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.
Care and Support workers, many of whom are working disability and elderly care, will be rallying across the Motu to call on the Government to fund a pay equity settlement for the sector.
Oto to Rachel Mackintosh from E Tu Union, representing care and support workers and organising the rally with PSA and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, to talk about the upcoming rallies and the demands of workers in the sector.
Last week, Te Hiringa Mahara - the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission - released data on the state of New Zealand youth mental health.
It found that while most rangatahi are doing well, there is a steady decline in youth wellbeing in comparison to older age groups more recently, with 1 in 5 young people experiencing higher rates of psychological distress.
Wire host Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Dr Ella Cullen, the Director of Wellbeing System Leadership at Te Hiringa Mahara, about this data, the factors contributing to this, and how to better support rangatahi.
Last week, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced he would introduce a bill to parliament that would officially make stalking illegal by the end of the year.
The announcement comes after an open letter and petition with more than 21,000 signatures called for the government to introduce anti-stalking legislation.
The movement to criminalise stalking was ignited after the murder of 21-year old Farzana Yaqubi in 2022, who was stalked for several weeks leading up to her death, and was effectively ignored by New Zealand police as there are currently no laws criminalising stalking.
Wire host Sofia Roger Williams spoke to the Chair of the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children, Leonie Morris, to discuss why the government has brought the introduction of the bill forward, prevention measures, and indications of what the bill might look like.
For their weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, Wire host Sofia speaks to ACT MP Laura Trask about public sector job cuts, military-style academies for youth offenders, and the Māori wards bill.
She also speaks to Dr Ella Cullen, the Director of Wellbeing System Leadership at Te Hiringa Mahara, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, about recent data on the state of youth mental wellbeing in Aotearoa
She also speaks to Professor Michael Baker from the University of Otago about forming a global pandemic agreement and New Zealand’s current COVID response system.
And she speaks to the Chair of the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children, Leonie Morris, about the government introducing a bill to make stalking illegal in Aotearoa.
For this week’s Get Action! producer Oto speaks to Dinithi Bowatte from Massey University about a petition of hers calling for the university to divest it’s investments from the State of Israel.
He also speaks to Rachel Mackintosh from E Tu Union to discuss the nationwide rallies for care and support workers this week.
Wire Host Caeden speaks to Labour Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about Three Strikes Laws and cuts to food banks
For City Counselling they speak to Councillor Shane Henderson about Matariki and local government crime prevention plans.
And they speak to Palestine Solidarity Network’s John Minto about their open letter warning the government that they will take action against their complicity in Gaza
Sofia speaks to CEO of SAFE, Debra Ashton, about a petition presented to parliament this week calling for the ban on live exports to be kept.
Castor speaks to spokesperson for Eczema Assocation New Zealand, Vanessa Jenkins, about the impacts of eczema on daily life.
The Palestine Solidarity Network has issued a letter of demand to the government for complicity in Israel’s siege on Gaza.
It comes as the death toll in Gaza reaches nearly 38,000 including 15,000 children. At least 10 countries, including Spain, Mexico and Ireland, have joined South Africa in their case against Israel for committing what they call a Genocide.
Wire Host Caeden speaks to PSN’s John Minto about how the Government’s been complicit, and what their impact could be on the international stage.
Eczema is a health issue that affects large groups of people across the country. The Eczema Association New Zealand, or EANZ, is a group that attempts to understand and address the impacts of eczema on both those who have it and those around them, such as families and friends.
Producer Castor spoke to spokesperson from EANZ, Vanessa Jenkins, about the impacts of eczema and what more the government can do to support those who are affected by it.
A ban on live animal exports was introduced last year by the previous Labour government. However, the coalition government has said it would like to reverse it.
This past week, a petition signed by over 57,000 people was handed to parliament, calling for the Government to keep its ban on live animal exports.
Producer Sofia spoke to CEO of SAFE Aotearoa, Debra Ashton, about the petition, the importance of keeping the ban, and what reversal could look like.
There are at least 150,000 children in Aotearoa living under the poverty line who come from households dependent on government assistance schemes like Working for Families.
However, as Susan St John, associate professor in economics at the University of Auckland Business School and spokesperson for Child Poverty Action group, said in a recent newsroom article, there are barriers in accessing support schemes for low-income families not found in those aimed at Kiwis over the age of 65, such as the New Zealand Superannuation Fund.
Oto had a chat with Susan about the state of government assistance for low-income families in New Zealand, and why she believes it’s better to be old than young if you’re poor in New Zealand.
The government recently announced it would increase funding to the New Zealand Pharmaceutical agency, also known as Pharmac, by $604 Million over the next four years to fund the treatment of 54 new drugs, 13 of which are cancer treating medication.
The announcement comes after the government experienced widespread backlash when cancer treatment funding was left out of the annual budget announcement made last month, going against Nationals promise during the general elections to increase funding for cancer treatments.
For their weekly catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez-March to discuss the party’s take on the government’s recent announcement and decision.
They also talked about the government’s introduction of a new sentencing Category for Young Offenders and the implementation of check-in requirements for Jobseeker beneficiaries.
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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