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.
Alex speaks with Andrew King, Oresident of the New Zealand Property Investors Federation, about how the property “slow down” might affect the rental market, and the improvements to tenancy structures and property ownership laws that his organisation suggests
Today's show starts off with a conversation with ACT’s Brooke van Velden about the government’s announcement that they are gathering information on tax intake.
Alex then speaks with Andrew King, president of the NZPIF about how the property “slow down” might affect the rental market and what the NZPIF suggests to ease the rental crisis.
Stella follows, chatting with Heather Lewis, National Leader of Mathematics Interventions about why we are comparatively bad at maths as a country
Alex then sits down with Ellen Rykers of Forest and Bird about korora conservation in New Zealand, with a specific focus on the Hauraki Gulf.
After that, Stella speaks with Amnesty International's campaign director Lisa Woods about Immigration New Zealand ceasing to imprison people seeking asylum.
Finally, Frances chats with Cameron Mulgan on Eurovision, where they discuss War in Ukraine, Mayday protests in Europe, the European cost of living crisis and the revamp of the Large Hadron Collider.
This week on Dear Science, Christina and Marcus discussed how climate change can cause disease outbreaks in animals, the detection of evidence of a sound tunnel, and the mysterious persistence of CFCs in the atmosphere despite them being banned.
Christina also spoke to co-founder of Mind the Gap Jo Cribb about the gender pay gap, and the push to enact better pay equity legislation.
Trishil spoke to Madeline Newman, Chief Executive of NZ AI Forum about artificial intelligence as the future of mitigating climate change and declining biodiversity.
Trishil also spoke to Letitia Harding from the New Zealand Asthma Foundation about the overrepresentation of Maori and Pasifika groups with asthma, and how this gap can be alleviated.
The gender pay gap: it’s a contentious issue that's been hotly debated, and at times, completely denied. However, many of us don't necessarily know the specifics. On the Wire, Christina spoke to co-founder of Mind the Gap Jo Cribb about the pay gap, and the push to enact better pay equity legislation.
OurActionStation brings you a new petition to condemn violence by Israeli's towards Palestinian worshippers and their holy sites. Charlie spoke to Ahmed Saadeh and Rand Hazou from the Palestine Aotearoa Coordinating Committee speak on what Palestinian's in Israel have been going through, and what New Zealand can do to help.
The Bank of Mum and Dad is an international concept that means parents are paying out for their children to purchase property. With the housing market seemingly in a constant crisis in Aotearoa, Gemma Rasmussen, Head of Communications and Campaign manager at Consumer NZ, discusses how this concept is affecting New Zealander's.
The segment in collaboration with OurActionStation is back today, with Ahmed Saadeh and Rand Hazou from the Palestine Aotearoa Coordinating Committee discuss the situation in Israel and their petition to condemn the violence.
Holly Walker, Deputy Executive Director of the Helen Clark Foundation, speaks about their new report based around perinatal mental health concerns.
The Bank of Mum and Dad increases its 'loans' for their children's property purchases. Gemma Rasmussen, Head of Communications and Campaigns at Consumer NZ, spoke on the issue.
EV Maritime are pushing for electrical ferries, and are making progress. We see what CEO of EV Maritime, Michael Eaglen, has to say.
Perinatal depression is proving to be a high risk concern in Aotearoa. A new study done into the issue by Holly Walker, Deputy Executive Director of the Helen Clark Foundation, shows that suicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women and new mums. Charlie spoke with he about the issue, and what can be done to support these women.
Eletrical energy has been harnesed in cars, and now New Zealand wants it in their ferries too. Michael Eaglen, CEO of EV Maritime, speaks with Charlie about the current state of ferry fuels, EV Maritime's project with the government to bring in some eletric ferries the Auckland, and what the future of electric ferries could look like.
Auckland council has released for consultation their proposal to rezone parts of the central suburbs for medium and high density housing development.
Casper spoke firstly to Auckland councellor Shane Henderson about proposal, what it will mean for Auckland’s housing development and how people can contribute to the feedback process.
Then, to bring in some wider perspective, Casper had a chat with Character Coalition chairperson Sally Hughes about a desire to preserve special character areas and how it might be reconciled with a need for more affordable housing.
Finally, to round out the discussion, Casper talked to Bill McKay from the Architecture department of the University of Auckland about the impact that the council’s proposal might have on the city in terms of livability, housing supply and the future of urban development.
Yesterday, the ACT Party held their annual rally, being called the “Free and Equal Rally”.
Notably, US author, James Lindsay, was a keynote speaker at the event.
Lindsay is the author of ‘Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody’ - among other titles, such as ‘Race Marxism: The Truth About Critical Race Theory and Praxis’ and ‘The Queering of the American Child: How a New School Religious Cult Poisons the Minds and Bodies of Normal Kids’.
Party Leader, David Seymour, says Lindsay is a “prominent advocate for free speech”. Prior to the event, a spokesperson for the party said Lindsay would discuss “reclaiming liberalism in an age of extremes”.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about the rally, why the party chose Lindsay as a keynote speaker, and we address some of the concerns with Lindsay’s previous comments.
They also discussed the first public hearings into the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the former government’s Covid-19 response, and what to expect heading into the next hearings in Wellington next month.
But first, they discussed ACT’s 2025 “Free and Equal” Rally.
