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.
Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono passed the first reading of his member's bill in parliament yesterday. The bill would restore citizenship to Samoan’s born between 1924-1948 who had their citizenship stripped in 1982 legislation.
The bill received unexpected support from the Act Party and NZ First Party to go through to select committee, with the only party voting against it being National.
Wire Host Caeden spoke with AUT Lecturer in Criminology Laumua Tunufa’i about the bill and it’s historical context.
A proposal to merge the Ōtara-Papatoetoe and Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local boards has been met with criticism, with consultation opening at the end of next month.
A new report has also been released on the quality of living in Tāmaki Makaurau with our city receiving mixed results by scoring high on some areas (the environment), and lower on others (education).
Wire Host Caeden speaks to Counsellor Lotu Fuli about both these topics for City Counselling.
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.
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?
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.
Health Coalition Aotearoa have released a press release in which they claim that Associate Education Minister David Seymour is using outdated advice to justify cutting the school lunch program.
A treasury report released in 2023 has been used by the Associate Education Minister as evidence for looking into cutting Ka Ora Ka Ako funding.
However, Health Coalition Aotearoa believes more recent reports highlight the importance and positive benefits of the school lunch programs.
Nicholas spoke to Dr Kelly Garton of Health Coalition Aotearoa about Ka Ora Ka Ako.
The government has announced that the flu vaccine will no longer be free for children under 12 or Māori and Pacific people aged 55 to 64.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at the University of Otago, Dr Elizabeth Fenton, who along with other health experts, says this is a missed opportunity for New Zealand's health system to improve outcomes and achieve health equity.
She started off our interview asking Fenton for her reaction to vaccine subsidies being removed for these groups.
Humanity is currently going through a stage in its history known as the “AI Spring”, an ongoing period of advancement in the world of artificial intelligence, heavily impacting the technology we use on a daily basis.
As to be expected, there are numerous ethical concerns to be raised regarding the development of artificial intelligence. The use of AI in modern military conflicts has demonstrated the capabilities of this new technology to cause large-scale destruction to human lives. The Israeli Defence Force, for example, have been using AI in their weapon systems to acquire targets in their war on Gaza, contributing to one the highest rates of civilian casualties in any modern conflict.
Dr Thomas Gregory is a Senior lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Auckland, with expertise in civilian casualties and contemporary conflict. Oto spoke with him to discuss how AI is being used on the battlefield, and how it has impacted civilian lives in modern conflicts.
New Zealand NGO Reemi, an organisation which works to alleviate period poverty, have received a UK humanitarian grant to supply reusable period underwear to Palestinians in Gaza.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Reemi founder, Emily Au-Young, about what the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has meant for menstruators.
She started off the interview by asking Au-Young about what Reemi does.
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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