Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Jessica Hopkins, Castor Chacko, Nicholas Lindstrom, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
E whai ake nei, coming up on the Wire for Rāpare Thursday!
Beth spoke to Counsellor for Waitakere, Shane Henderson, about the impact the government’s recent repeal of Three Waters will have on the Council in terms planning of water services and infrastructure.
Castor spoke to The University of Otago’s Professor Michael Baker about increased measles risk in Aotearoa and possible countermeasures.
Caeden spoke with Acting Chief Commissioner, Dr Karanina Sumeo, about Aotearoa's human rights issues and what the impacts of the Universal Periodic Review could be.
Spike spoke to Unite Union Contact Center organiser Sam Burnside-Woods about unionisation at One NZ, work from home policies and the ongoing redundancy waves.
And Castor spoke with doctoral student at the University of Auckland, Tom Pearce, about assessment based education, the campaigned policies and alternative methods to increase learning for students.
Telecom company One NZ, previously Vodafone, was recently acquired by investment management company Infratil, which under the backdrop of unionisation efforts, has started to downsize the company in order to maximise profits. The latest announcement from the CEO includes changes that might result in 10-20% of the workforce being made redundant.
Spike spoke to Unite Union Contact Center organiser Sam Burnside-Woods about unionisation at One NZ, work from home policies, and the ongoing redundancy waves.
The Supreme Court in the recent Smith v Fonterra case ruled that Iwi Leader Mike Smith can proceed to trial against Fonterra, and six of the other largest greenhouse gas emitters. In this case, he argued that their emissions would harm him and his interests to customary land, including loss of cultural and spiritual sites, and fisheries.
Olivia talked to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland Law School, Vernon Rive, about this decision. He also discussed what judicial decisions means for overarching climate action, and other implications of this case.
Foodstuffs is rolling out a facial recognition trial to identify and deter shoplifters. Many have criticised such use of facial recognition technology, noting that it is a slippery slope, and can encroach on people’s privacy.
Olivia talked to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland’s Department of Commercial Law, Gehan Gunasekara, about the potential benefits and issues with utilising this technology, and possible actions the Government should take in protecting privacy.
The government has announced its intention to scrap legal funding for section 27 cultural reports. These reports are used in court sentencing for judges to learn more about the offenders’ cultural background and their lives. This decision has been criticised, with experts saying that scrapping reports would make trials slower and more expensive, and would negatively impact Māori.
Olivia talked to Professor of Law at AUT, Kris Gledhill, about this decision, the issues with it, and how Aotearoa New Zealand compares with other countries.
Producer Olivia spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland Law School, Vernon Rive, about the Smith and Fonterra climate change court case.
She also spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland’s Department of Commercial Law, Gehan Gunasekara, about Foodstuffs’ facial recognition trial.
And she spoke to Professor of Law at AUT, Kris Gledhill, about the Government's decision to scrap legal aid for section 27 cultural reports.
The Labour Party’s controversial Three Waters reforms were repealed last week. National’s replacement plan seeks to address the complaints of many who pushed back against the bill, while maintaining support for challenged regions.
Additionally, this Sunday saw National Leader Christopher Luxon pushed out of the yearly Big Gay Out event by protestors. Amongst other issues, the protestors are standing against proposed changes to the school curriculum, removing and replacing gender, sexuality, and relationship-based education guidelines.
Producer Castor spoke to National’s James Meager about the Three Waters replacement, including recent environmental concerns. He also discusses the curriculum changes, and how the National Party supports queer young people.
National's government announced the axing of Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways: a large science reform program set up only last year.
It has left scientists concerned that budget cuts will further hit the already struggling sector; including the end of an 11-ten-year collaborative science programme known as the National Science Challenge
Producer Sofia Kent spoke to Professor Troy Baisden, the Co-President of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, about what the future of science research looks like in Aotearoa.
This week on The Wire, Milly rejoins the news team for a fleeting moment alongside her producer Sofia! Castor speaks to National's James Meager about the Three Waters replacement and changes to the sex and gender school curriculum, Sofia speaks to Gerard Rushton Chairman of Meningitis Foundation Aotearoa about vaccines and first year university students, as well as Professor Troy Baisden, the Co-President of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, talking about impending cuts in the science sector. There's also Dear Science with Alan Blackman. Do not be surprised by impromptu updates on Grant Robinson's resignation from parliment!
The Supreme Court found that Northland iwi leader Mike Smith (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) has the right to sue seven big polluters in Aotearoa New Zealand, including Fonterra, Genesis Energy and Z Energy for their role in contributing to climate change. The ruling also denies these companies from attempting to strike out the case, and it will now continue to trial.
Beth spoke to Head of Campaigns for Greenpeace Aotearoa, Amanda Larssen, about this win, and its significance for our climate.
Disability communities have been rallying against a surprise change in purchasing rules in the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha. Communities have said the changes will have massive impact, despite no consultation on these changes or a formal announcement.
The Department of Conversation also recently proposed staffing cuts to meet funding demands. DoC controls a third of Aotearoa’s landmass which is all conservation land. It remains uncertain how job losses in the Ministry could impact conservation land management.
For weekly catch-up with the Labour party Wire Host Caeden spoke to Labour spokesperson for Disability Issues and Conservation Priyanca Rahdakrishnan about both of these issues.
For our weekly interview with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s proposal to increase student attendance rates and his post on X last week, in which he stated he stands with Israel.
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.
For this week's Get Action! Sofia spoke to petitioner Abdul Safi and his campaign to place sanctions on Israel amidst genocidal acts that are widely considered war crimes.
If you want to sign this petition, you can find it here:
For City Counselling this week, Wire host Caeden spoke with Counsellor Lotu Fuli about the early morning vandalisation of the Rainbow Crossing on Karangahape Road.
They also ask about the end of half-price fares for under 25s, and the relationship Wayne Brown, as well as Auckland Council more generally, has with Auckland Transport.
It is estimated that 50 million people worldwide are currently involved in some form of slavery. Many of those who have been enslaved for their labour, and work as child labourers, produce goods that we import and consume on a regular basis here in Aotearoa.
Currently, there is no existing legislation in Aotearoa that requires companies to disclose the source of their goods, or to ensure that their products are being ethically produced; giving them free rein to indulge in modern slavery in order to cut their production costs.
Producer Oto spoke to Dr Susan Maiava, Co-Founder of the ethical directory Fair & Good who have created a petition and open letter urging the government to introduce modern slavery legislation.
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