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.
Pharmac is the government’s medicine-buying entity, and it came under fire last year for long wait times in approving new medicines.
Arno set out to find out more about Pharmac and funding for medicine in New Zealand.
First Arno spoke with health economist Dr Paula Lorgelly about Pharmac and medicine in New Zealand, and the National Party's plans to fund 13 cancer drugs that are not available in New Zealand but are in Australia.
Next Arno spoke with Dr Kate Gregory from the New Zealand Cancer Society about access to cancer treatments in New Zealand.
Finally Arno spoke with Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand CEO Peter Dickens to find out about healthcare for those suffering from prostate cancer.
Milly joins Allan Blackman in the studio for Dear Science as they delve into the fascinating world of people who have experimented on themselves.
She also speaks to Dr Shane Reti for her weekly catchup with the National Party where they talk all things healthcare in Aotearoa.
She speaks to Kerri Nuku Kaiwhakahaere of the New Zealand Nurses Organization about better working conditions for nurses.
She also speaks to Professor Nick Wilson from the University of Otago and the Co-Director of Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa about why New Zealand's Political parties are not paying enough attention to long-term risks and potential future catastrophic risks according to the findings of a recent survey
All this and a bit more on the Tuesday Wire with Milly
For our weekly catch up with the ACT party Rawan spoke with Simon Court about some of the party’s health policies.
They talked about the party's proposed independent review of Pharmac to assess the cost-efficiency of current medical spending, looking at how they plan to undergo the review and why it is important.
They also discussed the party’s promise to subsidise private hospital elective surgeries as a way to tackle long waitlists and hospital shortages. Rawan asked about how they plan to subsidise a section of the private sector as well as what difference this will make.
The ACT party is also planning to establish a new service called Mental Health and Addiction New Zealand. Simon spoke about what this service will include and how it differs from current services.
It is our second week of 95bFM's election coverage, and this week's focus is health.
Rosetta spoke to Adele Gautier, Research and Strategic Programmes Manager at Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand, about Pharmac's decision to replace Herceptin with Herzuma, but not to widen eligibility for multiple rounds of treatment for patients with advanced breast cancer.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, producer Rawan spoke to SImon Court about some of ACT's health policies, including their proposed review of Pharmac, their promise to subsidise more elective surgeries as well as establish Mental Health and Addiction NZ.
For our bi-weekly segment of Tomorrow's World where Rawan and Leilani explore current events around science, technology and the environment, Rawan looked into the increase of youth vaping and The Labour Party's proposed policies surrounding the topic. Rawan spoke to Otago public health expert Janet Hoek and The Health Coalition's Leitu Tufunga.
Finally, Rosetta spoke to Co-Chair of the Health Coalition's Alcohol Panel, Karen Wright, about The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Amendment (Community Participation) Bill, and reducing alcohol-related harm in Aotearoa.
Last Thursday, The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Amendment (Commmunity Participation) Bill passed it's third reading in Parliament. The Amendment is set to reduce alcohol-related harm by allowing communities to have a greater say in their Local Alcohol Policies (LAPs).
Rosetta spoke to Karen Wright, Co-Chair of The Health Coalition's Alcohol Panel, about the importance of the amendment, and what else needs to be done to reduce alcohol-related harm in Aotearoa.
Last Wednesday, Pharmac confirmed it would be replacing treatment Herceptin (brand name for the drug Trastuzumab) with Herzuma, another version of the drug which is equally as effective but at a lower cost. Pharmac has decided not to provide more retreatment opportunities for patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, but Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand is urging them to reconsider.
Rosetta spoke to Adele Gautier, Research and Strategic Programmes Manager for BCFNZ about the decision, and what more needs to be done to increase retreatment options in Aotearoa.
Labour recently proposed to implement compulsory financial literacy education in schools if they are re-elected. Many have welcomed this, with National also supporting this proposal.
Olivia spoke to Massey University Business School’s Associate Dean Māori, Professor Matthew Roskruge, about this proposal, and the importance of applying a Māori lens to it.
The recession has caused the tourism industry to face many challenges, such as decreased visitor numbers. However, the industry is slowly bouncing back, with Labour’s Better Work Action Plan providing eighteen point two million dollars to the industry.
Olivia spoke to Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s Chief Executive Rebecca Ingram about the state of the tourism industry, and their plans for improvement.
In June, the Greens announced their Income Guarantee plan, which would be funded by a Wealth tax. Last month, Labour ruled out the possibility of a Wealth and Capital Gains tax should they be re-elected, but the polls seem to be telling a different story about what Aotearoa wants, with a recent One News poll reflecting 63% in favour of a Wealth tax.
Beth sat down with Professor of Tax Law at the University of Auckland Craig Elliffe to speak about the economic viability of a Wealth tax in Aotearoa and the national support expressed in recent polls. She also caught up with Co-leader of the Green Party Marama Davidson about the Greens' Income Guarantee plan and Labour's decision to rule out a Wealth tax.
In the lead up to the election, political parties have been proposing different measures to address the cost of living crisis.
If re-elected, Labour has promised to scrap goods and services tax from fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables from 1 April next year, claiming it would save an average household about $4.25 per week.
First, News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to New Zealand Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff, and asked him what impact they believe this policy would have for low to middle income workers and their whanau.
She also asked Child Poverty Action Group’s Alan Johnson to weigh in on how effective they believe this policy would be in alleviating cost of living pressures.
To hear from an economist's perspective she spoke to Chief Executive and Principal Economist at Infometrics, Brad Olsen, who has been a vocal opponent of the policy. I started off the interview by asking him why he believes the policy would not benefit consumers.
Lastly, she spoke to Senior Taxation Lecturer at AUT Ranjana Gupta, who gave her thoughts on the policy and suggested potential alternatives.
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
95bFM 
