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.
A group of local musicians have announced the launch of Women About Sound, a project aiming to help more New Zealand women to develop and record their own music. The project will provide mentorship and support to female musicians through the process of composing and recording original music. 95bFM reporter Katie Doyle speaks to project leader, Jess Haugh, to find out more.
If you're interested, the first workshop will take place on 19th March from 1-4pm at the Audio Foundation. This workshop will feature Ladi 6, Caitlin Smith and other female musicians in the music industry discussing challenges faced by female musicians. Head to the Women About Sound Facebook page to find out more.
The LGBTQI literary festival, Same Same But Different, is back for it’s second year. The festival will be held between the 17th and 18th of February at AUT and will feature a diverse range of local and international speakers. 95bFM reporter, Ashleigh McCaull, speaks to Festival Director Peter Wells.
The Auckland Safe Zone will be back in lower Queen Street from 24 February to 18 March. The Safe Zone is for people who may have consumed alcohol or drugs and may be in need of medical attention, hydration, support, and advice. 95bFM reporter, Amanda Jane Robinson, speaks to Auckland Council’s Community Development and Safety Committee Chair, Cathy Casey, about the Safe Zone.
In this report, 95bFM's news director, Ximena, tries to tackle something that's been on her mind a lot lately - how the media should go about reporting on Trump. With Trump's self proclaimed "war with the media" and his administration's preference for "alternative facts", what challenges lie ahead for the media in the next four years? And how do we find a balance between holding the administration to account with maintaining the trust of our audience?
ActionStation and the Coalition for Better Broadcasting have joined together with six industry experts to compile a report on the state of broadcast media in New Zealand. The report is a response to the rise of digital publishing and shift in advertising dollars being spent on broadcast media. A team of panellists will travel around New Zealand to talk with industry professionals and the public about media in New Zealand. 95bFM reporter Katie Doyle speaks to the director of the Coalition for Better Broadcasting Myles Thomas to learn more.
This week on the Wednesday show, Ximena takes a look at how the media should cover Trump, easier access to contraceptive pills, an upcoming LGBTQI literary festival and more.
The Grammys were held yesterday. The annual music awards which seek to honour the achievements of musicians for the previous twelve months. However, this year, questions were raised about how diverse the awards are and whether they are indeed still culturally relevant. Artists such as Kanye West and Drake did not show up to the ceremony in protest, even though they were nominated, while Frank Ocean wrote on Tumblr that the awards are culturally biased. Reporter Sam Smith spoke to Auckland University ethnomusicologist Dr. Kirsten Zemke about the Grammys.
Rochelle Rees is a New Zealander who’s just come back from occupied Palestine where she was involved in demonstrations against Israeli development in the area. Mack spoke to her about her observations of the conflict.
Over the weekend North Korea’s political climate exploded quite literally with a missile test. Mack looked into this more in a report on the situation.
An open-cast coal mine is on the table for reserve land near Westport, on the South Island's West Coast. The area is home to several endangered species including the Great Spotted Kiwi. The Buller District Council has approved Rangatira Development Limited's application for the mine, prompting Forest and Bird to go to the Christchurch High Court, asking for a judicial review of the council's approval. Wire host Mack Smith spoke to Forest and Bird's Chief Executive Kevin Hague about what this mine could mean for the local environment.
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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