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.
Apathy, distress and hopelessness are common things to joke about among young people. Doomscrolling and bedrotting are among some of the terms used to describe general apathy and lack of motivation towards our current world.
New Zealand has one of the highest reported news avoidance rates in the world at sixty-percent choosing to not seek out news. New Zealanders are frustrated with the quality of news reporting and negative news stories, fuelling a worsening mental state. Social Media also has a part to play in how people receive news, now mainly focused on pop-culture icons rather than real journalism.
Sasha spoke to Doctor Alex Beattie, a lecturer in Media and Communication about why New Zealanders actively choose to ignore the news and apathy within the youngest generations. We also spoke about a new era of escapism versus a culture of overproduction in our society.
The STAR community group covers an area in West Auckland mostly along the coastline, set up to respond to the large storm events at the start of last year for residents to support one another.
Wire host Castor spoke to Dorothy Wilson from the group about the impact on the ground, and what people want to see from the government in a new emergency management system.
They began by asking about the immediate fallout of the weather events last year.
For Dear Science this week, our expert Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about the Nobel prize winners.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Katie Nimon about overhauling the emergency management system and the government’s climate targets.
They also spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, George Laking, one of the authors of Te Meu o Te Wai, a report looking into the outcomes of Cyclone Gabrielle and making recommendations to the government.
And they spoke to Dorothy Wilson from the Stickered Area Residents Group about how people on the ground are still responding to cyclone damage.
On the Green Desk this week we heard the second half of our reporter Jack Marshall’s chat with Spinoff Wellington editor Joel McManus about how things are going in the Big Apple of Aotearoa.
Among the various inquiries into the government’s response to last year's Auckland Anniversary and Cyclone Gabrielle flooding was Te Weu me Te Wai, a report assessing the floods' impact on marginalised communities and identifying potential changes the government could make.
Wire host Castor spoke to Associate Professor George Laking, one of the report’s authors, about the issues with the current system and the report’s recommendations.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, Producer Evie, spoke to Simon about the HMNZS Manawanui, Cutting Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori programme, and ACT Party leader, David Seymour, doing treaty principles debate.
For our weekly catchup with Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director, and Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Takutai about the HMNZS Manawanui and the 149 projects selected to be fast tracked as a part of the Fast Track Approvals Bill.
Evie spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, George Laking, about the importance of considering mental health in wake of Otago floods.
and Joel spoke to the Chief Executive of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand, Letitia Harding, about the significant rise of Whooping cough cases.
A year and a half ago Cyclone Gabrielle made landfall, thrashing the North Island with widespread damage.
The disaster left many without a home, and over a year on houses are still red stickered, people are left waiting for insurance assessments, and climate change is still causing extreme climate events.
Earlier this month the Otago region was affected by major flooding, damaging homes and other community centres.
Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, George Laking says that extreme weather events like these impact people’s homes, whānau and livelihoods, and in the wake of them it’s paramount to consider people’s mental health.
Following Cyclone Gabrielle, Laking identified five key health priorities that should be prioritised in natural disaster responses.
Producer Evie spoke to Laking about these responses, how they related to Cyclone Gabrielle, and how they could be better applied in the wake of the Otago floods.
New Zealand is currently facing its highest numbers of whooping cough cases since early 2019, with 187 cases being reported in September, more than double the cases that were reported in August.
The spike has resulted in Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora to say that Aotearoa is “on the cusp” of a national outbreak.
Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand has since called for urgent action regarding the concerning rise in the infection.
Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Chief Executive of the foundation, Letitia Harding, about the rise in cases, and how we can tackle the rising cases.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Tess Ingram, a UNICEF Global Spokesperson, about UNICEF’s work to deliver aid in Lebanon amongst bombings. Ingram has spent recent months in Gaza, and is now on the ground in Beirut.
For State of the States, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about recent events on the Yale campus and the political implications of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Sofia also spoke to honorary academic at the University of Auckland Faculty of Science and climate scientist Dr Kevin Trenberth about the science behind these hurricanes.
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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