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.
We are back for our 6th part in this series. Now, Lillian has spoken to Polisario Front and heard at length about the fight for independence. Lillian also looked at why so much phosphate is used in NZ, whether that is appropriate and whether there are alternatives possible. Lillian has managed to get a hold of someone from the New Zealand Fertiliser Quality Council who is also a beef and sheep farmer - but that is a chat we will hear down the track, and she is currently trying to get hold of UN representative who can speak on the matter. Today we have somebody from the Moroccan side of things.
Hajobouha Zoubier is the President of the Phosboucraa Foundation. This is a subsidiary of OCP - Morocco’s OCP Group is the world’s largest supplier of phosphate rock, phosphoric acid and phosphate fertilsers. Their company brochures state that approximately 2% of OCP’s "managed reserves are located in the Southern provinces of Morocco at Boucraa – where most of New Zealand’s phosphate rock comes from." The brochure explains that the "Phosboucraa Foundation was established in 2014 to carry out Phosboucraa’s corporate sustainability programmes in the region, supporting local communities through the reinforcement of education, training, access to healthcare, entrepreneurship, agriculture, culture and sports, as well as urban development."
Lillian's intro:
When I originally got in touch with Ravensdown last year, they put me onto a representative for OCP who is the company Ravensdown and Ballance Agri-Nutrients buy phosphate from. The representative, who is a strategic communication specialist for SenateSHJ, explained that they couldn’t speak on behalf of the company, but that they could help facilitate comment. He also said there was a delegation heading to NZ in February 2020 of some publicly elected Saharawi politicians and the president of OCP’s Phosboucraa Foundation - an NGO running a range of education, health, cultural and economic development programmes in what he called Southern Morocco. Looking at the map I saw that Boucraa mine is the mine in what I had understood to be the Western Sahara where OCP, who sells to NZ, mines phosphate in order to sell on. The figures they gave me show the Boucraa mine makes up 2% of their phosphate reserves, and 75 percent of the employees of the mine are locals from that region. It also stated that 100% of the revenue made from the Phosboucraa mine is reinvested locally.
We agreed that when the group came to NZ we would set up a time to speak and that we did. Originally, it was organised so that I would speak with Mbarka Bouaida, who is a native of Southern Sahara and was elected last year as the President of the Guelmim Oued Noun region, the first woman in the country elected as a regional President. The SenateSHJ representative indicated she would be able to speak to the wider geopolitical issues of the region as well as her own experiences in the area.
On the day of the interview however, we had to readjust as Bouaida was not available so instead I spoke with Hajbouha Zoubeir the President of the Phosboucraa Foundation. At the start of the interview it was pointed out that Hajbouha would not be able to speak to the wider geopolitical issues so while she could talk in general terms, if it got too political, she would have to say that is a question for the government and not for OCP or the foundation. The representative of SenateSHJ stated they would remain on the line during the interview for “any translation or language issues”. I flag that here as throughout the interview the communication specialist has some input that provides wider context and information necessary to understand the issue, but they indicated it would be inappropriate to use their voice so I will be voicing this myself.
This is Part VI in a series, you can listen to the others here:
On Dear Science with AUT’s Allan Blackman we are talking about the control of academic discussion and washing your hands versus using sanitiser.
We have another instalment of the Blood Phosphate series, this time talking to someone connected to the company in Morocco that sells the phosphate to NZ
Felix reports on the government’s Predator Free 2050 goal and what it all means.
Laura Kvigstad speaks with Colin Wightman who has been the hikoi organiser in Wellington surrounding tiny homes, as councils are not following the legislation and giving the tiny home owners notices to fix.
International Desk covers about migrants at the Turkish and Greek/EU border.
Justin talked to economist Shamubeel Eaqub about financial markets.
On Green Desk, Bronnie speaks to Hans Rook about proposed whitebaiting regulations.
Laura Kvigstad spoke with Colin Wightman, who has been the hikoi organiser in Wellington surrounding tiny homes, about local councils' handling on tiny homes.
Markets in Wall Street, Europe and Asia have all been crashing due to fears of the coronavirus. New Zealand is also affected, as stocks went down 3.8% at the beginning of the trade. Justin talked to economist Shamubeel Eaqub about the future of New Zealand economics.
Turkish President Recep Erdogan has turned his back to a 2016 agreement with the European Union on migrants and allowing thousands of refugees to cross the country towards the EU border in Greece, as fighting in north-western Syria escalated in the region of Idlib.
Last week an announcement was made by the government surrounding changes to default kiwisaver funds. In a bid to align with the zero carbon bill, in 2021 when the terms of default kiwisavers end, they will no longer be able to invest in fossil fuels or illegal weaponry. As well as this, the default funds will change from conservative to balanced, which comes with its advantages and disadvantages as discussed by Aaron Gilbert, the associate professor of finance at AUT.
Lillian Hanley speaks to Islamic Women's Council's Anjum Rahman to touch base as the anniversary of the March 15th terror attacks aproach.
We have our weekly segment Southern Cross, with Pacific Media Watch contributing editor Sri Krishnamurthi on the Cristchurch Call, Coronavirus preperation in the Pacific, Press freedom in Samoa and West Papuan radio documentary
Next, Sherry Zhang talks to Green party co-leader James Shaw about Green party spending on Air Travel, Coronavirus updates and Pest Free 2050.
Finally James Tapp speaks to associate professor of finance at AUT, Aaron Gilbert about announced changes to kiwisaver.
Anjum Rahman is a spokesperson for the Islamic Women's Council. This group announced shortly after the March 15th terror attacks that they had been trying for years to warn authorities of the very real threats the Muslim community was facing. They have now told RNZ exclusively the report they gave to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the shootings. They believe 'it's likely the Christchurch mosque attacks would never have happened if the public service - including police and security agencies - had not ignored their repeated warnings.' Lillian Hanly spoke with Anjum Rahman a couple of weeks ago in the leadup to the anniversary and started by asking how she was feeling about that.
Sam speaks with Terry Bellamak from Abortion Law Reform Association NZ about the Abortion Legislation Bill currently before parliament. They unpack what the bill seeks to change and what the current conditions for access are. Also discussed are the ways in which the narratives around people accessing abortion influence the shift towards improved policy.
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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