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Recently, AI-enabled CCTV cameras, number plate recognition systems and other smart technologies have been rolled out in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.While information about these technologies is limited, what is known is that they're primarily being used to detect traffic violations at the moment, although ethical concerns have been raised about how this technology could be used in the future. Oto spoke to Dr Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, A senior lecturer in the school of architecture and planning in the faculty of engineering and design at the university of Auckland about the rollout this new AI enabled surveillance technology in Auckland and it's ethical implications.

This week the boys chat strange job titles, and an Olympic marathon that was anything but boring. 

For our monthly catch-up with The Green Party's Steve Abel, Milly and Rosetta have a kōrero Steve about the Government's reppeal of the 2018 Oil and Gas Exploration Ban, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's recent comment that the government would no longer be able to 'bail out' those effected by natural disasters, and the recent decision to cut NCEA. Whakarongo mai nei!

Earlier this week the government announced they'd be replacing the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) with a new set of national secondary school qualifications. Minister of Education Erica Stanford says the current NCEA system was failing to help students develop critical thinking skills and was difficult for parents to navigate as well. In that same week, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the FBI would be opening a dedicated law enforcement attaché office in Wellington. Defence Minister Judith Collins and Police Minister Mark Mitchell said that the new office would strengthen our ties with the five eyes alliance, with Patel additionally saying the move would counter Chinese influence in the region. And the Green party recently launched a petition calling on the government to reverse policies of theirs related to emergency housing access that the Greens say have led to an increase in homelessness across the country. For our weekly catchup with the Green party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March to get the party's take on all of these issues.

On Monday this week it was announced by the government that they are planning to drop NCEA from the national curriculum by 2030, as a part of a new education overhaul. Although the full details of the new program haven't been released, the government is planning to replace the NCEA qualification, which has been in place for more than 20 years, with a new national system weighted heavily towards exams. Associate Education Minister David Seymour described the change as more “challenging” for students, which from his perspective can “only be a positive thing”. Following on from our previous conversation with the Green Party's Ricardo Menendez-March, Producer Max spoke to Stuart McNaughton, a professor in the faculty of arts and education at the University of Auckland, to talk about the new education reforms.

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the government's plan to replace the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, The FBI office opening in Wellington and The party's call to the government to reverse changes to emergency housing access. He spoke with Ritesh Shah, a Senior Lecturer Critical Studies in Education, about why Israel is facing international condemnation for how it's handled aid distribution in Gaza. And he spoke to Dr Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, A senior lecturer in the school of architecture and planning in the faculty of engineering and design at the University of Auckland about the rollout of AI enabled surveillance technology in Auckland. Max spoke to Stuart McNaughton, a professor from the University of Auckland, to talk about the government's decision to scrap NCEA by 2030.

As Israel's war in Gaza nears its second full year since October 7th, 2023, multiple aid agencies and humanitarian groups have said that the prevalence of famine within the strip has gone beyond critical levels, with elderly Palestinians now succumbing to malnutrition-related deaths alongside the deaths amongst children that were reported earlier this year. Israel, who have maintained a blockade on the Gaza strip since 2007, began significantly restricting the amount of aid entering the enclave following the beginning of the war. While spokespeople from the government have told the international community they were allowing adequate levels of aid to enter the strip during humanitarian pauses, humanitarian groups have said the volume of aid entering the strip was far below the level needed, and that reported attacks on both aid workers and Palestinians waiting for aid by IDF personnel weakened Israel's claims of distributing aid effectively.  Oto spoke to Dr Ritesh Shah, a Senior Lecturer Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland to discuss why Israel has been facing international condemnation for its handling of aid distribution in Gaza. If you'd like to attend the seminar that Ritesh will be speaking at tomorrow, you can find the details for it here on eventbrite:

In the first rendition of our new segment The Birds, The Bees, and The Bugs - where we talk all things sexual health with the friendly nurses at Care HQ - Milly and Rosetta have a kōrero about UTIs with nurses Charlotte and Nickie. Whakarongo mai nei! Thanks to Care HQ!

