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.
A group is campaigning for the government and Kiwirail to restore intercity rail services after the Northern Explorer between Auckland and Wellington, as well as the Coastal Pacific Service between Picton and Christchurch were cancelled.
Kiwirail said it is now planning to create multi-day experiences that showcase the best of New Zealand, both on and off the track.
But the Save Our Trains campaign says it wants a comprehensive national strategy for future passenger rail services built around concerns for climate action, accessibility, and economic development.
Paul Callister is a spokesperson for the campaign and a senior associate at the Institute of Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University.
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.
Neighbourhood Watch reports on the 2021 Australian of the Year and sexual abuse survivor advocate Grace Tame saying she was threatened to not badmouth Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the federal parliament passing the government’s controversial religious discrimination bill.
On their weekly chat, Justin and Health and Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little talked about overseas nurse recruitement, home isolation, and revisiting past treaty settlements.
Neighbourhood Watch reports on an Australian of the Year being told not to badmouth the Prime Minister, and the passing of a controversial bill.
Justin also spoke to Paul Callister of Save Our Trains about their campaign for intercity rail.
Joe talked to Victoria McArthur from Mates in Construction about construction worker mental health.
He also chatted with Allergy NZ's Mark Dixon about a new free EpiPen campaign.
With Omicron spreading in the community, there is much discussion on how to best deal with the new variant. Christina speaks to the National Party’s Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop live on air about the party's ten-point plan to tackle Omicron.
Today on the Wire, we start with Dear Science. Christina Huang asks AUT Professor Marcus Jones about how Omicron affects children, the concerning rise in methane levels in the atmosphere, astronomers taking a stand against an the massive number of satellites in space.
Christina speaks to the National Party’s Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop live about the party's ten point plan to tackle Omicron.\
Aneeka Moheed reports on her conversation with Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon about his call for compulsory Te Reo Māori classes to be introduced in schools.
Christina talks to Associate Professor Danny Osborne from the University of Auckland Social psychology department about the recent antivaccination protests, anti-government attitudes and how our mindset towards the pandemic has shifted over the past two years.
Finally, Jemima speaks to ACT Party Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden about the first three months of the End of Life Choice Act 2019 and the second reading of the bill that would ban conversion therapy in Aotearoa.
This week News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston interviews ACT Party Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden , about how the first three months of assisted dying being an option for New Zealanders suffering with terminal illnesses has gone. They also touch on the second reading of the bill that would ban conversion therapy that took place in Parliament yesterday.
Two years into the global pandemic, the world has faced a lot of changes: from new variants of the coronavirus running rampant, to the rollout of vaccines to protect us against Covid-19. We have seen nations mobilise to tackle the virus but we have also seen a small minority of people pushing back against the health measures that have been enacted. And in our digital age, it is no surprise that social media is fuelling the spread of fear and misinformation alongside the virus.
So why exactly does a global crisis invoke such strong reactions?
Christina Huang spoke to Associate Professor Danny Osborne from the University of Auckland Social psychology department about the recent antivaccination protests, anti-government attitudes and how our mindset towards the pandemic has shifted over the past two years.
Over the weekend Australia announced that it would be opening its borders to all fully vaccinated tourists from February 21st. This is quite different from New Zealand’s five step gradual reopening plan that will take place over the next few months.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston talks to Professor Michael Plank from the University of Canterbury about the difference in New Zealand and Australia's border reopening strategies, and how Australia's border reopening to all vaccinated people will impact Aotearoa.
As the pandemic continues, many businesses and industries across New Zealand are struggling to stay afloat. This includes New Zealand’s tourism industry and all of the businesses which rely on overseas travelers to make up most of their annual income. A sector of the tourism industry which has been hit hard is the tourism bus and coach businesses. It has been reported that roughly a third of these companies have closed over the course of the pandemic, and if the pandemic is to continue for much longer, a further thirty percent more could also shut down. Emily Bell spoke to Ben McFadge, the CEO of the Bus and Coach Association New Zealand about the need for support from the government and what the future looks like for the industry.
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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