Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Castor Chacko, Alex Fox, Emmanuel Orange, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
Since October this year, as part of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, Israeli Defence Forces have imposed a siege on the Northern Gaza Governate in the Gaza strip.
The IDF has designated the entire Northern half of Gaza as a combat zone, blocked the movement of all aid heading into the area and sent evacuation notices to all of Northern Gaza’s Palestinian inhabitants, effectively declaring everyone in Northern Gaza to be an enemy combatant.
Oto spoke to John Minto from Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, to discuss the implications of Israel’s ongoing siege of Northern Gaza for the area’s Palestinian inhabitants.
They also had a discussion about the implication of Donald Trump’s election victory for the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, as well as the media coverage of the clashes between locals in Amsterdam and supporters of the Israeli football team - Maccabi Tel Aviv.
A new study has been published showing that senior citizens in Aotearoa were experiencing record levels of loneliness and isolation.
The study - called The Breaking Barriers study, was commissioned by Age Concern Auckland, a charity dedicated to improving outcomes for Aotearoa’s elderly population, and it found that 59% of Kiwis aged 65+ had recently felt lonely or socially isolated.
The study calls for an increase in holistic solutions to address loneliness amongst seniors, as wel as establishing a minister of loneliness in government, a move that has been adopted in the United Kingdom and Japan.
Oto spoke to Kevin Lamb, Chief Executive Officer of Age Concern Auckland, to discuss the study and why older New Zealanders are experiencing increased levels of loneliness.
Needing a gift for Christmas? MOTAT has launched an ‘adopt a tram,’ initiative for their iconic trams.
News and Editorial Director, and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Head of Philanthropy and Partnerships at MOTAT, Katie Brundle, about this initiative, and what it means exactly, to adopt a tram?
You can adopt a tram by heading to the MOTAT website.
Pharmac has announced the funding of the ADHD medication Lisdexamfetamine, which is currently not available in the country, as well as removing the renewal criteria for funded treatments.
The new medication will be funded from December, which is expected to benefit over 6000 people.
Many have welcomed these developments, including ADHD New Zealand.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the spokesperson from the organisation, Darrin Bull, about these developments, and why they are so important for Aotearoa’s ADHD community.
Education Minister Erica Stanford and Associate Minister David Seymour put out a press release last Friday accusing the Post Primary Teachers Association of disrupting students’ learning.
The press release continues that the PPTA is prioritising ideology over students, and that the meetings create a poor example.
Stanford says “We can’t expect students to value the importance of education and attendance when adults walk off the job.”
To address these claims, Wire host Castor spoke to president of the PPTA, Chris Abercrombie, about the press release and the PPTA’s concerns for teaching in Aotearoa.
For Dear Science, our expert Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about self-experimentation, the infinite monkey theorem, and votes for Charles Darwin.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor to MP Tom Rutherford about the Treaty Principles Bill and the counter hīkoi.
They also spoke to president of the Post Primary Teachers Association, Chris Abercrombie, about the role of the organisation and the government’s recent comments.
News and Editorial Director, Joel spoke to the Media Spokesperson from ADHD New Zealand, Darrin Bull, about Pharmac set to fund a new ADHD medicine.
They also spoke to Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Canterbury, Alison Griffith, about how we can analyse Roman society through a Māori lens.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the 2024 University of Canterbury Teaching Medalist and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Art, Alison Griffith, on how she approaches understanding Roman society through Māori values.
Last week Donald Trump won the US election, securing his second term as President, and is now set to take office in January of next year.
This now leaves many questions of what his second term as president will look like.
In contrast to his 2016 presidency, there’s now an ongoing war in Gaza, in which the US has had much influence. Many have been dissatisfied with the response to this by the Biden/Harris administration, and now wait to see what action Trump will take on the issue.
There are also questions on what stance Trump will take on the ongoing war in Ukraine, in which the US has largely supported Ukraine. However Trump undoubtedly has his own relationship with Russia.
Producer Evie spoke to Geopolitical analyst at the University of Otago, Geoffrey Miller about these questions, and what we can expect to see under Trump's administration this time around.
Last week, Transport Minister, Simeon Brown, announced that Auckland’s rail network will close for 96 days, with an additional 53 days where operations will be reduced.
Brown cites multiple reasons for these closures, which are to develop and upgrade Auckland’s rail network.
News and Editorial Director, and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the National Coordinator of the Public Transport Users Association New Zealand, Jon Reeves, about this announcement, what the association’s thoughts are regarding the matter, and what this will mean for public transport users.
For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori, News and Editorial Director, and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to Tākuta Ferris, about the Treaty Principles Bill being introduced to Parliament two weeks early than previously planned, and the Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi.
For our weekly catch up Producer Evie speaks to the ACT Party's Simon Court about the introduction of the Treaty Principals Bill being moved forward, the nationwide Hikoi kicking off today in opposition to the bill, and David Seymour stating he doesn’t support a ban on Nazi symbols.
Joel speaks to Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland, Dr Samantha Marsh, about Australia announcing a law to ban under 16 year olds from social media, and her calls for similar legislation to be implemented here in Aotearoa.
Evie speaks to geopolitical analyst at the University of Otago, Geoffrey Miller, about Donald Trump’s potential impact on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine as he takes on the role of US President early next year.
