- Hello, Kiwis. I'm Paddy Gower and I have got issues. On the show, we investigate issues big and small that are important to all of us. Tonight ` Nitrous oxide, a harmless high or a dangerous drug? I'll investigate the complicated world of nangs in New Zealand. And Karen O'Leary finds out that the way that we are keeping guinea pigs is keeping them miserable. Can she save them? www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023 (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) (UPBEAT MUSIC) (LAUGHS) Now, tonight I've got an issue with nangs. Yes, nangs. Now, you might not have heard of them, but you have probably seen these little silver canisters scattered around. Now, Meryl Borne from the Mount Roskill community Patrol found these ` over 600 used nangs collected in just a few days in the car park beside the railway station on Great North Rd. So thank you very much, Meryl, for your mahi. Now, I'll tell you what is in these things. Nitrous oxide or nos ` laughing gas. Heaps of people are doing them to make themselves giggle. There are businesses devoted to selling them. Yet, while lots of us are hoovering up these nangs for fun, there's a massive information vacuum out there as well. The laws around nangs are murky. It's legal to use them, but illegal to sell them, unless you sell them in a legal way. And for a very, very small number of people, there can also be major medical consequences. The reality is that nangs, though, are a part of Kiwi life. You can buy these things at the dairy. But tonight, we can reveal a potential government crackdown could be on its way. So the question is this ` dangerous drug or harmless fun? What do we do about nangs? This is an issue for all of us. Tonight, I'm joined, as always, by Karen O'Leary, our community investigator. And our news-deskers, Eli Mathewson and Courtney Dawson are in the house. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Yes, we've had a bit of a break. What have you guys been up to? - Oh, well, Paddy, we've just been sitting at this desk waiting, actually. - Yeah, we miss our families so much, Paddy. - Yeah, that's what I like` That's what I like from my staff ` loyalty. Now, like I said, a lot of people out there used nangs, and, technically, it's actually legal. But tonight, we can reveal that the government could be about to crack down on this. Medsafe has told us this, and I quote ` I wanted to find out all about nitrous oxide, so I went to Nang Central, the city of scarfies ` Dunedin. (CHILL MUSIC) (CHATTER, LAUGHTER) - Jesus. (UPBEAT MUSIC) - Are you ready? - Yeah. - Let's go, dog. (ALL LAUGH) - So what's happening now? - Everything just gets funny. - Just kind of buzzes a little bit. - Katie, you're feeling all g? - Yeah, a little bit` a little bit wonky. - Wonky? Wonky? So, Oscar, this is your first real nang? - Yes. - What's it like? - Uh, I describe it as buzzy is probably the best word. You just get, like, a quite pleasurable, like, body sensation and maybe, like, there's a slight visual aspect to it. - With nangs, each subsequent nang in the night, you go a little bit deeper into, some would call it the nangverse. (LAUGHTER) - Yeah. So that's supposedly` Well, no, not supposedly, that is for whipped cream. - Yeah. - But also usable for nangs. - Very regularly used for nangs. If someone wanted to purchase a box of these, they could go online to a catering supplies company. They could also go to a few of the dodgier dairies or $2 shop type spaces around. - You know, do nangs mean fun? - ALL: Yes. - I try to like buy one of` - So are we in the nangverse? - Yeah. - Oh, yeah. (LAUGHTER) - Elbow deep. - Elbow deep? Elbow deep in the nangverse. - Three is my cap, though. I normally only do three in a night. - You have a three-nang rule? - Yeah. Just to, like, stop myself from getting too silly. - How do you rate the harm of this? - Low. - Less harmful than kava. - Yeah. Less harmful than kava. Lachy Akers works with Know Your Stuff, a drug harm prevention group. He's not partaking tonight. - Nitrous oxide is the lowest drug on the New Zealand Drug Harm Index. - So it has a very short duration of action. I mean, like you saw it, we were kind of sober again in, like, 30 seconds to a minute. - Although the risks are low, there can be side effects, one of which is hypoxia, a lack of oxygen in the body. In rare cases, people can also end up with nerve damage. Katie, are you worried about the harmful effects of this? - I know what can happen and what to look out for, and, no, I'm not particularly worried. I'm not using massive amounts super frequently. - Those harms, to me, are low enough that I feel comfortable exposing myself to those low harms. - I'd be way more concerned with my harms from drinking alcohol. - Yeah. - The Rose et al study that came out a couple of months ago has nangs at the very bottom of that list. - And what are you studying, by the way? - Pharmacology and neuroscience. - Pharmacology and neuroscience. That's handy. (ALL LAUGH) - Medsafe is, I believe, currently reviewing the legal status of nitrous oxide. And if they were to ban them, people would move to riskier inhalants and other drugs. New Zealand should be legalising nangs and regulating them in a safer way. - So does New Zealand have anything to worry about nangs? - Yes. - Like, litter. - Yeah, I was gonna say. - Oh, litter? - Everywhere, in gutters... - You're basically telling me that