Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Sara Mckoy, Max Micheel, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
The government recently announced increases to visa application fees across several groups, in some cases more than doubling the cost to applicants. These changes are due to increase revenue for Immigration NZ, and are said to make the organisation 100% self-sufficient.
On the 12th of August, the New Zealand Police Association released an open letter to the government calling out their exclusion from discussions around firearms legislation reform. The letter spoke to the necessity of existing legislation, and criticised the involvement of former and present gun lobbyists in the process, including the minister in charge Nicole McKee. According to the ACT party website, McKee was formerly the spokesperson for The Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, a gun lobbyist group.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Katie Nimon, Wire host Castor asked about the changes to visa application fees and the involvement of police and gun lobbyists in firearms legislation reform.
The New Zealand Police Association yesterday released an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon discussing firearms legislation reform. In the letter, the association called out the government for their exclusion from the policy making process, as the Police Association has been a key group calling for the introduction and continuation of a firearms registry.
The Police Association also called into question the involvement of gun lobby groups in discussions of reform, particularly the history of Associate Minister and minister in charge of the reforms, Nicole McKee. Before becoming an MP, McKee had been the spokesperson for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, a gun lobby group. This has led some to call into question her impartiality and ability to assess evidence regarding firearms legislation reform.
Wire host Castor spoke to President of the New Zealand Police Association, Chris Cahill, about the letter, the firearms registry, and involvement of gun lobbyists in firearms legislation decision making.
For Dear Science this week, we chatted with our expert Dr Cushla McGoverin about a parasite carrying drugs to the brain, tarantulas with lots of friends, and lions changing social groups with age.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Katie Nimon about changes to visa fees and police involvement in firearms law reform.
They also talked to president of the New Zealand Police Association Chris Cahill about the association’s open letter to the government about firearms legislation reform.
And they spoked to CEO of immigration advice organisation Aims Global and chair of the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment, Arunima Dhingra, about the visa fee changes and how they’ll impact immigration to Aotearoa.
Recently, the Ministry of Social Development changed its eligibility for those trying to access Emergency Housing.
On top of having tougher eligibility, the policy also means that those caught breaking the rules of their Emergency Housing needs will have a stand-down period of 13 weeks for a housing grant.
Kick Back, a youth development organisation, has condemned the government’s move, and is calling for the government to reassess the criteria, due to how the new criteria will significantly displace young people requiring access to Emergency Housing.
Joel spoke to youth worker and co-founder of the organisation, Aaron Hendry, about the shift of eligibility, and what this will mean for vulnerable young people
The Paris 2024 Olympics games, which are set to end, have aimed to be the “greenest games in history,” implementing a lot of measures to attempt to decrease their carbon footprint.
Despite clear aims to be more environmentally-friendly, the games are predicted to emit 1.5 billion tons of carbon, similar to the amount Fiji emits annually.
Alongside this, only two sporting bodies that make up the New Zealand Olympic Committee have developed their own sustainability strategies.
Joel spoke to Professional Teaching Fellow in Social Sciences at the University of Auckland, Chris McMillan, about the Olympics, and team New Zealand’s aims to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, and whether this is enough.
Last week, the newspaper, The Herald, showcased an advertisement by right-wing lobby group, Hobson’s Pledge, on the front of their August 7 issue.
The advertisement calls to “restore the foreshore and seabed to public ownership,” insinuating that Māori own pretty much all coastal areas in Aotearoa.
NZME, who owns The Herald’s choice to include the advertisement has faced significant backlash, notably by Te Pāti Māori, and Kawea Te Rongo - The Māori Journalists Association.
Joel spoke to Professor at the University of Auckland Faculty of Law, Claire Charters (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāpuhi, Tūwharetoa, Tainui) about the advertisement and the backlash it has received.
For their weekly catchup, Wire Host and News and Editorial Director, Joel, speaks to the ACT Party's Simon Court, about calls from the New Zealand police association for ACT MP, Nicole McKee, to step down from her responsibilities in the firearms reform.
Also for our week catchup, they speak to Te Pāti Māori's Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, around local council's voting on the future of Māori wards in their constituencies, the Ngāpuhi hīkoi over the government's plans to reverse section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act, and Te Pāti Māori's calls to boycott the newspaper, The Herald.
They spoke to Professor at the University of Auckland Faculty of Law, Claire Charters, around the controversial decision to include an advertisement by right-wing lobby group, Hobson's Pledge, in The Herald.
The also spoke to Professional Teaching Fellow in Social Sciences at the University of Auckland, Chris McMillan, about whether the Olympics, as well as team New Zealand, are doing enough to lower their carbon footprint.
Finally, they spoke to youth worker and co-founder of Kick Back, Aaron Hendry, about the Ministry of Social Development changing their eligability for Emergency Housing, and what this means for vulnerable youth.
Wire host Caeden speaks to Labour’s Shanan Halbert about Labour’s new policy to sanction Israel and the Ngāpuhi led protests against 7AA repeal this week.
State of the States makes a return! They speak to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about the newly announced Harris/Walz ticket this election campaign.
And they speak to Dr Kevin Trenberth from the University of Auckland on the record levels of carbon in our atmosphere.
Producer Sofia speaks to Councillor Shane Henderson about rates in Auckland and Council investing $47 million in parks and community facilities over the next three years.
