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.
In 2019, the Kākāpō population reached 219, after 71 chicks were born in their best-recorded breeding season to date. The Department of Conservation expects that breeding will take place again at the end of 2021, as rimu begins to fruit.
Producer Louis spoke about the the threats and management plans involved with breeding to the Kākāpō Recovery Team's Bronwyn Jeynes.
Neighbourhood Watch reports on minimum wage increases, and locals around Twelve Apostles angry about a Federal Government decision to allow oil and gas exploration.
Justin spoke to Lead Coordinating Minister for the Government's response in the Christchurch attack Royal Commission, as well as Health and Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little about the counterterrorism hui, takutai moana engagement strategy, and the They Are Us movie.
Neighbourhood Watch reports on minimum wage increases and oil exploration near the Twelve Apostles.
Producer Louis talked to the Kākāpō Recovery Team's Bronwyn Jeynes on the bird's 2021/22 breeding season.
He also spoke to Anjul Rahman of the Islamic Women's Council about the counterterrorism hui.
The first annual anti-terrorism hui took place in Christchurch this week. One of the hui's speakers was the Islamic Women's Council, who discussed their experience with discrimination in New Zealand.
Producer Louis chatted to councilperson Anjum Rahman about the role of social media in harbouring extremism and what action should be taken.
Ilena talks to Abdur Razzaq, chairperson of the Federation of Islamic Associations NZ, about concerns over some of the comments made and composition of panellists at "He Whenua Taurikura"hui. The hui in Christchurch is the first of it's kind and focuses on countering terrorism and violent extremism.
As of today, the K' Road Chronicle, a local publication based outside of St. Kevin's Arcade, will be getting an office in the food court, where there will be more privacy and the ability to print.
To understadn what this meand for the Karangahape road community and the Auckland Central electorate, James talks to Central Auckland MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, about what the publication means for local decision making, the local community and why it is important we have smaller, local publications.
This week Marcus discusses with James everyting from space exploration to natural disasters.
Marcus starts off by telling us about the latest space missions to be announced, which will be heading to explore Venus. With the conditions far harsher than Mars, different challenges are at the forefront.
Next, Marcus explains a dilemma occuring between experts around COVID-19 variants, children, and whether thry need to be vaccinated straight away. Differing opinions mean some say children are not at risk, while others say they are holding grounds for new variants to grow.
To finish everything up, Marcus talks about a landslide which pccured in India at the start of the year and some of the statistics around the slide.
This week in their weekly catch up, James and Brooke talk about EV's and siginificant natural areas.
Recent the governement has announced a discount on EV's, as well as a new fees on non-electric cars. ACT has opposed this move, due to the impact it will have on farmers and large families.
James and Brooke then talk about siginificant natural areas, which will potentially face changes as councils are currently able to take siginigcant natural areas for conservation purposes. ACT has raised concerns over the power which is given to council to take land.
Since taking power in 2017, the Labour Government has stood by their policy "Investor State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) in future trade agreements". Including ISDS in an agreement means that foreign investors can sue the government directly for massive compensation when domestic policies impact the success of their brands.
However, under the Comprehensive Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which New Zealand is a partner, the ISDS mechanism is not removed, it is simply suspended. University of Auckland Law Professor and prominent critic of the TPPA and the CPTPP trade agreements, Jane Kelsey has raised concerns that the Labour Government's policy against ISDS is not enough. She says that legislation is necessary to ensure that the policy is not traded off in the negotations for the UK to be a part of the CPTPP and create a bilateral trade agreement with New Zealand and Australia.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Jane Kelsey to break down some of the core ideas under this issue. They discuss the origins and purpose of the CPTPP, the problem with ISDS and how the Labour Government's trade agreements with the UK could be impacted by ISDS.
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
95bFM 
