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.
Last week saw reports that many high school students in low decile schools are leaving school early to work to support their families who have been financially burdened by Covid 19. This seems to be affecting communities with significant Māori and Pasifika populations, such as South Auckland and Porirua. To discuss this more, Zoë Larsen Cumming spoke to Aorere College Principal, Greg Pierce.
Employees here in Aotearoa only get 5 days of paid sick leave each year. The Green Party is campaigning on a policy of boosting this minimum to 10 days.
The Council of Trade Unions endorsed this policy, so Mary-Margaret spoke to Richard Wagstaff this morning to ask if 10 days is sufficient, and how.
She started by asking how the minimum number of sick days is quantified, and who by.
The Tupuna Maunga Authority say that fires that come about on Tupuna Maunga as a result of fireworks are not only dangerous, but cause harm to taonga. This week, a Parliamentary Select Committee decided not to ban the private sale of fireworks
Paul Majurie of the Authority joined Mary-Margaret this morning to discuss what it means that the government upholds the “balancing of competing interests” over mana whenua. She started by asking Paul to walk through the context that led to the Authority calling for a ban.
Richard Wagstaff of the Council of Trade Unions discusses raising the minimum number of sick days allocated to workers in Aotearoa
In The Week That Was, we cross to producer Ollie Joblin for a recap of the news this week
Paul Majurie of the Tupuna Maunga Authority explains why they are calling for a ban on the private sale of fireworks, and what it signals to them that a parliamentary select committee failed to enact such a ban
James Tapp reports on the National Party's new border plan.
Justin spoke to Finance Minister Grant Robertson on the election delay, border testing, wage subisidy extension, and his charity Monopoly game with National's Paul Goldsmith.
James also talked to Watercare CEO Raveem Jaduram about Auckland's current water situation.
Justin caught up with Zoe Kounadais on Neighbourhood Watch on a coronavirus vaccine, the federal government rejected claims from Torres Strait Islanders, and a study into diversity in TV newsreaders.
International Desk gives a profile on Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko.
Zoe from Radio Adelaide caught up with Justin and talked about the federal government asking the UN to dismiss Torres Strait Islanders’ claim that climate change affects their human rights, a report showing diversity is lacking on Australian TV newsreaders, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison backtracking on comments about making a coronavirus vaccine mandatory for all Australians.
Justin spoke to Finance Minister Grant Robertson on the election delay, border testing, extending wage subsidy, and his charity Monopoly game with Naitonal’s finance spokesperson Paul Goldsmith.
With Auckland continuing to have dry spells even in winter, it is becoming increasingly concerning what the summer may look like in terms of water use. With the amount of rain we receive out of anyone's control, more systems and being needed for water collection and treatment. While restrictions have been easier during the winter, there are concerns behavior will change in summer. To understand more about what the future for Auckland could look like, producer James Tapp talks to Watercare CEO, Raveen Jaduram, and starts off by asking how Auckland's water levels have been looking lately.
With Auckland currently in a level 3 lockdown with the rest of the country in level 2, the National party has announced what their plans would look like if they were elected for the next term of government. Producer James Tapp briefly covers some of the key points National makes as well as some areas to continue looking at.
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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