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 Tuesday Wire, Jess Hopkins speaks to Martin Cocker, CEO of Netsafe New Zealand, about an increasing trend in LGBTQIA+ community of harmful digital communications.
Jade Lewis looked into the Department of Corrections’ response to the accounts of inhumane treatment and abuse at Auckland Women’s Prison. She talks to Green Party Corrections Spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman and Amnesty International Executive Director Meg de Ronde about Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis' expectations for the Department to better treat those in prison.
Finally, Jemima Huston focuses on the first-home buyers housing announcement made today by the government. She speaks to Jarrod Kerr, the Chief Economist at Kiwibank, about what impact the government's initiatives are expected to have on the market. Jemima also chats to Lesley Harris from the First Home Buyers Club about the hurdles that exist for first-home buyers and whether these policies will effectively mitigate them.
Jade talked to Green Party Corrections Spokesperson Golriz Gharaman and Amnesty International's International Executive Director Meg de Ronde of their thoughts on Correction Minister Kelvin Davis' letter to the Chief Executive of corrections following abuse reports towards women's prisoners at the Auckland Women's Prison.
Netsafe NZ recently reported an increasing trend in people from the LGBTQIA+ community, sending and receiving harmful digital communications.
Jess Hopkins interviews Martin Cocker, the CEO of Netsafe NZ, about how the online safety organisation helps those experiencing harassment and bullying online.
They also discuss COVID-19 misinformation and whether Netsafe saw a surge in harmful online behaviour during lockdown periods.
Today the government announced a number of housing measures aimed at helping first-home buyers get on the property ladder. Some of these include, increasing the income cap for first home grants, expanding the rules around who can access 5% deposits and a $3.8 billion injection into the country's housing supply.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Jarrod Kerr, the Chief Economist at Kiwibank, about what impact the government expects these measures to have and whether they will make a difference to New Zealand's exorbitant housing market.
Jemima then talks to Lesley Harris, Director and Representative of the First Home Buyers Club about the hurdles that exist for first-home buyers and whether the government's new policies will effectively mitigate them.
Felix spoke to James Shaw about how fishing equipment is dangerous for sea birds, a new bill which aims to make it easier for trans people to change the sex on their birth certificate, and The Green Party's new plan to address the housing crisis.
Felix explains what an NFT is and why you should care about their environmental and economic impact, with the help of University of Auckland Professor and Blockchain Researcher Alexandra Sims.
Vaccines have become increasingly important but controversial over the past year. Last week, a court ruled that a four year old under the protection of Oranga Tamariki could receive vaccinations, despite her father's objections. Noah spoke to Professor John McMillan from the University of Otago's bioethics centre on the case and New Zealand's attitude to vaccines.
The government has just announced that water fluoridation will now be managed by the Ministry of Health, rather than local councils. Fluoridation plays an important role in preventing tooth decay, but there are some regions in New Zealand which do not have access to it. Noah Ferguson-Dudding spoke to Dr Rob Beaglehole from the New Zealand Dental Association on the importance of the government's decision.
Ayana talks to specialst in Chinese politics, Professor Anne-Marie Brady, about the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, how it got to this point, and New Zealand's role in taking a stand against this humanitarian crime.
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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