the main problem is people not being tidy Kiwis. - Yeah. - Yes. - So tell us about this` Tell us about the study. (LAUGHTER) (ALL LAUGH LOUDER) (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) OK, thanks to those fine young New Zealanders for giving their night to me. Now, here's that new study they were talking and laughing about. It came out this year and it's all about the harms that drugs do here in New Zealand. And the most harmful drug by far is alcohol, just ahead of methamphetamine. Cannabis is down here and MDMA is down there. Vaping even further down, and kava all the way down. And then we get to nitrous oxide or nos, or nangs. The least harmful right down here, right down beside no drugs at all. Now, I need to ask you guys, and be honest ` Have you ever tried nos? - Yes, Paddy. - Yes, Paddy. Yeah. - Well, to be honest, yes, I did do nos when I was` when my son Melvyn was being born, um, in hospital. So, um, but obviously then I got in trouble because apparently you're supposed to be the one in labour to have the nos, not just the lesbian partner. (LAUGHS) I can't` Now, I hate to ask after that answer, but what is your investigation about tonight? - Well, look, Paddy ` tonight, my issue is massive, but it's also really small. Um, it's shocking. It's also really cute, though. So, obviously, tonight I'm gonna be tackling guinea pigs. (LAUGHTER) - Guinea pigs? - Yeah` Yeah, guinea pigs. I mean, it's not just guinea pigs. It's a big` it's an animal welfare issue. So... - Oh, animal welfare? - Yeah. Hey. Well` hey, roll the tape. Rob, thank you so much for inviting me into your home. I guess the first question I have for you is, what is your issue? - My issue is that lots of people have got guinea pigs at home and only buying one. - So your issue is guinea pigs all by themselves? - Yes. Lonely guinea pigs. - # All by myself. # - When we decided to get guinea pigs this year for my daughter, we went off and did some research, as you do. - Oh, hello, Glitter. - We then discovered that you have to buy guinea pigs in pairs because they're such social animals. You know, they're a great first animal for kids to pick up. - They're just really sweet. - Mm. - And they're nice to cuddle. - Yes. If you were a guinea pig, what name would you choose for yourself? - Maybe... Bert. - Bert? - Mm. - Well, look, what can I do to help? - So we would like the Kiwi nation to stop selling guinea pigs singly, just only in pairs or more. And happy. - Well, do you know what? For Glitter and for Iris. And actually just for all guinea pigs ` They're my new best friends, and I am determined to help them out. This could be the biggest, smallest story of my investigative career. And if there's one thing I've learned from Paddy Gower, it's that it's crucial to get as many points of view as possible. Hello. Hi. What's your name? - (SQUEAKS) - We're just doing a story about what it's like as a guinea pig to live by yourself or with others. I mean, what are your thoughts? - (SQUEAKS) And how long have you been living here? - (SQUEAKS) OK, so maybe I should talk to someone who... can talk. Dr Christy Cameron, um, I'm gonna get straight to it. As the guinea pigs couldn't or wouldn't tell me, could you translate for them? Do they like to be kept alone? - No. They're used to being in groups of 10 in South America, where they live in the wild. So living alone is not part of their behavioural repertoire. - How many guinea pigs are kept as pets? Do we know this? - About 38,000 households. - OK. How many people have got guinea pigs all by themselves? - About 10% of those we surveyed. They live in groups in the wild. Therefore, we should and we're obligated to have them living in at least pairs as pets. - OK. So you've obviously done quite a lot of research about guinea pigs. What's one of the craziest, most wild facts that you could tell me? - I can make guinea pigs climb up a ramp in one second. - And they get up in one second? - Yeah, they're really quick. - Well, how do you do that? - Well, I'll show you. - So you've got a name for these races? What do you` Is it like` - It's the GP GP. Guinea Pig Grand Prix. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) - WHISPERS: Come on, buddy. You gonna do it? Yes! How do you feel, Bernard? I mean, that was pretty, pretty good. Anything you wanna say to your fans? - (SQUEAKS) - All right, I'm all in. Guinea pigs should not have to suffer alone. It's time this little piggy found some solutions. (SNORTS) (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - OK, too good. But in all seriousness actually, I was quite moved by that because, you know, they are sentient beings. You know, they've got feelings, and we're hurting them. - Well, that's the thing. And it's not actually a small issue. This is the issue that I've had the most emails in from various people, not just all from the same person who's obsessed with guinea pigs, different people. So it matters. (LAUGHTER) It's not funny for the guinea pigs. It matters for a lot of people. - Yeah, it matters to me. I'm on the side of the guinea pigs. And coming up, I meet the Kiwi surgeon with a warning about the rare, but sometimes debilitating effects of nitrous oxide. And Karen can't crusade for guinea pigs until she truly understands what it is like to be a guinea pig alone. