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.
Child Poverty Action Group commends the Government’s new Better Public Services health targets which it says has improving child well-being at the heart.
95bFM reporter, Kelly, began by asking about the better public service targets, and why 2012 was so successful in that regard.
Have you ever wondered what happens to the clothes in the big blue bins marked with the Child Cancer Foundation logo? Would it surprise you to learn that the clothes get collected by Savemart, sold for profit, and a slice of those profits then go to charity? Well, it seems you're not the only one. Joel Thomas reports.
This week, Jogai and Ximena chat to an Associate Professor of Auckland University's Department of Computer Science, Ian Watson, about his upcoming talk on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence, and Jogai catches up with one of the creator's of Equalise My Vocals, Trixie Darko. Our weekly feature State of the States is back with all new correspondence, and Labour Leader Andrew Little is back for our weekly chat. All this and more on the Thursday Wire - check out the full podcast here
Equalise My Vocals is a new campaign set to address the New Zealand music scene's gender problems, brought to you by the lovely Coco Solid and Trixie Darko. Through a series of interviews and panel discussions with a diverse range of women, Coco and Trixie hope to shed light on the real issues this NZ Music Month. bFM reporter Jogai Bhatt speaks to Trixie to learn a little more, beginning with the question of how the project initially came about.
There's growing urgency to have a global conversation about the future we are forging with artificial intelligence - questions about the benefits and the potential costs need to asked. An upcoming University of Auckland lecture series tries to tackle this subject all throughout the month of May. One of the speakers in the series, Associate Professor Ian Watson from the University's Department of Computer Science, is doing a talk on the 25th of May about the ethics of artificial intelligence. News director Ximena caught up with him earlier this morning to learn more about the focus of his talk.
A delayed court decision this morning has ruled on the largest media merger in New Zealand history. In a public press conference this morning, Commerce Commission chair Dr Mark Berry announced their decision upon the the authorisation for NZME and Fairfax to merge their media operations in New Zealand.
95bFM Reporter Adam Jacobson investigates the commission's decision.
Language is something we might take for granted, but it’s no secret we have a greater ability to tell stories and offer explanations than any other species. Why is this, and where did language come from? In his new book,’The Truth About Language’, Michael Corballis asks these questions to try unpack the complex subject that is language. Adam Jacobson catches up with the University of Auckland psychology professor to learn more.
It’s become apparent through recent discussions in the media about mental health that there’s public support to do more about the issue and to keep the conversation going about the diversity of kiwi experiences with mental health. Two awesome women wanting to do their bit in stimulating this conversation are Charlotte-Rose Ruddell & Liv Young. They are launching a new publication called Mental, which is seeking submissions from people who are willing to share their personal experiences with mental health. Ximena speaks to them to learn more about project.
Breaking Boundaries is a grassroots LGBTQI creative arts organisation doing heaps of awesome projects and initiatives for the local queer community. Coming up tomorrow is a queer open mic night down at Grid AKL Tech Cafe - the event is open for everyone, and is about encouraging young queer and trans voices to take the stage and share their experiences with the crowd (with a few performances from special guests in the mix as well!). Ximena caught up with Breaking Boundaries co-founder Joni Nelson to find out more about the event.
This week, Ximena & Adam unashamedly chat about some pretty nerdy subjects at the front end of the show, namely the Fairfax & NZME merger, the history of language, and a solid twenty minutes of Dear Science dedicated to a misunderstood sea creature. They also chat to some cool Aucklanders doing some awesome projects - they hear from the founders of a new publication about mental health, and then from the co-founder of an arts organisation for queer youth about an open-mic event happening tomorrow night.
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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