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 Ukraine crisis has been making international headlines for some weeks now. Most recently, thousands of Russian troops have positioned themselves on the border with Ukraine, NATO has increased their number of troops in Eastern Europe with the support of the US and the UK, and there has been a lot of talk about Russian invasion. However, Russia has consistently denied that they will invade and Ukrainan officials have called for the West to stop predicting an invasion because it is scaring people.
Rouben Azizian is a professor at Massey University in Security Studies and News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to him about the state of the Ukranian crisis right now. They also discuss the 'surface-level' media coverage of the crisis, whether Azizian believes Russia will actually invade, and what help Western powers are in finding a solution to a very long-standing, complex, violent relationship between Ukraine and Russia.
Tonight at 11:59pm New Zealand will move to Phase Two of the government’s response to the Omicron outbreak. This does not make any difference to the red setting rules regarding access to public spaces, wearing masks in public, and contact tracing. Instead, this new phase will reduce isolation periods and narrow the meaning of a close contact.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Lesley Gray from the University of Otago Wellington and Dr Dion O’Neale who is the Project Lead for Covid Modelling Aotearoa about what Phase Two actually means. They also discuss how New Zealanders should be responding to the increase in daily Covid-19 cases and whether the country is prepared for a shift to Phase Two.
Today on the Tuesday Wire, Jemima Huston speaks to Lesley Gray from the University of Otago Wellington and Dr Dion O'Neale from Covid Modelling Aotearoa about Phase Two of the government’s Omicron outbreak response.
Jemima talks to Massey Univeristy Russian politics expert Rouben Azizan about the Ukraine crisis and whether Russia will invade Ukraine.
Finally, Karla Akuhata from the Korehāhā Whakahau project speaks to Jemima about how they are working to erradicate possums in Ngāti Awa's rohe with an iwi led initative.
Valentine's Day has held a long tradition for lovers with high expectations becoming rife in modern day society. University of Auckland's Dr Jessica Maxwell spoke with Charlie about monogamous and non-monogamous relationship, how to have a successful dating life, and why being single can still be fun this day.
Due to the current COVID-19 red light restrictions the Auckland Arts Festival had to cancel their live indoor events. Artistic Director for the festical, Shona McCullagh, discussed with Charlie the response from artists, how the festival will be moving forward, and what great events you can still get involved in.
Lost and escaped domesticated parrots seem to be posing a problem to native bird species. Owning a parrot is surprisingly popular in New Zealand, with around 330 pet birds getting lost every year. University of Auckland's Margaret Stanley spoke with Charlie about the issue and how to keep your parrots safe.
Today has seen new regulations around vaping go into effect around Aotearoa, seeing thousands of products recalled from store shelves.
Sellers are now needing to register with the Ministry of Health to sell certain products, and clear information about the ingredients of vapes will be publicised.
Liam Hansen spoke to Dr Kelly Burrowes, an associate professor at the University of Auckland about what this means for the health of New Zealand.
Hospitality businesses have been significantly affected by COVID-19 restrictions such as capacity limits and social distancing requirements. Today during my regular chat with Auckland Councillor Pippa Coom, we discussed an outdoor dining grant scheme supporting hospitality businesses to increase their outdoor dining capacity.
We also revisited the Councils annual budget that has just gone out for public consultation, and Pippa responded to Howick ward councillor Sharon Stewart suggesting that projects such as cycleways and painted roads should be cut from the budget.
This week on the show, host Jessica Hopkins investigated the newly announced critical worker home isolation exemption scheme.
First, she spoke to Principal Investigator for Te Pūnaha Matatini COVID-19 modeling, Dr Emily Harvey about what replacing isolation with regular rapid antigen testing will mean. She also talked to First Union National Retail Organiser Ben Peterson and National Ambulance Coordinator Faye Mccan about how Omicron has affected retail workers and ambulance professionals.
In her regular chat with Auckland Councillor Pippa Coom, Jessica asked about the outdoor dining grant scheme, and the launch of public consultation on the Councils annual budget.
Producer Liam Hansen spoke with doctor Kelly Burrows from The University of Auckland how new regulations for the sale of vape products could affect people's health.
Finally, Liam spoke to Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo from the Human Rights Commission about pay transparency.
A survey involving 1200 Construction Workers was published recently, showing the mental toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the workforce. Joe speaks to Victoria McArthur, the CEO of Mates in Construction, about the mental health of Construction Workers over the course of the pandemic.
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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