Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Castor Chacko, Oto Sequeira, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
On this weeks Tuesday Wire, Joe is filling in for your usual host Christina who is away sick.
Our regular segment, Dear Science, is presented by Aneeka today. She’ll be looking at a recent Solar Eclipse on Mars, College Football and brain injuries, and finally why does Oreo Cream stick to one side of the cookie. She also talks to Dr. Shane Reti about inflation and the labour shortage
Joe talks to Gloria Fraser about mental health support experiences for LGBTQ youth. Joe also talks to Fabio Morreale about the Privacy Policy and Ethical issues surrounding Tinder and Spotify
Finally, Christina will be talking to Dr. Peter Saxton from the University of Auckland about an upcoming study aiming to make blood donation for LGBTQ men less discriminatory.
That's us for the Tuesday Wire! We wish Christina a speedy recovery!
Aneeka speaks to Dr Duane Peltzer, Chief Scientist of BioHeritage National Science Challenge about a newly-launched government plan to safeguard New Zealand's native plants and wildlife.
Welcome back to another Friday Wire! Casper is off this week so Aneeka is filling in.
Today on the show:
Liam speaks to Aucklnad City Councillor Pippa Coom about safety in the city centre as well as the retun of their events and tourism industries on City Counselling.
Aneeka spoke to the Honorable Willie Jackson about developing a plan to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in New Zealand.
Liam also spoke to Martin Berka from Massey University about the rising cost of living.
Aneeka also spoke to Peter Reynolds the Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Disability Support Network.
Liam had a chat to Patrick Moyanhan from Computer Recycling Ltd about how we can eliminate e-waste.
And finally Aneeka also spoke to Dr Duane Peltzer, Chief Scientist of BioHeritage National Science Challenge about a newly-launched government plan to safeguard New Zealand's native plants and wildlife.
The release of the consumer price index has revealed that New Zealand has undergone a record six point nine percent rise in cost of living, being its highest increase in thirty years.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has stated that this was caused by the global pressures of the pandemic and Russia's war on Ukraine.
However, National leader Christopher Luxon says the government continues to be "addicted to spending” .
With economists expecting the forecast to rise, Liam spoke to Martin Berka, an economics professor at Massey University, about the increase.
Aneeka speaks to Peter Reynolds the Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Disability Support Network about a report released by the Disability Commissioner which states that our disabled community was severely disadvantaged by the country's COVID response.
Today the Minister for Māori Development the Honorable Willie Jackson released feedback from the first phase of targeted engagement with Māori on developing a plan to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in New Zealand.
Aneeka speaks to Hon Jackson about this and what has happened between our commitment to implementing it in 2010 and now.
New research out of the University of Otago has created a groundbreaking new technique that allows for the extraction of DNA from ancient fossils and artifacts without damage.
After lots of trial and error, Otago Master of Science student Lachie Scarsbrook and his supervisor Dr. Nic Rawlence from the Otago Paleogenetics lab were able to find a technique that extracts data in a completely non-destructive way.
To discuss what this discovery means for tracing New Zealand’s ecological history, Emilia Sullivan spoke to Dr. Nic Rawlence.
On this weeks Thursday Wire, Emilia speaks to Health Minister Andrew Little about the nurses pay equity settlement and nurse recruitment efforts.
She also speaks to Dr Nic Rawlence from the University of Otago about his latest study that allows for a non-destructive extraction of ancient DNA from small fossils.
Alex speaks to the University of Auckland’s Dr. Alys Longley about her new collaborative art piece which was created across media during the pandemic.
Joe speaks to Teanau Tuiono, Green Party spokesperson for Pacific Peoples, about the security and future of students in West Papua.
He also speaks to David Dempsey, a Senior Lecturer from the University of Canterbury, about AI technology being used to detect seismic activity before volcanic eruptions. That's us for the Thursday Wire!
Recent studies surrounding hidden patterns in seismic signals could help forecast eruptions and prevent loss of life on volcanoes, according to research from the University of Canterbury which spurred from the tragic Whakaari White Island eruption.
Joe spoke to David Dempsey, a Senior Lecturer in Civil and Natural Resources from the University of Canterbury, who worked closely with the research team and is a co-author of the study.