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) (THUMPS) (GUESTS GASP AND FALL SILENT) (BELLOWS) Call this a feast?! (HEROIC MUSIC) (ARMOUR CLANKS) (HEROIC MUSIC CONTINUES) (PEOPLE CHEER) VOICEOVER: 4 Square. What'll it be today? It's all the same. Expensive power made toast. Cheap power made toast. (VOICE DISTORTS) It's all toast. (FEEDBACK WHINES) SCIENTIST: Again. Same energy. Probably cheaper. (MONITOR BUZZES) (CHOIR SINGS) # Frank! # (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) (UPBEAT MUSIC) - I'm Paddy Gower, and welcome back to my show ` Paddy Gower Has Issues with me, Paddy Gower. Now, next up in our investigation of nangs, I meet the surgeon who is warning that nitrous isn't always safe. But first, voting has opened, and the election campaign is almost over. So I have tasked my news desk to bring me a campaign roundup. Eli, Courtney, what the bloody hell is going on out there on the campaign trail? - Yes. Thank you, Paddy. Next week, there'll only be one winner made up of three losers. But tonight, everyone's a winner. It's our first ever election campaign awards in this week's New Zealand Has Issues. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - There's been a lot of talk about transport this year. And first up, we have the award for the shortest campaign drive. It goes to National's Nicola Willis, who took this scenic trip on a scooter. (THUD!) Oh, boy. Owie, Nicola. Maybe you need to stop worrying about getting New Zealand back on track and worry about getting yourself back on training wheels. - The award for worst graffiti goes to whoever defaced Chloe Swarbrick's billboard with, 'Woke Lesbo', because, as she said, 'I mean, yeah.' (LAUGHTER) This is good, I reckon. I wanna see more accurate vandalism, you know? I wanna see writing on the toilet wall that says, 'Call this number for an OK time.' - Eli, I told you, you've got to stop tagging. In a very negative election, we want to reward positivity. Unfortunately, the most positive thing about the campaign so far has been Chris Hipkins' Covid test. So the award for the most positive person goes to Chippy. And look, Chippy, I get it. I like to use up all my sick leave before I leave a job as well. Luckily, he hasn't been in the room with anyone here recently. - PADDY: Whoa. - And now, the award for the most surprising issue goes to Act's Brooke Van Velden at the youth debate, saying the biggest issue for all young people is... - And just the ability to get head in our society. (LAUGHTER) - Uh-oh. (LAUGHS) It's a cost of giving crisis. And look... (LAUGHTER) if that is the biggest issue in your life, please let me` let me let you know that becoming an Act supporter's not gonna make it any easier for you. And that's all you need to know before hitting the voting booth. Good luck, Aotearoa. - Now's probably a good time for me to apologise to Chris Hipkins. I did have Covid when I went into the debate the other night, but it was a really important night, so I decided to soldier on. And I'll apologise in advance to Chris Luxon as well. Just jokes. Just jokes, guys. That was the joke section. Now, tonight's issue, the serious one is what should we do about nangs? And one of the first things that became clear to me in our research was that people actually don't know that much about nangs. So now it's time to go behind the issue. Now, nitrous oxide or nos is N2O, and each molecule has two nitrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. It is manufactured, compressed, and then stored in tanks or canisters. Now, nos was first discovered way back in 1772 by a chemist. And surprise, the first thing people found out was that it's fun to inhale. Nitrous oxide slows down the brain and the body, making you feel calm and euphoric. And the 18th and 19th century upper classes threw massive laughing gas parties. Now, nowadays, it's got a few uses, like pain relief at the dentist or during childbirth, or to super power drag race cars. And don't forget as an aerosol propellant to whip cream with ` That's quite important. Now, the game changer for nos use came mid-last century when these little things were invented, making it easily available in small quantities for people baking cakes, and for people not baking cakes. And the laughing gas parties were back. Here in New Zealand in the early 2000s, there were even bars dedicated to them. But with popularity came controversy. And in 2005, selling nos for people to inhale was prohibited in New Zealand. The loophole is that nos can still be sold for other purposes, like whipping cream, and it's not illegal to possess or even to inhale it. So nang use has raged on. And in England, they've had enough of scenes like these from the Notting Hill Festival. This is 13 tons of empty canisters. And the UK will this year ban the sale of nos completely. But it is important to note this was a political decision. They banned it against the advice of health experts. But is there any actual or potential harm with nangs? I met a doctor who says, yes, there is. Dr Shilpan Patel has seen an increase in people turning up to hospital after using nangs. What's wrong with them when they come in? - These patients are presenting days to weeks after using nitrous oxide or nangs with a multitude of symptoms, including numbness or weakness in their limbs, or having changes in their mental state, such as changes in cognition or even features of psychosis. - Psychosis? - That's correct. - Wow. And these are young people? - Yes. And that's what we as clinicians