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.
A University of Canterbury research team has been working with Tuahiwi whānau, including local kaumātua (elder), on turning five Tuahiwi-based stories into children’s picture books.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Senior Lecturer in Māori education at the University of Waikato, Jennifer Smith (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi), about their kaupapa
Climate change continues to be hugely impactful, with experts saying many of Aotearoa New Zealand’s wildlife species remain at risk of harm and extinction. WWF New Zealand has emphasised the importance of nature in mitigating the effects of climate change on our wildlife.
Olivia spoke to Chief Executive of WWF New Zealand, Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, about the need for the Government to do more to mitigate climate change, and potential climate solutions.
For this week’s City Counselling, Beth spoke to Counsellor for Manukau Lotu Fuli about Auckland Council’s consultation around Māori seats and the upcoming Midtown Street Party.
Bike Auckland has recently introduced Liberate the Lane, a call to introduce a cycling and walking lane to the Harbour Bridge. Today on the Wire, Beth spoke with Chair of Bike Auckland Karen Hormann about Liberate the Lane and why it’s so important.
Multiple political parties have announced their own “free dental” policy for this election. The Greens announced their free dental policy in August, with Labour following with their own announcement for free dental for under 30s earlier this month.
Caeden spoke to the hon Dr Ayesha Verrall, Minister for Health, about Labour’s free dental policy and why they have chosen to restrict their policy to under 30s.
They then spoke to Greens MP and Health Spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green’s own free dental policy, how it’s different from Labour’s, and how they hope to implement it.
Beth recently spoke with Organiser and Spokesperson for Choose Clean Water, Marnie Prickett, about the Public Health Communication Centre’s survey about political parties’ plans to protect Aotearoa’s drinking water sources.
The survey showed that Greens, Te Pati Māori and Labour had the best policies for this, while National and Act had little to no plans to protect Aotearoa’s drinking water.
Since then, National and ACT have spoken about their intentions surrounding protecting the health of Aotearoa’s water. Beth caught up with Marnie Prickett again to talk about this.
Caeden speaks to Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall and Greens MP Ricardo Menéndez March about both the Labour and Greens free dental policies, and how they compare to each other.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins talks to Senior Lecturer in Māori education at the University of Waikato, Jennifer Smith (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi), about their kaupapa to make mātauranga Māori accessible to tamariki in Tuahiwi.
Beth speaks to City Counsellor for Manukau Lotu Fuli for City Counselling about Auckland Council’s consultation around Māori seats and the upcoming Midtown Street Party.
She also speaks to Chair of Bike Auckland Karen Hormann about their call to allocate a cycleway to the Harbour Bridge, referred to as Liberate the Lane.
Olivia speaks to Chief Executive of WWF New Zealand, Doctor Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, about the impact of climate change on our wildlife, and possible climate solutions.
A newly released documentary 'River of Freedom' is being shown in several cinemas across the country.
The documentary focuses on the perspectives of the convoy who occupied parliament grounds in 2022, who in the film's own words, were “fed up with Covid-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.”
The film has been promoted on platforms like The Platform, Counterspin, and Reality Check Radio, and has been accused of promoting disinformation.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to activist, researcher, and author of 'Fear: New Zealand's Hostile Underworld of Extremists’, Byron C Clark, about his impression of the documentary, and looking out for misinformation and disinformation in the lead up to the election.
I spoke to The Opportunities Party’s Epsom Candidate Dr Nina Su, about their commitment to honouring Te Tiriti, funding for the arts, and their environmental policy.
Arno interviewed Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE) CEO Debra Ashton about live animal exports.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to activist, researcher, and author of 'Fear: New Zealand's Hostile Underworld of Extremists’, Byron C Clark, about a newly released documentary. 'River of Freedom', which accused of promoting disinformation.
And Ash-Rose spoke to Youthline Clinical Services Manager, Joanna Madsen, about the government's plan to send co-response teams to those who call emergency services in mental distress.
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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