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.
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.
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.
This week in States of the States, Presidential candidate Donald Trump joins a livestream on the streaming app with internet personality Adin Ross. Ross is known for his sometimes controversial videos of livestreaming apps “twitch” and “kick”.
Another celebrity streamer, Kai Cenat, has also claimed the Harris campaign reached out to him for the pair to do a livestream together.
Amongst this, the FBI have launched an investigation in what seems to be a hack into the Trump campaigns computer systems. The campaign is blaming Iran-backed hackers, but this has not been confirmed.
Wire host Caeden speaks to Andre from the Yale Daily News, on the candidates joining livestreams and the alleged Trump campaign hack.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party Wire Host Caeden speaks to Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni about the government’s new benefit sanctions and the New Plymouth Mayor’s call for Labour to continue oil and gas exploration until 2050.
For States of the States Caeden speaks to Andre Fa'aoso on candidates joining, or potentially joining, livestreams. As well as the Trump campaign internal document hack, which they are blaming on Iran.
And they speak to Frankie Barclay from Amnesty Aotearoa on the recent alt-right riots in the UK, and their new report linking these riots to institutional racism.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sofia speaks to Councillor Julie Fairey about plans to reform council controlled organisations, rates, and Council paying out secret financial settlements.
She also speaks to Principal Scientist at Plant & Food Research and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland, Dr Andy Allan, about the government announcing to end the ban on genetic modification and genetic engineering outside the lab.
The Government has announced new sanctions for beneficiaries who do not meet their obligations. These include putting half a person’s benefit on a payment card and community work experience.
Social Development Minister Louise Upston said this is to move people into work and provide tougher consequences for those who repeatedly fail to meet benefit obligations. The changes will be introduced alongside a new “traffic light” warning system for beneficiaries the government campaigned on.
The move has been criticised from opposition parties, including Labour Leader Chris Hipkins who said the move would continue to push people into poverty.
In other news, the Mayor of New Plymouth has called on the Labour Party to support oil and gas exploration until 2050. Neil Holdom states energy policies affected by constraints of the electoral cycle i not working and would like to see a bipartisan approach taken to energy policy.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party Wire host Caeden spoke to Labour Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about both of these issues.
This week the government announced it is moving forward on overhauling restrictions on the use of gene editing and other genetic technologies in New Zealand - establishing a dedicated gene tech regulator before 2026.
The law will be based on similar legislation in Australia - the Australian Gene Technology Act 2000 - while taking a ‘hybrid approach’ to regulation with applications assessed under a risk framework.
With legislation expected to go through parliament by the end of 2024, it will remove regulatory hurdles that have been in place for the last 30 years on developing genetic technology beyond the lab.
Producer Sofia spoke to Principal Scientist at Plant & Food Research and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland, Dr Andy Allan, about this announcement and whether he welcomes the change.
Amnesty International UK has released a new report that links a government failure to address institutional racism to the far-right violence that has erupted in UK streets.
The UK’s failure to address racism is also a failure to address international human rights obligations on race.
The report lists concerns over legislation introduced by the previous government including the Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Act (2022), Elections Act (2022), and the Nationality and Borders Act (2022), saying these have combined to pose a sustained threat to the civil and political rights of people of colour in the UK.
Wire host Caeden spoke to Frankie Barclay from Amnesty Aotearoa about the report and recent far right riots in the UK, as well as if these have any connection to the political climate here.
In the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, there was widespread damage to homes across affected areas in the North Island, with the housing market across the whole country facing massive subsequent reductions.
Around 170 homes were deemed unsafe to enter, with almost 5000 others facing other infrastructural damages.
Oto spoke to Maude Loutsch, a lecturer and PHD candidate in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, to discuss the impacts to housing caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and Aotearoa’s preparedness for housing impacts in the event of natural disasters.
For their regular catch-up, Oto speak to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March about the government’s new traffic light sanctions for beneficiaries, as well as cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency and the party’s petition to roll back speed limit reversals.
He spoke to Maude Loutsch from the University of Auckland about the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on housing in Aotearoa.
And, for this week’s Get Action! He spoke to Louisa Wall and Samantha Green a about a petition of theirs calling on public officials to be held accountable for sharing disinformation.
Sasha spoke to Professor Jodi Gardner from the University of Auckland to discuss government-funded energy deals for lower-income New Zealanders, including concerns surrounding heating and electricity
The government recently announced that they would be introducing a “traffic light” sanction system for people on the jobseeker support benefit who did not fulfil their obligations as beneficiaries. This includes a green level for compliant beneficiaries and an orange and red level for beneficiaries who haven’t met their obligations and who may face sanctions.
For their weekly catch up, Oto spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menendez-March to discuss his thoughts on the newly introduced sanctions.
They also had a chat about job cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency and the party’s petition calling for Simeon Brown’s speed limit increases to be rolled back.
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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