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.
Last Friday night, a vigil was held in the Auckland Domain for the lives taken in the Islamophobic terror attacks in Christchurch. The vigil was named Jummah Remembrance and was organised by a number of groups, Migrants Against Racism and Xenophobia, Shakti NZ, Racial Equity Aotearoa, Asians Supporting Tino Rangatiratanga and Auckland Peace Action. They were hosted by Ngāti Whaatua who also opened the vigil with karanga and karakia. On the Facebook event the blurb read, 'On Friday we will gather to remember the precious lives unjustly taken from us, and in total rejection of islamophobia and violence'. Over the weekend some negative reactions to the vigil became apparent, people had been disappointed the vigil had become too "political". People even stated they deliberately left the vigil while it was still going in protest. It is important to remember however, many more people did in fact stay in support and to grieve together. Migrants Against Racism and Xenophobia have responded to those who left in protest saying they 'chose to centre the voices of people who have been most affected by white supremacist terrorism'. The group also acknowledges it was more than just speeches, there were actions throughout the night which were in place to honour those lives taken, and to support those grieving. Rafiqah Sulaiman is part of the Muslim community and a member of MARX who helped to organise the vigil on Friday night. Lillian Hanly spoke with her about the responses to the tone of the vigil and how those very responses are a reflection of the white supremacy these groups were naming. Lillian started however by asking about the vigil itself, why it was organised and what had been planned for the night.
Anjum Rahman is a spokesperson for the Islamic Women’s Council of NZ, a group formed in 1991 to cater specifically for the needs of Muslim women in the country. Anjum wrote in The Spinoff the weekend after the terror attacks in Christchurch outlining the work she and others had done for the past five years to draw attention to the very real threats Muslim communities were facing. What was also outlined was the lack of any real response to take action. Lillian Hanly spoke with Anjum earlier this week about these issues, and they touched on the upcoming Royal Commission of Inquiry. The terms of reference had not been announced at this point, but they have since, and both Anjum and Dr Anwar Gheni of the Federation of Islamic Associations were broadly pleased with the outcome, Anjum had said she felt the terms of reference reflected some of the input of her organisation. But it seems the group itself has had to put in a lot of work to get there. Lillian started by asking Anjum what her role is currently as part of the Islamic Women’s Council.
NOTE:
On Monday the government announced the terms of reference for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack. They also announced Sir William Young, Supreme Court Justice, as its chair which will ensure the inquiry maintains its independence from the government. The Commission will have a budget of 8.2 million dollars, and Sir Young may request additional finances if required.
The inquiry will examine what happened as quickly as possible. The Commission itself will be established by Order in Council tomorrow, April 10. It will start considering evidence from May 13 and is expected to report back to the Governor General by December 10.
The Commission will look into:
· The individual’s activities before the attack, including:
· Relevant information from his time in Australia;
· His arrival and residence in New Zealand;
· His travel within New Zealand, and internationally;
· How he obtained a gun licence, weapons and ammunition;
· His use of social media and other online media;
· His connections with others, whether in New Zealand or internationally;
· What relevant state sector agencies knew about this individual and his activities before this attack; what actions (if any) they took in light of that knowledge; and whether there were any additional measures that the agencies could have taken to prevent the attack;
· Whether there were any impediments to relevant state sector agencies gathering or sharing information relevant to the attack, or acting upon such information, including legislative impediments, and
· Whether there was any inappropriate concentration or priority setting of counter terrorism resources by relevant state sector agencies prior to this attack.
This last point is fairly key, a number of voices have spoken out since the attacks outlining the work which had been done to draw officials attention to the threats Muslim communities were facing. Voices have also pointed out the extensive scrutiny faced by the Muslim community from security agencies. But the terms have pleased Muslim community leaders, Newsroom reported. Anjum Rahman from the Islamic Women's Council has stated she feels the terms do reflect some of the input from her organisation as does Dr Anwar Gheni from the Federation of Islamic Associations. Rahman believes they have been heard in that sense. Both Rahman and Gheni are expected to be called by the commission to give evidence.
The Prime Minister has also made a point regarding social media, saying there is an expectation the Royal Commission will give a view on social media's use as a tool, but wider issues around social media was an issue that will sit with central government.
Given the involvement of the GCSB and SIS in the inquiry, the security agencies may have classified information and Sir Young will be given the clearances to handle any sensitive information. Ardern has acknowledged there will be an expectation of a public-facing report.
You can find more information online on the Internal Affairs website.
