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.
On the wire this week the National Party’s, Chris Penk stepped in for Denise Lee to keep us up to date on National News. He joined Laura Kvigstad to discuss the effects of the drought in rural Auckland, Simon Bridges teasing of a tax cut package and the right to silence debate that has been sparked around child abuse cases.
An internal project to address domestic violence amidst members of the police force was started and abandoned in 2019.
A document relased under the Official Information Act reveals there were plans to install counselling, training, support lines and a clear family harm policy.
However, this project, titled "The Lighthouse Project", was "superseded by district priorities" and never came to fruition.
Rachel Simpson spoke to Dr Ang Jury, CEO of Women's Refuge about domestic violence in the police force - and how little is revealed about what happens in the ranks.
Recent polling done under the Helen Clark Foundation found the cannabis referendum receives greater support in favour of legalisation when they are informed more on the legislation, contrary to privious polls. Deputy Director of the Helen Clark Foundation, Holly Walker, discusses the results with Laura Kvigstad. Then Executive Director, Ross Bell, joins to discuss why these kinds of surveys have prompted the New Zealand Drug Foundation to hire people to educate the public on the legislation.
Leilani Farha is visiting Aoteroa. Yesterday, she declared the housing crisis a "human rights crisis of significant proportions". Lillian joined us on The Wire today to give a report put together by bFM Wellington correspondent Ryan Mckee.
Z’s app now has an option to offset your carbon count upon purchase. Mary-Margaret spoke to the company’s sustainability representative Gerri Ward about the decision. She also spoke to Generation Zero about the onus being put on consumers:
Lillian reports on the UN housing rights report released about Aotearoa; Mary-Margaret asks Z Energy about their app’s new carbon offsetting option, and then asks Generation Zero about their criticism that this puts an onus on consumers; Sam speaks to Associate Professor Yoram Barak about research concerning suicide rates among older generations in Aotearoa; and Mary-Margaret catches up with Justice Minister Andrew Little about right to silence laws and what reaching a settlement with Moriori means for the future
On Dear Science with AUT’s Marcus Jones, we are talking about when the coronavirus might peak, electric bacteria, and Minke whales struggling to communicate over the din of the ocean
Dr Bryce Edwards joins us to discuss political donations and the issues surrounding the current saga affecting NZ First and the National Party
Sherry talks to the cast and crew of Have You Ever Been With An Asian Woman about porn, sexualisation and fetishisation of asian women, and their own relationship with sexual identity.
Political donations! What the heck is going on. The dodginess continues with every other week RNZ bringing out another story showing the way in which NZ First has been allegedly trying to get around political donation rules - and succeeding. First it was the National Party though with the Simon Bridges and Jami-Lee Ross drama. That particular case was taken to the Serious Fraud Office and 4 individuals related to the party have now been charged in relation to two separate donations of 100,000 dollars. 3 of those people are actually seeking for their names to be revealed. One has now been revealed to be Jami-Lee Ross. NZ First on the other hand has been in the news because what RNZ has seen is a number of documents relating to donations made to the NZ First Foundation, a separate entity to the actual party that has been taking this money and what seems to be the case, using it for things it is not meant to be used for - apparently. However - we don’t know anything yet because this has only just been taken to the Serious Fraud Office, and party leader Winston Peters himself has stated he looks forward to the result of the investigation and is willing to review party policy if needed. The other side of the issue is the seeming pattern becoming clear that shows a number of donations being made, some by the same people and on the same day, of just under the threshold where you are then required to reveal the donor’s name. You may recall the Bridges and Ross recorded phone conversation where Bridges seemed to be instructing Ross to split a larger donation into smaller amounts with the implication being that they would then not need to reveal the names. SO! Back to NZ First. Last week Peters took responsibility for having photos taken of certain journalists who had been involved in the investigation. The photos were then posted on The BFD, a Whale-Oil linked website. This of course invokes in one the memory of Dirty Politics.. It goes on.
So where are we even at with all this. What does it all mean? And why should we be invested in the conversation. Recently, political commentator Dr Bryce Edwards released a column pointing out the silence of both the Labour and Green parties on the matter saying this could be seen as unethical in itself - just to add to it all. Lillian Hanly wanted to talk to Bryce more about this and started by asking how he felt when this all first came about.
Pornhub’s 2019 in review showcased that ‘Japanese’ was the most searched term. Whereas ‘Korean,’ ‘Asian,’ and ‘Indian’ showed significant gains in ‘Most Searched for Terms of 2019’. The creatives of theatre show Have you ever been with an asian womxan hope to reclaim the power from being dehumanisised and sexualised as search terms.
Sherry spoke to the cast and creatives. Gemishka and Aiwa are the directors of the show, and Elaine, Aiwa and are the performers. Sherry talked to everyone except for Aiwa who couldnt make it, and they ended up chatting for almost an hour, sharing personal stories experiences and thoughts around sexualisation, fetishisation, porn, and cultural differences with conversations around sex
**We have an unnamed performer who is since unable to participate due to personal reasons and their name has been removed at their request.
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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