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.
The government has recently announced a 5 million dollar aid programme for Palestinians in Gaza through UNICEF and World Food Programme. This comes as funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees is still halted from New Zealand, as the organisation is under investigation for staff involved in the October 7th Hamas attacks. Prior to halting this funding, New Zealand was contributing 1 million dollars annually to UNRWA, and with this new aid, the government has contributed a total of 15 million dollars since October through UNICEF, WFP, International Committee for Red Cross, to civilian humanitarian aid.
Several Palestinian advocacy groups in Aotearoa have been highly critical of the decision to cut UNRWA funding due to its direct link to civilians in Gaza. UNRWA has also stated that due to suspended funding from the UK and USA, they may be forced to cease operating in the Middle East by the end of the month. UNRWA not only runs schools and refugee camps across Gaza and The West Bank, but also Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
Rosetta spoke to John Minto, Chair of Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, about what the New Zealand government aid will mean, the importance of UNRWA, and issues that Palestinian advocacy groups in Aotearoa are noticing with media coverage of the situation in Gaza.
Following coalition talks late last year, the new National led coalition government has proposed repealing anti-smoking legislation. In their statements and arguments supporting this position, they have repeatedly used common talking points from the tobacco industry.
A report released today by the Public Health Community Centre Aotearoa has highlighted this connection, and calls for our leading politicians to be more transparent about any connections they might have to the tobacco industry
Producer Castor spoke to the University of Otago’s Professor Janet Hoek about the influence of the tobacco industry on politics in Aotearoa.
For our weekly catch-up with Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni, Caeden asked about the mood at Rātana and the expected mood at Waitangi, as well as the lack of MPs from the Pacific in this government.
Neighbours Aotearoa is a community organisation that promotes fostering connections between neighbours and strengthening communities.
While the organisation operates all year round, Neighbours Aotearoa is particularly focused on the month of March, where they encourage people to get out and engage with their community.
Producer Castor spoke to Lucette Hindin, a Lead Connector for Neighbours Aotearoa, about the benefits of community and their upcoming March initiative.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about Rātana and Pacific representation in government.
They also spoke to University of Auckland Lecturer Dr Treasa Dunworth and Palestine Solidairty Network’s John Minto about New Zealand’s obligation following the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel-Palestine.
Castor spoke to Lucette Hindin, a Lead Connector for Neighbours Aotearoa, about their yearly community initiative.
He also spoke to Professor Janet Hoek from the University of Otago about the influence of the tobacco industry on New Zealand politics.
The Wire is starting a new segment focused on deep diving into global human rights issues from Aotearoa to the world.
For the first edition Caeden focused on Aotearoa’s international law obligations to Palestine following the International Court of Justice ruling. First they spoke to University of Auckland Lecturer and International Law Expert Dr Treasa Dunworth.
They then spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network’s John Minto.
‘Understanding Te Tiriti – a handbook about Te Tiriti o Waitangi’ is a new guide created by lawyer Roimata Smail (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui, English, Scottish, Irish descent).
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Smail about the handbook and what she hopes people take away from it.
She started off by asking Smail about her background as a legal counsel in the Waitangi Tribunal and in creating educational resources about Te Tiriti.
Amnesty International has condemned the recent execution of Kenneth Smith in the US State of Alabama, and is calling for a complete moratorium on use of the death penalty.
As part of its Write for Rights Campaign, where every year people from 170 countries take action by writing letters, signing petitions, and more to call on governments to challenge injustices, Amnesty International is calling for another looming death penalty case in Alabama to be stopped.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Amnesty International Aotearoa, Senior Campaigner, David Vega about this.
News and editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Amnesty International Aotearoa Senior Campaigner, David Vega about their opposition to recent executions in the US state of Alabama.
Lawyer Roimata Smail (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui, English, Scottish, Irish descent) about her new educational resource, ‘Understanding Te Tiriti – a handbook about Te Tiriti o Waitangi’.
She chatted to the co-founders of Petitions for Peace, a platform that allows people to sign multiple petitions at once, urging for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
For Get Action! she interviewed community organiser and advocate in healthcare, education, and social work, and founder of Paid Placements Aotearoa, Bex Howells about her calls to address long-term workforce shortages by funding student placements.
And she spoke to Head of Operations at PD Pet Insurance Sheryl Atkins about pet oral health and how pet owners can save money.
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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