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.
For this week's chat with Brooke, Zazi asks her about the Government’s planned roadmap for Auckland and New Zealand’s new vaccination certificate.
First off, they talk about the roadmap for Auckland. Zazi begins by asking Brooke what she believes are some of the positives and negatives of the Auckland roadmap plan.
And after that, Zazi and Brooke talk about yesterday's vaccination certificate announcement. Brooke discusses the Government's vaccination rollout in general, as well as whether she believes the Government should mandate vaccinations in areas such staff domestic travel.
This week on the Wednesday Wire Frances kicks off with her regular segment Dear Science with AUT Professor Marcus Jones, talking about Nobel Prizes and the highly topical Delta variant and COVID vaccines. Zazi then speaks with Jason Stephens, an Associate Professor in the School of Learning, Development and Professional Practice at the University of Auckland, about student motivation during lockdown. Frances talks to Forest and Bird’s Regional Manager for Auckland & Coromandel Lissy Fehnker-Heather about the upcoming Bird of the Year competition, followed by an interivew from Zazi with Communications Manager for Bike Auckland, Mary-Margaret Slack, about the Government scrapping Auckland’s Waitematā cycleway bridge. And finally Zazi has her regular talk with Act Party’s Brooke van Velden, about the Government’s planned roadmap for Auckland and New Zealand’s new vaccination certificate.
On the 18th of October voting for Forest and Bird’s ‘Bird of the Year’ opens across the country. It’s an extremely popular competition where Aotearoa’s native birds are set against each other in a race to the finish. The competition gained 55,000 votes last year with the Kakapo taking the win. It’s always a bit of fun, but it has a serious side too. Climate change and habitat loss are huge threats to Aotearoa with about 80% of native birds threatened or at risk of extinction. The competition helps to raise awareness about native birds and what the changes in their habitats mean. On the Wire this week, Frances Wright talked with Lissy Fehnker-Heather who is Forest and Bird’s regional manager for Auckland and Coromandel and Spokesperson for Bird of the Year about the history of the competition and what it means for conservation in Aotearoa.
This week on Dear Science Frances Wright spoke with AUT Professor Marcus Jones about the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine for how skin perceives heat, cold, and pressure, and in physics for work on complex systems. They also talk about the the highly topical COVID vaccine and its Delta variant effectiveness.
Joe talks to Sandra Grey, the National Secretary from Te Hautu Kahurangi, the Tertiary Education Union, on their most recent report about the increasing stress tertiary institutions are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today on the Wire, Jemima Huston speaks to Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu from the University of Otago Wellington and Professor Michael Plank from the University of Canterbury about for a catch up about the Government’s three-step roadmap to get Auckland out of Level 3.
Joe Wickins talks to Sandra Gray, the National Secretary from Te Hautu Kahurangi, the Tertiary Education Union, on their most recent report about the increasing stress tertiary institutions are facing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jemima talks to Jamie Freeman, Branch President of Hospitality New Zealand Auckland, about what the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Auckland hospitality sector and what your local venues could look like once the city is out of lockdown.
Joe also explores intrusive thoughts and how they impact mental health with Liesje Donkin, a Clinical Psychologist from AUT.
The Auckland hospitality sector is seeking support from the government to get through the latest lockdown. Over the weekend, 300 members of the sector decided, during an online emergency meeting, that they need the wage subsidy at Level 2 and resurgence payments to get them through lockdown. However, this decision came before the government's three-step roadmap announcement and the assurance that Auckland will remain in Level 3 for the foreseeable future.
Jamie Freeman, the President of the Auckland Branch of Hospitality New Zealand, says that the future feels uncertain with the government providing no clear plan to support the industry through the latest lockdown. News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Jamie about what happened at the meeting, the sector's response to the three-step plan and what the Auckland hospitality industry could look like once the city is out of lockdown.
Yesterday, the Government announced its three-step roadmap to get Auckland out of Alert Level 3. The first step will begin tonight at 11:59pm and will allow people to catch up outdoors in groups of 10 people from no more than two households.
To get a clearer understanding of how the roadmap works, as well as address some of the critiques of the decision, News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu, an immunologist at the University of Otago Wellington, and Professor Michael Plank, a Covid-19 mathmatical modelling expert from the University of Canterbury. They discuss initial reactions to the announcement, critiques of the plan putting vulnerable communities at risk and whether the vaccination roll out will be able to keep ahead of a wider delta outbreak.
Stop Sexual Harassment on Campus Aotearoa (SSHOC) is a group of students and staff from New Zealand’s eight universities campaigning for an independent body to monitor the handling of sexual violence issues.
This follows criticism of several universities for their response to reports of sexual misconduct on campus.
Jessica Hopkins speaks to Associate Professor Nicola Gaston, from the University of Auckland about SSHOC's proposal for proactive change to current institutional practices.
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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