Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Castor Chacko, Alex Fox, Emmanuel Orange, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
Recently, a University of Canterbury study, ‘investigating the spatial and temporal variation of vape retailer provision in New Zealand: A cross-sectional and nationwide study,’ published in the peer-reviewed journal, Social Science and Medicine, shows that most vape retailers reside in the country’s most deprived areas.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Senior Lecturer in Public Health at the University of Canterbury, and head of the study, Matthew Hobbs, about the findings of this study, and what this means for these communities.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party's Simon Court, producer Evie spoke to Simon about mining and comments he made on X, formally Twitter, about the University of Canterbury pro-Palestine encampment.
She also spoke with Spokesperson for Students for Justice in Palestine Canterbury, Matt, about the University of Canterbury encampment.
For our weekly catchup with, Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Takutai about Māori wards and Kāinga Ora.
They spoke to Senior Lecturer in Public Health at the University of Canterbury, Matthew Hobbs, about a study he led that demonstrates that most vape retailers are in the country’s most deprived areas.
They also spoke to Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Auckland, Jude MacArthur, about the concern with charter schools and assisting students who have a disability and/or are neurodivergent.
Producer Ezra spoke to Senior Lecturer of Education at the University of Auckland, Dr Analosa Veukiso-Ulugia about the soaring Pokie machine profits in South Auckland.
And he also spoke to Curator of I-M.S Arts, Iokapeta Magele-Suamasi, about her “South-Versed” exhibition and its exploration of diaspora for Tagata Pasifika and Tagata Ahia in Aotearoa.
Last week the Students for Justice in Palestine Canterbury set up a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. The police were called on the peaceful protest, but students remained for 27 hours, before an agreement was reached with the University.
Producer Evie spoke to Matt, the spokesperson for Students for Justice in Palestine Canterbury about the encampment, the group's demands and their response to the comments made by ACT’s Simon Court.
$153m has been allocated in the 2024 budget to establish Charter Schools in Aotearoa by the coalition government, after being previously shut down by the last Labour Government in 2018, to establish 50 new charter schools.
This system of education has come under controversy by many, over concerns these schools can allocate funding however they see fit with almost total discretion, teach any curriculum they want to, and are not required to hire teachers with adequate teaching certificates, unlike schools in the public sector.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Auckland, Jude MacArthur, about the concern with Charter Schools specifically assisting students who have a disability and/or are neurodivergent.
Users are continuing to boycott celebrities on social media following the beginning of #Blockout2024. The activist movement was sparked by a peak in digital audiences’ frustrations surrounding the concurrent platforming of wealth and celebrity at the MET Gala alongside scenes of humanitarian devastation in Gaza. The parallel has been described by many as uncomfortably close to dystopian narratives such as Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Media and Communications expert, Dr. Sabrina Moro, to further understand the social impact of the #Blockout2024 movement
A new study of European Beech forests has discovered the impact of the summer solstice as a “celestial cue” on the species’ mast seeding production. This discovery may assist in efforts to protect biodiversity in Aotearoa, due to its relevance to our species of native southern beech, which comprises nearly half of our remaining native forest. Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Emeritus Professor and co-author of this research, Dave Kelly, on how this discovery can support conservation work here in Aotearoa.
For our weekly catch-up with Labour Party Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni Wire Host Caeden asks about the Government's comments on welfare and the unrest in New Caledonia.
They also speak to Student Justice for Palestine’s Layan Khalil about today’s protest action.
For City Counselling, Caeden speaks to Councillor Lotu Fuli about the long-term plan and her Airport shares amendment.
And they speak with Greenpeace spokesperson Sinead Deighton-O’Flynn about their upcoming March for Nature.
Producer Jasmine speaks with Emeritus Professor Dave Kelly about what his new research on Mast Seeding in European Beeches signals for native conservation efforts in Aotearoa.
And she speaks with Dr. Sabrina Moro about #Blockout2024, a digital activist movement to boycott celebrity amidst silence on events happening in Gaza following the Met Gala earlier this month.
Greenpeace has announced an upcoming “March for Nature” in response to the current Government’s environmental policies, which they have called a “war on nature.”
Their website says this protest is targeting the Fast Track Consent Bill which “undermines democracy and Te Tiriti.”
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Greenpeace spokesperson Sinead Deighton-O'Flynn about the upcoming march.
They started by asking what the demands of the march were.
Last week, New Caledonia became the site of widespread civil unrest and mass riots. Protests erupted in response to a decision made by the French government to grant voting rights to residents of New Caledonia who had been residing on the Island for at Least 10 years, overturning a previous constitutional amendment that only permitted the Island’s indigenous Kanak population and residents residing on the Island before 1998 to vote in local elections.
New Caledonia’s Indigenous Kanak people, who have largely resisted French rule and have campaigned for independence for several generations, said that the constitutional amendment would undermine their push for independence and give greater preference to newer French settlers.
Oto spoke to Professor Yvonne Underhill-Sem, a professor of Pacific studies at the university of Auckland, to discuss the context behind the current unrest, and the Kanak independence movement as a whole.
