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 Tawaki Project based at the University of Otago and driven by the mahi of international researchers, has taken a deep-dive into the population genetics of three Aotearoa crested penguin species – tawaki/Fiordland penguins, erect-crested penguins, and Eastern rockhopper penguins.
Findings reveal how genetic health and marine habitat changes have impacted these species.
For this week’s Green Desk, Host Sara spoke with co-leader of the project, Dr Thomas Mattern about what the study learned about these penguin populations, starting with a general overview of the research
Act Party MP Todd Stephenson has recently re-lodged his End of Life Choice Amendment Bill, and incorporated all 25 recommendations from the Ministry of Health’s independent review.
Many doctors believe that in order to effectively carry out assisted dying practices, they need to be properly supported.
Psychological medicine researcher Dr. Aida Dehkhoda recalls that while most of these doctors and nurses affirm their patients’ autonomy and right to choose… challenges still persist.
Producer Faith spoke to Dr. Dehkhoda about how these practitioners can be better supported, and some of the challenges faced on the frontlines.
As we venture deeper into the second half of President Donald Trump’s first year of his second term, his actions continue to sow chaos and undermine stability across the globe.
Under this Trump Administration, the US has increasingly acted as a ‘rogue state’ - a term used to denote both uncertainty in international politics, and oppressive domestic policies.
Producer Alex spoke to Associate Professor and Programme Director for Global Studies at the University of Auckland, Chris Ogden, about how Trump has turned America into a Rogue State, and how that will impact the world.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about ACT MP Todd Stephenson’s members bill being re-introduced to develop the End of Life Choice Act, Public Service Commissioner, Sir Brian Roche’s potential changes to different multiple ministries, and the Select Committee’s recommendations regarding four-year parliamentary terms.
Producer Alex spoke to Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Canterbury, Dr Cassandra Mudgway about the need for AI regulations in regards to protecting women and vulnerable communities from AI-based harms.
Joel also spoke to Stephen Young, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Otago, on ‘sovereign citizens,’ following the killings of two Australian police officers, with the alleged perpetrator, Dezi Freeman, having expressed strong support for the movement online.
Alex spoke with the Programme Director and Associate Professor in Global Studies at the University of Auckland, Chris Ogden, about Trumps America acting as a “rogue state”.
And on Thursday, Intern Zanoor spoke to Andrew Eruiti, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about his new research, showing that certain principles of human rights in the country are ironically being used to restrain Māori governance and tino rangatiratanga.
Early last week, ACT MP, Todd Stephenson, re-lodged his End of Life Choice Amendment Bill, which seeks to expand the eligibility of the End of Life Choice Act.
This follows recommendations from the Ministry of Health’s office review into the law, which was an official requirement of the original 2019 Act. Stephenson’s bill has accepted all 25 recommendations.
National’s coalition agreement with ACT requires any proposed changes to the Act having to be progressed through as a member’s bill.
As well as this, Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche, has not ruled out absorbing ministries such as the Ministry of Women and Ministry of Pacific People into larger ministries.
In 2023, the ACT Party had campaigned on removing these ministries.
And last week, The Justice Select Committee report into four-year parliamentary terms recommended a referendum on the potential move, but had recommended some provisions of ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, be scrapped.
These provisions include an incoming government only being allowed a four-year term if the government agreed to give the opposition the majority in the select committee. This would mean that some governments would be three-terms, and some would be four terms.
For our weekly catchup with ACT MP Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about all these topics, starting with Todd Stephenson’s members bill.
Former Australian magistrate, David Heilpern, has recently told ABC’s Four Corners that "Governments are underestimating the reach and threats of [the sovereign citizenship movement]”, following the killings of two police officers. The alleged killer, Dezi Freeman, has expressed strong support for sovereign citizenship online.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel, spoke to Stephen Young, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Otago, on ‘sovereign citizenship,’ what this movement looks like here in Aotearoa, and whether it should be seen as a concern.
Content Warning: This story mentions Image Based Sexual Abuse.
An open letter signed by over 20 AI experts has been sent to the government, expressing the urgent need for AI regulation in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The letter points to low trust, as well as potential harms of AI, as serious issues that need to be addressed. The experts have called for regulations and guardrails to support regulatory confidence and innovation, and reduce harm from deepfakes, fraud, and environmental costs, among others.
Producer Alex spoke to The University of Canterbury’s Dr Cassandra Mudgway about how unregulated AI enables gendered harm against women and vulnerable demographics through Deepfakes and other AI.
New research, ‘Indigenous Rights Beyond the Liberal Frame,’ has shown that certain human rights principles in the country are ironically being used to restrain Māori governance and tino rangatiratanga.
On Thursday last week, Intern Zanoor spoke to Andrew Erueti, an Associate Law Professor at the University of Auckland and the lead of the study, about this study.
A select committee report has recommended going ahead with a referendum on four-year Parliament terms.
Māori health providers have brought a case to the High Court asking for a declaration of inconsistency between the Government's disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
And the Public Service Commissioner, Sir Brian Roche, is currently considering a “major shakeup” of several ministries, including those for Women, Pacific Peoples, Disabled People, and Māori Development.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, regular Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, regular Wire Host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about four-year parliament terms, the High Court challenge against the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora, and the Public Services Commissioner investigating potential changes to several lived experience ministries.
For International Desk, they spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about the current experiences of international students in the United States, especially as the Trump administration targets Universities for funding cuts.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sanat spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about a new plan up for limited consultation to build higher-density housing within the city.
He also spoke to the University of Auckland’s Associate Professor of Pacific Studies Gordon Nanau about the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum and the surrounding geopolitical tensions between Pacific Island nations.
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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