Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Castor Chacko, Oto Sequeira, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
Yesterday the Green party announced their Healthy Oceans Act where they have set out a target to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.
This will mean banning fishing, mining, and other harmful industries from a third of the oceans.
Rawan spoke to Ellie Hooper, Oceans campaigner at Green Peace Aotearoa about why this policy is important.
They talked about enforcement and consequences, the response from Seafood New Zealand and compared the Green’s Policy to Labour’s proposal last week to partially ban Bottom trawling from the Hauraki gulf.
That was Ellie Hooper from Green Peace Aotearoa talking about the Green party’s Healthy oceans act
This week our election coverage topic is the climate crisis and environment.
Rosetta spoke to Jenny Sahng, spokesperson for Vote For Climate, about the newly launched campaign urging the public to vote with climate change in mind this year.
Producer Rawan spoke to Ellie Hooper, the Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace Aotearoa about the Green Party's proposed Healthy Ocean's Act.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Rawan spoke to Simon Court about some of the party's environmental policies, including proposed changes to the RMA, their pledge to improve the economy through affordable renewable energy, and their freshwater management policies.
Rosetta spoke to Alan Brent, Chair of Sustainable Energy Systems at Victoria University about the newly implemented solar panels which power the school of Achitecture and Design Innovation.
Finally, Rosetta also spoke to Danny Osborne, associate professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland, about his involvement as an academic advisor in Vote Compass, an online tool which aligns voters' personal values with party policy.
This week for our catch up with the ACT party Rawan spoke to Simon Court about some of the party’s environmental policies.
They spoke about the party’s proposed changes to the RMA including their shift to a property rights basis and how they plan to enforce this.
They also covered their changes to freshwater management, their proposed removal of Te mana o te wai, integrating matauranga maori and reversing the ban on oil and gas exploration
Last week, a collaboration of climate activists and organisations across Aotearoa launched the campaign Vote for Climate, in hopes to encourage voters to prioritise the climate crisis in terms of who they vote for. The website provides a simplified guide of party climate policy, by ranking parties from best to worst in regards to their policies surrounding climate change. Currently, Te Pāti Māori and the Green Party have ranked “best”, the Labour party ranking “good”, New Zealand First ranks “bad”, and both the National Party and ACT rank “worst”. The website also lists ways for voters to get involved, by asking their local MP’s what their parties intend to do to tackle the climate crisis, and participating in the campaign.
Rosetta spoke to Jenny Sahng, Spokesperson for Vote for Climate, about the campaign and the importance of a climate election.
Last week, one of Aotearoa’s most commonly used political online tools, Vote Compass, launched for 2023. The tool has been used for elections in New Zealand since 2014, and is the product of a collaboration between TVNZ, An academic advisory panel of New Zealand political scientists, and the data science company Vox Pop Labs.
The compass asks a series of questions about a person’s personal stance on topical issues, and then aligns their views on the spectrum of political parties and their policy.
Rosetta spoke to Danny Osborne, associate professor at the school of psychology at the University of Auckland, and member of the academic advisory panel for vote compass, about his involvement with the project.
Over 400 solar panels are now powering the school of architecture and design innovation at Victoria University in Wellington, after being installed on the roof of the building in July. The solar panels are expected to save up to 21 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide released into the environment each year. The initiative is part of the university’s zero carbon plan, which describes using the campuses as a living lab for climate action research.
Rosetta spoke to Alan Brent, Chair of sustainable energy systems at Victoria University, about the project, and what more needs to be done to make renewable energy more accessible in Aotearoa
For City Counselling this week, Beth Torrance-Hetherington spoke to Counsellor for Waitakere Shane Henderson about Auckland Council's new Flood Viewer, which allows people in Tāmaki Makaurau to view the most flood-affected areas in the region.
Research has shown there has been a large decline in children reading for enjoyment. Many say the impacts of this are great, as reading for pleasure increases children’s empathy, and introduces them to ideas and experiences that are different from their own.
Olivia spoke to the Chair of the Storylines Children’s Literature Trust, Christine Young, about the importance of this issue, and what Storylines does to encourage children to read more for enjoyment.
The Healthcare exec Brian Thompson was shot dead by a masked assailant last week.
The crime has gained significant controversy and attention online, with many using it to restart the debate on the inequities of the United States healthcare system.
And this week Yale University was the latest college to commit to divesting from weapons manufacturing after a student vote.
For State of the States this week Wire Host Caeden speak to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about both of these topics.
The government as announced their plan for the Cook Strait ferry a year after they scrapped Labour’s plan, including cancelling the ferries the Labour government had ordered.
And a new report from the Ministry of Social Development has revealed nearly a quarter of beneficiaries are not receiving their correct entitlements.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about both of these topics.
For City Counselling this week, producer Sofia caught up with Councillor Shane Henderson about proposed time-of-use charging to solve congestion problems in Tāmaki and Council selling their remaining Auckland Airport shares last week.
The Green party recently released He Ara Anamata - the Green party’s emissions reduction plan.
The document covers more than 10 areas of the economy and energy Sector that a Greens-led government would be looking to adapt to minimise carbon emissions and protect the natural landscapes of Aotearoa.
It also comes 5 months after the government released their own draft emissions plan. Numerous experts pointed out that the government is behind on their own plan’s targets to meet the crucial emissions budget for 2031-2035.
For their weekly catchup, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March to discuss the party’s new emissions reduction plan and how they would address climate and the economy in a greens-led government.
Last election, one of the National Party’s main campaign promises was to be ‘tough on crime’, promising to increase police coverage and penalties for crimes. A target was set to increase the number of police officers by 500 by November 2025, however some police leaders today say this goal is unrealistic.
The government also announced this week some shakeups to insulation standards, which they say should make houses more affordable.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor spoke to him about police staffing targets and new insulation standards.
This week on Dear Science, our expert Doctor Cushla McGoverin chatted with us about what latrines teach us about people, climate variation affecting Chinese dynasties, and invasive species becoming threatened.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
Last week it was revealed that two of the ten participants in the government's pilot bootcamp programme were on the run.
The youth were two months into the community rehabilitation phase of the programme, following the three month youth justice residence phase. Both teens were found in the weekend, but had allegedly reoffended, and are now set to come before the court.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, who have been heavily advocating for this programme, Producer Evie spoke to Simon Court about this incident.
She also talks to him about proposed changes to employment law which would give employers the power to dismiss workers earning over $180,000 without the employee refuting the decision.
And finally, she talks to him about David Seymour’s incumbent run as Deputy Prime Minister, which is set to begin in May of next year.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sofia spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about changes to Auckland Transport’s responsibilities, nationwide bus and train fare hikes, and concerns over the opening of the City Rail Link.
For State of the States this week, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Andre Fa'aoso from the Yale Daily News about President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, who was due to be sentenced next week for three felony charges.
They also discuss Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, who is the latest in a long list of unorthodox picks for government positions from Trump