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.
Over the past couple weeks, especially now that we are on level 4, there has been a real emphasis on looking after those who are immunocompromised as well as the elderly. This includes cancer patients, especially those who are currently undertaking treatment. While there are talks of at home treatments being developed, currently patients will still have to go into clinics for treatments. James talked to the CEO of Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand, Peter Fergusson, about how they are going with reaching patients and what progress is being made to succeed in these new conditions. James also ended up talking to Peter about how non-for-profit organisations are coping, especially ones like LBCNZ where funding has tanked and the pressure to meet demand has increased.
Yesterday, the government made the announcement that social services and community groups will get $27 million to continue providing services as New Zealand begins its lockdown, or rāhui.
Up to $16 million will go to supporting people at risk through uncertain circumstances and respond to increased demand. $6 million will go to disability community participation providers and $4.8 million to community-led solutions to support local resilience.
One such solution is coming out of the University of Otago; hand sanitiser produced in-house and in record time by the School of Pharmacy's senior lecturer and his team of research students.
I spoke with Dr. Shyamal Das, the senior lecturer behind the initiative. He specialises in respiratory drug delivery around lung diseases & infections, & hopes to continue his work & help out in this pandemic...
Lillian steps in for Laura this week as the news team works from home...
First up, Sam Denne has created a bit of an experimental piece talking about the challenges that Covid19 can present for our mental health, particularly in this rāhui period.
Next, Louis Laws speaks to Otago University lecturer Dr. Shyamal Das on a community-led solution and his research in respiratory drug delivery. Dr Das is the person who created, along with his students, 100 litres of hand sanitiser over three days so that the essential services on the university campus would not take away from the public stock of hand sanitiser. Also the leftover of that 100L the university didn’t need went to Dunedin hospital.
Then, Jack Marshall, former Green Desk host, speaks with Gisborne mayor, Rehette Stoltz to give us some insight on what it is like to lead a city under lockdown.
Finally, Laura Kvigstad has her weekly chat with National’s Denise Lee. This week they chat about Denise's volunteer database, where people in her community are delivering goods to those who may not have internet access. Then they chat about the potential for a grand coalition amongst these unprecedented times. Lastly, they discuss the protections put in place for renters and some of the concerns that renters may have amongst these uncertain times.
Today on The Wire, our first officially under the rāhui, Lillian speaks to Stacey Morrisson about a post she put up on twitter with a saying from Ngā Pepeha a ngā tīpuna and we talk through the concept of rāhui.
Mary-Margaret will have her weekly catch up with Radio Adelaide’s Zoe Kounadis, this week they touch on the differing situations in different states across Australia.
We will hear from Labour’s Andrew Little once again and hear what police patrols might look like.
And Rachel reports on the history of pandemics and epidemics in New Zealand.
Stacey Morrisson is a broadcaster and author, she also noted that people call her a Te Reo Māori advocate, but she says 'aren’t we all'. Yesterday, Lillian came across a whakatauki that seemed very pertinent at this particular time. It reads, ‘Ka ora pea au i a koe, ka ora koe ia a au.’ The English of this is, 'perhaps I will survive because of you, and you survive because of me’. Lillian thought this was a really good place to start our first Wire in the rāhui period. Lillian started by asking how Stacey's whānau is this morning.
Looking back to history, Rachel reports on diseases of New Zealand's past and how they were dealt with by both authorities and everyday people.
We begin with the introduction of smallpox and its disastrous effect on the Māori population, and how travel restrictions and ad-hoc militias were used to control Māori communities.
Then we cover the 1918 influenza outbreak, and how New Zealand dealt with a pandemic when left with skeletal resources after WWII. The influenza outbreak left us with the 1920 Public Health Act, which influenced how New Zealand was to deal with pandemics in the future.
Inspired by a phone conversation with her grandfather, Rachel then covers the polio epidemic - a high-stakes disease that left many people permanently harmed. She examines what life was like during that time, and ends by highlighting the societal optimism surrounding the advent of Jonas Salk discovering the polio vaccine.
Broadcasting from home today, 95bFM wishes you a safe time during the rāhui (lockdown).
Retail NZ is an organisation representing most of the retail sector. Non-essential businesses are having to close so what does this mean if you want or need to buy something that isn’t food? Lillian spoke to Greg Harford, Chief executive of Retail NZ and started by asking him what the organisation actually is.
Izzy Holdsworth reports on the impact that the Alert Level 4 will have on those at risk of domestic violence. She spoke with Holly Carrington, policy advisor from the domestic violence charity Shine and Susan Barker, a spokesperson from Women's Refuge.
On Dear Science with Allan Blackman we talk about exponential increase, king penguins vanishing and the edge of the milkyway.
Felix gives us a rundown of what the Alert Level 4 means for us when it comes into effect tonight and I will add in a few other notes to get your head around.
Lillian speaks with Retail NZ about what will happen to non-essential retail services
And Izzy has spoken to Holly Carrington, the policy advisor for domestic abuse charity SHINE, and Susan Barker, the spokesperson from Women’s Refuge, about those in lock down who are facing domestic violence situations and how the community can help.
With the government moving New Zealand to Alert Level 4 tonight, Felix Walton prepared a short run-down of what to expect. Before we hear that though, let’s first hear again from the Prime Minister as to why we have to go into this alert stage.
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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