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.
Today on the show Jessica Hopkins speaks to Associate Professor James Ussher from the University of Otago about Rapid Antigen testing and University students Harry and Ned about their New Zealand sign language interactive cards.
Producer Ilena speaks to Associate Professor Helen Roberts from the University of Otago School of Business about a study she co-authored into the positive association between women on boards and more women in senior management.
She also spoke to Counsellor Pippa Coom about the Mayoral Conservation Awards which were held online last night, and a recent ground-breaking poll that gathered public opinion on the restoration and conservation of the Hauraki Gulf.
Justin talked to Health Minister Andrew Little about oximeters at home isolation, the effects of the vaccine mandate, and his thoughts on the National party leadership crisis.
Judith Collins has been rolled as National leader.
Before the news was announced, Justin talked to Auckland University's Dr Lara Greaves on the crisis.
On their weekly chat, Justin and Health Minister Andrew Little talked about his thoughts on the National Party leadership crisis, oximeters at home isolation, and the vaccine mandate's effect on the health system.
Neighbourhood Watch reports on COVID-19 in South Australia and a controversial religious discrimination bill at the Federal Parliament.
This week Zazi and Brooke talk about the subject of minimum wage increases and the new Workplace Vaccination Tool.
First off, the two talk about minimum wage increases. Zazi asks Brooke why ACT believes a moratorium should be put on minimum wages, if Brooke has sympathy for minimum wage workers, and whether she thinks businesses would stop failing if a moratoriuman were to be put in place.
Then, Zazi speaks to Brooke about the new Workplace Vaccination Tool announced yesterday. Brooke shares if she thinks this will be a good guideline, if she thinks the Government have done a good job with guidance and advice, as well as if ACT are more on the side of blanket vaccine mandates or on the side of mandating vaccines for specific businesses and workplaces.
In recent years, some schools have changed the way they layout their classrooms. They have gone from a traditional classroom layout, to a more open-plan classroom one.
The reception from these more open-plan classroom spaces has been very broad. Some students enjoy this more social way of learning, some feel overstimulated, and others are finding the shift both good and bad.
And recently, an article was written about these changes in school learning spaces - how it is going so far, what some of the results have been, and whether it is a good thing that schools are trying these new ways of learning. Zazi spoke with the author of this particular article, Leon Benade. Leon Benade is an Associate Professor in the school of Education at AUT, and his current research work focuses on Innovative Learning Environments.
This week on the Wednesday Wire, the show kicks off with Christina having her regular segment Dear Science with AUT Professor Allan Blackman. They talk about a chemical emitted by babies that can affect our behaviour; explore how a spacecraft can deflect an asteroid, and investigate a brand new particle accelerator that can help us better understand atoms.
After that, Zazi speaks with AUT Associate Professor Leon Benade, discussing the shift many schools have made from traditional learning spaces to more open-plan classroom spaces.
Then Christina talks to the New Zealand CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Peter Dickens, on the upcoming Pedal4Prostate fundraiser.
And finally, Zazi has her regular talk with ACT's Brooke van Velden, where they talk about the subject of minimum wage increases and the new Workplace Vaccination Tool announced yesterday.
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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