This month, a number of council body reforms have come into effect in the Auckland Council, fulfilling Mayor Wayne Brown’s promise to address issues and implement community feedback into the council’s format.
The three new divisions in the Auckland Council to improve organisation include the Auckland Urban Development Office, the Property Department, and an Economic Development Office, each of which are intended to make decision making more effective and accessible to the public.
As well, with the persisting cold temperatures and rainy weather hitting Auckland this Winter, I wanted to discuss the topic of homelessness in Auckland’s city centre, and to what extent the council is working to support those rough sleeping in the CBD
Public hearings as part of phase two of the Royal Commission into COVID-19 took place in Auckland this week.
The second phase of the inquiry has a stronger focus on lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and the impact of the Covid-19 response on business and the economy.
And yesterday, an independent reference group set up by the Ministry of Environment shared their recommendations for climate adaptation legislation.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Arena Williams about both of these topics.
Recently, a study was conducted by researchers at the University of Southampton which uncovered a shift in the circulation of the Southern Ocean.
The study showed that the shift would draw up more salt water from the deep ocean, subsequently accelerating the loss of ice in the Antarctic and leading to an increase of sea levels and global heating.
The week before, the government allowed the terrorist designation given to the far-right ‘Proud Boys’ group to expire, effectively decriminalising the act of funding or openly supporting the group here in Aotearoa.
And, just yesterday Finance Minister Nicola Willis confirmed a number of changes to Family Boost which she said would help families with the cost of living.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez March to get the party’s take on all of these issues.
The Southerner was a passenger express train in the South Island running between Christchurch and Invercargill from 1970 to 2002.
The train was eventually closed due a decline in passenger numbers and subsidies, although it was briefly revived in May this year for four days as part of a tourist experience.
Recently, a group of campaigners from Save our Trains launched a petition calling on the government to restore the Southerner train route as a more accessible form of travel for South Islanders.
Wednesday Wire Host Oto spoke with Dave Macpherson from Save Our Train - Southern, to discuss his petition and why the Southerner should be restored.
Hearings on the regulatory standards bill are currently underway, with around 23,000 total submissions both written and oral. Early analysis of the submissions estimated 88% percent are in opposition, while only 0.3% are in support.
The bill has been pushed by Minister for Regulation and ACT Party leader David Seymour, who says it should support the government to reduce regulation and ensure the protection of individual rights and private property. The bill has been criticised for not including clauses around Te Tiriti o Waitangi or environmental protections. It has also been criticised for potentially undemocratic elements, placing large amounts of control in the hands of the unelected Ministry for Regulation.
In our weekly catch-up with the National party, Wire host Castor asked Tom Rutherford about the regulatory standards bill in light of the select committee hearings and new criticisms.
Recently, the government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mayors of Auckland, Otago, and Western Bay of Plenty Councils over the government’s expectations of City and Regional Deals. These deals aim to tighten the partnership between central and local governments.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to MP Cameron Luxton about what to expect heading forward regarding the relationship between local, regional, and central government.
They also discussed last week's Youth Parliament.
Youth Parliament provides the opportunity for 143 rangatahi aged 16-to-24 as Youth MPs, representing MPs across the political spectrum, and Youth Press Gallery members, to understand the country’s political processes, understand how government works, and replicate the Parliamentary process.
Youth MPs had previously accused event organisers of ‘censoring’ their speeches. This follows the MPs being asked to remove elements of their speeches that were critical of government policies, such as the Treaty Principles Bill and pay equity.
However, The Ministry of Youth Development has come out saying the way they communicated their wishes with Youth MPs could have been clearer and more concise. The general manager of the Ministry, John Robertson, says reviewing speeches and suggesting changes was a part of the process, but these recommendations are not enforced.
They also spoke to Luxton about these accusations, and whether they are tantamount to censorship.
Finally, they discussed calls by over half of the Youth MPs represented in this year's Youth Parliament, from across the political spectrum, renewing calls for the voting age to be lowered, to allow 16-to-17-year-olds the right to vote.
5 ACT Youth MPs, including the Youth MP representing Cameron Luxton, Fletcher Brown, had signed a letter calling for the voting age to be reduced.
This follows the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that found the current voting age is unjustified age discrimination and goes against the Human Rights Act 1993.
They also discussed these renewed calls to lower the voting age.
Following Israel and the US’ large-scale attacks on Iran, and Israel’s continued war on Gaza, this has raised the question on the future of international order.
News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to the Executive Director of the Britain Palestine Project, Dr Brian Brivati, about this turning point in international order, and what we should expect heading forward.
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has suggested to the local government forum that regional councils may be abolished, stating that
"After the upcoming changes to the Resource Management Act, I doubt that there's going to be a compelling case for regional government to continue to exist.“
Regional councils across Aotearoa are responsible for matters relating to natural resource management, flood control, and biosecurity.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said effectiveness between different councils is varied, and that councils generate too much bureaucracy and are “too focussed on vanity projects”.
As well, in order to make the most of local and central investment into Auckland’s growing city, the government is asking Auckland Council to increase the housing development allowance around key Central Rail Link stations in the lead up to the project’s completion.
Seeking to amend the resource management act, the government hopes to increase housing height and density around Mount Albert and Baldwin Avenue stations, allowing upzoning of ten stories around these areas, in addition to allowing upzoning of fifteen stories around Maungawhau, Morningside and Kingsland.
Producer Sara spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics, starting with the proposal to scrap regional councils.
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