Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Castor Chacko, Oto Sequeira, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
Pharmac is the government’s medicine-buying entity, and it came under fire last year for long wait times in approving new medicines.
Arno set out to find out more about Pharmac and funding for medicine in New Zealand.
First Arno spoke with health economist Dr Paula Lorgelly about Pharmac and medicine in New Zealand, and the National Party's plans to fund 13 cancer drugs that are not available in New Zealand but are in Australia.
Next Arno spoke with Dr Kate Gregory from the New Zealand Cancer Society about access to cancer treatments in New Zealand.
Finally Arno spoke with Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand CEO Peter Dickens to find out about healthcare for those suffering from prostate cancer.
Milly joins Allan Blackman in the studio for Dear Science as they delve into the fascinating world of people who have experimented on themselves.
She also speaks to Dr Shane Reti for her weekly catchup with the National Party where they talk all things healthcare in Aotearoa.
She speaks to Kerri Nuku Kaiwhakahaere of the New Zealand Nurses Organization about better working conditions for nurses.
She also speaks to Professor Nick Wilson from the University of Otago and the Co-Director of Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa about why New Zealand's Political parties are not paying enough attention to long-term risks and potential future catastrophic risks according to the findings of a recent survey
All this and a bit more on the Tuesday Wire with Milly
For our weekly catch up with the ACT party Rawan spoke with Simon Court about some of the party’s health policies.
They talked about the party's proposed independent review of Pharmac to assess the cost-efficiency of current medical spending, looking at how they plan to undergo the review and why it is important.
They also discussed the party’s promise to subsidise private hospital elective surgeries as a way to tackle long waitlists and hospital shortages. Rawan asked about how they plan to subsidise a section of the private sector as well as what difference this will make.
The ACT party is also planning to establish a new service called Mental Health and Addiction New Zealand. Simon spoke about what this service will include and how it differs from current services.
Last Wednesday, Pharmac confirmed it would be replacing treatment Herceptin (brand name for the drug Trastuzumab) with Herzuma, another version of the drug which is equally as effective but at a lower cost. Pharmac has decided not to provide more retreatment opportunities for patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, but Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand is urging them to reconsider.
Rosetta spoke to Adele Gautier, Research and Strategic Programmes Manager for BCFNZ about the decision, and what more needs to be done to increase retreatment options in Aotearoa.
Last Thursday, The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Amendment (Commmunity Participation) Bill passed it's third reading in Parliament. The Amendment is set to reduce alcohol-related harm by allowing communities to have a greater say in their Local Alcohol Policies (LAPs).
Rosetta spoke to Karen Wright, Co-Chair of The Health Coalition's Alcohol Panel, about the importance of the amendment, and what else needs to be done to reduce alcohol-related harm in Aotearoa.
It is our second week of 95bFM's election coverage, and this week's focus is health.
Rosetta spoke to Adele Gautier, Research and Strategic Programmes Manager at Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand, about Pharmac's decision to replace Herceptin with Herzuma, but not to widen eligibility for multiple rounds of treatment for patients with advanced breast cancer.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, producer Rawan spoke to SImon Court about some of ACT's health policies, including their proposed review of Pharmac, their promise to subsidise more elective surgeries as well as establish Mental Health and Addiction NZ.
For our bi-weekly segment of Tomorrow's World where Rawan and Leilani explore current events around science, technology and the environment, Rawan looked into the increase of youth vaping and The Labour Party's proposed policies surrounding the topic. Rawan spoke to Otago public health expert Janet Hoek and The Health Coalition's Leitu Tufunga.
Finally, Rosetta spoke to Co-Chair of the Health Coalition's Alcohol Panel, Karen Wright, about The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Amendment (Community Participation) Bill, and reducing alcohol-related harm in Aotearoa.
In June, the Greens announced their Income Guarantee plan, which would be funded by a Wealth tax. Last month, Labour ruled out the possibility of a Wealth and Capital Gains tax should they be re-elected, but the polls seem to be telling a different story about what Aotearoa wants, with a recent One News poll reflecting 63% in favour of a Wealth tax.
Beth sat down with Professor of Tax Law at the University of Auckland Craig Elliffe to speak about the economic viability of a Wealth tax in Aotearoa and the national support expressed in recent polls. She also caught up with Co-leader of the Green Party Marama Davidson about the Greens' Income Guarantee plan and Labour's decision to rule out a Wealth tax.
The recession has caused the tourism industry to face many challenges, such as decreased visitor numbers. However, the industry is slowly bouncing back, with Labour’s Better Work Action Plan providing eighteen point two million dollars to the industry.
Olivia spoke to Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s Chief Executive Rebecca Ingram about the state of the tourism industry, and their plans for improvement.
Labour recently proposed to implement compulsory financial literacy education in schools if they are re-elected. Many have welcomed this, with National also supporting this proposal.
Olivia spoke to Massey University Business School’s Associate Dean Māori, Professor Matthew Roskruge, about this proposal, and the importance of applying a Māori lens to it.
For our weekly catch-up Caeden speaks to Minister Andrew Little about Labour’s policies to combat the cost of living crisis and an open letter calling to scrap the acceptable standards of health criteria for visa applications.
For City Counselling, News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins speaks to Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson about the council deciding on whether to establish seats for Māori representatives and on-street parking prices increasing across the city.
