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.
This week Zazi and Brooke talk about the Christopher Luxon being elected the new National Party Leader and the new Omicron coronavirus variant.
In the first half, the two talk about the announcement yesterday that Christopher Luxon has been elected the new National Party Leader, alongside Nicola Willis as Deputy Leader. Zazi asks Brooke what the feeling around parliament was after the announcement, if Brooke believes Christopher Luxon is experienced enough for this role and whether she believes this new leadership will result in more National Party voters.
In the second half, Zazi speaks to Brooke about the new coronavirus variant. Brooke shares how concerned she is about the new variant for Aotearoa, and talks about vaccine access in both developed and developing countries.
Yesterday, it was announced that Christopher Luxon, MP for Botany, is the new Leader of the National Party and Nicola Willis, List MP, is the Deputy Leader. This latest leadership vote came after Judith Collins was ousted from her position last week by a vote of no confidence from the National Party caucus.
For 95bFM listeners, Luxon taking the top position may have been a little surprising. On November 12 2021, as part of our weekly interview with the National Party on the Friday Wire, Luxon was asked whether he wanted to be the National Party leader in the future. Luxon answered, laughing, "No. I'm very focused on doing what I'm doing... I'm one of those people that do it day by day, job by job, and that's what I'm trying to do". A mere 17 days later, Luxon is elected the new leader of the Party.
National has been looking for a refreshed leadership team for some time now. Will Luxon's very short term in parliament and CEO background, alongside Willis' long-term history with National and more liberal point of view be what the Party needs to revitalise their policies and bring voters back?
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston interviews Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland Jennifer Lees Marshment about the new National Party leadership team. Jennifer explains who Luxon is and what her thoughts are on the “liberal” pairing of Luxon and Willis.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston interviews Maria Bellringer, Director of the Gambling and Addictions Research Centre at AUT, about gambling habits in lockdown and gambling regulations in Aotearoa. Maria explains that online gambling is not as popular in lockdown as you might think and although online platforms attract more young people, it tends to attract those that already gamble in real life at casinos and bars. They also discuss how gambling is regulated in New Zealand and what she believes needs to be done to keep more New Zealander's safe from gambling harm.
Last week, a vote no confidence was made against Judith Collins as leader of the National Party and she was ousted from the position. Collins' Deputy Dr Shane Reti swiftly took over as interim leader and announced that a new leadership team would be voted on next week.
The sudden party fall out came after a late night statement from Collins that Simon Bridges, MP for Tauranga and previous party leader, had been demoted due to an allegation of serious misconduct by a colleague. This allegation was clarified by Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean who said Bridges had made inappropriate comments five years ago that upset her and Bridges had apologised for this at the time and again on that day.
Today, Tuesday 30 November, is the day that the National Party is expected to vote on their new leadership team. Reports are suggesting that the competition for the top position is really between Bridges and Christopher Luxon, MP for Botany and ex-CEO for Air New Zealand with a mere two years of political experience.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to political commentator David Slack about the National Party fall out last week, the vote expected later today, some of the core candidates, and why Dr Shane Reti is never considered to be in the running for the leadership role.
UPDATE: Christopher Luxon has been named as the new leader of the National Party, following Simon Bridges withdrawing his ticket.
Today is Giving Tuesday! After Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is a day that some charities are using to encourage people to give back.
This year the Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand is getting involved in the Giving Tuesday movement to encourage people to help prevent suffering and death from prostate cancer. News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks with Peter Dickens, the Chief Executive of the Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ, about the prostate cancer situation in Aotearoa and how people can help with Giving Tuesday.
This week on the Wire, Emily Bell speaks with University of Canterbury Epidemiology Professor Arindam Basu about the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron.
Jemima Huston talks to political commentator David Slack about the National Party leadership vote expected later this afternoon.
Emily discusses the Afghanistan humanitarian crisis and the call for the New Zealand aid with the World Christian Service Director Murray Ovetron.
Jemima interviews Maria Bellringer from the Gambling and Addictions Research Centre at AUT about gambling habits in lockdown, online gambling in New Zealand and gambling regulation.
Finally, Jemima speaks to Peter Dickens, Chief Executive of the Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ, about Giving Tuesday and supporting the Foundation.
A new meta-analysis of reducing tools regarding COVID-19 transmission has been published by Dr Stella Talic, an epidemiologist from Monash University. The study discusses how mask wearing can significantly reduce transmission rates in large population groups. Charlie spoke to Dr Talic regarding her study, and what is needed for new COVID-19 research to be undertaken.
Louis spoke with the University of Canterbury's Michael Plank, the Green Party's Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, and the Restaurant Association's Marissa Bidois about the Covid-19 traffic light system. He also spoke to Metservice's Kevin Alder about newfound logbooks from early Antarctic expeditions and the University of Auckland's Dr Rajshri Roy about comfort food and lockdown.
Charlie talked to Monash University's Dr Stella Talic about Covid-19 prevention strategies and Omar Hamed about the upcoming perfusionist strike.
Perfusionists are highly trained medical professionals that operate heart-lung machines during surgical procedures. Auckland perfusionists intend to strike later this week to take industrial action regarding the pay freeze that affects salaries over $100,000. Omar Hamed, advocate for Apex Union perfusionists, spoke to Charlie regarding why the strike is important for perfusionists and how the strike will affect elective surgeries.
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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