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 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’
Under a new government, Christopher Luxon has committed to getting rid of the offshore oil and gas exploration ban, which had been in place since 2018. This decision has caused widespread opposition and cries for a commitment toward clean energy, and the International Energy Agency has released a report condemning the plan, which they call “non-sensical” and “foolish”. Greenpeace Aotearoa has condemned Luxon’s plan, and has launched an open petition to the oil and gas industry which has gained more than 8,000 signatures.
Rosetta spoke to Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson about the policy and it’s environmental and economic impacts. She started by asking Amanda to explain what this policy would look like and how scrapping the ban would come into place.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to academic and Palestinian New Zealander Dr Rand Hazou about New Zealand’s response to what is happening to Palestinians in Gaza.
Producer Nicholas spoke to Lecturer of Language and Culture at the Auckland University of Technology Richard Pamatatau about the potential lack of Pacific representation in the National Party Caucus.
He also spoke to Professor of Ecology at Massey University Dr Dianne Brunton about the University's proposed cuts to the Albany Science campus.
Massey University has proposed cutting courses from the Albany science campus after the University reported a financial downturn.
These cuts would affect more than 100 jobs and cause issues for students pursuing their masters and doctorates.
Nicholas spoke to the Professor of Ecology at Massey University Dr Dianne Brunton about the University's proposed cuts to the Science Campus at Albany.
Nicholas started by asking what the cuts would mean for the science programs
The preliminary election results mean that the National Party would only have one MP of Pacific Island heritage in Parliament.
Angee Nicholas is currently ahead by just 30 votes in the Te Atatu electorate, with special votes still to be counted, it is possible that the result may change.
Nicholas spoke to the Lecturer of Language and Culture at the Auckland University of Technology Richard Pamatatau about the potential lack of Pacific representation in the National Party Caucus as well as reasons why the National Party appeals to some members of the Pacific Island community.
Nicholas started by asking Professor Pamatatau about what he thinks of the current makeup of National Caucus.
Outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has shown support for a humanitarian pause in Gaza and establishing humanitarian corridors to protect civilians.
But advocates say this response is not enough, with more than 60 community organisations and individuals signing an open letter to the caretaker Prime Minister and incoming Prime Minister, calling for New Zealand to take a strong stand appealing for a ceasefire and for Palestinians in Gaza to come under United Nations protection.
Approximately 2.3 million Palestinians have experienced severe shortages of water, food, electricity, medicine, and essential healthcare services, and persistent Israeli attacks for more than two weeks.
The death toll for Palestinians in Gaza is now over 5000, including 2000 children.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to academic and Palestinian New Zealander Dr Rand Hazou about New Zealand’s response to what is happening to Palestinians in Gaza.
She started off the interview asking Dr Hazou about his connection to Palestine.
Statistics New Zealand regularly conducts food price surveys, which includes supermarket groceries, takeaways and restaurants. The information is sorted by food groups. Recent data shows that the price of fruit and vegetables may finally be stabilising relative to inflation, although the price is still higher than this time last year.
To find out more, Arno spoke to James Mitchell, manager of Consumer Price Delivery at Stats NZ. Arno started our interview by asking what range of time the data collected covered.
Next, Arno spoke to Jeremy Neeve, who works at the Wellington City Mission, particularly the social supermarket; a new project aimed at replacing the traditional food bank model. Arno started our interview by asking him what they do.
Surf Lifesaving New Zealand has been operating for over a hundred years. They make sure beaches are safe to swim at. They recently issued tips on how to stay safe this summer, which is predicted to be long and hot: perfect swimming weather.
To start our interview, Arno asked CEO Steve Fisher to tell us a bit more about Surf Lifesaving New Zealand.
For their post-election catch-up, News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins asked Green Party Co-Leader James Shaw about his thoughts on the election result, what the new government could mean for climate action in Aotearoa, and ACT's call for a referendum on te tiriti.
For their regular catch-up, News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Green Party Co-Leader James Shaw about the election result, what the new government could mean for the climate, and ACT's calls for a referendum on te tiriti.
Oto spoke to Matthew from Students for Fair Rent, a student-led organisation campaigning to lower accommodation costs at the University of Auckland.
Arno reported on recent food price data released by Stats NZ and spoke to Manager of Consumer Price Delivery at Stats NZ James Mitchell and Project Manager at the Wellington City Mission Jeremy Neeve.
And Arno spoke to Surf Lifesaving NZ CEO Steve Fisher about how to stay safe at the beach this summer.
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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