D.C. Maxwell is on the line with Milly and Rosetta to chat about his brand new single and video Jesus' Son - out today! Whakarongo mai nei!

Today on your Rāapa Brekkie: Milly and Rosetta catch with up the Green Party's Steve Abel for What's Up, D.C. Maxwell has a kōrero about his brand new single and music video Jesus' Son, and Rosetta and Milly chat with the lovely nurses of Care HQ for our new sexual health segment The Birds, The Bees, and The Bugs. Whakarongo mai nei!

On Thursday last week, the coalition government passed legislation to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration — a ban which had been initiated by the previous government in 2018. Minister Shane Jones who drove the reversal, highlighted the impact of the ban on economic growth and energy supply in New Zealand. Opposition parties have voiced concerns about the impact of this decision for New Zealand's climate commitments. As well, yesterday Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced an overhaul of the NCEA system, to be replaced with qualifications that they say will be better to understand, and more aligned with international standards. Finally, as the United States places 15% tariffs on NZ exports, the Labour party have said the government needs to do more to strengthen our trade relationships to avoid a rise in the cost of living for kiwis. Host Sara spoke with National MP Carl Bates about all these topics. Sara started by asking him to explain the government's decision to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration in New Zealand.

The government's recognition of a Palestinian state has been praised as a step forward, but many believe they need to take more practical steps to show support for Gaza. Producer Faith spoke to the University of Auckland's Professor Treasa Dunworth about the significance of the move, and what else needs to be done.

They may be “green homes,” but there's plenty of grey areas. Academics such as the University of Auckland's Dr. Michael Rehm believe that the humidity standards on these eco-friendly houses need to be reassessed. Producer Faith spoke to Michael about these standards, and whether they're effective.

This week I have mostly been playing....

AUNTY EL is up in the studio for a kōrero with Milly and Rosetta, about her brand new EP If not now then when! Whakarongo mai nei!

Dirty drum and bass for your EARdrums

It's Rātu Brekkie with Milly and Rosetta! Today on the show, Isthmus'n That with Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, AUNTY EL is in the studio chatting about her new EP If Not Now, Then When - and Ready Steady Learn with Kelly Shuttleworth! Whakarongo mai nei!

Today on Ready Steady Learn, doctoral candidate Kelly Shuttleworth is up in the studio to chat about her research in Constitutional Conventions! Whakarongo mai nei! Thanks to the University of Auckland! 

For their bi-weekly catch up with Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, Milly and Rosetta chat with Desley about Auckland Council's removal of flood-damaged homes and the upcoming local elections. Whakarongo mai nei!

Thanks for tuning in whānau – today's show traverses minimal techno, breaks, new Aotearoa gems and more! As always, ngā mihi to our sponsors the Tuning Fork!

MOKOTRON is up in the studio, for a kōrero with Milly and Rosetta about his recent adventures at Glastonbury with Pulotu Underworld! The trio also chat about coining a new term for Māori electronica, 'Hiko'. Whakarongo mai nei!

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chats with us about an astronomical discovery, the passing of the great Tom Lehrer, and the latest estimate on your required daily step count Thanks Allan, thank you MOTAT, and thank you science!  

Oto and Jaycee played 2 hours of new releases by artists from the Asian diaspora and beyond 

It starts off ordinary, with a bit of this and bit of that (all the hottest electronic of course), then I delve into the weird world of hardstyle in the last 20 mins. Sue me. No, actually don't.

On Friday, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced various changes to the electoral system in New Zealand which he says seek to make the process of voting more efficient and effective for future elections. These include the closing of enrolment 13 days before the official election day, prohibiting the provision of food and drink at polling booths, and a reinstatement of a total prisoner voting ban. A number of Labour and Greens party politicians have been among those to criticise the changes as a disenfranchisement of voters which will make democratic engagement in New Zealand more difficult. As well, last week the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development released the latest iteration of the Homelessness Insights Report which reveals that there has been a quantifiable rise in homelessness across Aotearoa.

