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.
With more retail spaces going up for sale in St Kevin's arcade this week, Karangahape Road continues its spruce up in preparation for the City Rail Link. bFM reporter Harry Willis speaks to St Kevins Arcade alumnus, Search and Destroy's Alison Reid, on why the favourite second-hand clothing store has moved out, and her thoughts on the changing face of K Road.
This week, Jogai and Harry chat with Jan Logie about the government rejection of the Green Party’s Equal Pay Amendment Bill, and bFM reporter Katie Doyle has a report on threatened species strategy with Forest and Bird’s Kevin Hackwell. Our news director Ximena Smith catches up with Andrew Coleman to discuss the impacts of tax distortion on our current housing crisis, and Harry chats to owner of Search and Destroy about the changing face of Karangahape Road. Andrew Little is also back for our weekly chat. All this and more on the Thursday Wire - check out the full podcast here.
Sam Fraser-Baxter is back with us again for Dear Science, covering Allan while he is still away overseas. This week, Sam chats to Ximena about the two sides to the Stewart Island cage diving controversy - locals are arguing the booming cage-diving industry on the island is attracting more sharks and that this will inevitably provoke a shark attack, while cage-diving advocates say there isn’t enough evidence to suggest this is the case. Sam also talks to Ximena about a small French island east of Madagascar, which is also known as the most dangerous place in the world for shark attacks.
This week on the Wednesday show, Ximena & Adam hear a series of critical perspectives from a number of different voices, including Greater Auckland’s Matthew Lowrie on recent plans from Auckland Transport, as well as the Pacific Panther Network’s Sina Brown-Davis on the concept of Māori-run prisons. Sam Fraser-Baxter also joins us again this week for Dear Science, following-up on last week with a second round of fascinating shark-related fodder.
Greater Auckland (formerly know as Transport Blog) are criticising Auckland Transport’s preferred option for inner city bus routing. They say the plan is bad not only for buses and congestion, but also for business as a whole in the center city. The Wire producer Adam Jacobson speaks with Greater Auckland Editor, Matthew Lowrie, to learn more about what he thinks is wrong with Auckland Transport’s plan.
In New Zealand, Māori incarceration rates are disproportionately high - in 2015, 15% of New Zealand’s population identified as being Māori, while they currently make up around half of the prison population. Earlier this week the idea of Māori-run prisons resurfaced again within the media, with Labour corrections spokesperson Kelvin Davis saying it’s one solution to tackling high Māori incarceration rates, and Marama Fox telling us on The Wire yesterday that this is a solution the Māori Party has repeatedly raised with the government. But not everyone agrees this will be an effective way to approach this problem. Māori prison abolitionist and member of Pacific Panther Network, Sina Brown-Davis, told Ximena her thoughts about the proposal.
Every Thursday morning, Auckland Action Against Poverty will be campaigning outside of the Queen Street Work and Income offices. Their purpose? To help those most in need receive beneficial entitlements. 95bFM The Wire producer Adam Jacobson speaks with Auckland Action Against Poverty Spokesperson, Vanessa Cole, about their work across the city
Yesterday Māori Television CEO Paora Maxwell announced he was stepping down from the role. His resignation comes after a controversial tenure which saw many high profile staff leave and tension with staff. Reporter Sam Smith spoke to Māori political commentator and blogger Morgan Godfery about Maxwell's time at Māori Television and where to next for the station.
A group fighting to save sacred and culturally significant land from development in Māngere have taken their case to the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Forum in New York. Reporter Sam Smith looks at the latest from the Save Our Uniqaue Landscape Campaign.
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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