find concerning. These are fit and well young people who are presenting with significant disability. - That disability is spinal cord damage. He's had nine patients already this year unable to walk just from using nangs. - This is one of these patients here? Anonymous? - That's correct. So, uh, on the left, I have an image of a normal spine. And you can see the spinal cord is a nice solid black line. And then on the right hand side, you can see that there is a lot of white artefact. And that's all areas of damage that have been done to this young person's spine. - Whoa. What's causing that? - Hmm. When people inhale nitrous oxide, it depletes your vitamin B12 stores. Without that essential vitamin, the tissue and the spinal cord becomes damaged. - OK. So that's a lack of vitamin B12. - That's right. Nitrous oxide causes a functional B12 deficiency, meaning it inactivates your B12 so your body can't use it for its normal cellular processes. - OK. And this person's spinal cord after using nangs is` in in a mess. - In this particular person, because of the structures that have been damaged, the nerves that are carrying sensation to their legs and arms are damaged. And what it means for this person is when they came in, they were unable to walk. - Wow. Can a person whose spinal cord ends up like this... - Yes. - Can it be fixed? Can it be healed? - There has been some recovery in patients. However, what we do find concerning is that some of these young patients who were followed up three, four, five months or even longer down the line are still taking a long time to recover. As an example, this young New Zealander who was unable to walk at her three-month follow-up was still requiring a walking aid to walk around. - These people that we're seeing with these serious injuries, how` roughly how many nangs are they doing? - What we found that was really concerning was that we had people presenting with spinal cord damage who were using hundreds of nangs per day and others who were using very little. And actually the worst affected person only used a single session of nangs once in their life. But they had risk factors for a B12 deficiency that they didn't know about. And so even though they didn't use much nitrous oxide, they still had significant damage from it. That particular person was quadriplegic, meaning they couldn't move all four of their limbs after they used nangs once. And then on follow-up nine months later, they were finally able to walk with a lower walking frame. - Whoa. That is scary. - As clinicians, we are worried about young people having access to large amounts of nitrous oxide and being able to use it without restrictions. Um, and I think that that is an issue that needs to be looked at. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - Yeah, it certainly is an issue, because I was quite shocked by what is happening out there to these few people. And there really is a lack of education around some of the medical consequences of nangs. - Oh, for sure, Paddy. When I was potentially ` I wasn't ` doing nangs in the '90s and I had no idea that there were any dangers associated with it. - Yeah. And the interesting thing is that prohibition hasn't worked at all. Now, Jim Anderton, the minister at the time who put in the ban way back in 2005, said, 'This new interpretation of the law means we can move to put an end to inhaling nitrous oxide where it has not been prescribed for use by a health professional.' That did not work, as we can see 19 years on. - You know, as the mum of a teenager, you might think that I'd be worried, but my son is actually a perfect angel child. (LAUGHTER) Yeah. - What were you doing when you were 14, Courtney? - I was doing my homework, Eli. - (LAUGHS) Yeah. All right. Coming up, I send reporter Emma Olson to find out how easy it is to buy nos. And can a kid even buy it? And Karen's crusade to protect guinea pig welfare means she has to cover up and go undercover. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - Nau mai hoki mai. Welcome back, Kiwis. I'm Paddy Gower, and this is Paddy Gower Has Issues. Now, Karen, you're about to find the one place in the world where they treat guinea pigs with the respect that they deserve, aren't you? - Correct. Yes, that's right. - And I'm gonna guess that it's in Papua New Guinea. (LAUGHTER) - No, look, I'm just gonna remain neutral on this one. - LAUGHS: OK. - But I can tell you you're wrong. You'll have to wait and see. - I'm wrong. OK. Righto now ` it's that time of the show where I try to find the one thing out there that I have no issues with. It's No Issues. