Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news & current affairs show, The Wire. Your hosts Jemima Huston, Mary-Margaret Slack, Lillian Hanly, Lachlan Balfour and Laura Kvigstad focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere, in independent-thinking bFM style. Weekdays 12-1pm on 95bFM.
On Dear Science today we talk about the end of the Opportunity Rover on Mars, push ups and heart disease, and the best order to drink wine and beer together as well as a profile of the element Americium from the Periodic Table.
Fletcher Tabuteau is with us this week and Lillian Hanly spoke with him about the Digital Services Tax and the possible shift away from the use of 1080.
Finally, Lillian has something special in store for Wednesday listeners over the next month or so, and that is A Seven Part Chat with Rod Oram. This will be explained later in the show but basically there were some articles around the possibility of another global financial crisis and Lillian wanted to know more about that, and whether we should be keeping money out of the bank...
Heaps of great interaction from listeners today too with lots of good points about alcohol poisoning and tax and fairness.
Governments all over the world are paying more and more attention to the financial activities of digital giants such as Google, Facebook and Uber. And New Zealand isn’t being left out of the picture - our government has just announced plans to impose a new digital services tax on multinational corporations operating in New Zealand. Finance Minister Grant Robertson sez highly digitalised companies currently earn a significant income from New Zealand consumers without being liable for income tax. He adds the current tax rules also provide a competitive advantage to foreign companies in the digital services field compared to local companies offering similar online services. So will this proposed digital tax affect the operating activities of these online global giants in New Zealand? Olivia Holdsworth spoke to economic and political journalist Rod Oram about the new tax. Olivia also asked him about his thoughts on the upcoming tax working group report and specifically the capital gains tax which would see profits from the sale of assets and investments such as rental properties and shares being taxed at people's marginal income tax rate. Olivia began by asking how the digital services tax will affect multinational corporations.
Why have 7 UK Labour MPs resigned overnight? I talk to our correspondant in Europe, Justin Wong.
The Green Desk is back for another week: Today, Mitchell talks to the executive director of Greenpeace Russel Norman about the state of New Zealand’s fishing industry
Then, Liv talks to economic and political journalist Rod Oram about the government’s plans to impose a new digital services tax (DST) on multinational companies operating in New Zealand and briefly discusses the capital gains tax.
Finally, for our international segment, Lisa looks at the developments in the China / New Zealand relationship
Since late 2018, organisers have occupied Ihumātao, a patch of land near The Auckland Airport that Fletchers plan to develop. The groups are fighting to see the land returned to mana whenua due to its deep signifigance. On Friday, Save our Unique Landscape, or SOUL, held a National Day of Action at Fletchers offices around the country to raise awareness for their plight and gain support for their petition. Lachlan spoke with Te Pora Stephens from SOUL about the history of the land and the fight to save it from development.
Stuff recently released an article warning of sex-for-rent advertisments appearing on Craigslist for rooms in New Zealand cities. The article talks about how sex-for-rent arrangements pose a serious risk to women. Jemima speaks to Dame Catherine Healy, the National Coordinator for the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, about sex-for-rent arrangements and whether they are safe.
Action Station commissioned a report on online harassment in New Zealand. The results were disheartening, showing high levels of abuse aimed at minorities in Aotearoa. They argue current legislation has not kept up with the internet and how abuse is now happening online. Lachlan spoke with Leroy Beckett from Action station about the report.
Today on the Monday Wire, Jemima speaks to Green Party co-leader James Shaw about the possibility of a blue-green political party emerging before the next election. Lachlan talks to Leroy Beckett from Action Station about online harassment. Lachlan also spoke to Te Pora Stephens from Save Our Unique Landscape about Ihumatao and the national day of action held last Friday. Jemima wraps up with National Coordinator for the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, Catherine Healy, about sex-for-rent advertisements and arrangements.
It was announced this week that the government has a new initiative to reinvigorate all of the polytechnic institutions around the country. As of recently, many polytechs have been struggling financially & failing to make their student quota.
The Minister of Education, Chris Hipkins, wants to change this, and has proposed to unify all sixteen polytechnic, as well as to combine all the funding for these institutions across the board.
I also got in touch with James Ranstead, President of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations.
He shared with me his thoughts on the progress which is taking a step in the right direction, as well as the consultation needed by students themselves.
Protect Ihumātao, the National Day of Action was a protest that took place this morning on Great South Road. We talk with Pania Newton about what happened on the day.
An investigation into the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, the possibility of another one, and general political economy discussion, Lillian Hanly takes us through A Seven Part Chat with Rod Oram.
On Dear Science today we talk about the end of the Opportunity Rover on Mars, push ups and heart disease, and the best order to drink wine and beer together as well as a profile of the element Americium.
Last Thursday was Valentines Day but what exactly is love? How have notions of love changed over time? Can love be consciously developed? And how does love for partners, friends, children, and country differ? Maria Armoudian speaks to Simon May, Bennett W. Helm, and Robert Epstein.
With discussions about the possibility of a new blue-green party arising before the next election flooding the media at the moment, Jemima asks Green Party co-leader James Shaw what his thoughts are on a new party. James also talks about what the Green Party has planned for the next few months.
Laura Kvigstad spoke with Marketing Lecture from The University of Auckland, Gavin Northey about corporate participation in Pride. Laura asked if he thought corporations pulling out of Pride were about being on the right side of history.
Fletcher Tabuteau from NZ First is back after a few weeks and tells us what he’s been up to, what happens on the first day back in Parliament and why NZ First polled so low this week.
NOTE: Fletcher spoke about detention centres in Nauru moving toward closing down and the government wondering how they will make money for the island from that point. Up until then, detention centres had been a huge part of their economy, and a texter linked us to a Guardian article which found they had been making big profit for construction companies based in Australia.