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.
Currently, only essential services are operating. Much of those essential services are everyday things like busses or food stores. Those things that keep us going to work and keep us alive. The workers in these areas are often classified as ‘unskilled’ which brings with it hugely negative connotations about a person’s worth in regard to their work. Hanna Thompson looked into this and spoke with Associate Professor of Sociology Campbell Jones at the University of Auckland.
Trump's fallen out with the World Health Organisation, conservatives are gathering in the thousands in Michigan to protest stay-at-home orders, Harvard researchers have found links between being exposed to pollution and risk of Covid-19 death, the Navajo Nation is becoming a Covid-19 hotspot not unlike New York...
This week in State of the States with Rachel Simpson.
"Kathy, I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping
I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
This committee was established on 25 March 2020 to consider and report to the House on matters relating to the Government’s management of the COVID-19 epidemic.
On Dear Science with Marcus Jones we discuss the trial and error that will be the process of ending Covid19 lockdowns, and also nanostructured alloys lighting the way to silicon-based photonics.
We have our regular Epidemic Response Committee notes and today the committee is hearing from a number of media outlets regarding the effect Covid19 has had on the media industry
Before we hear those notes we will hear some context from Felix who gives us a bit of an outline of the media landscape, particularly after the news yesterday broke that 15 percent of NZME staff would be made redundant.
It is officially the first day of term two so what is this looking like for teachers and parents and students? We hear from one organisation who is supplying the Ministry of Education with a number of learning resources.
We have NZ First’s Fletcher Tabuteau on the show today speaking about unemployment figures from Treasury yesterday, wage subsidies supporting businesses and touching on the epidemic response committee that will hear from media outlets today.
We also have Green Party Co-Leader James Shaw today as Monday was a holiday, Sherry talks to him about tertiary support, resources given to rest homes, and a greener infrastructure response.
Term two has officially begun, however, this is going to look very different for lots of different people. The government has indicated a progressive return to school with the priority right now being online learning. The government announced last week the moves they are making to prepare for that, and Lillian outlines that announcement in this piece. What is clear though is the issue regarding access to the internet and devices. This is something The Wire is going to look into further, but today we are going to touch on some of the resources available online now.
Bevan Morgan works for an organisation called School Kit. They work with different sponsors from both the public and private sector to produce educational resources on their behalf. These resources are free for teachers once they sign up. When they are commissioned by the likes of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage for example, School Kit tells their community of teachers what is coming and how to access it. The resources include a teacher guide with research and links to activities and resources they have developed. Along with this is a box of gear to enhance that learning. Lillian spoke to Bevan about what they are doing to provide some kits to the Ministry of Education at this time, given the resources they already have available.
To finish up, we hear a statement from an anonymous parent of their experience of Day 1, Term 2 - the online version, and Lillian outlines the government's latest announcement of support for Tertiary students - also something that will be looked at in more detail in coming Wire's.
Justin reports on the spat between Taiwan and the World Health Organization, after Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus falesly accused the country of launching a racist attack. Justin also spoke to Taiwanese MP Wang Ting-yu about Taiwan's diplomatic strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last week, Te Huirangi Waikerepuru passed away. We touched on the gravity of this loss on The Wire on Thursday but time hadn’t really allowed for a proper tribute. Over the weekend, these tributes flowed. One in particular caught Lillian's eye. Marae, the tv programme on TVNZ on Sunday mornings, had transformed its programming format in order to act as an actual marae for the show so that people around the motu can acknowledge and pay tribute to Huirangi, as they would on a marae at a tangi. Covid19 rāhui restrictions have meant that tangihanga have not been able to occur as they normally would and this has been a huge source of pain for many. Scotty Morrison is the presenter of Marae TV and Lillian spoke to him to understand more about why they decided to do what they did, and started by asking him to explain a bit about Huirangi Waikerepuru himself, and why such an acknowledgement was necessary.
This week Bronnie spoke to co-founder and editor in chief of Oscen Magazine, Janna Tay about "theUnlockdown” festival, happening this weekend. The three-day free event featuring workshops and performances aims at unlocking new skills while uplifting the creative arts. Cooking classes, yoga, songwriting workshops and a Tiger King discussion group are all among what will be on offer via instagram live and zoom.
Oscen is an online publication which started in 2018 with the mission of uplifting marginalised voices. Janna begins by telling us about their beginnings.
Laura Kvigstad updated us with the highlights of today's parliamentary Epidemic Response Committee.
Lillian spoke to Scotty Morrison, host of the TVNZ's Marae, on the show becoming a virtual marae so orators around the country could pay tribute to the late te reo advocate Huirangi Waikerepuru.
International Desk reports on the recent spat between Taiwan and the World Health Organization.
Bronnie speaks to Janna Tay from Oscen Magazine about their online workshop festival connecting people to the creative arts during the rāhui.
Oscar chats with Samuel Miller McDonald about Covid-19 and climate change.
On the show today, we start with a mihi to Huirangi Waikerepuru - a stalwart of Aotearoa and tino rangatiratanga, and champion of Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga. Lillian had only just heard not long before the show started and was left a little speechless at the loss.
We will hear from Labour’s Andrew Little once again about what’s on the table in his review of Hate Speech Law and Electoral Registration for Prisoners.
Rachel interviewed Dr Paul Taillon from the University of Auckland about the labour crisis in the United States.
Mary-Margaret also catches up with Radio Adelaide’s Zoe Kounadis about there still not being a lockdown in Australia, and this week’s historic quashing of convictions against George Pell.
We have our updates from the Epidemic Response Committee meeting today where a large focus has been placed on the data being released - with new data having been released from MSD, and the announcement of weekly data coming from them with a breakdown of what benefits and subsidies are being provided.
Lillian speaks with NZ First deputy leader Fletcher Tabuteau and we touch base on the overseas New Zealanders and also the Epidemic Response Committee of which he is a member.
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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