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) And I'll tell you what, I tried bloody hard to write a No Issues this week about Winston Peters, but I could not come up with a single thing about Winnie P that I have no issue with. So let's start over. I've got no issues with... breaking the Ranfurly Shield in half. (AUDIENCE BOOS) - Nah, get out. - Come back, come back, come back. Hear me out here. The Ranfurly Shield will survive this. It's bigger than a bunch of Hawke's Bay hooligans who dropped it on a concrete floor in a kitchen in a flat in Tamatea or Frimley or Havelock North or wherever the hell it was. What kind of munters, by the way, live in a flat with a concrete floor in the kitchen, for starters? That is weird. (AUDIENCE CHUCKLES) Now, back to the real issue ` the shield. It literally is a log o'wood. We've been playing for it for 119 beautiful years, and this latest bit of oak was actually brand new. The 118-year-old version was retired just a little while ago, rightfully, as a taonga. And that's my point here. It's not the wood that matters. It's the passion. It's the history. Let's get another piece of oak, put it back together, and some other union, potentially one that's amber and black like Taranaki, goes and takes it off the bastards that broke it and holds it aloft again, because despite these concrete floor kitchen clowns, don't lock it away for nobody to touch. It's not some poncey overseas trophy like the FIFA World Cup. Let the winners party with it responsibly. The shield is not just the log o'wood it's made out of. It's something much, much bigger than that ` something special. You can't break the Ranfurly Shield. And that's why I've got no issues with breaking it in half. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - I think you almost convinced me there, Paddy. Well done. I mean, you actually had a point. - That's the first time you've ever said that... - First time I've thought it. - ...so I will take that as a victory. Now, Karen, you are... and I cannot believe I'm saying this ` going undercover again... - Mm-hm. - ...but this time to try and save some guinea pigs. - Well, I've just realised I'm very good at going undercover, so, yes, I have gone undercover again. (STAMMERS) This time, I just sort of went under the cover of some hay on me. I heard rumours that Switzerland had some impressive guinea pig laws, so I called them up. - The Swiss animal laws are known to be some of the most progressive on this planet. - Can you please just tell me, what is the animal protection ordinance? - It's some 200-plus provisions that lay down how to keep animals. - So basically, any animal that lives in Switzerland is covered by that. - Yeah, you could say that. Yeah. - Well, I just did say it. I mean, what does it say specifically about guinea pigs? - It's recognised that they're social animals, so since 2008, we have this norm laying down that they should be kept at least in pairs. We have a fine of up to 20,000 francs. It would be about NZ$38,000. - That's a lot of cash. - Yeah, it would be a lot of ca` - (EXHALES) Well, that was fascinating. So, Switzerland classifies keeping a guinea pig alone as animal abuse. But is it really? It's time for an experiment. I'm gonna spend 24 hours alone in this cage in the basement of Three to see if it really is that bad. OK. I'm ready. Hit the lights. Yeah, so, I've been in here for a little while now. I think it's probably about, I don't know, maybe 8 o'clock. But I'm feeling pretty good. It's not that roomy, but hey, I'm a guinea pig. I'm just gonna make do. I really should've gone to the toilet. But I guess, again, I've just got to live like a guinea pig would. # Guinea pigs ` # they're so little and furry. I think that's the bit I didn't wee in. Ugh, gross. I'm guess I'm just` I'm really missing, like, people ` having anyone to talk to. I feel very alone. (SPLUTTERS) It's messing with my mind. I` (OMINOUS MUSIC) (SNORES) (GASPS) (SQUEAKS, COUGHS) That was the worst thing I've ever done. We can't let this happen to guinea pigs. - (SQUEAKS) - A popular place to get guinea pigs is Trade Me, and they have single pigs listed all the time. So let's see if they can jump aboard the bandwagon to help the little pigs out. I asked Trade Me if they could update their website. All they had to do was add a couple of lines to their blurb telling people to keep guinea pigs in pairs and groups. But they came back with a big old no, stating that, 'It's important that prospective buyers do their due diligence 'to ensure they can provide the best care for the new family member.' So Trade Me don't want to help us out. Surely there's someone that can do something. (APPLAUSE) I just want to point out that it looked like I really slammed the computer down on that poor` - Yeah, that was rude. - Yeah, well, it wasn't the case. I loved every minute of that four-and-a-half-hour conversation. (LAUGHTER) - All right. It was really disappointing, though, to see Trade Me wouldn't come and help our furry friends. I'm pretty gutted that Trade Me wouldn't make that really simple change that could help guinea pigs. - It wasn't gonna be hard, and to be fair, a lot of people that do list guinea pigs on Trade Me do make sure` They self-police basically, and put that on there. And there are other places like` You've got the Auckland Cavy Care, who are really good at rehoming and helping foster out guinea pigs. - And of, course, a little factoid for people ` cavy is another word for guinea pigs, which I never knew until we started researching this. All right, coming up ` Trade Me turned her down, but Karen takes it to the top and finally finds a guinea pig saviour. And reporter Emma Olsen enlists a 13-year-old and a hidden camera to investigate how easy it is to buy nitrous oxide at Kiwi dairies. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) RAP SONG: # I don't even care I ain't never had manners # No way, no way # Yo! # Sitting while you rap 'cause we just can't... # (CHAIR MECHANISM SQUEAKS) VOICEOVER: From $2.50, introducing the Subway Value Bites range. