Meriana Johnsen

Print/online + multimedia journalist based in Wellington, New Zealand. Ngai Tahu/Rangitane. Cut my teeth working for NZ Newswire. Have also written for The Spinoff, Newsroom and Stuff. Writes about politics, Te Ao Maori and social issues. 

Radio New Zealand •

Wellington woman taking on the world’s best medieval fighters

It looks like a scene straight out of Game of Thrones. Hidden away from the streets of Wellington, surrounded by 100-year-old houses, is a medieval fighting pit where a handful of armour-clad warriors clash twice a week. This backyard in Newtown is home to the Felag Club, and some of its members are preparing to take on the world's best medieval fighters in Serbia and the Ukraine next month. Dayna Berghan-Whyman will first represent New Zealand at the Battle of the Nations World Championship
Radio New Zealand •

Voluntary euthanasia bill opponents say sponsor's tinkerings desperate

Opponents of voluntary euthanasia legislation have dismissed the bill's sponsor David Seymour's latest bid to get more support as a desperate measure that will not work. The select committee reported back on the euthanasia legislation yesterday, and could not agree on whether it should become law. Nearly 39,000 submissions on the bill were received by MPs over 16 months, with 90 percent of the 36,700 written submissions opposing it. Now, Mr Seymour has said if MPs vote yes at the second readi
Radio New Zealand •

New rest-break law tipped to cause more bus delays

A group representing bus companies has warned that rest-break legislation risks further delays to already stretched bus services. The Employment Relations Amendment Bill, that comes into force on 6 May, requires employees receive two 10 minute rest-breaks and a 30 minute meal break across an eight hour day. Bus and Coach Association New Zealand (BCA) president Alister McDermott wrote to Transport Minister Phil Twyford last month with a list of concerns regarding the legislation including "insu
Radio New Zealand •

KiwiRail hunts for skilled staff after influx of work

Rail workshops are looking for more mechanical engineers, as the industry's workload ramps up providing jobs for an extra 40 workers at KiwiRail's Hutt workshop. Just over six years ago, the rail workshop at Hillside in Dunedin laid off 90 staff, with just seven staff left. David Barclay lost his job at Hillside workshop after working there for 36 years. "I was always thinking when Hillside did shut down that it was a bad decision, because there may have been a lack of work but they could've c
Radio New Zealand •

E-scooters allowed on Wellington streets despite calls to ban

The Wellington City Council has backtracked on banning e-scooters from footpaths, after it found it couldn't legally enforce a ban. It was announced on Friday that Wellington start-up Flamingo, and Uber's e-scooter company JUMP, have been chosen for a six-month e-scooter trial in the capital city. Councillors voted in favour (9 - 4) to ban e-scooters from footpaths at a meeting last month but a newly-released report has advised the council against this. Council officials have advised there be
Radio New Zealand •

Wellington council tight-lipped on possible Uber partnership

Wellington Regional Council won't say what Private Public Partnership is being considered with Uber, as the billion-dollar ridesharing app sits down with local councils across the country. Uber has made its first moves into the New Zealand e-scooter market, after announcing its brand JUMP was one of two companies chosen for a Wellington City Council trial of the vehicles. But any other plans for expansion have been kept tightly under wraps, with the company scheduled to meet with Auckland Tran
Radio New Zealand •

Petition against housing project 'desecration' taken to Parliament

The government has been delivered an 18,000 signature petition, calling on it to revoke a housing development consent on sacred Māori land at Ihumātao. It was a sea of red, white and black as about 300 people walked up Lambton Quay and onto the grounds of Parliament, waving tino rangatiratanga flags and chanting "Ka whawhai tonu mātou...Ake, ake, ake" (We will keep fighting, forever). The protest was lead by SOUL, a group of mana whenua and locals, who have occupied the land near Auckland Airp
Radio New Zealand •