The coalition government recently introduced legislation aimed at rolling back the establishment of Maori wards in local constituencies, requiring local councils to hold a referendum if they brought in wards without first polling residents or to scrap the wards that they have.
The Waitangi tribunal consider the legislation to be a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi principle prioritising, as they say the crown failed to consult with the tribunal or Maori stakeholders, and that the move will undermine the role of Maori and Iwi in local governments.
For their weekly catch up, Oto spoke to the Green party’s Ricardo Menendez March to discuss the Maori Wards rollback. We also had a chat about the recent review of Kainga Ora, as well as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s speech at the national party conference.
The government is reviewing Treaty of Waitangi references across 28 pieces of legislation, with concerns that stronger obligations could be reduced to simply “taking into account” Treaty principles.
At the same time, New Zealand has signed a new Free Trade Agreement with India, while incidents of anti-Indian graffiti and political comments about Indian communities have raised concerns about rising anti-Indian sentiment in Aotearoa.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about proposed changes to Te Tiriti, the NZ–India Free Trade Agreement, and rising anti-Indian sentiment in New Zealand.
Last week, the Green Party released a statement highlighting the recently released Dental For All report, which they say confirms that New Zealand can afford a free, universal public dental service.
And the recently signed Free Trade Agreement between India and New Zealand is being touted as a pivotal moment, garnering support from both Labour and National parties, however, NZFirst MP and coalition minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Shane Jones, expressed his opposition to the agreement with derogatory comments against potential indian immigrants that have drawn the ire of other parliamentary parties.
So for our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, I spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green Party’s Dental policy and their stance on the Free trade agreement with India.
Since its inception in 2008, the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (or ETS) has been, according to the government, its primary tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle the climate crisis. As part of the scheme, the government sets a price for carbon units, which companies must pay to offset their emissions. The Climate Change Commission has recently highlighted that the scheme was not stable and susceptible to changes in the market, and did not have sufficient carbon units to last until 2030, requiring urgent reform.
For Green World, Wire producer Liam spoke with Scott Burnett, the Regional Conservation Manager for the top of the South Island and Forest and Bird’s climate spokesperson about why Forest and Bird has called the system broken, what impact this has on Aotearoa and what reforms should be implemented.
Last week, NZ First MP and Government Minister Shane Jones was criticised over using derogatory language towards Indian Immigrants. These comments were condemned by the National Party and Christopher Luxon, who labelled NZ First’s belief system as ‘anti-immigrant’, and saidd Jones was ‘scaremongering’.
That was not the extent of criticism between NZ First and National, however, with tensions between the two sparking after NZ First Leader Winston Peters calling out Luxon for not giving coalition partners prior notice of his confidence vote during a national party caucus meeting last week. In turn, these comments have been dismissed, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Luxon accused NZ First and Peters of putting Labour Governments, like Arderns, into power. Despite all of this, however, Peters has insisted the coalition is as stable as a ‘three-legged stool’.
Last week also saw the Treasury announce that they would revisit their forecasts for the economy ahead of the impending government budget. The Government also announced some changes to the way Infrastructure is run by the government, giving more power to the Independent Infrastructure Commission, increasing their oversight and changing the way that Ministers receive advice and information.
This week, Host Alex spoke with National MP Ryan Hamilton about these developments, beginning with Shane Jones’ comments.
The Prime Minister has survived the recent confidence vote, but questions remain about the stability of Christopher Luxon’s leadership and what that means for the government going forward. At the same time, inflation has come in higher than expected, rising 3.1 percent annually and 0.9 percent in the March quarter, adding to ongoing concerns about the cost of living. And in Wellington, severe flash flooding has once again raised questions about whether our cities are prepared for increasingly extreme weather.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these issues.
Despite a tenuous ceasefire, the fuel crisis - resulting from the US and Israel bombing of Iran, and subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz - drags on. Prices have remained high, hitting low-income households hard, and while fuel stocks in or on-the-way to the country sit comfortably above a month’s cover, approaches to conserving fuel remain front-of-mind for many.
One strategy that New Zealanders have been urged to adopt is switching to public transport, which would put fewer cars on the road. However, access is often dependent on location and affordability.
Over the past few years, the Ministry of Education has reviewed numerous rural school bus routes, cancelling some, cutting off students from ready access to their education.
For this week’s Get Action, producer Theo spoke to Alicia Hall from Parents for Climate Aotearoa, on their petition to restore rural school bus routes and make public transport free for children, and students under 25.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here.
Last week, the Green Party leaders, Marama Davidson and Chloe Swarbrick, hosted their state of the planet address, where they launched their call to electrify the nation.
On top of that, events this week have led the party to criticise the government. The first critique, instigated by the floods that swept the nation, hitting the Coromandel and causing a state of emergency in the Wellington Region, led the Greens to question the government's decreased funding of flood responses as harsh weather increases.
The second critique came with a cabinet paper this week that shows the government is planning on moving ahead with reforms to legislation that will see references to the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi redefined, in what the government sez is about ‘standardisation’ but what the Green Party sees as dishonouring Te Tiriti.
So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, we discuss their criticisms of the government but start with a discussion of their electrification policy.
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