Coming up on Te Karere... A poll says close to half the country wants to see a change in government. Labour pledges to ensure the cost of water is borne by all. And a disturbing report predicts that kauri will be wiped out in our lifetime. 09 August 2017 Due to the live nature of Te Karere, some segments will not be subtitled. Tena koutou katoa, and welcome to Te Karere. A new poll has found that almost half the country wants a change of government. But with the turmoil and chaos plaguing the Greens, and Labour having just changed its leadership, can the centre-left coalition rally to seize the opportunity? Political reporter Eruera Rerekura spoke to Maori MPs from both parties today. The Greens have been campaigning for a long time to change the government. Yes I agree with that poll, the mood is there for a change in government. This MP for Hauraki-Waikato welcomes the survey. Well, it's something that re-energises you and that's a good thing. IPSOS have released their survey about whether or not New Zealand communities were happy with what the Government were doing. According to the poll... Nearly 50% of people agreed to change the government. More than 40% of in the survey said the country is going in the wrong direction. Poverty and homelessness were one of the big issues within that particular survey. You should give your party vote to the Greens to eradicate poverty. All of these things are well known. Our homeless people, and won't ever be able to get on the property ladder. According to New Zealand First, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. We see a rise of people living below the poverty line, it's not surprising. Davidson has a word of advice to voters: It's up to you all around NZ. You have the power to change the government. The challenge has been laid. Eruera Rerekura, Te Karere. Meanwhile, the government's been dealing with a controversy of its own today. The Tertiary Education Minister's been accused of making a 'disgusting' racial remark when speaking to a young voter. Following a political debate 25 year old Thomas Maharaj asked Paul Goldsmith whether a capital gains tax would ease the housing crisis. He alleges in response the minister was discriminatory to Indians suggesting they buy lots of houses. In defence Mr Goldsmith claims there must have been a misunderstanding and he didn't mean to offend Mr Maharaj. The Labour Party will charge commercial companies a levy for water use if they find themselves in government in September. Labour leader Jacinda Ardern unveiled their plans in Auckland today to charge water bottling companies for use of freshwater. But will Maori get a slice of the royalty pie? Ripeka Timutimu has this story. Water issues are taking centre stage for the Labour Party. Aucklanders are charged at the tap for water use by the Auckland Council, and Ngati Whatua spokesperson Tame Te Rangi says water bottling companies should too. Places where water is sourced from need to be treated better and looked after more. Those places shouldn't be completely commercialised. But he says Maori farmers could be adversely affected. We shouldn't just say oh let's go and sell off our water without thinking about the consequences it may have for the animals on our farms. We Maori know that we are heavily involved in agriculture on our land. Water allocation is currently managed by regional councils Water allocation is currently managed by regional councils under the resource management act and that could if Labour gets their way. Ripeka Timutimu, Te Karere. Kauri trees are on the brink of extinction in Auckland's Waitakere Rangers if urgent action isn't taken. According to their latest report on kauri dieback, the Waitakere Ranges is the most heavily infected forest in NZ, with infection rates. With no cure for the disease, Auckland Council says the region is facing a real threat. With no cure for the disease, Auckland Council says the region is facing a real threat. The world's oldest standing wharenui is now staying put at Te Papa for another two and a half years. Te Hau ki Turanga was set to be returned to Rongowhakaata by years end. But the house carved by master craftsman Raharuhi Rukupo will now be the centrepiece of an exhibition on the history of the Gisborne-based iwi. The two year exhibition opens at the end of September. Rongowhakaata will be the 8th iwi in residence at Te Papa. A petition signed by over 5000 people calling for effective sex education in the national curriculum has been presented to parliament, but with Maori youth pregnancy rates being three times higher than others in NZ, a community group in Manurewa says it's about teaching kids to make informed decisions. Hania Douglas reports. It's a natural part of life, but it isn't included in the curriculum. Some are probably still very conservative on this topic and aren't very comfortable with it and what students want to learn about. In my opinion when I look at this topic they need to be able to learn about it so they know how to keep themselves safe. Yesterday a petition was presented on the steps of parliament to see sex education included in the national