Today on Ready Steady Learn, Dr Preeti Cowan is up in the studio to chat with Milly and Rosetta about her research in training AI to detect astroids and comets in outer space! Whakarongo mai nei! Thanks to UoA!

Rosetta has a kōrero with Kokoroko founding member Sheila Maurice-Grey about their new album Tuff Times Never Last, and their forthcoming show alongside Romi Wrights at The Powerstation on November 26! Whakarongo mai nei!

Today on Tuesday Brekkie, Rosetta interviews Kokoroko about their new album Tuff Times Never Last and forthcoming Auckland show, Mokotron is up in studio for a Glasto recap, and Dr Preeti Cowan joins Milly and Rosetta for Ready Steady Learn. Plus news, weather, surf, and Short Player with Soft Bait! Whakarongo mai nei! Thanks to Atomic!

The growing usage of AI deepfakes has been for a number of different reasons… Whether it's just for fun, or to jeopardise someone's career, these AI-generated images, videos, and voice recordings have become more accessible and easy to make. Deepfakes have been used for financial fraud, during election campaigns to taint the reputations of mostly female candidates, and also to spread propaganda and misinformation. However, Denmark has proposed a law to grant individuals copyright over their own face, body, and voice. Although the move has been hailed as world-leading, and a step forward to address the harms of AI deepfakes, it has drawn criticism for not being effective enough. It has also provoked concerns about the act of copyrighting one's likeness to the same degree as intellectual/artistic property. Producer Faith spoke to Professor Alex Sims from the University of Auckland's commercial law department about the proposition, and its effectiveness.

Rosetta chats to Rei and Steph about the new podcast 'On The Record with Rei' spotlighting industry professionals to help uplift Aotearoa's next generation of musical talent!  You can check out Play It Strange and the work that they do here!

Instead of Chris Hipkins, this week Milly and Rosetta catch up with Kieran McAnulty to chata about rising homelessness and inflation. 

Milly and Rosetta catch up with Xavier, who is covering breakfast down in Te Whanganui-a-Tara!  Track Selection: TOČKA -

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the recently published inflation statistics, The Greens call to lower the voting age to 16 and The most recent unemployment statistics on beneficiaries. For this week's Get Action! Oto spoke with Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab from Thyme for Action about a petition of hers calling for the Palmerston North City Council to adopt a ceasefire motion and ethical investment policy in response to Israel's war in Gaza. And he spoke with Marnie Prickett from the University of Otago in Wellington and the Public Health Association about the Public Health Association's freshwater policy statement. News and Editorial Director Joel, spoke to Richard Jackson — a Professor in Peace Studies at the University of Otago, about the government's potential overhaul of the Terrorism Suppression Act, and how this could potentially impact free speech and political participation.

Freshwater quality across Aotearoa has been in decline for some time, with almost 70% of monitored groundwater sites failing to meet drinking water standards for E. coli and almost half of the country's rivers being unsuitable for recreational activities like swimming due to bacterial contamination. Many concerns about the future of Aotearoa's freshwater have been exacerbated by the government's recent changes to Freshwater National Direction, with experts speculating that many of the proposed policy changes would favour commercial activity and lead to the further contamination and pollution of freshwater sources. Oto spoke with Marnie Prickett - A research fellow at the department of public health at the University of Otago in Wellington and a member of the Public Health Association about a freshwater policy statement put out by the Public Health Association calling for urgent action to protect freshwater in Aotearoa and outlining freshwater protection as a critical public health priority.

The government is considering amending the Terrorism Suppression Act, which was enacted in 2002.  In a copy of the document seen by Newsroom, the Ministry of Justice says the reason for the potential overhaul stems from existing offences in the law not “captur[ing] the full range of behaviours or activities of concern that are part of the contemporary threat from terrorism”. Some of the proposed amendments include making membership of a terrorist entity a criminal offence, establishing new offences for public support of an assigned terrorist act or designated groups, which would include the display of insignia, and updating definitions for digital forms of support.  Despite these proposed amendments, concerns have been raised over what would be defined as a ‘terrorist entity,' and what implications this could have on free speech and political participation, in light of events seen overseas. News and Editorial Director Joel, spoke to Richard Jackson — a Professor in Peace Studies at the University of Otago, about these potential amendments, and the concerns around this move.

