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.
Spike speaks to attendees of the Palestinian solidarity march in Tamaki Makaurau last weekend, along with Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa chair John Minto, about the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the ongoing Israeli occupation.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins hosts the Wednesday Wire.
Spike reports on Saturday’s Palestinian solidarity march in Auckland and Aotearoa's role in Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza, speaking to attendees and Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa head John Minto.
Arno spoke to Physics professor and former president of the Royal Astronomical Society Nick Rattenbury about the discovery of new starless planets.
He talked to Deborah Hart about a new consumer advocacy council submission to require a Best Plan notice on power bills.
And he chats to NZ Breast Cancer Foundation chief Ah-Leen Rayner about their new breast cancer awareness campaign.
Last week Nicholas spoke to Nicole Skews-Poole from the disinformation project about their report into a rise in Anti-Maori Racism.
Disinformation about Te Tiriti o Waitangi has been used to garner attention and support for anti-Maori causes.
Nicholas spoke to expert in Treaty of Waitangi law and legislation Dr Carwyn Jones of Ngāti Kahungunu and Te Aitanga a Māhaki descent, about the facts surrounding the legal obligations set out in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Nicholas began by asking Dr Jones about what rights Māori are entitled to under Te Tiriti.
The Tuesday Wire team is joined by Davide Mercadante for Dear Science. The team discusses honesty migration drain, the false probability of coin flips and a new enzyme that fights against viruses and mutations.
Nicholas catches up with the National Party's Dr Shane Reti about the election results, National’s healthcare priorities, the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora (The Māori Health Authority) and their potential coalition partners, the ACT party.
Nicholas also spoke to Dr Carwyn Jones, an expert in Treaty of Waitangi law and legislation about the facts surrounding the legal obligations set out in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the referendum on Treaty principals that was proposed by the ACT Party.
Lou spoke to Julie Douglas from the Tertiary Education Union about the state of University funding.
They also spoke to Ananish Chaudhuri, Professor of Experimental Economics at the University of Auckland in regards to the ongoing Google Antitrust lawsuit.
Josh spoke to Timothy Welch about Nationals plan to scrap the clean car rebate scheme.
For our catch up with the ACT Party Rawan spoke with ACT MP Karen Chhour about election night, the election results and what the next steps for ACT are.
Rawan asked what the reactions were like on Election night by ACT party members and candidates.
They then talked about what the next steps will be for the National ACT coalition and what the bottom line policies for ACT will be moving forward, especially with some backlash against their Treaty of Waitangi referendum.
Karen also discussed the reactions of other politicians from left-wing parties and what their relationship will look like in the coming days.
Last week, a national mental health survey was launched in Tonga. The survey is the result of collaboration between researchers within the University of Auckland, The Centre for Pacific and Global Health, and Tonga Ministry of Health, funded through the New Zealand Ministry of Health Polynesian Health Corridors.
The survey aims to collect important data surrounding Tongan mental health so that informed decision regarding resourcing and initiatives to support mental health.
Caeden spoke to Tongan Psychiatrist Etuini Ma’u about the survey.
In light of current events in Palestine and Israel, several pro-Palestine organisations in Aotearoa including the Palestinian Solidarity Network, Auckland Peace Action and a few others, organised rallies for Palestine across the country. The Auckland rally was the first, taking place on Saturday the 14th in Aotea square.
It was a response to the Israeli government going through with attacks on Palestinans and cutting of power and water in Gaza following the Hamas attacks on Israel. Israel’s actions have resulted in over 2,300 palestinian civilians dying and over 10,800 injured. The Israeli government has only restored some water supply this morning.
Last week Rawan spoke with John Minto, the national chair for Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa about how the palestinian community here is feeling, what they hoped to achieve with the upcoming rallies and what actions they feel need to be taken.
This morning Rawan also spoke with Layan Khalil, co-president of the University of Auckland Justice for Palestine group about what the Saturday rally was like. We discussed the overall turn out of the rally, including the amount of young people that came to show their support for Palestine and how they were feeling.
Rawan asked about the motivation behind the pro-palestine demonstration at the Auckland Museum last night after it was lit in support of Israel. Many palestinian supporters went to protest and blacked out the Israeli flag coloured lights by covering them with jackets and flags.
They also discussed what the Palestinian community feels about the new government’s support of Israel.
Wise, an online multi-currency banking company, has conducted research on the financial sacrifices young people in Aotearoa are willing to make in order to travel overseas during the cost of living crisis. The research found that young people in Aotearoa are overwhelmingly likely to put off personal plans in order to travel, compared to other generations.
Rosetta spoke to Anhar Khanbhai, who is a apart of the team from Wise, about the research.
As special votes are still being counted, is it still uncertain as to whether the new government with be an National-ACT coalition, or a three-way coalition with New Zealand First as well. The difference between these two coalition governments in terms of policy, and differences made to National’s economic policy in order for these coalitions to happen, could be drastic.
Rosetta spoke to Arthur Grimes, Professor of Wellbeing and Public Policy at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Government, about what economic policy under each of these coalition governments could look like, and what policies we should be expecting to see implemented first.
Last week, Caeden spoke to Tongan Psychiatrist Etuini Ma’u about a recent mental health survey launched in Tonga.
Rosetta spoke to Anhar Khanbhai from Wise, about their research in young kiwis travelling overseas despite struggling with the cost of living crisis
She also spoke to Arthur Grimes, Professor of Wellbeing and Public Policy at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Government, about economic policy under a new National-ACT government.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Rawan spoke with ACT MP Karen Chhour about election night, the results and next steps for ACT.
She also spoke with pro-palestine groups including John Minto from the Palestinian Solidarity Network and Layan Khalil from the University of Auckland Justice for Palestine group.
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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