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.
While many Kiwis took the Christmas period as a time of respite and relaxation, the bombardment of Gaza by Israel continued.
After just over one hundred days of bombardment it is estimated that nearly twenty-four-thousand Palestinians have died with over two million people being displaced from their homes as a result of the conflict.
Nicholas spoke to the National Coordinator of Palestinians in Aotearoa, Dr Ahmed Saadeh for an update on the situation in Gaza.
One Hundred and fifty three countries have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The Convention which was originally ratified in 1948 was intended to prevent a repeat of the genocidal atrocities of World War Two.
Now, over 75 years after the convention was ratified, South Africa has filed a case to the International Court of Justice, alleging that Israel, a member of the convention, has breached their obligations.
Nicholas spoke to Treasa Dunworth, Associate professor of Law at the University of Auckland about the facts surrounding the historic case.
This week for the very first Dear Science the Tuesday Wire team discusses; the use of A.I in potentially disproving old beleifs about fingerprints, new telescope photos of Uranus and Neptune being less blue than we thought.
The average words per minute (wpm) a person can type out on a phone is around 35 words. This is slightly higher for computers with an average of around 40-45 wpm.
Stenographers can produce up to an incredible 360 wpm, keeping up with conversation in real time. However the skillset requiring this is tedious and expensive to employ; resulting in outsourcing and automation of transcription.
Director of Mercury Transcripts Katherine O'Brien spoke to Sofia about how stenography works and about being one of the last four stenographers in all of Aotearoa.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Chair, John Minto, and Lawyer and political advocacy expert, Dr Max Harris, about South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the New Zealand government backing US and UK led strikes on Yemen.
She also spoke to Health Coalition Aotearoa Co-Chair and Professor of Māori Health and Nutrition at the Massey University Research Centre for Hauora and Health, Lisa Te Morenga, about the government preparing to repeal smoke-free measures.
This past week, South Africa presented their case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel also presented its defence.
In the past 100 days, Israel's bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip has killed at least 23,000 Palestinains.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Chair, John Minto, and Lawyer, about what claims South Africa has made against Israel to prove genocidal intent, and why it is so significant for South Africa to be making this case.
She started off the interview by asking Minto to explain what the International Court of Justice is and how it operates.
She also spoke to Lawyer and political advocacy expert, Dr Max Harris, about South Africa's genocide case, and calls for the New Zealamd government to support it.
She started off our interview by asking Harris about the merit of both South Africa and Israel’s arguments.
The government is preparing to repeal new Smokefree measures introduced by the previous Labour government, which were aimed at addressing the availability and addictiveness of smoked tobacco.
Health Coalition Aotearoa has accused the government and those backing the repeal of minimising smoking harm, particularly to Māori and Pacific peoples.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Health Coalition Co-Chair, Professor Lisa Te Morenga, about why they believe further action is needed on tobacco control to save lives.
News teamers Kate and Sofia, and Digital News Sub-Editor Joel, talked to protestors who marched from the Auckland Domain to the ACT Party’s Epsom Office last week against the government’s overturning of Aotearoa’s world-first anti-smoking legislation.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Chair of The Meningitis Foundation, Gerard Rushton, about why all people, particularly those aged 13 to 25, should be protected against meningococcal.
And we celebarte the best of The Wire 2023, recapping the year that was in news and current affairs.
95bFM reporters Kate and Sofia, and Digital News Sub-Editor Joel, spoke to protestors who marched from the Auckland Domain to the ACT Party’s Epsom Office last week against the government’s overturning of Aotearoa’s world-first anti-smoking legislation.
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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