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 guilty verdict for Dr Tony Hanne, who was prescribing drugs for ADHD without going through the full official process, is drawing attention to difficulties in getting diagnoses and crucial medication for New Zealanders with the disorder.
To get a sense of what these obstacles look like and how they’re posing such a problem that an expert in the field found himself undercutting the system to get people medication that they need, Casper spoke to Darrin Bull, chairperson of ADHD New Zealand.
The Melbourne Cup is held on the 1st of November every year. It’s a major annual horseracing event which attracts global attention. However, the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses believes that the event is unethical and is staging a protest along Auckland’s waterfront this afternoon, where many venues will be screening the race.
Casper spoke to Aya Oba from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, to discuss the protest and the group's views on what they call an exploitative and abusive industry.
The National party is drawing attention to declining pass rates for NCEA students taking literacy and numeracy tests, with only sixty-four percent passing for reading skills, fifty-six percent in numeracy tests and only thirty-four for writing.
For their weekly catch-up Casper discussed this issue with National party MP Shane Reti, as well as the possibility of reform to alcohol laws that the government has recently signalled.
Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk has finally acquired Twitter after months of legal threats to go through with the deal. It’s only been a few days, but there are big changes already, he’s axed a number of executives and dissolved the board of directors.
Christina spoke to Dr Ethan Plaut, a communications lecturer at the University of Auckland, for his thoughts on the platform’s new owner.
Joel Rindelaub joined Christina over the phone for a spooky Halloween special of Dear Science, discussing zombie ants, being scared to death, and existing in a simulation.
Casper spoke to Dr Shane Reti from the National party for our weekly segment about NCEA pass rates and alcohol law reform.
Christina spoke to Dr Ethan Plaut, a University of Auckland communications lecturer, about Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover.
Casper also spoke to Darrin Bull from ADHD New Zealand about the barriers preventing people from obtaining an ADHD diagnosis.
He also had a kōrero with animal rights activist Aya Oba from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses about their protest against the Melbourne Cup.
Public consultation on New Zealand’s Aerospace Strategy and Space Policy Review will close today, the 31st of October. The consultation documents highlight the need to engage with Māori on New Zealand’s space activities and engagements, though some commentators argue that the consultation has been too rushed for Māori to have meaningful input.
Joe spoke to Dr Pauline Harris, an Associate Professor at Te Putahi a Toi: School of Maori Knowledge, Massey University, on this matter.
Joe looks at the need to engage with Māori on Aotearoa’s National Space Policy and Aerospace Strategy. He speaks to Dr Pauline Harris, Associate Professor at Te Putahi a Toi: School of Maori Knowledge, Massey University. Joe also looks at how a Fathers' involvement in childcare impacts their kids. He speaks to Lisa Meehan from the NZ Work Research Institute at AUT about their research on this matter.
Spike brings us a special report on Alcohol Reform.
We’ve got Tomorrow’s World today! Stella and Isla welcome their youngest guests yet, students from the Toitū te ngahere.
New AUT research offers surprising insights into how fathers are involved in childcare, and why their involvement matters. Commissioned by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), AUT’s NZ Work Research Institute (NZWRI) examined how, how much, and how well fathers were engaged in their young children’s lives, and the impact of that engagement on the children's outcomes.
Joe spoke to Lisa Meehan from the New Zealand Work and Research Institute about this research.
The Fair Pay Agreements bill passed its third and final reading on Wednesday night.
Introduced to parliament earlier this year, the bill will allow workers in a certain industry to negotiate for better pay and working conditions industry wide.
Negotiations will be triggered if ten percent of workers or 1000 employees in an industry agree.
David spoke to Labour MP Camilla Belich about the subject.
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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