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.
Early in April, the Department of Conservation faced criticisms for spending $500,000 to remove one stoat from Chalky Island in Fiordland.
Wire host Castor spoke to the University of Auckland’s Professor James Russell, about conservation and pest eradication broadly in Aotearoa, individual community efforts, and this specific case of one nasty stoat.
For Dear Science this week, Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about ancient Roman wine, dating a solar flare using polar trees, and the brightest cosmic explosion ever.
Wire host Castor spoke to the University of Auckland’s Professor James Russell, about conservation and pest eradication in Aotearoa.
He also spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa’s chair, John Minto, about recent hypocrisy from the government regarding Iran’s recent attack on Israel.
Producer Sofia spoke to the Chief Executive of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand, Letitia Harding, about the government’s laws and policies for vaping.
She also spoke to Group Manager Conservation Advocacy and Communications at Forest and Bird, Richard Capie, about job cuts at the Department of Conservation.
Small business, Trade Jobs NZ, is facing a legal dispute with Trade Me over its name and branding, with Trade Me claiming copyright infringement for using the words 'Trade' and 'Jobs'.
Trade Me told 95bFM they cannot go into the details of the case while it is before the Court, but they provided us with the following statement:
“We have used the name Trade Me Jobs since 2006. It’s an important part of our business. We’ve worked hard to build a distinctive brand that is recognised and trusted by Kiwis. We rarely take the decision to go to court and we don’t take the decision lightly – it is something we would only consider as a last resort.”
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Trade Jobs NZ owner, Colleen Getley, about their business and opposition to Trade Me’s claim.
Following the government announcing its plan to improve school attendance rates, News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to experts in the education sector about their thoughts on the proposal.
First, she spoke to Professional Teaching Fellow in Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Dr Brian Marsh, about what factors are responsible for low truancy rates in the past few years.
She also spoke to Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Dr John Fenaughty, about how we can make school a more inclusive space that is safe for LGBTQIA+ students.
For our regular catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s plan to address low truancy levels post-COVID-19, and Court’s X post stating he stands with Israel.
She spoke to Professional Teaching Fellow in Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Dr Brian Marsh, and Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Dr John Fenaughty, about how the government can improve school attendance rates.
And she reported on Trade Me’s legal action against small business Trade Jobs NZ, speaking to the owner of Trade Jobs NZ, Colleen Getley.
Producer Ezra spoke to Associate Professor of Environmental Science at The University of Waikato, David Campbell, and Senior Ecologist at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Olivia Burge, about the climate-saving potential of Wetland Conservation.
A recent symposium by the National Wetland Trust has emphasised the critical role of wetlands in carbon absorption and supporting the ecosystem. With New Zealand having lost 90% of its wetlands over the last 150 years, experts have emphasised the need for conservation and restoration efforts.
Producer Ezra spoke to Associate Professor of Environmental Science at The University of Waikato, David Campbell, and Senior Ecologist at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Olivia Burge, about the climate-saving potential of New Zealand’s wetlands.
The Ministry of Social Development is not immune to job cuts seen in other public service departments, with MSD calling for voluntary redundancies after cost-saving efforts failed to meet Government targets. For our weekly catch-up with Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni Wire Host Caeden asks her about the impact of cuts at MSD, especially amongst other Government policies disadvantaging beneficiaries.
They also ask about the Samoan Citizenship Bill led by Teanau Tuiono, and the impact of losing independent media giants such as Newshub for democracy.
The recent release of the Ministry for Environment’s Our Land 2024 report has again reiterated the impacts of intensive farming and agriculture on freshwater ecosystems. Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Head of Campaigns and Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson about the stakes for freshwater protections under the current coalition government.
This week, the European Human Rights Court made a historic ruling on climate change, concluding that the Swiss government had violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to take sufficient action to combat climate change. The case was raised by the group, Klimaseniorinnen, a collective of more than 2000 Swiss women aged over 64, who claimed government inaction on climate put them at increased risk of dying during heatwaves, a vulnerability exacerbated by their age and gender demographics.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Alexander Allen-Franks, Co-Director of the NZ Centre for Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice on what this case means for accountability on climate action for vulnerable communities.
For our weekly catch-up with Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni Wire Host Caeden asks about job losses in media, cuts at MSD, and Teanau Tuiono’s restoring Samoan Citizenship members bill.
For City Counselling they speak to Cr Lotu Fuli about a proposal to merge the Ōtara-Papatoetoe and Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local boards and a new report on quality of living in Tāmaki Makaurau.
They also speak to AUT Lecturer Laumua Tunufa’i about the bill to repeal the 1982 bill which stripped Samoans of New Zealand Citizenship.
And they speak to Paul Thistoll from Countering Hate Speech Aotearoa, as well as Rainbow Spokesperson for the Human Rights Commission Prudence Walker about Hate Speech Law protections for LGBTQIA+ communities.
Today Jasmine speaks with lawyer Alexandra Allen-Franks about a landmark European climate action human rights lawsuit
And she speaks to Greenpeace Spokesperson Amanda Larsson about the dire state of Aotearoa’s freshwater protectionshat have you got for us today?
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.
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.
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.
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
With the rise of fast fashion outlets like Shein and Temu alongside the wider mainstream options available that contribute substantial amounts of clothing waste to landfill, experts are calling for an urgent response on a governance, business, and individual level.
Wire Host Sara spoke to Mindful Fashion Chief Executive Jacinta Fitzgerald about the problem, and the industry response to sustainability, as well as University of Auckland Marketing Professor Mike Lee about the importance of ethical consumption.for individuals.
First, is the interview with Fitzgerald, where she begins by talking about the organisation Mindful Fashion.
Following this, Sara spoke to Marketing Professor Mike Lee about the research he has undertaken around consumerism.
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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