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.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, Producer Evie speaks to him about the proposed repeal of section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act.
She also speaks to Criminology Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Emmy Rākete (Ngāpuhi) about her concerns surrounding the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki act, about the Ngāpuhi hīkoi taking place in opposition of the act.
She also spoke with Lecturer in Counselling, Human Services and Social Work at the University of Auckland Kendra Cox, about the government’s youth offender boot camps that kicked off last week, and her concerns on how this will affect rangatahi Māori and their mental health.
News and Editorial Director and Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aoteaora National Chair, John Minto, about the 24 pro-Palestinian protests at occured across Aotearoa over the weekend.
And they spoke to PhD Candidate in Environmental Sciences at the University of Auckland, Nargiss Taleb, about experts calling for stricter standards surrounding compostable products.
Last week the government finally launched their Youth Offender Military Academies, more commonly known as ‘boot camps’.
Since their announcement, the idea of the camps has caused a lot of concern surrounding their effectiveness and treatment of youth.
The first camp has taken in 10 youth, nine of which are Māori.
In Aotearoa’s history as well as globally, there is repeated evidence that a tough approach to boot camps hasn’t been effective in lowering youth crime, or rehabilitating the youth involved.
On top of this, the release of the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in state care last week has amplified concerns that these boot camps may contribute to a cycle of abuse, particularly for Māori youth.
Producer Evie spoke to lecturer in counselling, human services and social work at the University of Auckland Kendra Cox about what these boot camps may look like, and the potential impact they’ll have on Māori youth.
On Friday producer Evie also talked to criminology lecturer at the University of Auckland Emmy Rakete, who is Ngāpuhi, about her concerns surrounding the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki act.
We also talked about the Ngāpuhi hikoi taking place today in opposition to the act, and what they believe the government should be doing next.
Last week the government released the findings of the inquiry into abuse in care that was established in 2018. This inquiry was established to investigate abuse in faith and state-based care from 1950 to 1999. Māori, Pacific, and Disabled rangatahi were all overrepresented in this report.
Now people are asking what to expect next when there is evidence abuse in state care remains ongoing, and while the government has promised an official apology and redress scheme.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to the University of Auckland’s Stephen Winter about the report, how it compares to international standards, and what we can expect to come next as a result of the report.
Students in Bangladesh have been protesting against the reinstatement of the quota allocation for government jobs. These quota allocations are for relatives of veterans from the country’s war of independence from Pakistan.
The protests began when students at Dhaka University peacefully held placards and flags against the quota allocation but escalated after they were violently attacked by individuals associated with the ruling political party and police.
Since then 200 people have been killed and another 10,000 people detained.
The protests have now turned into students and other people protesting against the ongoing killings, arrests, attacks and disappearances.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Fiasol Miah from the Bangladesh skilled migrants association of New Zealand about these protests.
The health system in Aotearoa has experienced issues of overcrowding and underfunding since before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While the current government campaigned last year on increasing funding to the health sector, most of this funding went to Pharmac and providing new cancer drugs.
Despite staff shortages in the health sector, the government has continually criticised what they claim is an overspend and poor budgeting. The new health commissioner, Lester Levy, went as far to describe the system as ‘bloated’, with similar criticisms from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in his descriptions of ‘fourteen layers of bureaucracy.’
Tuesday Wire host Castor spoke to the executive director of the association of salaried medical specialists, Sarah Dalton, about staffing issues in the health sector and how the government can address them.
Wable, a social media networking app inspired by the television series ‘Love on the Spectrum,’ which has been designed specifically for neurodiverse individuals, is set to release in New Zealand in the coming days.
Joel spoke with CEO and Co-Founder of the app, Holly Fowler, and Love on the Spectrum star and ambassador for Wable, Michael Theo, about what sets this social media platform apart from others, and the importance of designing applications in mind for people who are neurodiverse.
Wire Host Caeden speaks to Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni about household and tobacco tax cuts and the lowering of child poverty reduction targets
They also speak to Fiasol Miah from the Bangladesh skilled migrants association of New Zealand about the ongoing protests in Bangladesh.
And they speak to the University of Auckland’s Stephen Winter about the results of the Abuse in Care inquiry.
For City Counselling today Producer Sofia speaks to Councillor Julie Fairey about managing construction disruption in Auckland's CBD
Tuesday Wire Host Castor speaks to executive director of the association of salaried medical specialists, Sarah Dalton, about staff shortages in Aotearoa’s health sector.
And News and Editorial Director Joel speaks to CEO and co-founder of Wable, a social networking platform built for neurodiverse people, Holly Fowler, and Love on the Spectrum star and ambassador of Wable, Michael Theo, about the app’s release in Aotearoa.
For their regular catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March about resignation of the party’s key Pasifika members following the investigation of former MP Darleen Tana, as well as the changes to the government’s child poverty reduction targets.
He spoke to Hayden Eastmond-Mein, an organiser discussing a campaign of his calling for New Zealanders to donate their tax cuts to fund aid in Gaza
He spoke to Emmy Rākete from the University of Auckland to discuss how the abuse in care inquiry unveiled a care-to-prison pipeline for Māori Rangatahi.
And for this week’s Get Action! He spoke to Synteche Collins from End Child Prostitution and Trafficking, talking to us about a petition calling for a dedicated helpline for survivors of exploitation.
Sasha spoke to Greg Waite of the Child Poverty Action Group to discuss the decrease of affordable rental shares and the need to develop more public housing.
The most recent figures from the Global slavery index estimated that there were 8,000 people in Aotearoa who were victims of some form of labour exploitation and who legally fit the definition of being modern day slaves.
In spite of this, there are alarming gaps in providing victims of exploitation and trafficking with the resources they need to get assistance from organisations such as police, medical agencies and helplines.
For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Synteche Collins, acting director of the NGO End Child Prostitution and Trafficking, talking to us about a petition of the organisation calling for the New Zealand government to establish an official helpline for victims of exploitation and trafficking.
If you're interesed, you can sign the petition here:
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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