Māpuna for Saturday 11 November 2023

Magic mushrooms with a social impact

As one of few Māori-born biotech businesses in Aotearoa, Rua Bioscience in Tairāwhiti is the only New Zealand-based medicinal cannabis company with an explicit focus on delivering social impact.
   
Last month, The Ministry of Health granted Rua Bioscience a cultivation licence for research into an indigenous magic mushroom that is hoped to be able to help those suffering from methamphetamine addiction - a first of it's kind in New Zealand.

Rua Bioscience co-founder, Manu Caddie, has spent the last 25 years working in community development and biotechnology. His true passion is facilitating sustainable use of whenua, so whānau can continue to live and work on their ancestral land. Manu spoke to Julian Wilcox.

Creating pathways for Māori into STEM 

Genevieve Doube (Kāi Tahu), is a Resource Management Planner and the Pou Whakawhanake within Te Ahi Tūtata, the Māori business team at Beca, one of Asia Pacific's largest independent, multidisciplinary advisory, design and engineering consultancies.

After growing up disconnected from her Māori culture, she never expected to end up being a champion for creating pathways for Māori into STEM. 

At Beca New Zealand, Genevieve's been busy developing a framework to help all employees become more comfortable with te ao Māori and incorporating it into the workplace.

She spoke with Julian Wilcox about creating places of work where Māori can belong and succeed.

Waiata played on the show today:

Ria Hall - Tihore Mai Te Rangi