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - OK, welcome back. I'm Paddy Gower, and this is Paddy Gower Has Issues. Now, coming up, I am sending a reporter to find out how hard or actually how easy it is to buy drugs at a dairy and we'll even see if a kid can buy them. But first, it's time to go back to my solid, loyal news desk. Now, guys, I saw that the actors in Hollywood are still on bloody strike. It's been going on for months. Courtney, Eli, explain this. - Well, you're lucky there, Paddy, because comedians are not on strike. So we can tell you, and this is The World Has Issues. - Yes, Paddy, the actors of Hollywood are on strike. And I know all about this because I went to drama school and then didn't get a job for two years because I too was on an actor's strike. Now, it's not just Brad Pitt and George Clooney. There's 160,000 working actors striking, and many of them aren't actually even that hot. (LAUGHTER) The strike not only means no acting, but also no promoting any TV or movies that are coming out. Which is a shame, cos I actually couldn't wait to see what the dogs from the new Paw Patrol movie were gonna wear on the red carpet. Ooh, somebody hasn't been spayed. - So you might be asking yourself, how did this all start? Well, the Actors Guild, it's called SAG-AFTRA, which is actually what happens when I wear the wrong bra... - One of the fears is that actors could be replaced by AI, which is totally cooked and definitely not how we make it look like we have a live studio audience. (LAUGHTER) - So what does this strike mean for you, the people who watch things? Well, it's delayed the release of hundreds of films and TV shows, and in their place, we're gonna see a lot more reality TV hitting our screens, so to fill the time, look out for my new reality TV show, The Real Housewives of Manurewa. - And mine ` Married to the Mob at First Sight. Back to you, Paddy. - Well, we're not on strike here, so there's no waiting for Paddy Gower Has Issues content. And thank you to my news guinea pigs, who, by the way, should never, ever be separated. Now, please welcome to the couch, everyone, my friend and Newshub reporter Emma Olsen. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Right, Emma, I've enlisted you in this investigation to help me find out how things actually work out there, how nangs are sold in New Zealand. And it is legal to sell NOS as long as it's for baking purposes. But what I wanted to see was how it really works in practice. - Well, PG, I went undercover ` my first undercover mission, might I add... - Good on you. - ...and I took a hidden camera and I also took along a 13-year-old for her to try her luck. Hidden camera in here, camera on here ` let's see how we go. (DING!) Well, that was pretty straightforward. (CROSSING SIGNAL BEEPS) Another one. We've had pretty good success at the dairies, and I've heard there's a vape store just up the road from me here, which sells NOS canisters. But unlike dairies, why would they need baking supplies? Well, that was interesting. I went into the store and asked the man if he had some NOS. He then giggled and said he wasn't allowed to call it that, but then grabbed it, put it on the counter and proceeded to sell it to me. Now, I've heard that there's one other way that people are getting their NOS these days, and that's online, getting it delivered directly to their door. So we're gonna give it a go. The website specialises in party supplies and claims to deliver them 24-7. They have shisha, barware, drinks, games and baking. Not sure why a party website needs baking. And when we click on that, it comes up with cream chargers. And when you go into it, they've got a box there that you've got to tick I am over 18 years old, and then complete order. Hi. The delivery man takes a photo of my ID to check I'm over 18. - Thank you. Do you get, like, busy? - Saturday? Oh, like, Saturday nights and things. - Thank you so much. Well, there you have it ` 45 minutes later, delivered straight to my door. Well, you've seen just how easy it is for me to buy NOS canisters. And as a 23 year old, I'm curious to see what it would be like for someone younger than me. So I've brought my friend along, Heidi, who's 13 years old. Heidi, do you know what NOS canisters are? - It's a thing used to whip cream, but if it's smelled, it can be used as a drug. Yeah. - Yeah. so we're going to send Heidi into a convenience store to test her luck. You ready to go, Heidi? - Yeah. - How did you get on, Heidi? - Well, I went to five different convenience stores, and none of them would give it to me. - Did they tell you why? - Well, they all asked if I was 18 or not, and, obviously, I'm not, and then they asked for my ID, which I don't have. I mean, I'm just a kid, so I guess it's nice to know that they're not selling it to my age. - Well done ` really good undercover investigation there. - What's interesting, PG, is just how easy it was for me to buy NOS, even though I was clear that my intent was to inhale it, which is where it becomes illegal to sell it to me. - Yeah. And it was bloody interesting that they were putting on an age of 18, even though there's no law requiring that whatsoever, is there? - Yeah, exactly. There is no law to say that you can't sell it to kids to whip cream. They're essentially self-policing. They're making up their own rules to stop from selling to our youth. - Yeah, very, very telling. Now, Karen, speaking of telling... - Mm. - Tell me that your investigation will assist guinea pigs in getting the damn respect that they deserve. - My