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.
Stewart Sowman-Lund is back from oblivion to host this week's show - and it's packed to the brim.
There are calls for New Zealanders to learn more about our colonial past in schools - the chair of the History Teachers’ Association chats to Stewart about a new petition asking for exactly that.
Plus, should New Zealand just outright ban cigarettes? It’s being proposed in Hawaii. ASH spokesman Ben Youdan talks to Stewart.
Then, Our European correspondent Mary-Margaret Slack is back for another week. What's the latest Brexit developments?
Plus, Green Desk is here as usual: This week Mitchell talks to University of Canterbury Associate Professor of Engineering Dr Aaron Marshall, about his almost zero-waste solution for treating acid waste and discarded zinc
After that, Liv talks about the outcomes of The Australian Royal Commission’s investigation into their financial sector and what this might mean for New Zealand.
And finally for our weekly international segment, Lisa reports on the latest developments of the political crisis in Venezuela.
Too few New Zealanders have a sound understanding of what brought the Crown and Māori together in the 1840 Treaty, or of how the relationship played out over the following decades. That’s what the New Zealand History Teachers' Association think. They’ve launched a petition calling for the House of Representatives to pass legislation that would make compulsory the coherent teaching of our own past across appropriate year levels in our schools. Stewart Sowman-Lund spoke with the Assocation’s Chair, Graeme Ball, and started by asking him to explain his petition.
The cost of GP visits can lock people out of accessing the first point of healthcare. An editorial by Professor Robin Gauld and others offers alternative methods of funding GP visits for a more equitable health system. Lachlan spoke with Robin about it.
Putting it on a Plate is a series that investigates the conditions and culture of the hospitality industry. In Part One Jemima speaks to Chloe Ann King, an activist and founder of Raise the Bar, and Jessica Buchanan, a part owner of living wage bar Grand Central. They discuss the biggest problems with the culture of hospitality and whether sexual harassment is a problem in the industry.
This week on the Monday Wire Jemima speaks to Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson about Waitangi Day. Jemima also speaks to Chloe Ann King and Jessica Buchanan abour sexual harassment in the hospitality industry for the series Putting it on a Plate. Lachlan speaks to Professor Robin Gauld about whether different funding models should be sought out for GP visits. Jemima talks to Leroy Beckett from Generation Zero about the RNZ article, White Noise, and the voices shaping the future of Auckland.
Putting it on a Plate is a series that investigates the conditions and culture of the hospitality industry. In Part Two Jemima continues her conversation with Chloe Ann King, an activist and founder of Raise the Bar, and Jessica Buchanan, a part owner of living wage bar Grand Central. The second part covers stereotypes in the hospitality, support for sexual harassment victims and Raise the Bar.
Recommendations were released yesterday by the Fair Pay Agreement Working Group, a representative group chaired by former New Zealand prime minister James Bolger. The recommendations into pay disputes include a comprehensive and inclusive list on the matter, with an informative design behind that of a Fair Pay Agreement system. The government will now take some time to consider this report & its conditions moving forward. I had a chance to interview the minister of workplace relations & safety, the Iain Lees-Galloway, about his thoughts on the report...
It was announced today that New Zealands housing market has reached an all-time national average high of just under 700,000 dollars, an increase by 3.3 percent from last year. Now, not only are the prices rising in Auckland but also all around the country, with eight other regions stepping into the pricey limelight. Vanessa Taylor of Real Estate NZ took the time with me to explain these recent findings, and why New Zealanders are still in the market for property despite these prices …
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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