Sof was in a test today, so just Elle on the tools today. However we were still in great company on Wednesday Drive. Steve Newall on Flicks 'n' That came in to talk about documentaries by Petra Costa.  Oliver of Pōneke band Lipstick came in for What's Cooking.  We had all three of the Death Bells trio Zoom in to talk about their latest single, Landslide. 

Today on your Wednesday Drive with Milly and Rosetta: What's Up with The Labour Party's Keiran McAnulty, Rosetta chats with REI and Play It Strange CEO Stephanie Brown about a new Play It Strange Podcast - On The Record with REI, and the duo catch up with RadioActive for Parakuihi Pals! Thanks to Atomic!

DEDICATED TO THE ONE MU AKA DJ FITCHIE AKA CHRIS FAIUMU AKE AKE AKE Featuring:  Dedications to MU and Ozzy  + Unnamable Glory by Plume Girl as the Play It Out album for the week  ~

Recent statistics on inflation published earlier this week showed that consumer prices had risen by 2.7% in the last 12 months to June. Stats NZ identified the main contributor to inflation as local authority rates and payments, which were up 12.2%. Earlier this week, the Green party recently called on the government to lower the minimum voting age to 16, which was in response to a move by the UK government last week, where they announced their plans to lower the voting age to 16 in time for their next general election. And the most recent figures from the Ministry of Social Development were published which showed that benefit sanctions have increased by 27% compared to last year, with the number of people receiving the benefit also increasing by 6.6%. For our weekly catchup with the Green party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March to get the party's take on all of these issues.

A bevvy of mid-winter music to lift the mood, including brand new tracks from Georgia Knight and The Circling Sun, plus some classics from the vault like Dam Native, Dimmer and Enigma (cringe or cool?). Listen in for some advice on how to see the New Zealand International Film Festival.

The government has announced that Te Pūkenga is set to return to ‘regional governance,' re-establishing 10 polytechnics that were merged under the previous Labour-led government. In 2020 under the previous Labour-led government, 16 polytechnics and nine industry training organisations were merged into the mega-institute Te Pūkenga, as a “head office”. Despite this, the polytechnics were allowed to maintain their unique images and continue operating. Vocational Education Minister, Penny Simmonds, announced the move, to establish a vocational education system that is “locally led, regionally responsible, and future-focused”. The move has faced backlash. The Tertiary Education Union's national secretary, Sandra Grey, says the move would be a disaster for regional education and that the sector is being treated as a “political football”. For our weekly catchup with the Labour Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke with MP Shanon Halbert, about this move from the government. They also discussed Te Pāti Māori members expressing concerns over Labour's choice of running MP Peeni Henare in the upcoming Tāmaki Makaurau by-election. Te Pāti Māori media liaison, Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, says a vote for Henare would be “wasted,” as Henare already has a seat in Parliament. She has called for people to vote for Te Pāti Māori's candidate, Oriini Kaipara, so that there would be two Tāmaki Makaurau-based Māori MPs in Parliament. But first, they discussed vocational education.

This week on the Thursday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to MP Shanon Halbert about the re-establishment on TEN polytechnics that were previously merged under Te Pūkenga, and Te Pāti Māori members accusing the party of being ‘greedy' for running MP Peeni Henare in the upcoming Tāmaki Makaurau by-election. For this week's City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about her recent biking accident and her hopes for road safety in Auckland, as well as the recently released State of the City report. For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Natasha Lindstaedt from the University of Essex on the backslide of democracy in Georgia, particularly due to Russian influence, and the public response. Joel spoke to Tom Wilkinson, a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Auckland, about Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, nominating US President, Donald Trump, for a Nobel Peace Prize. And on Monday, Producer Sam spoke to Peter Adams, a Professor in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, about the government's alcohol levy, in light of recent lobbying by the alcohol industry. Whakarongo mai!