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.
Last week, the Professional Firefighters Union went on strike from 12-1pm on Friday, calling for better pay and conditions for firefighters across New Zealand.
This week, we will see a ‘megastrike’ of nurses and teachers which is predicted to potentially be the largest labour action in forty years.
Among their agenda items are Palestine, NCEA changes, AI marking and the curriculum.
Finally, a petition with 20,000 signatures was delivered to Parliament relating to an amendment which will see tightened eligibility for Maaori groups to receive customary title under the Marine and Coastal Area act.
The amendment bill passed its second reading last week.
Wire Host Sara spoke with National MP Carl Bates about all of these topics, starting with the firefighter union strike
Grassroots music venues in Aotearoa are struggling, which Dave Carter from Massey University wrote in an article on The Conversation is resulting in the local live music sector being at risk.
Yesterday, News and Editorial Director Joel, spoke to Carter, who is an Associate Professor in the School of Music and Screen Arts at the university about his article, and what can be done to support and uplift these spaces.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman talks about Alfred Nobel, maths in science, and a high resolution telescope accomplishment.
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the megastrike of union workers, and of firefighters, as well as the Marine and Coastal Act amendment
For Green World, Sara spoke to Alexander Kaurov about AI’s role in scientific review and literature.
News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Massey University’s Dave Carter on how grassroots music venues are struggling and what can be done to preserve these spaces.
Producer Faith spoke to The University of Auckland’s Professor Jason Mika about some conflicts within Te Pati Maori, along with some suggestions for how they should be addressed
Victoria University of Wellington PhD candidate Alexander Kaurov alongside Harvard Professor of Science Naomi Oreskes published an article about the impact of AI on scientific literature in the digital age.
They highlight the difficulty of scrutinising information in the “explosion of scientific papers” newly produced and available and discuss the benefits and disadvantages of artificial intelligence in responding to this new norm of literature.
For Green World this week, Wire Host Sara spoke to Alexander Kaurov about this issue and the future of AI’s influence on academic research
Last week, the Government released their first ‘National Adaptation Framework’ for adapting to Climate Change.
The announcement highlights the risks those in Aotearoa face regarding climate related disasters and harms, such as floods or storms as climate change gets worse. This comes alongside a focus on ensuring that Aotearoa’s economy is able to withstand, handle, and grow in the face of these risks.
While this is a positive step, there remain concerns around how adaptation fits in, whether this plan covers all bases, and what still needs to be done.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Principal Scientist at Earth Sciences New Zealand, Dr Cradock-Henry, about the framework, its strengths, and its drawbacks.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about the government's changes to methane targets and this week’s upcoming multi-sector strikes, which is expected to have 100,000 workers walk off the job.
Producer Alex spoke to Principal Scientist at Earth Sciences NZ Dr Nick Cradock-Henry about the Governments new National Adaption Framework for Climate Change, and what it means for policy and what holes remain.
Thursday Wire Host Caeden spoke to Dr Kevin E Trenberth, climate scientist and honorary academic at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Science, about the most pressing climate change-driven threats and the role of New Zealand in enacting solutions.
And Alex spoke to Associate Professor of History at the University of Auckland, Jennifer Frost, about the No Kings protests in the United States over the weekend, and what they mean politically for the country and the Trump Administration.
The government has recently reduced biogenic methane emission targets to 14-24% by 2050, changing the reductions passed in 2019 under the Zero Carbon Act of cuts between 24-47% below 2017 levels by 2050.
These changes have faced criticisms from the Opposition and climate activists, and scientists. Green Party co-leader, Chlöe Swarbrick, says “This methane denial betrays farmers who are on the front line of climate-driven extreme weather events that threaten global food production and rural livelihoods”.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, New and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to Court about the target changes.
They also discussed this week’s multi-sector strike action, which will be attended by workers from various sectors, such as the medical and education sector.
Public Service Minister Judith Collins, regarding teachers striking, called the strike action “unfair and unwarranted,” and said that the union, the New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association’s (PPTA’s) primary agenda was to discuss Palestine with Education Minister Erica Stanford. However, PPTA President, Chris Abercrombie, disputed this, saying Palestine was one of several topics the union had wanted to discuss with the Minister, including AI in education and changes to NCEA.
