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 Tuesday Wire, Allan Blackman joined Casper and Christina in the studio to talk science news for our Dear Science segment.
Casper spoke to Dr Shane Reti for their weekly catchup about emissions reduction goals and the impact of monetary policy on mortgage holders.
With COP27 taking place, Christina spoke to Dr Kevin Trenberth, a Distinguished Scholar at the National Center of Atmospheric Research in Colorado, about whether climate reparations are the way to go.
Casper also talked to Dr Tim Welch from the UoA’s school of architecture and planning about the ‘bike or scoot and ride’ project being trialled in Panmure.
And Christina spoke to Alice Hayward, spokesperson for the campaign to Ban the Boom, about fireworks sales after Guy Fawkes weekend.
Stella speaks to Marsden Fund grant recipient Julia De Bres from Massey University about the research into how integral support networks are for transgender youth in Aotearoa.
A shortage of ethics brand liquid ibuprofen is seeing the drug put on strict allocation.
Due to unprecedented demand and shipping delays, the painkiller medication is seeing lower stock in Aotearoa that will likely last until the end of the month.
Dr Stuart Dalziel from Starship Children's Hospital has called this shortage into concern, due to how it forces some to shop around between different stores.
To learn more about the issue, Liam spoke to Lisa Williams, the director of operations at Pharmac.
Astrophysics researchers from the University of Auckland have recently released a report into the origins of binary neutron star mergers, colloquially dubbed cosmic factories.
The team was led by doctor Heloise Stevens with inner teams led by Jan Eldrdge looking at how the events take place and what causes them.
The scientists utilised a captured star merger that we viewed in 2017, and analysed the beginnings before looking at how they produce elements like gold, silver and uranium.
Although many have been heralding 2023 as the first year in three without covid over our shoulders, the truth is the virus is still out there.
Recent reports have been reflecting on the support in place for those who were suffering with mental health issues during the worst parts of the pandemic.
They’ve also focused on long covid, and the disproportionate lack of support available for Māori and Pasifika.
To learn more, Liam spoke to Dr Mona Jeffreys, a principal investigator in the report, about the findings.
E tū Union members span many industries. With the release of the annual budget, they have taken a mostly positive view on the government allocations of funding.
Arno spoke with Rachel Mackintosh, E tū Union representative, about the budget.
Arno started by asking what E tū’s view is on cheaper childcare and how it would affect New Zealanders and E tū union members.
Pharmac recently switched the generic breast cancer pharmaceutical Herceptin to Herzuma, which will give cost savings while at the same time saving and improving quality of life.
Unfortunately, they are restricting usage of Herzuma to a one-time course for those suffering from advanced breast cancer, while research overseas has shown it remains effective at lengthening and treating life and quality of life beyond just a single course.
Pharmac has opened a consultation period for those who know somebody afflicted by breast cancer to protest this limited use of Herzuma, which is more effective but also more expensive than chemotherapy at targeting certain types of breast cancer.
Arno spoke to Adele Gautier of the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation about Herzuma to find out more about this topic.
New research has found younger workers are more likely to face unsatisfactory work experiences. This leads to higher rates of job stress, job anxiety, job depression and eventually burnout.
Last week for our election coverage on Local Economy, Caeden spoke to researcher Zoë Port, who is also the Co-Convenor of Stand Up and Vice-Chairperson of the Young Workers Resource Centre, about the findings.
The Public Health Communication Centre recently conducted a survey about political parties’ plans to protect Aotearoa’s drinking water sources, which revealed that Greens, Te Pati Māori and Labour had the best policy, while National and Act had little to no plans to protect Aotearoa’s drinking water.
Since then, National and Act have spoken about their intentions surrounding protecting the health of Aotearoa’s water. Beth spoke with Marnie Prickett again to talk about what they said and what this means.
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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