Kāpiti expressway repairs costs rise by another $25m

The Kāpiti expressway north of Wellington needs a further $25 million worth of resurfacing, just two years after opening. Potholes and discoloured patches began appearing on the $623m road within months of it opening in February 2017. Figures released to RNZ show the total cost of repairs is $25.2m, with taxpayers picking up more than half the bill. Transport Agency project delivery manager Karen Boyt said water had been penetrating the seal. "Following the opening of the expressway in Febru
Radio New Zealand •

City Rail Link on track despite contractor woes, company says

New Zealand's largest ever transport project, Auckland's underground City Rail Link, has assured the government it is on track for completion by 2024 despite problems with its previous contractors. The $3.4bn railway construction project has had difficulty retaining contractors. Fletchers pulled out in February last year, and in December Australian-based engineering firm RCR Tomlinson also went into administration forcing City Rail Link to pull its $500m contract with RCR's New Zealand-based s
Radio New Zealand •

Wellington Regional Council puts transport companies on notice

Wellington train and bus operators are being put on notice, for failing to provide enough drivers, which will see cancellations continue for months. The capital's train service operator Transdev, and NZ Bus were summoned to a "please explain" meeting yesterday with the Regional Council which employs them. The companies blame an industry-wide problem recruiting drivers. Bus drivers say poor pay and conditions are making the profession unattractive. Meriana Johnsen reports.
Radio New Zealand •

South Auckland housing development protesters remain resolute

A community occupying land near Auckland Airport to stop a housing development being built alongside sacred land say they are feeling increasingly scared, as the threat of eviction draws nearer. A makeshift village has been set up on land at Ihumātao where members of the group Save Our Unique Landscape have been living for the last two years to protest a housing development by Fletcher Building set to be built. They want the sacred land, which lies next to the Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Res
Radio New Zealand •

Targeted funding needed to fix 'appalling' Māori wellbeing - Salvation Army

Targeted funding is the only way to improve "appalling" Māori wellbeing outcomes, the Salvation Army says. It follows the release of the Salvation Army's annual State of the Nation Report, with the focus of this years' report Are You Well? Are We Safe? on measuring the overall wellbeing of all New Zealanders, to align with the government's 2019 well-being budget. The report author, social policy analyst Alan Johnson, said he was concerned the government's half-yearly fiscal update, which indic
Radio New Zealand •

Deactivated by Uber: 'They're going to listen to the rider and not listen to the driver'

More Uber drivers say they've been locked out of the ride-sharing app because of customer complaints they weren't even notified about. Earlier this month, an Uber driver said he was living in fear everyday of his income being taken away, after he was deactivated twice without being told. Five more deactivated drivers have since come forward. Victor, using an alias to protect his privacy, returned from a two-week holiday in Wanaka to an email from Uber on 12 January, saying his account had bee
Radio New Zealand •

Uber drivers fear sudden termination from false passenger complaints

An Uber driver fears his income could be cut off because of false complaints from passengers but the ride-sharing company say its deactivation policy is fair. Aaron, who to protect his privacy did not want his last name published, earns half his income as an Uber driver in Wellington. However, he has been shut out of his account twice since he first started driving in May, for claims that were eventually proven false. He was deactivated his second day on the job after a user complained that h
Radio New Zealand •

Some top names for Māori newborns shouldn't be on list - cultural advisor

What's in a name? That's the question some Māori are pondering, following the release of last year's top baby names. The top Māori girl's name Mia has raised eyebrows over whether it can be classified as a Māori name, with one te reo expert saying that a number of the names could be from different cultural origins. Meanwhile, a Māori cultural adviser is calling for the names Mia and Nina to be removed from the list. While the top boys name Nikau has topped the list for the last few years, Mia
Radio New Zealand •

Lack of indigenous rights protection in Paris agreement frustrates ropu

A group of Māori and Pasifika rangatahi are frustrated that indigenous rights are not specifically protected in the Paris Climate rulebook. The ropu of seven have been at the Climate Talks in Poland for the last two weeks pushing for indigenous rights to be protected. While indigenous rights are mentioned in the agreement, head delegate India Logan-Riley said the group wanted it be included in the rulebook to further safeguard indigenous rights. In the end, there were mentions of indigenous p
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