They discussed this, but first, we discussed the government’s changes to methane targets.
Over the weekend, a Second round of ‘No Kings’ protests took place across the United States, protesting the anti-democratic actions of the second Trump Administration.
The previous protests in june saw 5 million join in, and this round had 250 planned protests across all 50 states. Officials in New York estimated crowds of around 100,000 people.
Concerns, however, remain around whether or not these protests will do something, and whether or not they matter, in the face of Trump’s authoritarian leanings and the actions of his administration.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Associate Professor of History at the University of Auckland, Jennifer Frost, about these protests, and what they say about political attitudes towards Trump in the United States.
In a recent article for Newsroom, University of Auckland climate scientist Dr Kevin E Trenberth wrote about the continued ‘existential threat’ of climate change.
He outlines the key issues of climate change, including droughts, intense rains and flooding risks and tropical storms. All leading to food and water shortages.
In the article, he also called net-zero a “pipe dream”, given the shortfalls of the Paris Agreement and other climate accords
Thursday Wire Host Caeden spoke to Trenberth, who is a Distinguished Scholar at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, USA, and an honorary academic at the Faculty of Science, University of Auckland, about his article, including the most urgent climate change-driven threats and what role New Zealand has to play in enacting solutions.
They started by asking what about the current moment inspired him to write his article.
Tāmaki Makaurau’s council budget is among those impacted by the proposal of a rates cap, considering Tāmaki’s average 5.8% annual rates increase across the 25/26 financial year.
Youth homelessness is a growing concern as discussions continue around “move on” orders for those without housing in Auckland’s CBD.
And the Skycity Convention Centre is set to open in 2026, with high hopes for what it may bring for Tāmaki Makaurau after its prolonged development.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Counsellor Fairey about these topics.
The Trump administration has caused issues of significant food waste due to a range of its policies, including immigration raids, tariffs, cuts to food assistance programmes, and the destruction of food for programmes like USAID.
This has had huge consequences, including environmental impacts, as well as impacts on the estimated more than 47 million people in the US who don’t have enough food to eat, and those who have relied on US foreign aid that has been cut.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Garrett Graddy-Lovelace, Provost Associate Professor in Environment, Development & Health at American University, about these issues.
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Recently, the government has announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs.
As well as this, Health Minister, Simeon Brown, has called for the decentralisation of Health New Zealand, with the expectation that the entity focuses on deliveries closer to the front-line, additionally expecting a plan to do so by the end of the year.
For our weekly catch up with the National Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to MP Stuart Smith about these topics, starting with the regional council.
From today until the 4th of December, a conference will be held in Queenstown that will look into pest management and how best to protect native species.
The event not only brings experts in the sector from Aotearoa, but will also involve Australian experts as well.
Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke to Dr Sze-Wing Yiu, a Wildlife Ecologist at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, about this week’s conference, and what to expect.
The government has recently announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs.
The ‘shake-up’ of regional councils has left concerns that the move would water down environmental regulations at a local level, reduce Māori and iwi voices in decision making, and would result in central government overreaching into local politics.
As well as this, Parliament’s Justice Committee has recommended passing the Electoral Amendment Bill, albeit with some amendments
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about both of these topics, starting with the changes to regional councils.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka announced the government’s release of the new social housing investment plan which aims to shift to a “needs-based, data driven approach”.
The new flexible fund includes $41 million dollars in operating funding over the next four years, and the government have stated they expect to support up to 770 social homes and affordable rentals in the initial phase.
As well, Health Minister Simeon Brown last week announced a Cabinet decision to stop new prescriptions for puberty blockers for young people identifying as trans or experiencing gender dysphoria.
The rule, in effect from 19th of December, is based on recommendations from a UK National Health Service review which determined that the evidence to the benefits or risks of the treatment was “remarkably weak”.
The government is expected to pause new prescriptions until the outcome of a clinical trial being conducted in the UK, expected to be completed in 2031.
Wire Host Sara spoke with MP Carl Bates about all of these topics, firstly by asking about the flexible fund which will replace the so-called ‘patchwork of programmes’ in place for social housing.
Christmas Lights at MOTAT - experience Auckland’s most magical Christmas lights - heritage trams, festive music, Santa visits, and thousands of sparkling lights Tickets at MOTAT.NZ.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
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