Radio One 91FM

International science journal Wellbeing, Space, and Society has recently published findings from University of Otago researchers which indicate that Aotearoa New Zealand needs to increase the diversity and quality of its housing stock to meet the needs of the population and the Government’s 2030 carbon reduction targets.

We spoke with Dr. Crystal Olin from the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities about Aotearoa’s current development style, and how a more sustainable future can be achieved through changing housing, public transport and developing communal spaces.

On Business as Usual this week, Murat Üngör (Department of Economics, University of Otago) speaks to R1 News reporters Amiria Pianta-Price and Zac Hoffman about Aotearoa's economic growth since the start of the pandemic, the pandemic’s cost on the global economy, stagflation caused by the war in Ukraine and the high likelihood of a global recession.

The French Film Festival kicked off today in Ōtepoti, as part of the two month festival across 15 towns and cities in Aotearoa. We spoke with festival director Fergus Grady about the 21 films showing in the festival this year and the significance of French cinema.

An Instagram account named “Teens against TERFs” has quickly gained traction after posting a selection of slides titled ‘What you need to know about the Nelson Anti-Trans Conference’. The conference in question is being hosted at the Rutherford Hotel by the Child and Adolescent Therapist’s Association, and is entitled “Children, Adolescents and Gender - the Negative Impacts of Transgender Ideology.” Amiria Pianta-Price spoke to founding members of Teens against TERFs Willow Heron and Will Irvine about their opposition to the conference.

As of June 1st, West Coast electricity distributor Westpower is re-pitching a hydro-scheme for Waitaha River, previously rejected by the Government in 2019. The proposal is controversial in the community -  some groups support the scheme for the jobs and power it would bring, while others are worried about  environmental, ecological, cultural, and recreational impacts of the scheme.

We spoke with Dunedin representative of Whitewater New Zealand, Blake Hornblow, to discuss the group's opposition to the Westpower's development on the Waitaha River.