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 Get Action! Otago University Students’ Association President Quintin Jane and Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association Te Aka Tauira President Jessica Ye discussed their petition to make tertiary education more accessible and introduce a universal study wage for all.
Andre Fa’aoso speaks to Senior Lecturer in Business and Economics at the University of Auckland Dr Haipeng Zhang Aotearoa signing a free trade deal with the European Union.
Homeowners in the North Island displaced by this year’s severe weather events have been thrown a lifeline by the government.
A new interim payment will be available from the start of September to help bridge the gap once insurance payments for temporary accommodation run out.
Caeden interviewed deputy prime minister Carmel Sepuloni on this expansion of the temporary solution and what this will mean in the long term.
They started by asking the minister to outline of what this support will look like.
Loneliness is an epidemic that is affecting more and more people every day. Some demographics are more affected than others. Loneliness can have physical health effects, as well as mental.
Professor in Psychological Medicine from the University of Auckland Elizabeth Broadbent is researching how robots and other AI tools such as ChatGPT can aid people in reducing their social isolation and improving their wellbeing.
Arno spoke to her to find out more about her research into companion robots and for a background on the health impacts of loneliness.
Arno started the interview by asking Elizabeth how loneliness affects people’s wellbeing.
Producer Caeden is excited to share that Barbie (2023) hits cinemas across Aotearoa this evening.
In honour of what is an exciting event for many, including Caeden, they spoke to several feminists to analyse what the Barbie film means for the feminist movement and why so many people are excited about it.
First they spoke to Campus Feminist Collective chairwoman Lily Chen.
They then spoke to University of Auckland Communications Professor Bridget Conor for her perspective.
Last week Chris Hipkins was in Brussels to sign a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union. The much-anticipated deal took years of negotiations with the agreement set to lead to billions of dollars in export savings.
As the agreement comes into place, more than ninety-one per cent of tariffs will be removed from New Zealand goods, and ninety-seven per cent of New Zealand’s current exports will be duty-free.
There will be an immediate tariff removal on the export of New Zealand goods such as kiwifruit, wine, onions, apples, mānuka honey and manufactured goods, as well as for almost all fish and seafood, and other horticultural products.
To talk more about the economic implications of this free trade agreement, Andre Fa’aoso spoke to Doctor Haipeng Zhang, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Auckland
An independent review of Immigration New Zealand’s continued practice of Dawn Raids has found that the law does need to change. The review by Senior Lawyer Mike Heron looked into out-of-hours immigration visits to communities throughout Aotearoa.
The report found that out-of-hours visits were still being used by immigration in New Zealand and targeted minority communities, particularly Pacific Islanders.
In the 1970s, dawn raids overly targeted Pacific communities with 86% of related prosecutions being of people of Pacific descent, even though Pasifika accounted for a third of overstayers. US and UK overstayers accounted for another third of total overstayers but accounted for only five per cent of prosecutions over this period.
The review found that there had been no change to immigration policy since the government’s official 2021 Dawn Raid apology.
To talk more about the findings of the review and what it means for communities across Aotearoa, producer Andre Fa’aoso spoke to Dylan Asafo, Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Auckland
Emilia speaks to Green Party co-leader James Shaw about the Prime Minister’s decision to rule out implementing a capital gains and wealth tax, as well as a ruling from the High Court last week which found that the Government needs to reconsider their decisions on the settings of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Andre speaks to Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Auckland Dylan Asafo about an independent review into Immigration New Zealand’s continued practice of dawn raids.
Caeden speaks to Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni about a government announcement for homeowners impacted by severe weather events.
They also speak to Campus Feminist Collective’s Lily Chen and University of Auckland Professor Bridget Conor on the Barbie Film from a feminist perspective.
Arno speaks to Professor Elizabeth Broadbent from The University of Auckland about whether robots can help lonely people decrease their social isolation and improve their wellbeing.
And John Minto of Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa about PUMA’s complicity with Israeli racism in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In her weekly catchup with Dr Shane Reti, Milly speaks to Dr Shane Reti surrounding the Pothole repair fund which is sitting at a proposed 500 million dollars. as well as Te Whatu Ora's incorrect and insuffcient data reporting.
Last week, Chris Hipkins announced that the Labour Party is pledging to rule out any sort of capital gains tax or wealth tax if re-elected. Hipkins has stated that it is simple mot the time for big changes to the tax system given how much Kiwis are struggling with the cost of living. The pledge has received backlash and contrasts starkly with policies of Te Pati Māori and The Green Party, leaving a potential future coalition uncertain.
Wire producer Rosetta spoke to to Child Poverty Action Group's convenor Alan Johnson about the policy, and what the decision will mean for the wealth gap and child poverty in Aotearoa.
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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