Critics say the $20 million Cook landing commemorations ignore Māori pain

A movement to boycott this year’s Tuia – Encounters 250 commemorations of the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s landing at Tūranganui-a-Kiwa is gaining strength, writes RNZ’s Leigh-Marama McLachlan. More than $20 million is being spent on events and resources to mark the anniversary of Cook’s landing in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, later named Gisborne, in 1769. Indigenous … Read more

A Serco prison officer refused to take his shoes off… and had his tyres slashed

The refusal of a Serco prison officer to take his shoes off at a marae, for the tangi of a prominent New Zealand musician, has been labelled disrespectful and rude, writes Leigh-Marama McLachlan for RNZ. Tensions were running high last week for the whānau of the late Tama Renata from the reggae band Herbs – not … Read more

On the outside: Life after prison

If you serve time in jail there is a nearly one in three chance that you’ll end up back behind bars in the first year after release. For RNZ’s Insight, Leigh-Marama McLachlan speaks to former prisoners trying to build a life outside the gates. Jamie Mako, 46, spent his first night of freedom in four … Read more