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.
This week on the Friday show, Amanda and Adam look at 24/7 Trumpwatch, the latest in Australian news, the news of Justice Minister Amy Adams’ announcement that historic homosexuality convictions will be quashed with National MP Jami-Lee Ross, cycling and transport in Auckland with Bike Auckland spokesperson Jessica Rose and Transport Blog editor Matt Lowrie, and Filmme Fatales, a zine about feminism and film, with editor Brodie Lancaster.
Prison abolishment group No Pride in Prison are holding a march this weekend to protest the fact that Aotearoa's prison population has reached 10,000 inmates. bFM reporter Amanda Jane Robinson spoke to No Pride in Prisons spokesperson Emmy Rakete about the march.
What do the recently announced changes to the availability of medicinal cannabis products mean for patients now that they're able to obtain permission from the Ministry of Health, instead of Peter Dunne? bFM reporter Pearl Little speaks to Ross Bell from the NZ Drug Foundation about the change.
bFM report Alice Canton speaks to Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei and Salvation Army co-convener Alan Johnson about the Salvation Army's state of the nation report that claims New Zealand is heading off the track in terms of housing, poverty and imprisonment.
Re-usable shopping bags are a great way to reduce your plastic bag use. One of the biggest issues with reusable bags however, is forgetting to actually bring them with you when you shop. Gecko Bags NZ has founded a reusable bag economy to try and combat this. 95bFM reporter Dylan Kelly speaks with Annabeth Cohen to find out more.
The annual Auckland Lantern Festival begins tomorrow night at the Auckland Domain. This year, the festival will be doing a guided audio tour for blind and low-vision people. Ximena speaks to Nicola Owen, who will be conducting the tour tomorrow night, to find out more.
In 2013, the government attempted to establish the world’s first regulated legal high market. The scheme was short-lived, and was scrapped mid-2014. New research has just come out of Massey University that looks at what went wrong with the policy roll-out - Ximena speaks to PhD student Marta Rychert about the findings.
Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne announced this morning that the rules around medicinal marijuana access will be eased. At the moment, ministerial approval is required before cannabis-based products can be prescribed, supplied or administered. But in his announcement today, Dunne said this decision-making process will be delegated instead to the Ministry of Health. Ximena speaks to Dunne to find out more about the significance of the change.
Resilio Studio is a design practice dedicated to building a resilient and regenerative Tāmaki Makaurau, through ecological design, social innovation and education. They work with various stakeholders throughout the design process to create a better outcome for all parties. 95bFM reporter Dylan Kelly speaks with Gary Marshall and Finn Mackesy to find out more about this new approach to the design process.
This week on the Wednesday show, Ximena & Dylan look at new and old drug policy (of both the natural and synthetic sort), as well as some cool eco businesses who're doing some cool eco things. Steve Pointing also pops by for Dear Science, where he talks through the crucial components that make life on earth thrive.
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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