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.
This week Castor filled in for Thursday Wire's usual host, Caeden.
For our weekly catchup with the Labour Party’s Jan Tinetti, Caeden discussed the outcomes of National’s childcare policy and the continuation of Labour’s free menstrual products policy.
They also spoke to Counsellor Lotu Fuli about the vandalisation of the rainbow crossing on Karangahape Road this morning and the end of Auckland Transport’s half price fares.
Producer Jasmine spoke with Dr. Shaun Awatere and Professor Christine Kenney about the role of te ao Māori in disaster management following the independent review released last month on the Hawke’s Bay emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle.
Last month saw the release of an independent review examining the emergency management of Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay last year. Insights revealed the key role marae, iwi and hāpu played in disaster response, heralding calls for strategies more inclusive of te ao Māori.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke with Dr. Shaun Awatere, of Ngāti Porou, who is Kaihautū Māori Research Impact Leader and Manaaki Whenua at Landcare Research. He discussed the ways in which national and local bureaucracies can be more formally inclusive of te Ao Māori and mana whenua approaches.
Jasmine also spoke with Professor Christine Kenney, of Te Ātiawa ki Kāpati, Ngāi Tahu, and Ngāti Toarangatira. Amongst an impressive array of interdisciplinary roles in this area, Christine is the Chair of Disaster Risk Reduction at Massey University, and she provided us more insight about what the report’s findings mean for Aotearoa’s wider emergency management frameworks.
National has announced the fruits of the childcare policy they campaigned on, which is a rebate paid out once every three months. This is after they campaigned on fortnightly payments, and will disadvantage parents who cannot afford childcare up front.
They’ve also announced they are continuing Labour’s policy of free period product in schools and kura, although whether or not this includes primary as well as intermediate and high schools is uncertain.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire host Caeden asked Labour spokesperson for Education and Women Jan Tinetti about both of these announcements.
The Fast Track approval legislation would enable the Ministers of transport, Infrastructure and Regional Development to approve consents for projects without going through the current considerations around communities and local and regional government, existing legislation regarding Te Tiriti and community participation.
Environmental activists have criticised the legislation as a potential avenue to undermine environmental considerations.
Nicholas spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March about his Party’s stance on the legislation.
They also spoke about the International Monetary Funds’ recommendations regarding reform in our tax system.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a UN organisation that evaluates and monitors the economic politics and financial situations of member states.
The IMF’s recent evaluation of New Zealand led to several recommendations.
Tax reform featured heavily in the recommendations, with the IMF suggesting New Zealand imposes a Capital Gains Tax as well as a Land Value Tax.
Nicholas spoke to Professor of tax law Craig Elliffe about the IMF’s recommendations.
The infamous Dunedin Study is preparing for its next phase of life.
The study, which has followed over 1000 babies since 1973 is now entering it’s ‘mid-life’ period as members reach the ripe age of 52.
Producer Sofia Kent spoke with Auckland Uni Alumni and Study Director Professor Moana Theodore about the longitudinal study and what mid-life might show us.
Nicholas spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Fast Track Approval Legislation and the IMF’s recommendations regarding New Zealand’s tax system.
He also spoke to Professor Craig Elliffe about the IMF’s recommendations regarding reform in our tax system.
Oto spoke to Letitia Harding, the chief executive of the Asthma and Respiratory foundation, New Zealand, to talk about the government’s recent ban on disposable vapes.
He also spoke to Dr Susan Maiava, the Co Founder of the ethical directory “Fair and Good” to talk about a petition her organisation made to the government to re-introduce modern slavery legislation.
To end the show, Sofia spoke to Professor Moana Theodore on the world leading Dunedin Study: How Will You Age?
Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced a batch of legislation aimed at reducing the prevalence of vaping amongst young people. These changes include a ban on disposable vapes and increased fines for those selling vapes to underaged buyers.
Additionally, recent changes around disability funding eligibility have been criticised by many for removing access to essential services or leisure activities.
Wire host Castor spoke to James Meager about the new vaping legislation and the possible consequences for young people, along with the funding criteria changes and how they might affect disabled people and their carers.
World Endometriosis Day is coming up this week on the 28th of March.
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus, causing severe pain in the pelvis.
Endometriosis is hard to diagnose and there is currently no cure.
However, international studies have shown that CBD oil is a promising natural treatment for endometriosis pain relief.
Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to the CEO of the Green Leaf Group and Co-founder of the Cannabis Clinic, Dr. Waseem Alzaher, about the effectiveness of existing treatments and the use of cannabis to relieve pain.
Last week, on Monday 18th March, Whaikaha - the Ministry for Disabled People announced that it was making changes to its Purchasing Rules and Equipment and Modification Services.
These changes mean that people can no longer use disability funding for expenses that provide respite, self-care services for carers and whānau, gifts for volunteers providing support, and overseas and domestic travel costs.
The changes came into effect the same day they were announced.
Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Labour MP and Spokesperson for Disability Issues, Priyanca Radhakrishnan, about these changes and the implications they will have for disabled communities and whānau.
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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