Beth speaks with Professor of Tax Law at the University of Auckland Craig Elliffe, about the economic viability of a Wealth tax in Aotearoa.
She also speaks to co-leader of the Green Party Marama Davidson about the Greens’ Income Guarantee Plan.
Olivia speaks to Massey University Business School’s Māori Economist Mathew Roskruge about Labour's pledge to make financial literacy compulsory at schools.
She also speaks to Chief Executive of Tourism Industry Aotearoa Rebecca Ingram about the role of Aotearoa’s tourism industry in our economy.
Last week, Te Pāti Māori MP, Takutai Kemp, passed away at the age of 50.
She had previously taken leave from Parliament last year, due to suffering from kidney disease.
Following the announcement of Kemp’s passing, the House adjourned early in the week out of respect for Kemp, her whānau, loved ones, and Te Pāti Māori.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about the passing of Takutai Kemp.
They also discussed the Regulatory Standards Bill.
Last week, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, created multiple posts on his Instagram, accusing individuals, such as academics Dr George Laking, Dame Anne Salmond, and Metiria Turei, as well as Labour’s Willie Jackson, of suffering from "Regulatory Standards Derangement Syndrome".
In response to this, Wellington Mayor, Tory Whanau, wrote to the Prime Minister, accusing Seymour of “attempting to stifle academic opinion and any dissenting opinion.” She added that Seymour’s acts breached Sections 2.53 and 2.56 of the Cabinet Manual.
Section 2.53 calls for Ministers to "conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the office," while Section 2.56 requires ministers to act to the highest level of ethical and behavioral standards.
As well as this, they discussed the bill receiving over 130,000 public submissions, but only being allocated 30 hours for these submissions.
Last week, the council’s Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) Committee said they would be seeking to implement a number of recommendations that improve emergency readiness for disabled populations.
Following a hui last year where community members were invited to bring forward issues relating to future planning for natural disasters, Sara was interested to hear about how the council is taking suggestions on board.
As well, Auckland Council has been considering proposals to mitigate flood risks around the Wairau catchment, including one which would see the reduction of the size of the Takapuna Golf Course, to convert the space into a flood catchment.
Producer Sara spoke to Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson on both of these topics, firstly by asking him to discuss the desired outcomes relating to emergency preparedness for disabled people, and the council’s first steps to implementation
Zohran Mamdani has all but won the Democratic Primary in New York City after key competitor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race.
Mamdani will now be the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor.
His campaign was built on cost-of-living, where Mamdani presented himself as an authentic, Democratic Socialist, grassroots campaign leader.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to 95bFM reporter and South Asia correspondent Sanat Singh about Momdani’s win, what this means for the communities he represents, and where to from here.
A reported 131,000 submissions were made on the Regulatory Standards Bill.
The Bill, proposed by the ACT party, includes a set of principles outlining “responsible regulation.” Notably, it does not include any mention of either version of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Last weekend, hundreds of Destiny Church members marched on Queen Street in a rally that they called “in defence of faith, flag, and family.”
And the Labour Party has criticised the framing of a poll question by the Taxpayers Union/Curia on whether or not Cook Islanders should retain automatic New Zealand citizenship.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden asked Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about all of these topics.
Recently the Green Party commissioned independent legal advice to look into the government’s $200 million investment in new gas fields that was carried out last month and found out that the investment was in breach of the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS).
NZ First MP Shane Jones recently announced that he’d be drafting a member's bill to force Ngāpuhi into a single commercial settlement, which would prevent hapū from negotiating separate commercial redresses and remove any reference to hapū sovereignty from the settlement terms.
And the Green party recently issued a call to the New Zealand government to condemn the US strikes on Iranian Nuclear facilities, almost a week after Iran and Israel had both been trading missile strikes between each other.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke with MP Hūhana Lyndon to get the party’s take on all of these issues
Last week, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced plans to scrap the nationwide census moving forward. The census is the largest statistical survey done in Aotearoa, and provides the bulk of population data used in research and decision-making. Reti says the census is “no longer financially viable” and will be replaced with a combination of smaller annual surveys and administrative data.
While the change looks good on paper, there are concerns around how the change in data collection could affect representation of marginalised and minority groups. Census data tends to be more protected from bias than administrative data and smaller surveys, meaning there are more opportunities for misrepresentation. Some statisticians are particularly concerned about the potential exclusion of marginalised rural communities.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked him about the census decision and its implications on marginalised and minority groups.
Associate Health Minister, David Seymour, has recently announced changes to Psilocybin and Melatonin availability.
Psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, will be available for certain patients suffering from poor mental health outcomes. Melatonin, which is used for insomnia and jetlag, is set to be available over the counter.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about this move, and the potential accessibility concerns with accessing these medications.
They also discussed taxpayers set to be funding newly-funded cancer medicines for private facilities.
Finally, they discuss opposition parties criticised Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, over a lack of transparency regarding the effectiveness of boot camps for youth offenders, especially as boot camps have received a boost of $30 million, despite the pilot programme still being ongoing.
But first, they discussed Psilocybin and Melatonin.
Last Saturday, over 2,000 protests took place across all 50 American States against President Donald Trump.
The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and they served as a direct response to the military parade in Washington, DC.
The organisers of the protests say they aimed to reject “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.”
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut about the protests and the backlash towards them from the Trump administration.
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