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.
Michael Horowitz is the Dean of the Atenisi Institute in the Kingdom of Tonga. His background is in political and social science before completing an interdisciplinary phd from the college of public affairs at portland state university. He has been in Tonga for 22 years now, and has held summer residencies at all the major universities in New Zealand. Currently he is visiting AUT university as part of a joint architectural project for a new building on one of the Atenisi campuses. Next week however, he will be presenting a discussion on the Possible Indictment of the Trump Campaign, and outlining the legal details. He came into bFM this morning for a chat with Lillian Hanly who started by asking what the talk was about.
The talk is being held at AUT University on Tuesday the 30th January at 12pm, in room WF214 at the AUT Business School.
Following the Labour government's announcement for a formal review of the mental health system, there has been a lot of discussion as to what can be done for the future of NZ's mental health system. Producer Will speaks to Marianne Elliot from The peoples mental health review about how the governments plan is looking to change how kiwis adress mental health.
Allan Blackman brings us Dear Science with a discussion of rats and the plague, the banning of pesticides that are harmful to bees and fungi that might help to heal concrete.
Tracey Martin speaks to us about how it will work when Winston Peters takes over as acting Prime Minister, what the official Oranga Tamariki name change actually means in regards to a change in the way things are done, and 'education' under her portfolios as part of our Wire's Worry Week.
Michael Horowitz, a visiting academic from the Atenisi Institute in Tonga talks to Lillian Hanly about his upcoming talk, The Possible Indictment of Trump: the Legal Details.
Marianne Elliot from Action Station talks to Will Parsonson about the government's mental health inquiry and how New Zealand can change the way it addresses mental health.
“Reward Work Not Wealth”, that is the title of Oxfam’s newest wealth and inequality report.
According to the report, 82% of the wealth generated last year went to the richest one percent of the global population, while the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorest half got nothing.
Oxfam NZ adds that the situation in New Zealand isn't much better: Of the wealth created last year, the richest 1% own 28%, while the poorest 30% of the population received less than 1%.
Reuben McLaren spoke to Rachael Le Mesurier to find out more.
Reuben hosts The Wire with young blood Mark Casson lending a hand.
Firstly, a new report by Oxfam about the growing gap between rich and poor has been released, Reuben speaks to Oxfam New Zealand CEO Rachael Le Mesurier to find out more.
On the Green Desk, Conor Mercer learns about seismic testing in the Māui's dolphin habitat, off the coast of the Taranaki.
Discussions about Paul Moon's new book continue, now with Mike Hosking even weighing in yesterday. We hear more from Lillian Hanly's report on Te Reo.
Producer Mark Casson speaks to Anthony Hawke from Hapai Te Hauora about the new Instant Kiwi app and the risks of gambling.
Addiction and gambling has always been a major problem in society, but what happens when gambling is normalised in the online sphere?
Lotto New Zealand have recently launched an add-on to their gambling app, allowing them to sell Instant Kiwi products to consumers. Critics argue, apps like this are problematic, as gambling becomes hugely accessible at all times.
Mark Casson speaks to Anthony Hawke, from Hapai Te Hauora about the risks of online gambling.
A new book looking into the role of the sovereign, governor-general, and crown in New Zealand has been published. This Realm of New Zealand is a comprehensive account of how the Queen, governor-general, and the Crown interact with our democratically elected leaders under New Zealand’s unwritten constitution. The authors also examine some of the key issues to be considered should NZ become a republic. Sam Smith spoke to the book’s co-author Professor Janet McLean.
The campaign to save sacred land at Ihumatao in Mangere is moving to the environment court. SOUL decided to take legal action against Heritage New Zealand after they approved Fletcher Building application to destroy wahi tapu and archaeological sites on the land marked for development. No settlement was reached and the case is now moving to the environment court. No sort of development can occur on the whenua until the environment court process is settled. Sam Smith spoke to SOUL spokesperson Pania Newton about the latest developments.
Over the past few months, Facebook has come under fire for its role in presenting news to the public. There’s been criticism that it creates a bubble of information that’s curated by algorithms based on user’s values. This has caused issues in users receiving potentially false but self-affirming information, causing problems in news consumption worldwide.
Joel spoke to Dr Neal Curtis, a published author, media theorist and professor at Auckland University, and News Director Lillian Hanley about this.
Joel Thomas hosts The Wire with Sam Smith as producer in which:
We hear from Duncan Grieve who’s stepping down as editor of The Spinoff about why he’s making this decision and the background of the organisation.
We hear from University of Auckland Professor Janet McLean about a new book she has co-authored on the role and place of the Crown and Sovereign in New Zealand.
We get response to the controversial comments about Te Reo from Paul Moon.
We talk to Dr. Neal Curtis about how social media works as an education an information platform and what issues arise out of this model.
And we check in with SOUL to get the latest on the battle to save Ihumatao from development.
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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