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.
The National Party have started a petition calling on the government to implement major highway projects.
National’s transport spokesperson Judith Collins has accused the government of being vague and not taking action.
Reuben McLaren spoke to Green MP and Associate Minister for Transport Julie Anne Genter for her take on the whole thing and to find out what the government's plans actually are.
Norwegian oil companies have been given the all clear by the Oslo District court to drill on Arctic land despite protests.
Greenpeace NZ are describing the decision as disappointing, but still see positives in the movement to prevent future oil fracking.
Greenpeace Campaigner, Amanda Larsson said the neglection of Norway's action on the environment is unsatisfactory but adds that the move away from heavy petrol consuming vehicles will shed new light on a safer environment.
95bFM reporter Mark Casson speaks to Larson about her thoughts on the issue.
Producer Leonard Powell is currently out of town in the Coromandel, however like all of the hardworking news team at 95bFM, he didn't let distance get in the way of a good story.
This is his report on the parking machines at Hot Water Beach.
If you have been struggling to complete a new Lego set these holidays you are not alone, and there’s a reason why.
New research out of the University of Canterbury, which used data from nearly 11,000 Lego sets, shows that the ranges of Lego have increased in both complexity and size over the years.
Reuben McLaren spoke to Associate Professor Christoph Bartneck to find out more.
Today, among other things, we’ve got fish chat, lego & hot water.
Firstly we hear from Producer Leonard Powell who is in the Coromandel at the moment. He has a great piece on the inclusion of parking fees at the iconic Hot Water Beach.
Reuben McLaren chats to Green MP & Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter about the National Party petitioning the government to implement various highway projects.
On the Green Desk, Conor Mercer learns about the impact marine vessel noise can have on sea life.
Reporter Mark Casson talks to Greenpeace about Norway’s decision to allow oil drilling in the Arctic
And finally, Reuben McLaren finds out why his Lego collection is growing exponentially.
In December it was announced that New Zealand pop singer Lorde would not carry through with planned concerts in Israel. This led to some interesting discussion on social media about the relationship between music and politics and whether musicians should just shut up and not get involved in politics. Sam Smith filed this report on the longstanding connection between music and politics.
Sam Smith spoke to Justine Sachs who co-authored the letter to Lorde asking her to cancel shows in Israel. He talked to her about the letter, why she did it, and why it is important for Jewish people to speak out against Israel.
Joel hosts The Wire with producers Sam, and Lisa in which:
Sam does report on the relationship between music and politics in light of Lorde’s decision to pull out of concerts in Israel. We also hear from Justine Sachs who wrote to Lorde asking her to pull out of shows.
Green MP Chloe Swarbrick joined us in the studio as cover for James Shaw and talked about her summer, the future, and the National party’s proposed bill to make second languages in school compulsory.
Lisa talked to Whetu Cormick, President of NZ’s Principals Federation about the National party’s proposed bill.
Joel talked to Matt Williams, Chief executive Surf Lifesaving Northern Region about why there are so many deaths on our beaches and how to prevent them.
New Zealand has a very high rate of drownings and the majority of these happen at beaches. Joel talked to Matt Williams, Chief executive Surf Lifesaving Northern Region, about why we have so many deaths, and what can be done to stop them.
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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