Joel speaks to the National Coordinator of the Public Transport Users Association New Zealand, Jon Reeves, on Transport Minister Simeon Brown’s announcement that Tāmaki Makaurau’s rail network will be closed for 96 days next year.
And Evie speaks Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, Dr Stephen Winter, about the government’s apology to abuse in state care survivors which is set to occur on the 12th of November.
Last week, the Green Party released a statement highlighting the recently released Dental For All report, which they say confirms that New Zealand can afford a free, universal public dental service.
And the recently signed Free Trade Agreement between India and New Zealand is being touted as a pivotal moment, garnering support from both Labour and National parties, however, NZFirst MP and coalition minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Shane Jones, expressed his opposition to the agreement with derogatory comments against potential indian immigrants that have drawn the ire of other parliamentary parties.
So for our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, I spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green Party’s Dental policy and their stance on the Free trade agreement with India.
Since its inception in 2008, the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (or ETS) has been, according to the government, its primary tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle the climate crisis. As part of the scheme, the government sets a price for carbon units, which companies must pay to offset their emissions. The Climate Change Commission has recently highlighted that the scheme was not stable and susceptible to changes in the market, and did not have sufficient carbon units to last until 2030, requiring urgent reform.
For Green World, Wire producer Liam spoke with Scott Burnett, the Regional Conservation Manager for the top of the South Island and Forest and Bird’s climate spokesperson about why Forest and Bird has called the system broken, what impact this has on Aotearoa and what reforms should be implemented.
Last week, NZ First MP and Government Minister Shane Jones was criticised over using derogatory language towards Indian Immigrants. These comments were condemned by the National Party and Christopher Luxon, who labelled NZ First’s belief system as ‘anti-immigrant’, and saidd Jones was ‘scaremongering’.
That was not the extent of criticism between NZ First and National, however, with tensions between the two sparking after NZ First Leader Winston Peters calling out Luxon for not giving coalition partners prior notice of his confidence vote during a national party caucus meeting last week. In turn, these comments have been dismissed, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Luxon accused NZ First and Peters of putting Labour Governments, like Arderns, into power. Despite all of this, however, Peters has insisted the coalition is as stable as a ‘three-legged stool’.
Last week also saw the Treasury announce that they would revisit their forecasts for the economy ahead of the impending government budget. The Government also announced some changes to the way Infrastructure is run by the government, giving more power to the Independent Infrastructure Commission, increasing their oversight and changing the way that Ministers receive advice and information.
This week, Host Alex spoke with National MP Ryan Hamilton about these developments, beginning with Shane Jones’ comments.
Despite a tenuous ceasefire, the fuel crisis - resulting from the US and Israel bombing of Iran, and subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz - drags on. Prices have remained high, hitting low-income households hard, and while fuel stocks in or on-the-way to the country sit comfortably above a month’s cover, approaches to conserving fuel remain front-of-mind for many.
One strategy that New Zealanders have been urged to adopt is switching to public transport, which would put fewer cars on the road. However, access is often dependent on location and affordability.
Over the past few years, the Ministry of Education has reviewed numerous rural school bus routes, cancelling some, cutting off students from ready access to their education.
For this week’s Get Action, producer Theo spoke to Alicia Hall from Parents for Climate Aotearoa, on their petition to restore rural school bus routes and make public transport free for children, and students under 25.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here.
Last week, the Green Party leaders, Marama Davidson and Chloe Swarbrick, hosted their state of the planet address, where they launched their call to electrify the nation.
On top of that, events this week have led the party to criticise the government. The first critique, instigated by the floods that swept the nation, hitting the Coromandel and causing a state of emergency in the Wellington Region, led the Greens to question the government's decreased funding of flood responses as harsh weather increases.
The second critique came with a cabinet paper this week that shows the government is planning on moving ahead with reforms to legislation that will see references to the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi redefined, in what the government sez is about ‘standardisation’ but what the Green Party sees as dishonouring Te Tiriti.
So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, we discuss their criticisms of the government but start with a discussion of their electrification policy.
Last week, fuel stocks in the country went down by three or four days across each fuel type. The government recognised this as not enough to change to phase two in the national fuel plan, drawing some concerned comments from the political opposition around the state of our stocks, and when the government plans to actually move up phases.
Following a week that saw both Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon comment on the state of the Strait of Hormuz, and the way the United States has handled the ongoing conflict, Willis also travelled to the US to meet with White House advisors.
This week, Host Alex spoke with National MP Ryan Hamilton about these fuel crisis developments, and what the government’s approach going forward may look like.
To start our discussion, however, we spoke briefly about the confidence in Christopher Luxon’s Leadership.
Earlier this week, Councillor Julie Fairey moved a resolution to investigate Auckland Council’s involvement with companies that are complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
And this week, Auckland Council launched an AI virtual assistant to report issues such as graffiti, roaming dogs, and noise complaints.
For City Counselling, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics.
Last Friday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown announced the signing of a new ‘City Deal’.
The deal will see closer partnership between the central government and Auckland Council, coordinating planning in areas such as infrastructure and transportation.
The deal will see a long-term partnership between the government and council, with regular meetings and cooperation on strategies for innovation and transportation, with reviews of sporting venues such as Eden Park and the Auckland Tennis Centre.
However, the deal has been critiqued by some as being a collection of promises without any new funding.
So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, he and producer Theo discussed the signing of the Auckland City Deal, and how the Green Party would work with Auckland Council on issues such as transportation and infrastructure.
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