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.
Bronwyn spoke to researcher Jude Ball, from the dept. Of public health at the University of Otago about the decline in cannabis youth among youth. The research shows between 2001 and 2012 a decline from 38 percent to 23 percent in lifetime cannabis use in teens.
Wednesday the 14th of August was the 7th International Day of Justice for Victims of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery- but what does this really mean? Deb Rawson speaks with Rebekah Juang, spokesperson for community group Korean New Zealanders for a Better Future, about how the historical context continues into present day, and why victims are still seeking closure.
Justin talks about the Indian government's decision to revoke Article 370 of their Constitution, which gives Jammu and Kashmir special status of self-autonomy.
The Census 2018 review is out, and it’s pretty clear things didn’t go so well. In fact, the head of Stats NZ Liz MacPherson resigned because of it. The review showed there were problems with the approach and it has meant the response rate was significantly low. Polly Atatoa Carr is an Associate Professor at the University of Waikato, working in Population Studies. Atatoa Carr believes the response rate of 68% for Māori and 65% for Pasifika people’s will lead to new inequities in the development and monitoring of policy and programmes for those communities. Lillian Hanly spoke with Atatoa Carr to find out more and started by asking why Census 2018 became such a mess.
The labour party have been subject to seven formal complaints, and up to twelve general complaints regarding a labour staffer who works around parliament. No disciplinary action was taken by the party when these complaints were looked into in March, and Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has since admitted the party did not handle the complaints as well as they could have.
Sherry spoke to University of Auckland Employment law professor Dr Bill hodge to understand where a political party falls under employment law and why investigations have been kept internally so far.
The Fox River debacle has been slowly and steadily coming to an end. You may remember the severe flooding that occurred in the Southland region which caused the river to overflow, and a landfill to flood. This meant that all that rubbish was then strewn along the river for kilometres. What followed was tension between national and local government. Local government said they didn’t have enough money to clean it up, national government said the local government's hadn’t planned well enough. And during this time, there weren’t enough hands on board to do the literal clean up. In the end, volunteers took it into their own hands, along with the NZ Defence Force and DOC. Because there was also a race against the Spring rains which might make the damage worse. And, more generally, DOC director general Lou Sanson said that climate change will make this sort of disaster a lot more likely. Finally, two days ago it was announced that protecting the river from future rubbish spills could cost the Westland District Council up to 2.8 million dollars. So, Rachel Simpson spoke with Eugenie Sage, the Minister for Conservation, and started by asking why so many people volunteered to help out.
Tuwhenuaroa speaks with Jordan Aramoana Waiti, a lecturer at Waikato University, about their new Bachelor of Health degree focussed on Hauora and Maori well being.
Welcome to The Wire for Tuesday the 13th of August. Podcast edition.
On the show today;
At the Green Desk, Mitchell talks to AUT’s Associate Professor Sebastian Leuzinger about Kauri tree stumps and their root graft systems.
Olivia talks to Jean Te Huia, midwife and Māori health advocate, about how our child welfare system has developed since its founding in colonial law and what needs to be changed.
And finally for Board Games, Sarah Trotman and Josh Doubtfire, of Communities and Residents, join us to talk on their Waitematā local election campaigns.
A big thank you to everyone who talked to us today!
For Board Games, we start to meet the Waitematā candidates of Communities and Residents. This week, we meet Sarah Trotman and Josh Doubtfire to talk about who they are and what their Waitematā local election campaigns will look like.
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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