Last week, the council’s Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) Committee said they would be seeking to implement a number of recommendations that improve emergency readiness for disabled populations.
Following a hui last year where community members were invited to bring forward issues relating to future planning for natural disasters, Sara was interested to hear about how the council is taking suggestions on board.
As well, Auckland Council has been considering proposals to mitigate flood risks around the Wairau catchment, including one which would see the reduction of the size of the Takapuna Golf Course, to convert the space into a flood catchment.
Producer Sara spoke to Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson on both of these topics, firstly by asking him to discuss the desired outcomes relating to emergency preparedness for disabled people, and the council’s first steps to implementation
Zohran Mamdani has all but won the Democratic Primary in New York City after key competitor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race.
Mamdani will now be the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor.
His campaign was built on cost-of-living, where Mamdani presented himself as an authentic, Democratic Socialist, grassroots campaign leader.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to 95bFM reporter and South Asia correspondent Sanat Singh about Momdani’s win, what this means for the communities he represents, and where to from here.
A reported 131,000 submissions were made on the Regulatory Standards Bill.
The Bill, proposed by the ACT party, includes a set of principles outlining “responsible regulation.” Notably, it does not include any mention of either version of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Last weekend, hundreds of Destiny Church members marched on Queen Street in a rally that they called “in defence of faith, flag, and family.”
And the Labour Party has criticised the framing of a poll question by the Taxpayers Union/Curia on whether or not Cook Islanders should retain automatic New Zealand citizenship.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden asked Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about all of these topics.
Recently the Green Party commissioned independent legal advice to look into the government’s $200 million investment in new gas fields that was carried out last month and found out that the investment was in breach of the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS).
NZ First MP Shane Jones recently announced that he’d be drafting a member's bill to force Ngāpuhi into a single commercial settlement, which would prevent hapū from negotiating separate commercial redresses and remove any reference to hapū sovereignty from the settlement terms.
And the Green party recently issued a call to the New Zealand government to condemn the US strikes on Iranian Nuclear facilities, almost a week after Iran and Israel had both been trading missile strikes between each other.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke with MP Hūhana Lyndon to get the party’s take on all of these issues
Last week, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced plans to scrap the nationwide census moving forward. The census is the largest statistical survey done in Aotearoa, and provides the bulk of population data used in research and decision-making. Reti says the census is “no longer financially viable” and will be replaced with a combination of smaller annual surveys and administrative data.
While the change looks good on paper, there are concerns around how the change in data collection could affect representation of marginalised and minority groups. Census data tends to be more protected from bias than administrative data and smaller surveys, meaning there are more opportunities for misrepresentation. Some statisticians are particularly concerned about the potential exclusion of marginalised rural communities.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked him about the census decision and its implications on marginalised and minority groups.
Associate Health Minister, David Seymour, has recently announced changes to Psilocybin and Melatonin availability.
Psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, will be available for certain patients suffering from poor mental health outcomes. Melatonin, which is used for insomnia and jetlag, is set to be available over the counter.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about this move, and the potential accessibility concerns with accessing these medications.
They also discussed taxpayers set to be funding newly-funded cancer medicines for private facilities.
Finally, they discuss opposition parties criticised Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, over a lack of transparency regarding the effectiveness of boot camps for youth offenders, especially as boot camps have received a boost of $30 million, despite the pilot programme still being ongoing.
But first, they discussed Psilocybin and Melatonin.
Last Saturday, over 2,000 protests took place across all 50 American States against President Donald Trump.
The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and they served as a direct response to the military parade in Washington, DC.
The organisers of the protests say they aimed to reject “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.”
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut about the protests and the backlash towards them from the Trump administration.
Housing intensification is a key priority for Auckland Council as Auckland's population is forecast to reach 2.3 million by 2050.
But as planning for growth continues, some Auckland residents have expressed concern about the approval of developments in areas on flood plains or particularly prone to natural disasters.
With Kāinga Ora selling homes as ‘high risk investments’ in areas which were impacted by flooding in recent years, and 15 percent of all granted consents for new builds by Auckland Council being on floodplains, I spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about how the council is taking into account these issues for the coming years.