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.
Last year, the coalition government signalled its intention to repeal the Therapeutic Products Act 2023.
Due to come into force in 2026, the Act would have modernised the regulation of medicines and natural health products, making medical devices subject to a similar regulatory regime as drugs.
Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Professor of Toxicology at the University of Canterbury, Ian Shaw, about what the Act would have provided and the significance of the repeal in terms of New Zealanders safety.
Schools began implementing the compulsory Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum at the beginning of 2023.
By focusing on four key ideas – Māori history as the foundational history of New Zealand, colonisation, the use of power, and relationships and connections between people – the curriculum intends to teach students from Years 1-10 to understand the big ideas, know the contexts, and do inquiry practises.
Last week, the Education Review Office released a report on how the curriculum’s first year has been received.
Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Kaiārahi for the New Zealand History Teachers Association, Craig Thornhill, about some of the commentary from parliament that has emerged, and how the implementation of Aotearoa New Zealand Histories has been received by students and teachers so far.
Producer Ezra spoke to Business School Researcher, Shohil Kishore, from the University of Auckland about his recent study on the impact of micro-influencers during crises.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at the University of Otago, Dr Elizabeth Fenton, about the government removing free flu vaccines for children under 12 and Māori and Pacific People aged 55-64
And co-founder of New Zealand NGO Reemi, an organisation which works to alleviate period poverty, discussed supplying reusable period underwear to people in Gaza.
A recent study by the University of Auckland has found micro-influencers play a greater role in spreading information during crises than their larger counterparts.
I spoke to Business School Researcher at the University of Auckland, Shohil Kishore, about the implications of his research for government agencies, policy makers and social media platforms.
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 Associate Professor in Hauora Māori at the University of Otago, Dr Esther Willing, about the impact this will have on the health of our communities, particularly children, Māori, and Pasifika.
She started the interview by asking Willing what her reaction is to this change in eligibility.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to OutLine’s volunteer coordinator, Jenn Tamati, about their perspective on how Aotearoa’s rainbow communities are feeling a week on from the vandalism of Karangahape Road's rainbow crossing, one of the most recent acts in increasingly visible hate crimes against our LGBTQIA+ whānau in Aotearoa.
Kiwis battling the deadliest form of breast cancer, are a step closer to gaining access to life-saving treatment. There are currently no funded treatment options for triple-negative breast cancer, but hope is on the horizon with Pharmac recommending funding for drug, Keytruda. Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Breast Cancer Foundation Chief Executive, Ah-Leen Rayner, about the path to rollout for patients in Aotearoa.
Nicholas spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March about Winston Peter’s speech at the UN General Assembly as well as public sector job cuts
He also spoke to Professor Rita Krishnamurthi about new research into the prevalence of dementia in Aotearoa
And he spoke to Dr Kelly Garton of Health Coalition Aotearoa about associate health minister David Seymour using outdated advice to justify defunding school lunch programs
For GetAction! Sofia spoke to Abdul Safi about a petition to place sanctions on Israel
Oto spoke to Dr Thomas Gregory from the University of Auckland, to talk about the use of A.I in military conflicts
Associate Education Minister, David Seymour, has announced the creation of an establishment board to re-open Charter Schools by 2025.
The government is also set to announce plans to increase school attendance, but has not yet said if this will include fining parents for truancy, which the ACT Party campaigned on during the election.
First, news teamer Fath spoke to New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association President, Chris Abercrombie, about their response to the government's plans for the education sector.
Faith also spoke to New Zealand Education Institute President, Mark Potter.
She started off the interview by asking Potter how he thinks the government could address truancy in schools.
In August 2021, New Zealand’s intelligence agency was hit with a cyberattack carried out by a group allegedly backed by the government of China, part of a series of attacks that also hit government offices in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
However, the parliament data breach wasn’t the only cyberattack to happen here in Aotearoa. More than 100 staff members were the victim of cybercrime in 2023 alone, disrupting the operations of more than than a third of businesses nationwide. The repeated string of cyberattacks across the country has created discourse surrounding the vulnerability of cybersecurity systems in New Zealand.
Oto spoke to Professor Giovanni Russello, the head of the school of computer science at the University of Auckland and a lecturer in cybersecurity, to discuss the state of cybersecurity in Aotearoa, and possible steps that can be taken to improve it.
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.
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
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 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
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 government has recently rejected all of the Climate Change Commission’s recommendations regarding strengthening the country’s methane targets recommendations.
The commission’s recommendations include strengthening the county’s 2050 methane emission targets, continuing lowering emissions after 2050, and that international shipping and aviation, which represents 9% of the county’s total emissions, should be included within targets.
Despite the commission saying that there would be upfront costs, many of the changes would result in cost savings over time, however, the government rejected this claim.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about the government rejecting these recommendations.
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