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.
Aneeka is covering for Emilia this week! On the Thursday Wire this week:
Tuva’a speaks to Labour Party’s Andrew Little about the five eyes countries linked to the attempted purchase of Pegasus spyware.
Emilia speaks to Claire Breen from the University of Waikato Law School about the concerns surrounding the Oranga Tamariki Oversight Bill.
She also speaks to Professor Richard Easther from the Department of Physics at Auckland Uni about the James Webb Space Telescope after the first images were released from it yesterday
And on Green Desk this week, Frances talks to Robyn Haygh, CEO of Trees That Count about their native tree planting initiative.
The Pacific Leaders Forum is currently covering multiple issues, and many rifts in diplomacy have already shaken the event. Stella spoke to Geoffrey Miller, a geopolitical analyst at The Democracy Project, about the main points.
Harry Tam has worked with marginalised communities, particularly gangs, in New Zealand for 40 years. Last week, Alex and Harry discussed the social determinants of these groups.
Welcome back to another Wednesday Wire, with Stella.
Aneeka talks to Cameron Adams on Eurovision.
This week, Alex speaks to Harry Tam about the social determinants of gangs.
Alex has his weekly catch-up with the ACT party, today speaking with David Seymour.
Stella talks to Dr Niki Harré, an environmental psychologist from the University of Auckland, about changing attitudes to living on land greatly affected by climate change.
Finally, Stella speaks to Geoffrey Miller, a geopolitical analyst from The Democracy Project, about the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting 2022.
On the eve of the pacific forum conference in Suva, the Micronesian island nation of Kiribati announced that it will be pulling out of the inter-governmental organisation.
This led to the current members entering into a crisis mode to get them to re-join the pact.
Jack Horsnell spoke to Professor Robert Patman from the University of Otago about the effects of this decision.
New Zealand and the United States are the only two countries in the world that allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise their products directly to consumers.
The question of banning pharmaceutical advertising in New Zealand isn’t new. In 2019, there were renewed calls for the Therapeutic Medicines Bill to be toughened with these measures being driven by..
At the time, a Consumer New Zealand survey indicated that 57% of kiwis favour an independent health info service that provides advice on treatment options over medicine advertising.
Those stats also reveal that 8% of those surveyed believed that said ads provided unbiased and comprehensive information about treatments.
And 15% of surveyors also said a ban is unnecessary.
This interview with Consumer NZ Research and Test Writer Belinda Castles is part of a larger story on Direct To Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising in New Zealand
New Zealand and the United States are the only two countries in the world that allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise their products directly to consumers.
Dr Shane Reti, National Health Spokesperson, mentioned that it is up to caucus to ultimately make a decision should a consultation arises.
This interview with National Party Health Spokesperson Dr Shane Reti is part of a larger story on Direct To Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising in New Zealand
New Zealand has just become one of more than 50 countries to record cases of monkeypox in an outbreak that took off two months ago.
The person, who is in isolation, is in their thirties, lives in Auckland and recently returned from overseas travel in a country with reported monkeypox cases. The Ministry of Health sys there is no evidence of community transmission, with a small number of people being contacts.
Joe spoke to Kurt Krause, a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Otago, on the matter.
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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