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.
Trigger warning: The following story deals with sexual violence.
Earlier this month Moumita Debnath, a trainee doctor in Kolkata in India, was raped and murdered on her campus. Evidence suggested she was violently assaulted by several men after completing a 36 hour shift.
The murder has sparked protests across India.
The University of Auckland branch of Thursdays in Black, a student-led grassroots campaign against rape and sexual violence, are hosting a vigil for Dr Debnath.
The candlelight vigil is being hosted at 5pm today, Thursday 22nd of August, outside the University of Auckland General Library.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to organiser Layba Zubair about why they’re hosting the vigil.
Most scientific framings of sleep problems often disregard Maori perspectives on spirituality and wellbeing, however recent research by Deanna Haami from Massey University has shown wairua is an important link to having a more holistic approach to health. The implications for physiological, mental and spiritual health from this study are important as sleep plays an important role in our daily life, including dreams and their relation to our health. Sasha spoke to Deanna Haami from Massey University on her recent study linking Wairua, sleep and health.
A council-proposed alcohol ban after nine-pee-em will be voted on and most likely go through in December. The idea behind the ban is to prevent preloading of alcohol before events, and further reduce drunkenness on Auckland streets. Supermarket corporation Foodstuffs and Woolworths have been lobbying against the proposed ban for several years, spending millions of dollars to be able to continue to sell alcohol after nine-pee-em, however the council will be voting on this decision in December. Sasha spoke to professor of population health Peter Adams from the University of Auckland about the implications of the council-proposed alcohol sale ban.
Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People, is set to be restructured, losing its responsibility to deliver support services, which will be moved to the Ministry of Social Development.
This has faced backlash by multiple political parties, such as Labour and the Green Party, as well as from disability activists.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the CEO of the New Zealand Disability Support Network, Peter Reynolds, about the reshuffling, and what will change about Whaikaha.
They started off by asking Peter what this would mean for disabled New Zealanders.
Last week, the Government announced a bill which they say will enable the development of time of use schemes, also known as congestion charges.
Generally, time of use schemes charge motorists to use roads depending on time and location. This encourages motorists to adjust their travel time, and method of transport to reduce road congestion.
Under the planned legislation, councils propose their own time of use schemes to the central government. Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency then provides strong oversight in the development of schemes to consider the impact on motorists and businesses.
Under the plan, all final proposals will require the approval of the central government.
Last year, Auckland Council voted in favour of a time of use scheme and has been planning to introduce it by 2025. However, there are concerns among experts that the proposed legislation may make it more difficult for the successful implementation of time of use schemes; by over-exposing councils to central government oversight.
Producer Josef spoke to one such expert, Senior lecturer in Urban Planning at the University of Auckland, Dr Timothy Welch, about the legislation, congestion charges, and how Auckland’s own scheme might be impacted.
Fonterra’s recently revealed ‘regenerative agriculture’ practices have been criticised for greenwashing. The announcement indicates that Fonterra believes existing practices, such as cows eating outside, constitute regenerative agriculture.
Greenpeace disagrees, pointing out Fonterra’s position as Aotearoa’s biggest climate and freshwater polluter. They accuse Fonterra of greenwashing - performatively claiming environmental friendliness while continuing to pollute or harm the environment.
Wire host Castor spoke to Greenpeace’s Sinead Deighton O’Flynn about greenwashing at Fonterra and the company’s environmental impact.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith recently confirmed the new Human Rights and Race Relations Commissioners: Dr Stephen Rainbow and Dr Melissa Derby. Following the announcement, the two were met with controversy for previous discriminatory comments.
Dr Rainbow had previously criticised the platforming of transgender activist Shaneel Lal, and expressed anti-Palestine views. Dr Melissa Derby has similarly expressed anti-transgender views at events.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Katie Nimon, Wire host Castor asked about the appointment of these two individuals and the alignment of their views with the government.
The government also recently announced one point three billion dollars of funding to address drink and drug driving. While the funding is appreciated by the NZ Police Association, there are worries that there aren’t enough police officers to meet the new targets.
Castor discussed each of these issues with Katie in their weekly catchup.
On Dear Science, we chatted with our expert Professor Allan Blackman about spikes in aging, poisonous book covers, and underground water on Mars.
For our weekly catchup with the National Party's Katie Nimon, Wire host Castor asked her about the newly appointed Human Rights and Race Relations commissioners, and about new funding for more drunk driving tests.
They also spoke to Greenpeace agriculture campaigner, Sinead Deighton -O'Flynn, about greenwashing in Fonterra's new regenerative agriculture policy.
Producer Josef spoke to Dr Timothy Welch about congestion charges and their implementation in Aotearoa.
And News and Editorial director Joel Armstrong spoke to CEO of the New Zealand Disability Support Network, Peter Reynolds, about restructures in Whaikaha, the ministry for disabled peoples.
The government recently announced that they’ll be moving forward with changes to maths teaching in schools a year earlier than intended.
Changes revolve around implementing stricter structure to the way maths is taught, and introducing more standardised maths assessments for children in years 0-8.
The Prime Minister has said that this may mean deferring the arts and music curriculum to allow for these changes.
In a Newsroom article, Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Peter O'Connor says that pushing the arts curriculum to the side would be detrimental for students.
Producer Evie spoke to O’Connor about why arts and music is so important for students, as well as having the ability to lift their maths and literacy results.
For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori, News and Editorial Director, Joel, speaks to Mariameno Kapa-Kingi about Waitangi Tribunal calls for Treaty Principles Bill to be scrapped, and the controversial development of a cultural space, that shares the same attributes as a marae, in Sydney, Australia
Producer Evie, for her weekly catch up with the ACT Party, speaks to Simon Court about the Waitangi Tribunal’s calls to scrap the Treaty Principals Bill, as well as the party’s calls for stricter sanctions on beneficiaries.
Joel speaks to Lawyer and Secretary of Community Against Alcohol Harm (CAAH), Dr Grant Hewison, about Auckland’s planned alcohol restrictions.
They also speak to Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland, Mark Thomas, about the new Mpox clade, and what this will mean for New Zealand.
and Evie speaks to Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Peter O'Connor about the government’s stricter maths curriculum pushing arts and music education to the side.
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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