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 pricing of New Zealand produced food has been put into the spotlight as there have been reports of New Zealand products being sold for less money overseas.
A new Grocery Commisioner has been appointed to look into matters regading the supply and retailing of Food in New Zealand.
Nicholas spoke to Emeritus professor of nutrion at AUT Elaine Rush about New Zealand’s Import and export of food.
Steven Giersig is an associate professor of free radical biochemistry at the University of Cantebury, and his research in studying artery plaque to greater understand heart attacks and strokes has just been awarded a Heart Research Grant. Rosetta spoke to him about his research and what his findings could mean for New Zealanders with vascular disease and preventative care.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT party Rawan spoke with MP Karen Chhour about some of the party’s recent policy announcements and discussions.
They started off by discussing the party’s crack down on tenant policies and their pledge to “end the war” on landlords. Rawan asked about why the party felt the current system was not efficient and what their changes will mean for tenants and landlords
They then spoke about the party’s plan to bring back charter schools and give secondary schools the option to opt out of NCEA for other internationally recognised qualifications.
Finally Rawan asked what the party’s response is to the possibility of a national and New Zealand First coalition.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT party, Rawan spoke to ACT MP Karen Chhour about some of the party’s policies around landlord and tenant laws as well as their policy to allow secondary schools to opt out of NCEA.
Rosetta spoke to University of Canterbury Associate Professor of free radical biochemistry Steven Gieseg about his research in vascular health.
For our biweekly segment of Tomorrow's World where we discuss issues around the environment, science and technology, Rawan spoke to the CEO of World Wildlife Foundation New Zealand about National’s plan to cut the Department of Conservation budget.
Rosetta spoke to Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta about her recent trip to the United States, her speech to the United Nations General Assembly, and the US Pacific Leaders Summit.
And Rosetta spoke to University of Auckland Professor of Economics Sholeh Maani about her research in overqualified workers and on-the-job training.
We are at the halfway point for the sustainable development goals, which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 and are predominantly aimed to be met by 2030. Minister for Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has just returned from the United States, where she addressed the UN general assembly, outlining Aotearoa’s commitment to a variety of global issues, and urged other states to do the same.
US President Joe Biden also held a 2-day pacific leaders summit last week, which the Minister attended. The summit strengthened ties between the Pacific and the United States, while the US and China remain in tense diplomatic relations. The Prime minister of the Soloman Islands was noticeably absent from the summit, after signing a security pact with Beijing last year.
The Minister and Rosetta had a korero about her address to the UN, as well as the Pacific Leaders Summit, and where Aotearoa currently stands in our engagement in global issues.
While many people might think otherwise, a recent study from the University of Auckland has found that providing on-the-job training is beneficial for both employers and employees, as employees are more likely to find greater job satisfaction and are therefore less likely to quit their jobs.
The study also found that over educated, over qualified and over skilled workers are more likely to stay at their jobs if they have higher job satisfaction. Rosetta spoke to Professor of Economics at the University of Auckland Sholeh Maani, co-author of the study, about the research and what this means for over qualified workers in Aotearoa.
Cybersecurity threats appear in different forms, such as phishing scams for personal information and financial loss. Experts note the importance of protecting your personal information online, and knowing what to do if faced with a cybersecurity incident.
Olivia spoke to Senior Analyst, Threat and Incident Response of CERT NZ, Sam Leggett, about the consequences of cybersecurity threats and proactive means people can take to protect themselves.
Greenpeace Aotearoa and other environmental organisations have been calling for bans on deep sea mining internationally.
Caeden spoke to Greenpeace Deep Sea Mining campaign lead James Hita about these international campaigns, how they’re connected, and why they’re so important.
They also asked about these actions in the context of Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s commitment to the Global Oceans Treaty.
They started by asking them to explain the anti-deep sea mining action that took place in Mexico this morning.
This week 95bFM is focused on foreign affairs and human rights for our election coverage.
Caeden spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Chair John Minto about a key international human rights issue in 2023, the occupation of Palestine.
They asked about our political parties views on Palestine, the Palestine Solidarity Network’s recent campaign to abolish the Israeli embassy in Te Whanganui-a-tara Wellington, and the evolving solutions needed for a resolution for the conflict and occuption.
They started by asking what the different political parties stances on Palestine were.
Experts say that the spread of misinformation and disinformation has become increasingly common, especially during election season. Misinformation is the spread of false or inaccurate information, whereas disinformation is wrong on purpose, with the intention of spreading harm.
Olivia talked to Chief Online Safety Officer of Netsafe, Sean Lyons, about the impacts of misinformation and disinformation, and what people should be wary of when consuming information online.
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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