curriculum, and the principal of Te Wharekura o Manurewa says it's been a long time coming. For me it's not a big deal. They all need to know how to look after themselves, when it comes to areas of health, physical well-being, spiritual well-being and emotional well-being. There are a lot of things they need to face in today's world. Puberty, the reproductive system, how the human body operates in those areas. From there it then goes on to sex, STIs, contraception, as well as the resources that are available for them to access. Te Kaha o te Rangatahi was established in 1992 by a small group of teen mums in the hopes of informing Maori youths to make informed choices for their bodies, but it seems those hopes remain unrealised. Some think that if we talk directly about these issues that we are somehow advocating for students to become sexual. That's not our message. Te Kaha o te Rangatahi and Te Wharekura o Manurewa have been working together for the past four years, and they share a common goal. It's different because it isn't in school. The thing is that discussions need to take place between elders, teachers so that they understand what our role is. Grab While it's unclear whether the petition will ever see the light of day again, these two groups say they will continue to encourage young Maori to make informed choices. Hania Douglas, Te Karere. After the break, One of the Tall Blacks new Maori recruits stars at the Asia Cup. And Issac Luke is demoted to the bench by Warriors coach. He came to the Warriors as a marquee player with a stellar reputation. Issac Luke was a member of the Kiwis world cup winning team, he's won a NRL premiership with the Rabbitohs, and has been described by some pundits as the best hooker in the world. But now after a wretched run of form with the Warriors, the veteran has been demoted to the bench. Tamati Rimene-Sproat has more. The Warriors are preparing for the next four weeks knowing that win or lose, they still won't be playing finals footy. It's the same old story for the Warriors who have once again missed out on the top 8 after falling short to the Knights. It was a performance that lost Issac Luke his starting spot as well with the hooker position set to be filled by Nathaniel Roache for the Raiders game this weekend. Since arriving at the club, Luke has had minimal highlights and it has become evident that he hasn't reached his true potential since being here. Luke has still been named on the bench for the game against the Raiders, but he might not even make it on to the pitch today training with the NSW cup team. Kick-off is at 4pm at Mt Smart. Tamati Rimene-Sproat, Te Karere. The Tall Blacks are off to a winning start at the Asia cup, with a win over Kazakhstan in their first pool play match. It was a slow start for both sides but the Kiwis were able to increase their lead in the second half. Tall Blacks point guard Derone Raukawa coming up with the clutch plays with a game high of 17 points. The Tall Blacks will take on Lebanon next on Friday August 11. A world famous neuropathologist has questioned why parents in NZ still allow their children to play contact sport. Dr Bennet Omalu of New York has questioned why parents let their children play contact sports when there's solid evidence that links head knocks and serious brain disease. He's repeating his calls for a global ban of contact sport at an underage level. Meanwhile, Rugby NZ said in a statement that both national and international rugby bodies continue to prioritise the safety of all players and participate in the ongoing conversation on concussion. After the break, from Poroporo to Toronto, the Maori academic who's been lecturing overseas for over a decade. And we have the weather. To the weather now. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz. She's an academic, she's of Ngati Awa descent, from the small town of Poroporo, Whakatane. However for the last 12 years Taima Moeke-Pickering has been lecturing indigenous studies in Canada. As Te Okiwa McLean reports her biggest subject aims at tackling indigenous women trafficking. From Poroporo to distant lands. Taima Moeke-Pickering of Ngati Pukeko has lived in Canada for the past 12 years. She's an university academic and her biggest field of subject aims at tackling human trafficking. Her views mainly focuses on indigenous women. However, this issue also targets indigenous men as well. Police departments were turning a blind eye. Moeke-Pickering believes racism is truly alive and well in Canada. This is what she has to say to authorities. This Maori descent will fight to the very end. Te Okiwa McLean, Te Karere. And staying with international affairs over the last few hours the feud between the US and North Korea has reached boiling point. Pyongyang says it's carefully examining a plan to strike the US Pacific territory of Guam. This happened after President Donald Trump warned the north that any more threats to America would be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. That's all we have for today. Turou Hawaiki. Captions were made possible with funding from Te Mangai Paho. Copyright TVNZ 2017.