as much more!

Welcome back to another week on the b! Penelope Noir gives us a history of Kate Sylvester's legacy in Aotearoa on Fashun. On Loose Reads, Suri reviews Wandering Stars from Tommy Orange. Whakarongo mai nei!