Conversations With Wāhine

Join in as your hosts, Harita Gandhi-Kashyap, Haley Rachel Rolls, and Tracey Patterson touch on a vast array of topics with New Zealand Labour Party MP, Michael Wood. Topics include gender equality, paid parental leave, Covid 19, refugees, the wage subsidy for our disabled work force. We also touch on Electric Vehicles, emissions reductions targets, our power grids capacity to handle the extra use...

Aimee, Tracey and Harita interview Priyanca Radhakrishnan - Labour MP for Maugakiekie, in the lead up to the 2023 general elections. She is the Minister for Youth, Community and Voluntary Sector, and Disability Issues.

Join your hosts, Harita Gandhi-Kashyap and Haley Rachel Rolls as we speak with New Zealand Labour Party MP, Vanushi Walters for Upper Harbour Labour . We touch on a her personal experience as female and Sri Lankan born Politician; an impending election, and more. 24/07/2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rTu5zdiF8g... Meet Vanushi A Sri Lankan New Zealander, Vanushi’s family moved to New Zealand...

Join Haley Rachel Rolls, Natasha J. Carrasco Stillman and our guest Fleur Fitzsimons, for a chat about housing, local issues, climate, public transport, cost of living, and more. 12/07/2023 Fleur is a Labour MP candidate for Rongatai. She has been a trade union official, union lawyer and a Wellington City Councillor.  She's advocated for and represented low income workers and campaigned for b...

Aimee and Aisling speak with Courtney Johnston the Chief Executive of Te Papa. She joined Te Papa as Director of Audience and Insight in 2018 before being appointed as the youngest Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive in December 2019. She is also a trustee of Arts Wellington, the Wellington Performing Arts Trust and The Pantograph Punch. She was the visual arts commentator for RNZ’s Nine to Noon program...

Aimee and Harita interview Green MP Marama Davidson. Marama is passionate about all areas of injustice, and is committed to using her voice wherever she can to elevate issues. Prior to becoming an MP, Marama worked for the Human Rights Commission for 10 years, and was the Chief Panelist for the Glenn Inquiry into Domestic Violence and Child Abuse.

Aisling and Harita interview Randee Kogan, a trauma therapist who works survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence. Randee recently featured as an expert in shows including The Dr. Oz Show and 60 Minutes Australia where she discusses her experience working closely with many victims of Jeffrey Epstein, many of whom she still treats to this day.  She can be seen in the Netflix feature “Ghisl...

Harita and Aisling speak with MP Jan Logie this episode. Jan is a member of the Green Party and has a rich history working for Women’s Refuge, the New Zealand University Students’ Association, the YWCA and numerous other social causes before entering Parliament in 2011.

Harita and Aisling chat with Mid Thomas-Savelio. Mid has over 30 years in the fitness industry and is currently the Chairperson of the Board for Exercise New Zealand. She is also the current Chairperson of the advisory board for Women of Worth and has been involved with the organisation for 3 years.

Harita and Jenna interview comedians Sowmya Hiremath and Salome Bhanu. Sowmya takes 'her take on life' to the stage and turns into comedy. She was Voted best female comedian in 2020 by Cartel Comedy. Salome made her debut on stage in Wellington in 2020 after Her therapist has pissed herself laughing at her life story and begged her to do it on a public forum.

Aimee speaks with Harita, Amy, Aleisha and Ashlee who are on the executive committee of the Wellington Branch of the National Council of Women New Zealand. We hear more about how they got involved in the branch and what they are passionate about. 

Harita and Aisling speak to Christchurch based journalist and author Anke Richter about her best selling new book, "The Cult Trip" about all things cult related, how people get into them and what she found during her research and interviews, and what led her to write this book.  

The YWCA is a proud feminist organization championing gender equality around the world. YWCA’s Wellington Branch board-people Isabel and Rhianna come on the show to promote the fund they’re launching for young women, E-hine fund. Listen in to learn what it provides funding for and how Wellington women can apply.  Interviewed by Harita Gandhi-Kashyap

Not so fun fact: every 10 years your period might cost you around $4000 in products that will also cost the environment untold damage if they’re non-biodegradable. Tackling period poverty and the environmental catastrophe at the same time, Shuari Naidoo is an award-winning social entrepreneur on the show to tell her success story of launching Moraka Menstrual Cups. Interviewed by Harita Gandhi-Kas...

We take the opportunity during Wellington’s Fringe Festival of luring a roaving theatre producer into the studio. Jenoveva Roberta is producer of and actor within three plays during the Festival. We’re interested to know more about a theatre production and stage-acting lifestyle and whether it’s as romantic as it sounds. Interviewed by Harita Gandhi-Kashyap

Suzanne Tamaki, AKA Native Sista, is the acting City Events manager for Wellington City Council and as luck would have it for the Council, a brilliant artist in her own right. She founded Pacific Sisters, a collective of artists of the Wellington Pacific community, and comes on the show to talk about the challenge of supporting Wellington to embrace Māori and Pacific culture through public arts an...

Wellington has a long history of theatre and Amy Mclean is a passionate new member of this vibrant community. She’s recently graduated in Theatre and Film from Victoria University, and now aspires to continue her studies in New York. She discusses the feminist themes in her most recent work and how influential women are within theatre today. Interviewed by Ayesha and Lily

If we want to have an inclusive society, we have to improve our Crimes Act. Dr. Neda Salahsour analyses the government’s crackdown on hate speech with its six proposals to amend the law, including increasing the number of groups protected to include pregnancy, disability, employment status, sexual identity and ethnic beliefs. Does it go far enough? Listen in to hear what Dr. Salahsour has to say....

Cath Wallace, Vice Chair of the Environment and Conservation Organisations, a peak body for working to protect the environment, has plenty to say about New Zealand’s position on climate change action, following Minister James Shaw’s trip to COP 26. New Zealand’s emissions reduction plan is inadequate, vested less in action and more in buying credits; Cath likens this to kicking a can down the road...