Is the Israeli government committing genocide in Gaza? What should we be doing to assist Ukraine? What’s gone wrong with the New Zealand- Cook Islands relatiomship ? Should we be a neutral country? And what do we need to know about Pacific politics and environmental issues?

In this wide ranging and engaging conversation Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teanau Tuiono, speaks candidly about these issues and more.

He is the Greens first Pasifika MP, who also holds their portfolios for Defence and Disarmament,National Security and Intelligence, Oceans and Fisheries, Pacific Peoples, Space,Veterans and Workplace Relations and Safety.

You can find out more about Teanau Tuiono and his political views here:

https://www.greens.org.nz/teanau_tuiono

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$10 a month ( incl gst) gives you full access to all my posts, podcasts and documentaries. Plus you get to join a great chatroom with intelligent New Zealanders who are concerned about our country and where it is going. .

Last Friday I had the pleasure of talking with Sir Graeme Dingle and Lady Dingle - Jo-anne Wilkinson (pictured) who started the Graeme Dingle Foundation 30 years ago with the aim of improving the lives of young New Zealanders and helping them realise their full potential.

The Foundation works with Aotearoa New Zealand’s tamariki and rangatahi at different life stages through schools and communities, delivering life enhancing programmes that have now involved over 30,000 young people in 10 regions across the country.

One of the things that makes the Graeme Dingle Foundation special is their focus on being the fence at the top of the cliff, not the ambulance waiting at the bottom. They believe that prevention is better than cure, and their programmes are designed to empower youth to make positive choices and develop healthy habits early on in life.

While we talk about the work of the foundation in this podcast, much of our conversation is about a rugged 1200 km journey Sir Graeme undertook with six violent offenders back in 1988 and Jo- anne and Graeme’s views about how military-style Boot camps are not the way to help young people develop the resilience they need to turn their lives around.

You can find out more about the inspiring work of The Graeme Dingle Foundation here:

https://dinglefoundation.org.nz

Sir Graeme Dingle is a New Zealand outdoor adventurer and mountaineer. In 1968, Dingle and Murray Jones were the first to climb all six major European north faces and the Bonati pillar, including Eiger and Matterhorn in one season.He has achieved over 200 mountaineering and adventure firsts worldwide, including first ascents of mountains and faces in the Himalayas, the Andes, and in New Zealand.Dingle made the first traverse of the Himalayas, a distance of some 5000 km, in 265 days. He has made a 28,000 km traverse of the Arctic, the first winter traverse of the Southern Alps taking 100 days, and the first transit of the Northwest Passage by snow machine.

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Monday Is Hope Day

Do you think everyone should be able to access free dental care?

I do.

It has always seemed ridiculous to me that if something goes wrong with any other part of your body you can get help through our public health system - but not teeth.

Well, this week’s Monday Is Hope Day story is about Action Station’s campaign to do something about the bad teeth situation and are calling on the Government to bring universal dental care into the public healthcare system to make it free for all.

For a start they are close to getting their target of 20,000 signature on their petition which you can sign here :

https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/make-dental-care-free-for-all-nz

But wait! There’s more!

Last Friday I spoke with Hana Pilkinton- Ching who is one of the campaign organisers and starting next Monday they are taking Dental Care For All on the road.

They will be heading all over the motu from August to October this year to hold dozens of Dental for All community events. From panel discussions, to market stalls, to free dental days and more. You can find the details on their website:

https://www.dentalforall.nz

Their first roadshow trip is in August, heading up the West Coast of the North Island from Te Whanganui a Tara and wrapping up with events in Kirkiriroa and Rotorua.

Check out the Dental for All Roadshow calendar (or Facebook events) for event details. It would be great if you could tell them if you’re planning to attend.

To keep in the loop about their second and third roadshow trips, make sure you’re signed up for updates — because more info coming soon!

People like Hana and organisations like Action Station remind me that despite the self centred policies coming out of the Beehive , there are lots of good people in our country doing good things to make life better for all of us - and in that, there is hope!

This interview has been made free to listen to thanks to the generosity of my paid subscribers who support my independent public journalism.

For $10 a month including GST ( less than a cup of coffee a week) you can not only gain full access to all my paywalled fourth estate articles and podcasts, but get to comment in a chatroom full of thoughtful Kiwis who care about our country and where it is going.

I post something everyday and all subscriptions go to meet production costs .