She also speaks to Senior Campaigner at Amnesty International Aotearoa, David Vega, about a recent report from Aotearoa Justice Watch.
Earlier this week, Aotearoa Justice Watch released a report detailing numerous testimonies of abuse, discrimination and alleged violations of human rights within New Zealand’s criminal justice system.
Of the 62 submissions made between June 2022 and March 2024, 36 testimonies related to prisons, 20 to policing and 6 to both policing and prisons.
Aotearoa Justice Watch is made up of People Against Prisons Aotearoa, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, JustSpeak and the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties.
Producer Sofia spoke to Senior Campaigner at Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, David Vega, about the report and identifying areas for improvement in our criminal justice system.
From Dec 27 to Jan 18, all train lines across Tāmaki will be shutting down for summer maintenance, a closure which is expected to be the last of its kind ahead of the opening of the City Rail Link.
The current measles outbreak in Tāmaki is being continually monitored, with exposure sites being updated daily on info.health.nz. The public are encouraged to track whether they’ve been in possible contact with the virus, and get up to date on any vaccinations to limit possibilities of transmission.
Auckland Council are supporting arts initiatives across the summer months, with Music in the Park kicking off in early January, and Movies in the Park following in February.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about these topics, and also asked for comment following the attack by two gunmen at Bondi Beach earlier this week.
Yesterday, the latest six-monthly survey of housing support providers under the National Homelessness Data Project, or NHDP, showed that homelessness in Auckland has more than doubled in the year to September. The report also found that 14 of the 21 agencies interviewed reported an increase in homelessness.
As well as this, Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16 has taken effect. And according to an interim report into social media harm, a social media ban for children in New Zealand is worth exploring further.
And last week the Government announced the replacement of the Resource Management Act, or RMA. The coalition said its replacement will slash red tape and supercharge growth.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the Government’s new RMA reforms and a potential social media ban in New Zealand.
But first they discussed the latest report on Auckland homelessness.
The Parliament’s Workforce and Education Committee has released an interim report on an inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders face online. The government has recently announced an overhaul of the Resource Management Act and introduced two new bills in its place, the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill.
For our weekly catch-up with the National Party, Producer Vihan spoke to MP Carl Bates, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of the Workforce and Education Committee, about the new findings of the interim report, the new Natural Environment Bill, and the Fast Track Approval Amendments Bill.
The government has announced the overhaul of the Resource Management Act (RMA), which will be replaced by two different bills, the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill. The RMA is set to be fully replaced by 2029.
The RMA, which has been in effect for 34 years, is polarising across the political spectrum.
In announcing the reforms, RMA Reform Minister, Chris Bishop, says that “pretty much everything” will be quicker and less costly under the new regime.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about this overhaul of the RMA.
They also discussed The Education and Workforce Committee’s interim report on the harms young people experience online, with a majority recommending a ban on social media for under-16-year-olds.
But first, they discussed the overhaul of the RMA.
On Sunday, “Block the Ban” held a protest against the government’s decision to ban new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria.
The United Nations’ committee for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination has released a report warning that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights.
And last week, the government rejected the recommended methane emissions targets.
This is despite officials warning against the government doing so, stating that lowering methane emissions targets could increase New Zealand’s contribution to global warming.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
Safety measures on public transport are of growing concern this week following the fatal and unprovoked attack that took place on route 76 in East Tāmkaki on Monday night.
Earlier this week there were also multiple critical incidents that occurred simultaneously across Auckland’s West Coast beaches and waterways, seeing an unusually high deployment of emergency services and surf lifesavers for this early in the summer.
Swedish home and furniture retailer Ikea opened in Sylvia Park a week ago today, drawing huge excitement for many.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about these topics.
Last week was scrutiny week, where Parliament focuses entirely on holding government agencies and ministers to account, to check-in on how well the Government is performing.
Many of the questions surrounding scrutiny week have been focused on climate change, with many recent reports highlighting the Government’s questionable decision-making.. The biggest headline was that the coalition had chosen to reject all three of the climate change commission’s recommendations to strengthen New Zealand’s emissions targets.
Along with this, the United Nations released a new report, where they’ve warned that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights and entrenching disparities for the indigenous population. In the 14-page report, the UN expressed concerns over multiple government policies affecting Maori, including the disestablishment of the Maori Health Authority, cuts to public funding for Maori services, and minimising the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the report released by the United Nations, but first they discussed Scrutiny Week and the Government’s recent climate change decisions.
The government is pausing the new prescriptions of Puberty Blockers to gender diverse and transgender young people from the 19th of December onwards, following a similar move by the UK after the results of the NHS’s Cass Review.
Wire Producer Flo spoke to activist Lauren Craig about the effects of the legislation, her petition “Reverse the decision to deny transgender and takatāpui young people access to puberty blockers” against the changes and the wider political motivation for the policy.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here
The biannual Scrutiny Week took place in Parliament last week, with meetings across select committees and government departments focussed on scrutinising the outcomes of government work.
These include hearings on ministries like Health, Housing, Environment and Justice.
Wire Host Sara spoke to National MP Carl Bates about Scrutiny Week, firstly by asking him to talk about the meetings he was involved in
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