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 James chatted to Brooke a few topics, starting off with PHARMAC. Recently PHARMAC has said they are unable to fund every cancer drug for children, as well as announcing they need another 400 million dollars to fund all the drugs they want to fund.
James and Brooke then chat about the Motion which Brooke is currently putting through parliament. The motion is for the NZ government to oppose China’s actions against the ethinic minority, Uyghur Muslims. The wording of the motion has had to be changed for it to be debated, however this means whether China is committing genocide will not be discussed.
They finish off our chat with the He puapua report, which has not been officially put out to the public. The report is a plan to realise the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples (UNDRIP) here in New Zealand. New zealand originally rejected the declaration in 2007, but has since adopted it. The report includes a number of recommendations such as a Māori court system, health system, upper house or parliament; Māori wards and the protection of Māori seats in parliament; compulsory te reo Māori and New Zealand history in schools; joint governance bodies across all government agencies; and strengthening the legal recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by putting it into law. Using the FPIC principle, it also recommends greater rights for Māori in areas such as fisheries and the RMA, and it recommends that Māori co-design and/or co-govern all Māori services. Both ACT and Nation have opposed the report, which is yet to be approved by cabinet.
Lyric speaks to Shaneel Lal, the co-founder of End Conversion Therapy NZ, about a protest which took place on Saturday night, which saw hundreds flock to G.A.Y and Family Bar on Karangahape Road to fight for inclusivity and safe spaces. They discuss the need to centre trans rights, the difficulty of maintaining LGBTQI+ focussed spaces and Aotearoa's long history with homophobia.
This week James and Aneeka bring you a jam packed show, so much that two pieces are only available through bCast.
As it always does, this week starts of with Dear Science, this week Marcus teaches everyone about mayflies, ancient superhighways and COVID19 transmission rates.
What's the Buzz is back for another week, this time Aneeka talks with Sarah Helm and Kali Mercer from the NZ Drug Foundation about drug reform in Aotearoa.
James has his weekly catch up with Brooke van Velden , where they chat about PHARMAC, Chinese Genocide and He Puapua.
The show finishes up with a piece from Tuesday's Lyric Waiwiri-Smith, where she talks to Shaneel Lal, the co-founder of End Conversion Therapy NZ, about the protests with took place on Saturday on Karangahape Road.
Today I spoke with Tracy Klenner from The New Zealand Public Service Association about the issue of customs workers losing employment due to denied vaccinations.
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith does a live interview with Rose Stewart, Family Planning's national nurse advisor, to break down some common myths and stigmatisations surrounding cervical cancer.
This week on the Tuesday Wire, Auckland Action Against Poverty has called out the government for failing to act on the recommendations set by the Welfare Expert Advisory Group report, Whakamana Tangata - Restoring Dignity to Social Security. Jemima Huston speaks to AAAP coordinator Brooke Pao Stanley about their demands for the government.
Jemima also talks to Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan to provide a government response on the AAAP's call out.
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith interviews Rose Stewart, the national nurse advisor for Family Planning, to bust some cervical cancer myths and stigmatisations.
Lyric also speaks to Tracy Klenner from The New Zealand Public Service Association about the rights for customs workers who have recently lost their jobs after failing to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Auckland Action Against Poverty and a number of other community action groups have called out the government for failing to act on any of the recommendations set by the Welfare Expert Advisory Group report, Whakamana Tangata - Restoring Dignity to Social Security.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to AAAP coordinator Brooke Pao Stanley about their expectations for the government in terms of the welfare system. She also talks to Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan to provide a government response on the issue.
Felix spoke to Green co-leader James Shaw about changes to the healthcare system including the merging of DHBs and the introduction of a Maori health authority, deposit protection and how it can make banking safer, and Green's calls to provide amnesty for visa overstayers.
HELP Auckland says services for survivors of sexual abuse have seen decreased grant funding, but fundraiser Ruth Davy says they need to remain free to ensure equitable access.
A new campaign is encorugaing you to Do Something HELPful for yourself or others during May, to raise funding to help free more New Zealanders from sexual abuse.
Davy says without these campaigns, they will have to turn away more women and children whose lives are at risk.
Jessica Hopkins talked to Davy about the campaign and the sexual abuse epidemic.
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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