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.
Joel and Producer Kelly take on The Wire this Friday. Joel speaks to National's Mat Doocey about the latest Green Party policy, Nicole Wedding from Radio Adelaide about the latest in Australian news, and Dr. Jon Cornwell about the use of posthumous medical records. Kelly spoke to The Opportunities Party's Geoff Simmons about his personal journey into politics, and Kate Day from Renters United about their recently launched campaign.
The Warehouse and Ministry for Social Development recently unveiled their Red Shirts in the Community Programme, based on a pilot scheme last year.
Around 1000 young people will spend three weeks working at Warehouses across the country, to gain, in the words of Minister for Social Development, Anne Tolley, "valuable work experience".
However, they will not be paid for their labour, which has prompted criticism from FIRST union.
Producer Ben speaks to FIRST's Retail, Finance and Commerce Secretary Maxine Gay.
Amnesty NZ held a protest outside the Australian consulate this week, calling for an end to the country's policy on asylum seekers.
This is based off the findings of Amnesty's 2016 report into the detention centres, Island of Despair, which were rejected by the Australian government.
For more, producer Ben speaks with Amnesty's NZ campaign director, Meg de Ronde.
This Thursday on the Wire, Produer Ben talks to Amnesty International’s Meg de Ronde about their protest outside the Australian consulate last week, and also speaks with FIRST union’s Maxine Gay about the Warehouse’s (controversial) Red Shirts Community Programme. Harry brings you State of the States, talking President Trump's dismal approval rating, and also speaks with leader of the Labour Party Andrew Little on this week's newly released Labour fiscal plan 2017. Stay tuned 'til the end to catch advice corner in tribute to Jogai too.
The Opportunities Party has released policy regarding a universal basic income for 18-23 year olds who will receive $200 a week unconditionally. Party leader Gareth Morgan says it is no more controversial than giving over 65's a pension and that people in an affluent society like this are owed a duty of being able to live in dignity. 95bFM producer Reuben McLaren speaks to The Opportunities Party deputy leader, Geoff Simmons, to find out more about this policy.
If you’re a music-loving female, then chances are you’ve experienced uncool behaviour at gigs - sexual harassment and douchebags are rife in packed crowds and moshpits. A band trying to change the conversation around this is In Hearts Wake - their new music video for Nomad has got an all female moshpit, highlighting the need to make the gig space safe and friendly for everyone. Ximena catches up with Jake from the band ahead of their trip to New Zealand for an upcoming gig.
If you’re keen to see In Hearts Wake, they are playing at the King's Arms Tavern on August 26th.
A criminal justice forum will be happening tomorrow night at Auckland University’s Library Basement. The talk, organised by JustSpeak, aims to critically analyse New Zealand's issues with the criminal justice system, and to hear from politicians about their criminal justice policies going into this year’s election. Jacinda Ardern, Simon O’Connor, Jan Logie, Mahesh Bindra, Damian Light, Geoff Simmons and Elliot Ikilei will all be in attendance, with journalist Paula Penfold hosting the evening. 95bFM producer Will Parsonson speaks to JustSpeak’s chair, Katie Bruce, about what people can expect from the talk taking place tomorrow.
This week on the show, Ximena & Will are joined by a new producer, Reuben, now that Adam has left us for the world of ~paid~ journalism. They dive deep into a diverse range of topics, including a new youth policy from The Opportunities Party that proposes all 18-23 year-olds receive $200 per week, an upcoming criminal justice election forum happening at Auckland University tomorrow night, and the prospect of making moshpits female-friendly spaces. AUT’s Allan Blackman also rocks by the studio for some hectic Dear Science banter about storing video in DNA, and NZ First’s Tracey Martin lays out the argument for why there should be a referendum on abolishing the Māori seats in parliament.
Following on from the Spotify fake artists story last week, this week it is fellow music streaming site SoundCloud that is under the spotlight, with questions over its future coming to the fore. Reporter Sam Smith spoke to Public Address blogger Russell Brown about the future of SoundCloud and the state of music streaming.
This week on Tuesday Wire we looked at Metiria Turei's "benefit fraud" allegations, Winston Peters wanting a referendum on the Maori seats, the future of SoundCloud and lots more.
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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