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.
Following a consistent year of pressure, the Victoria University of Wellington has announced its divestment from all Israeli government bonds and shares. The foundation has previously reported having close to $50,000, which they have divested following major Student sit ins and pushback.
The divestment is only the first step in a long process of boycotting Israel, however there is continued student backing and a recent petition attempting to further progress the severing of ties to Israel.
Producer Sasha spoke to spokesperson for Student Justice for Palestine Poneke, Frank Mackenzie about how continued student pressure led to University of Victoria Wellington divesting from Israeli bonds and stocks.
For our weekly catchup, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to The Green Party's Ricardo Menéndez March about recent changes to the treaty principles bill to include acknowledgements to Iwi and Hapu, government pay parity cuts for relief ECE teachers and concerns over Nicole McKee’s gun law reforms.
For our bi-weekly segment Get Action! Wednesday Wire Host, Oto, spoke to ActionStation’s Kareana Kee, about their petition calling for TVNZ to review their coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Producer Sasha spoke to spokesperson from Student Justice for Palestine Pōneke, Frank Mackenzie, about the Victoria University of Wellington Foundation divesting in Israeli bonds.
and Oto spoke to Associate Professor in Commercial Law at the University of Auckland, Gehan Gunasekara, to discuss the implications of the IRD sharing taxpayer data with social media firms.
For Dear Science this week, we chatted with our expert Professor Allan Blackman about genetic fingerprinting, mobile phones not being linked to brain cancer, and how eating habits can make you live longer.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Katie Nimon about the government’s newly announced transport plan and last week’s grocery commission.
They also spoke to Professor of Māori Studies Margaret Mutu of Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa, and Ngāti Whātua, about Cabinet’s reviewing the first draft of ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill.
On the Green Desk, Jack Marshall talked to Dung Beetle Innovations’ Dr Shaun Forgie about dung beetles and New Zealand's issues with manure.
And producer Josef spoke to Professor of Health Economics, Paula Lorgelly, about the economic impacts of Long COVID.
The ACT Party’s treaty principles bill was a hot topic during the election campaign last year, and made it into the coalition agreement, with the National party committing to support it to the first reading.
The bill has met controversy since the campaign, criticised by Māori leaders for its potential to remove Māori from decision making processes entirely. Recently, a group of 440 Christian leaders also spoke out against the bill in an open letter to MPs asking them to vote against the bill.
Wire host Castor spoke to Professor of Māori Studies Margaret Mutu of Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa, and Ngāti Whātua, about Cabinet’s reviewing the first draft of ACT’s treaty principles bill and its potential impacts on Māori.
Last week the government announced its new transport plan, focusing primarily on car and road developments and their flagship ‘roads of national significance’. This focus on roads and car developments has led the government to pull funding from other areas, such as public transportation, walkways, and cycleways.
Last week, the commerce commission also released its first annual grocery report, identifying issues with a lack of competition in Aotearoa’s grocery sector and increased prices faced by consumers. The report advises that the problems stem from a lack of regulation, which enables the supermarket giants to act as they please.
This week in our catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to Katie Nimon about the government’s new transport plan and the commerce commission’s first annual grocery report.
Researchers have estimated that Long Covid could be costing the New Zealand economy $2 billion a year.
The finding follows an Australian study which calculated the economic impact of Long Covid in Australia.
Producer Josef spoke to Professor of Health Economics Paula Lorgelly about the study, Long Covid, and what New Zealand can do about its economic costs.
Dementia is expected to double in the next 20 years in Aotearoa, but for Pasifika and Māori, it’s expected to triple.
New research shows the risk of developing dementia is 60% higher for people living in the most deprived areas of NZ compared to those in the least deprived areas.
Because of the disproportionate representation of Māori and Pasifika in lower socio-economic groups, the risk of those developing dementia also sits at a disproportionately high level.
Senior lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland, Etuini Ma’u led the public health expert briefing that took a deep dive into the research.
Producer Evie spoke to Ma’u about the factors of poverty that lead to this increased dementia risk, and how these can be combated on both an individual and wider structural level.
Last Thursday, following a six day tangihanga to honour the passing of Kīngi Tūheitia, a new Māori monarch was selected.
That monarch is his youngest child and only daughter, Kuini Nga wai pono i te po. Kuini Nga wai is 27 years old making her the second-youngest Māori monarch to be appointed, and only the second female monarch of the Kiingitanga.
Kuini Nga wai’s ascension to the throne signals a new era and forward movement for the Kiingitanga.
Producer Evie spoke to University of Auckland kaiārahi, Waikato descendant, and whānau of the Kiingitanga, Tui Kaumoana-Steedman about how Kuini Nga wai was selected for the role.
They also discussed how she may take the Kiingitanga in a new direction, what issues she’ll be aiming to highlight, and how her rule may have an effect on Aotearoa as a whole.
A new study into how New Zealand seafood product manufacturers display claims such as ‘dolphin friendly,’ ‘sustainably fished,’ and ‘responsibly caught,’ on their products has lead to concerns that these companies may be ‘greenwashing,’ as the claims are too ambiguous, being contradictory, and going against international best practice and the New Zealand Commerce Guidance.
The study suggests that such claims are hard to verify, and may mislead consumers.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Senior Research Fellow in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Auckland, Kathryn Bradbury, about the study, and what needs to change to adequately inform consumers of the products they are purchasing.
For our weekly catch up, Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about new concerns about the charter schools bill, a rushed gun reform bill and the final council consensus on Māori wards.
For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori, News and Editorial Director and Monday Host, spoke to Mariameno Kapa-Kingi about the passing and tangihanga of Kīngi Tūheitia, and the crowning of Kuini Nga wai pono i te po as the new monarch.
Evie spoke to Tui Kaumoana-Steedman, a University of Auckland kaiārahi, Waikato descendant, and whānau of the Kiingitanga about the new Maori monarch Kuini Nga wai pono i te po.
Joel spoke to Senior Research Fellow Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Auckland, Kathryn Bradbury, about a new study showing seafood product manufacturers are ‘greenwashing’ their merchandise through positive environmental claims.
And Evie spoke to Etuini Ma’u Senior lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland about poverty leading to an increased risk of dementia.
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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