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.
First up on the our Wire Worry Week topic is whenua as a legal entity. News Director Lillian is speaking with Riki Bennett, a park ranger, about his urban foraging event Andrew Little joins Lachlan for their regular chat, this week discussing freshwater rights and our relationship with Australia. Oscar speaks to Daniel and Amiria from A New University about their rally against Don Brash’s inclusion in a debate on free speech at the University of Auckland. Finally, Ben brings us this day in history on the watergate scandal.
Oscar discussed the implications of free speech, Don Brash and his presence at tonight's debate on campus, with two representatives from the 'A New University' group.
Riki Bennett and Rewi Spraggon are hosting a Urban Forage event as part of American Express Restaraunt Month's 5th annual Wine and Food Celebration happening in the city. OnSaturday the 18th of August they’ll be taking people on a guided walk to find different types of edible things in the environment around us. Then you get to eat it. Given we’ve been talking about land this week and our relationship to it, I thought this also fit in terms of how we operate in the environment around us and how we consume things sustainably. Riki Bennett is a park ranger with the Auckland Council of Te Arawa and Ngati Porou descent. He was raised on the shores of Lake Rotoiti. He runs guided walks looking at the forest environment from a traditional perspective and how Māori people used the forest for food and medicinal purposes or rongoa. Lillian Hanly spoke with Riki to find out more about the event, and started by asking what they actually do on the day.
In July 2014, New Zealand granted legal personality to Te Urewera National Park, settling an ongoing argument between the tangata whenua and the Crown. In doing so, it made Te Urewera a freehold land, above ownership. In March 2017, the Whanganui river was given a similar status. And soon, Mount Taranaki will be its own person, legally speaking.
In doing so, Aotearoa New Zealand has shown there is an alternative to the western vision of ownership over the natural world. This redefinition of legal personhood has attracted attention throughout the world, from media, to indigenous leaders and environmental activists - and thus paved the way for new regulations across the globe.\
To better understand how important these decisions have been, Lisa Boudet spoke to Jacinta Ruru, professor of Law at the University of Otago, and co-director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand's Māori Centre of Research Excellence.
Professor Ruru’s work particularly focuses on Indigenous people’s right to manage and govern land, and she has abundantly commented on the settlements. Lisa started by asking her to bring us back to the origins of the concept of land as a legal entity.
On Dear Science with AUT’s Allan Blackman we are talking about getting near the sun, the way that we reveal ourselves in our text messages, and a helium anniversary
Today for our segment with the New Zealand First party, I speak with Darroch Ball about rights to privacy for rental tenants
It is Wire Worry Week and Lisa is looking into whenua as a legal entity, and how Aotearoa New Zealand has paved the way for other nations.
This week on Everyday People Leonard spoke to fellow bFMer Kelly Enright.
Kelly is the Friday Wire host, and always brings love and a smile to the station.
Conor talks to Dr Manjeet Pardesi; a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations. We discuss how the current US-China Trade War will impact India and how we can expect India to develop economically and politically over the coming decades
Conor speaks to Victoria University’s senior politics lecturer about how Trump and Xi Jinping’s trade war will impact India. Leonard speaks to kiwi rapper Raiza Biza about touring his new album in China. Mary-Margaret speaks to Auckland councillor Richard Hills about nine proposed Panuku developments and the backlash to one in Takapuna. In Leonard’s segment Everyday People, we hear from our beloved Friday Wire. This week on the Greendesk, Jack looks at the downsides of high meat consumption.
Raiza Biza has been a busy man lately. Along with Melodownz and IllBaz he released an Album titled "High Beams" on the 20th of July. He also found time to sneak off to China with his collective Ammonation last week for 4 shows in 4 days. Leonard Powell speaks to him about High Beams, China, Kanye and fake Louis Vuitton.
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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