Jackson Rao is the Chairperson of the New Zealand Culture and Arts foundation, based within the Chinese New Zealand Community. Sherry Zhang talks to him about the importance of having diverse community events, especially for new migrants. While the foundation is based in the New Zealand Chinese community, Jackson Rao emphasises that the events are to facilitate cross cultural understanding between all New Zealanders. He helps to facilitate sporting events for the community, art performance shows, including those for the youth to learn traditional chinese arts. Sherry switches to Mandarin in some sections with Jackson as he was able to answer questions more fully and translations are provided in these sections. She begins by asking Jackson what the New Zealand Culture and Arts foundation is.
Qiane Matata-Sipu is the founder and creator of Nuku, a creative and social impact story-telling project which was launched in January this year. The project has a focus to interview, photograph and film 100 kickass indigenous women across Aotearoa. A podcast, an interview, a creative portrait shoot and behind the scenes videography are all released about a different woman every week. At the end of the project, after having interviewed 100 woman, Qiane will be making a book and exhibiting the series in 2020. Lillian Hanly had a chat with Qiane about the platform and where the idea came from as she had indicated the idea had been in her heart long before the January launch date. Lillian started by asking what made her want to do this.
If you want to find out more or see how you can support the not-for-profit kaupapa, they are on Facebook and Instagram.
News Director Lillian speaks with Malu Malo-Fuiava from Belong Aotearoa about the importance of educating migrants and former refugees about Te Tiriti.
Lillian Hanly speaks to writer and journalist Margie Thomson:
Margie has been investigating the story of Matt Blomfield for the past three and a half years. This investigation turned into a book called Whale Oil, a book whose foreword was written by Nicky Hager. Who is Matt Blomfield you ask? I had no idea either. But I did know Whale Oil. I knew Nicky Hager. I knew Dirty Politics. I knew Cameron Slater, or at least I knew some things. So when I found out about this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I knew I wanted to read it even more when it came out that someone had been held up at the airport with an embargoed manuscript with a foreword by Nicky Hager.. I was ridiculously intrigued. And so we got Margie Thomson in studio to have a chat about everything. It turns out this is a story of one of the few people who stood up to Cameron Slater. Margie and I ended up speaking for 45 minutes about fake news, the definition of property, bullying and harassment and the importance of critical thinking. I started by asking Margie to tell us about the book...
On Dear Science with AUT’s Allan Blackman we talk about uranium, energy protons, and lead deposits in the arctic.
Sherry talks to a protestor from Hong Kong about the anti-extradition Bill movement, touching on the social-media aspects of the movement, mental health and what’s next for Hong Kong.
Sherry also talks to Leonie Morris from the Auckland Women’s Centre on the changes to the Family Violence Act and proposed changes to the prosecution of sexual violence cases in the justice system.
Tuwhenuaroa talks to ExcerciseNZ’s Richard Beedie about New Zealand’s terrible inactivity rates, and what can be done about them.
Andrew Little is here for his weekly catch-up. Lillian Hanly talks with the Minister about internet privacy, the new Race Relations Commissioner, and they also touch on abortion law reform.
Next, Olivia Holdsworth talks to Professor Tim Bentley from the Massey Business School about a new study that has identified the factors most likely to keep older employees engaged and in the workforce.
And finally we hear a report done by bFM intern Trixie Miranda who speaks to Migrant Zine Collective’s Helen Yeung and Jasmin Singh about maintaining identity through DIY.
Tina Ngata is an indigenous rights advocate. She has been at Ihumātao since late last week. She is also involved in the Hands Off Our Tamariki movement. Yesterday at Ihumātao, Leonie Pihama who is also part of the Hands Off Our Tamariki rōpu spoke about whenua and whenua. Whenua as land, and whenua as the placenta - the very thing that keeps babies alive inside the womb. The very real connection of whakapapa between land and mokopuna. Hands Off Our Tamariki are presenting their open letter to parliament tomorrow following the uproar at Oranga Tamariki that came after New Zealand witnessed the practice of uplifting a baby from its mother in a Newsroom investigation. Lillian Hanly speaks with Tina to understand the relationship between the SOUL issue at Ihumātao and the Hands Off Our Tamariki issue.
This week on the Friday Wire, Denise Lee joins us to have a chat about the alcohol trading hours after the extending trading hours amendment, the revitalized controversy of a large donation to the National Party by a New Zealand company owned by a foreign billionaire and the National Party's opposition to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act.
Following that, foreign interference in local and national elections have been raised as a concern by the GCSB and SIS with one of the primary concern being around political donations. Producer, Bronnie Wilde reached out Marama Davidson about why the Green Party is pushing for law changes around political donations
Next, Auckland Action Against Poverty Spokesperson, Ricardo Menendez March joins Laura Kvigstad to explain why AAAP is calling for better regulations around tobacco lobbying.
Finally, Benjamin J Goldson looks at the media coverage around the suspension of parliament by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Neutral Corner.
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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