investigation will assist guinea pigs in getting the` (STAMMERS) - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - I had to go to parliament and to New Zealand's second most favourite pet store. And I'll let you guess who was the most helpful. My first question for you is, are you pro or anti animal welfare? - I'm pro animal welfare. We all need to look after our animals ` our fur babies and the likes. - And, well, scale babies if it's fish. - Yeah, yeah. If you've got fish, yeah, yeah. - What does the Animal Welfare Act 1999 say about guinea pigs? - Do you know, it doesn't specifically talk about guinea pigs being kicked solely on their own. - Would it be possible to amend the Act so that it was more in line with the Swiss Animal Protection Ordinance? - I think if guinea pigs became as popular as, say, cats and dogs as pets, then it could be worth a conversation and having with NAWAC, the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. - But` So what you're saying is that guinea pigs aren't as popular as cats and dogs. - Well, I don't know that for a fact, to be fair, but... - People never say, 'It's raining guinea pigs,' though, do they? - No, that's true. They don't. So, perhaps, they're not as... You know. - So I can't change the law, and I can't change Trade Me, but I can change hearts. Let's go make life better for guinea pigs. - (SQUEAKS) - Petstock is New Zealand's second biggest pet store chain. I need them to come on board. Am I right in understanding that Petstock helps to find guinea pigs new homes? - Absolutely. At Petstock, it's really important. - It feels a little bit weird that we're actually doing this interview without even seeing a guinea pig or holding a guinea pig. I mean, would you have access to...? - Yes. - How do you make sure ` say, these guinea pigs ` are gonna go to a good home? - If a customer comes in, and they're inquiring about a guinea pig, we do go through a little checklist with them just to ensure that they are going to be a suitable home and that they're going to be a forever home. - Is there like a criteria in terms of how cool the name has to be? - No. (LAUGHS) They can be as creative as they like with the names, as long as they're, I guess, socially acceptable. - I've had an idea. I mean, Petstock could be able to do a two-for-one deal all of the time. So you always get two guinea pigs for the price of one. What about if we made it $80 for one, $40 for two? $80 for two, $200 for one. - LAUGHS: $200 for one. - What are some other ideas? What could we do? - I think what would be a really great idea is if we get some decals made. - What, sorry? - Decals. Decals. - What's that? - Like a... sticker that would go on to the enclosures. - Oh, yeah, decals. Yes. - Yeah, decals. - OK, so can we make these changes happen? - I'll make the call. I'll just give you that guinea pig. - Come here, little friend. Are you excited? Will you be rehomed together? I hope so. - Great news. - Yes. - We've got these decals made that we're gonna stick on all our small animal enclosures across Petstock-wide. - You know what this is? This is a result. (GUINEA PIGS SQUEAL) Now our guinea pig education is in every Petstock in Aotearoa. - # Come on, come on, let's stick together. # (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - Two words for you ` 're-sults'. Thank you so much to Petstock, really, for doing that. But my main issue was the pronunciation by the Petstock person there of 'dickles'. - Dickles? - 'Dickles', yeah. - Are they called 'dickles'? - Yeah. They are called 'dickles'. - That's even worse than 'de-cals'. (LAUGHTER) Look, just don't forget, Paddy, and if you've got an issue, then it's an issue for me, so please email us at issues@paddygower.co.nz, and I'll come and help you out. - Yeah, and we'll get more results on that. And fantastic result by Emma as well out there. Thank you so much, Emma. Now coming up ` Chloe Swarbrick... she is in the building, and, obviously, our favourite woke lesbo, aside from Karen, of course, and I'll get her take on nangs next. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Again. (GRUNTS) (TOASTERS CLICK) (VACUUM HISSES) (OVER SPEAKERS) Again. Again. Again. (TENSE MUSIC) (SIGHS) Crust condition identical. Expensive power made toast. Cheap power made toast. It's all toast. (VOICE DISTORTS) It's all toast. (FEEDBACK WHINES) Again. Same energy. Probably cheaper. (MONITOR BUZZES) (CHOIR SINGS) # Frank! # (TOAST CRUNCHES) (VACUUM HISSES) It's all toast! (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - Nau mai hoki mai. I'm Paddy Gower, and welcome back to Paddy Gower Has Issues. Now, tonight I've been asking, what should we do about nitrous oxide, AKA nangs? Now, there are not many people in the country who know as much about drug policy as our guest. Please welcome MP ` Green MP, actually ` Chloe Swarbrick. