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.
Several Jewish organisations and individuals have spoken out in support of Palestinian liberation and oppose the conflation of criticising Israel with anti-semitism.
There have also been reports of isolated incidents of anti-semitic threats in the past few weeks, which has caused concern among the Jewish community.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to the Co-Founder of Alternative Jewish Voices, Marilyn Garson, who lived in Gaza for four years, about the difference between calling out the injustices of the Israeli government's actions and being anti-Semitic, and their calls for New Zealand political leaders in their response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
On Saturday, 28 October, almost 7000 people marched in Auckland’s Aotea Square calling for Palestinian liberation, with several other marches taking place across the motu and around the globe.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to President of University of Auckland Student Justice for Palestine, Layan Khalil, about what it has meant to see growing numbers of people show up to Palestinian solidarity marches, and how students can support their advocacy.
The Tuesday Wire team is joined by Davide Mercadante for Dear Science. The team discusses the discovery of hidden trees throughout Europe that gives new hope for carbon storage, potentially hazardous litter leaf and the pitfalls of biodegradable bags might not be as good as we thought to recycle organic waste!
For our weekly segment Nicholas catches up with the National Party’s Dr Shane Reti to discuss National’s potential Pasific Island caucus and the Party’s plans to scrape Fair Pay legislation.
Nicholas also spoke to activist and academic Te Matahiapo about Matike Mai, a working group looking into possible avenues for constitutional reform in Aotearoa.
Lou spoke to Samuel Andrews on his findings on Sexualised Drug use in Gay and Bisexual men in New Zealand
And, Josh spoke to Dr Arama Rata on the coverage of the Auckland Palestine march, and coverage of Palestine, in New Zealand Media and Omar Hasaniah, a former Gazan Resident, on his experiences in Aotearoa this month.
The lead up to this year’s election has been marked by conversations regarding Māori rights and crown obligations under Te Tiriti O Waitangi.
As our country reckons with the contentious history of colonisation, work has started on imagining a new Aotearoa.
Matike Mai is a working group dedicated to researching ways in which Aotearoa’s constitution can better reflect He Whakaputanga (The declaration of Independence), Te Tiriti O Waitangi and the United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.
Nicholas spoke to a member of Matike Mai, Te Matahiapo to discuss the mahi that has been done so far, as well as the reasons why constitutional reform will benefit not just Māori but all people who call New Zealand home.
Nicholas began by asking Te Matahiapo to explain what Matike Mai is.
This week for our weekly catchup with Dr Reti, Nicholas asked Dr Reti about the National Party’s plans to scrap Fair Pay Agreements.
Fair Pay legislation was passed last year, the legislation would require employers in certain sectors to negotiate minimum working conditions for employees, with Unions and employee representatives.
The interview began with a question about National’s potential lack of MP’s of Pacific Island descent. As it currently stands Angee Nicholas would be the only National MP of Pacific Island descent. Angee Nicholas currently holds her seat by thirty votes so it is possible she may end up out of parliament.
Nicholas began by asking Dr Reti how National plans to make sure the Pacific Island population of Aotearoa is represented in the new government.
Josh Black talks to Dr Arama Rata about the lack of coverage in a protest she attended, and the NZ media's reporting on gaza. He also talks to Omar Hasanaiah, a previous Gaza resident, on his experiences as a Palestinian in NZ.
For our bi-weekly segment of Get Action, where we speak to petitioners from Action Station about their causes, Rosetta spoke to Erin Thomas, director and change maker at the International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination, or ICAAD. ICAAD has been working to bring awareness and justice to the Banaban people residing in Rabi, Fiji, as a result of displacement due to phosphate mining of Banaban in the mid 20th century.
Rosetta spoke to Erin about ICAAD’s recently launched petition to the New Zealand ministry of Foreign affairs and trade ‘Protecting the to life with dignity of the Banaban community’
New research from The University of Sydney, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne and The University of Hong Kong suggest that the epicentre of avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, has shifted out of asia. The virus was first detected in China in 1996, however several outbreaks have occured since 2014 in both wild birds and commercial farms across Europe and Africa, as well as a recent discovery of cases in birds in the Antarctic region.
Rosetta spoke to Virologist and Professor at the University of Otago Jemma Ghee-gan about the virus and Aotearoa’s bio security systems in place to protect against avian influenza reaching New Zealand.
Rosetta spoke to Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larson about Christopher Luxon’s plan to reintroduce offshore gas and oil exploration, and the IEA’s report on this.
Rosetta also spoke to Virologist and Professor at the University of Otago Jemma Ghee-gan about the rise in outbreaks of avian influenza, or bird flu, around the world and in the Antarctic region.
And for our bi-weekly segment of Get Action, where we speak to petitioners from Get Action about their causes, Rosetta spoke to Erin Thomas, director and change maker at ICAAD about their petition to bring justice to the Banaban People of Rabi, Fiji.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party Rawan spoke with Simon Court about updates regarding the ACT and National coalition as well as the party’s viewpoints on the Israel-Palestine war
Rawan also spoke with Samira Zaitoun, the Co-convener of Justice for Palestine about the Pro-palestine marches over the weekend as well as clarifications around statements made by Simon Court.
On Saturday 28 October thousands of people marched for Palestine all over the country in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and most other regions in Aotearoa.
Rawan spoke with Samira Zaitoun, the co-convener of the pro-Palestine organisation, Justice for Palestine.
Justice for Palestine is a human rights organisation that has long campaigned for the freedom and rights of the Palestinian people.
Rawan started off by asking Samira about how the protests went over the weekend. Samira also clarified statements made by Simon Court in regards to what the purpose of these marches are and what they mean to the Palestinian Community.
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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