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 pressure of buying presents is now upon us, but simultaneously, the cost of living crisis and inflation continues to affect New Zealanders’ lives. Experts have discussed means of saving money over the break, as well as balancing the need to celebrate loved ones and saving in these difficult times.
Olivia talked to the Director of Financial Education at the Research Centre at Massey University, Dr Pushpa Wood, about the need for avoiding overspending, and tips for people to manage their money.
Early this week the new government officially confirmed it will be scraping the fair pay agreement. This is an agreement that was started by the Labour government in 2022 to bring employers and unions together for better pay.
Rawan spoke with E tu director Mat Danaher about the reasoning behind this government scrapping this agreement and how Unions are feeling about it.
They also spoke about marginalised impact on Women, Maori and Pasifika and how these groups might be impacted as a result of this change.
For our weekly catch up with the Green Party, Rawan spoke with co-leader Marama Davidson about several topics that have been of concern recently.
The first topic was around COP28 which is currently being held in Dubai and is being attended by a few of Aotearoa’s leaders including CLimate change minister Simon Watts and Green party co-leader James Shaw. Rawan asked about what the green party hopes to achieve and represent in this year’s conference.
They then spoke about the new government's plans to review Te Tiriti o Waitangi and what this will mean for Aotearoa. Rawan also asked about the government’s plans to scrap the fair pay agreement and the impact this will have on working kiwis.
Finally they spoke about Prime minister Christopher Luxon’s statement this morning alongside Leaders form Canada and Australia which essentially called for a ceasefire in Gaza amidst the war with israel.
For our weekly catchup with the National Party's Dr Shane Reti, Nicholas asked about the new Government's plans to repeal Fair pay agreement legislation.
The previous Government had passed the legislation that would allow a negotion to be triggered if 10% of a workforce ageed to beginning the fair pay process.
The interview begins with a question about why the Government chose repealling fair Pay Agreement legislation as a priority.
The new Government's commitment to repealing the Fair Pay Agreement legislation has been met by staunch opposition.
The legislation would have provided employees from a certain sector the ability to trigger negotiations on industry minimums.
Leaked Cabinet papers show that the ne Government recieved advice warning that repealling the legislation would have disproportinate effects on Māori, Women and Young people.
Nicholas spoke to Union negotiator Hamish McCraken about the negatives of repealling the legisalation.
According to research published on the 6th of December, the accurate percentage of vegetarians in New Zealand is more likely to be two percent than the almost 20 percent previously cited in market research.
According to this study:
93 percent of New Zealand eat red meat;
2.89 percent do not eat red meat, but eat seafood and poultry;
1.4 percent are pescatarians,
and 2 percent are true vegetarians.
In this interview, Lou speaks to Dr Kathryn Bradbury from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Population Health about the conclusions of this research.
A group of one hundred and nineteen University of Auckland academics have signed an open letter to the UoA council, calling for stronger clarity and action around safety concerns.
After professor Siouxsie Wiles called to concern vulnerabilities in UoA’s system in employment court, more academics have come forward expressing their discomfort around how seriously their safety is taken.
Liam had a chat with Professor Nicola Gaston about the open letter, and what changes she thinks need to be made. They first asked her about what the call specifically asked for.
Thousands of protestors took to the motorways December 5th, in protest against the recent policies announced by the new government. ACT Party leader David Seymour critiscised these actions, calling the tuesday events "diverse theatrics".
On our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Lou spoke to Simon Court about David Seymour's response to the hikoi, and ACT's stance on the policies announced, such as the scrapping of the Māori Health Authority, restoring referendums for Māori wards and minimising Māori language use in public services.
Lou then enquired about ACT renewing their call for the removal of the Human Rights Commission as well as alternative measures proposed to safeguard and promote human rights in New Zealand.
Finally, Lou enquired about ACT's stance towards the climate change issues following Aotearoa's new climate minister participating in COP28, 2023's United Nations Climate Change Conference held at Expo City, Dubai.
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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