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - Handshake? - I'll give you a handshake, all right, Chloe. Welcome, and it's just under two weeks until the election. I'll put my debate moderator hat on. Yes or no, and be honest with me, have you ever done a nang? - (LAUGHS) I'll be honest if you will, Paddy. - I'll be honest and say that, yes ` yes, I have done a nang. - Then yes, I have as well. - And have you done more than one nang? - I have. And I would also say that I have inhaled, unlike most politicians would admit to when it comes to cannabis. - All right. I think we better stop this game cos who knows where it will end up, and ask, you know, how do you think we should be treating nitrous oxide here in New Zealand? - Sensibly. So if you're to look at how we can approach any given substance, you have to acknowledge first and foremost that any substance can cause harm. So the question has to be how do we create a regulatory framework that reduces that harm? We know that the extremities of harm come from a completely legal and unregulated framework or from a completely prohibited black market framework where you have either commercial entities or criminal organisations that are incentivised to exploit vulnerable communities in order to make a quick buck. So we pull back from those extremes into a space of sensible regulation which has been put forward in 'Turuki! Turuki!', the Safe and Effective Justice Review, He Ara Oranga, the Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry, both tabled in Parliament last term and roundly ignored by mainstream political parties. - Yeah, because where does that put Medsafe in this? You know, that's a government department that is talking about potentially tightening up restrictions on nangs. - Yeah, so what I'm concerned about is that we often have moral panics related to one given substance when they make the headlines, and we then see a really ad hoc, individualised response often down that criminal prohibition kind of end of town. And that means that we don't end up thinking about the ecosystem or the public health kind of approach that we should be taking. So I'd far prefer that we were looking at this in the context of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 and the psychoactive substances legislation, which introduced in the context of the likes of BZP, actually offered an awesome framework for legal regulation. But we can't regulate substance under that framework because they're all banned under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. So our legislation is broken, and it's a dog. - And in terms of that, one of the things we saw tonight was a lack of education around nangs. We saw a surgeon showing us that, yes, for some people, there can be some really serious medical consequences. Is that a worry as well? - Of course it's a worry. But, again, if you're to contextualise this within drug harm in this country, we know out of University of Otago, research tells us that the number one drug for harm in this country is alcohol. 23 on that list ` the last on the list ` is NOS. So we have to also contextualise this within that evidential basis and talk about how we regulate to reduce that harm, because we know that simply prohibiting something and pushing it underground doesn't get rid of it. And that's the experience in the UK. - Yeah. And, you know, in terms of that drug harm index, it is back-to-front. Alcohol's at the top, but that's legal, and NOS is at the bottom, and they're looking at tightening that up. What will really happen, though? Will any of this be fixed, do you think? - Not until the majority of politicians grow a backbone. (LAUGHS) I got to tell you, like, the honest truth is, I've spent six years trying to have these discussions. And oftentimes, you'll drag a politician offside, and they'll tell you outside the debate that they believe in this stuff, but they just don't think the public is there yet. So therefore, they're not willing to stick their neck out and do what I think is actually the moral imperative, but also, obviously, the evidential imperative. It's the right thing to do, and it will save lives. So I guess this is a call to politicians to wake up and to do the right thing. - Yeah, and Karen, what do you reckon on what you just heard? - I think good luck getting them to wake up and getting them to maybe get backbones and/or put their necks anywhere. - All right. Keep that backbone nice and secure against the couch there as well, Chloe Swarbrick. Thank you very much for coming in, and good luck in two weeks' time. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) And thank you so much to Karen O'Leary for her incredible investigation tonight... - (SQUEAKS) - ...and, of course, to our newsdesk is Courtney and Eli. Now, tonight, my issue was what do we do about nangs? Well, for me, it goes like this. It is time for us to get real about nangs. There is no point in leaving this to some sort of Wild West regulation by dairy owners. And as for Medsafe's plan to potentially use the law to restrict their sale, that will not work. It will just create a black market. There is no point in trying to lock these nangs away when there are way more harmful, illegal and legal drugs out there. Let's grow up. We could actually have some sensible drug policy around this. Take out the hysteria, and focus on the actual harm, which isn't much. Now here's a starter from me. Make a proper new law allowing nitrous use for over 18. Sell them somewhere like bottle shops for exactly what they are going to be used for. No more of this crap that they are for catering and put them in plain boxes with some sensible safety advice on them. Nangs would be much safer this way. Please be careful out there, though, and be a tidy kiwi and pick up your used canisters. Paddy Gower. Those were my issues, and I'm gonna miss youse. Captions by Courtney Sole and Sam Baker. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023