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, Stella and Isla are inspired by the recent controversy surrounding the proposed CBS show 'The Activist', in which contestants are pitted against each other to achieve the greatest amount of change. They interview community psychologist Dr Niki Harré about why public outcry might have been so ferocious, and her project that discusses the psychology of environmental activism, The Infinite Game.
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, Monday 27 September until Sunday 3 October. The theme this year is "Take Time to Kōrero" and the Mental Health Foundation, who are leading the campaign, wants people to take a little time to connect with loved ones and have open conversations about wellbeing. News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks with Mental Health Foundation Chief Executive Shaun Robinson about the plan for the week. With Auckland still being in Alert Level 3, they also discuss the feeling of lockdown fatigue and how people can balance supporting their own wellbeing and supporting others during this time.
If you are looking to get involved with some of the initatives of Mental Health Awareness week, check out the website!
Pasifika ethnic specific COVID-19 vaccination drives are proving successful across Aotearoa, and now efforts are turning towards increasing youth vaccinations rates.
Organisations like Pasifika Futures are currently exploring ways to reach out and support Pasifika young people getting vaccinated.
Jessica Hopkins spoke to Communications Manager, Emily Muli about Pacific Youth Stand Up, a group of nominated people coming together to share insights on the experiences of Pasifika youth during COVID-19.
Water Contamination has become a significant problem on a global scale. Especially in New Zealand, with over one hundred thousand people getting ill from drinking dirty water every year. A team of Science Researchers from the University of Auckland are tackling this problem, as they look to investigate a way to detect waterborne contamination using new laser technology. Joe talks to the head researcher of the project, Dr Alex Risos, and how his research has revolutionised the way we protect our waterways.
Today on the Wire, Jemima Huston speaks to Shaun Robinson, the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, about Mental Health Awareness Week this week and lockdown fatigue.
Joe Wickins talks to Dr Alex Risos from the University of Auckland about his work on preventing water contamination in Aotearoa.
Jemima interviews AUT Associate Professor and Director of the Gambling and Addictions Research Centre Maria Bellringer about the recently released global gambiling guidelines for low-risk gambling.
Tomorrow’s World is back! This week Isla Christensen and Stella Huggins speak to community psychologist Dr Niki Harré about the recent controversy surrounding the proposed CBS show 'The Activist' and Harré's work on the psychology of environmental activism.
This week on the show, Jessica Hopkins speaks to Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand Chief Executive, Kathy Wolfe about pay parity issues for early childhood teachers and kaiako.
She also interviews Emily Muli from Pasifika Futures on their work supporting Pasiifka young people during COVID-19.
Producer Louis Macalister talks to The Meningitis Foundation’s Andrea Brady about vaccinating young people against the meningococcal disease.
He also speaks to Age Concern New Zealand’s Stephanie Clare about ageism and how it impacts older people.
The International Day of Older Persons will be celebrated across the world this Friday. According to Age Concern New Zealand, it is an important day to appreciate older people and to highlight issues of ageism.
Louis was joined by Age Concern New Zealand's Stephanie Clare to talk about the day, ageism, and how it impacts older people.
Health experts have urged the government to do more to vaccinate young people against the meningococcal disease. In 2019, 139 people in New Zealand contracted the disease, with ten people dying from it.
Louis spoke to the Meningitis Foundation's Andrea Brady to chat about meningococcal and what further support the government needs to offer.
This week, Ilena and Shane talk about what moving into level three means for Auckland, and in particular, how level 3 does not mean ‘level free’. They talk about varying levels of compliance and enforcement in different suburbs and how we can ‘support local’ safely during this time.
They also addressed the felling of hundreds of non-native trees at Ōtāhuhu, following up on Ilena’s previous conversation with Shirley Waru. Shane outlined the scope of Auckland Council’s influence on the matter, and gave insight into the consultation process.
Disclaimer:
After the interview with Shane, Shirley Waru, the organiser of Protect Mt Richmond/Ōtāhuhu, had some clarifications on some of Cr. Henderson's points:
Cr. Henderson implied that Auckland Council has no say in Tupuna Maunga Authority’s work. He did not mention that the Authority is a co-governance organisation. It has six iwi representatives and six Auckland Council representatives (who, under the Treaty settlement legislation are there to represent “all the people of Auckland”). The Authority is a ratepayer-funded entity. Every year, Auckland Council’s governing body considers the Authority’s annual operational plan and votes on the budget. In other words, Auckland Council does have some say on what the Authority does.
He said that the public were consulted about the tree removal in both the Authority’s 2016 integrated management plan consultations and operational plan consultations. The Authority never specifically consulted about its intentions to remove all the exotic trees from all of Auckland’s maunga. The Authority’s chairman admits this in a Māori TV interview earlier this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDrCMAhL4tk&list=PLvwPLhmfEWgk8wZyFXdCLKV871TFlO1FN&index=4. The Authority has consulted in recent years on its operational plan, but, on the whole, ignored public input.
Cr. Henderson said that only some of the exotic trees will be removed from Mt Richmond. Yes, not all exotic trees will be removed under this particular resource consent, but supporting documentation clearly shows they intend to remove all of them in time. Protect Mt Richmond/Ōtāhuhu believes they split the removal process in two so as to get a non-notified resource consent through.
Cr. Henderson also says that tens of thousands of native plants are being planted in exotic trees' places. However, this is misleading: these are mostly small plants like flaxes, grasses and shrubs and not tree species, meaning that places that previously had tree cover would look very bare, covered with small plants rather than trees.
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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