Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Castor Chacko, Oto Sequeira, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
OraTai-ao, the NZ Climate and Health Council have joined the Free Fares Coalition – the Aotearoa Collective for Public Transport Equity.
News & Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Dermot Coffey, a Co-Convenor of the Climate and Health Council, who represents health workers and students around the motu, about why they are joining the call to make public transport free and accessible for all.
This week the Supreme Court has made a judgement on lowering New Zealand’s legal voting age.
The court has accepted the claims made by members of the Make It 16 campaign that the current voting age limit of 18 is inconsistent with section 19 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. Essentially, preventing 16- and 17-year-olds from voting discriminates against them on the basis of their age.
The decision means parliament now has to defend the 18 age limit if it wants to keep it.
Joe spoke to Dr Nick Munn, a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy from the University of Waikato on the matter.
Today is White Ribbon Day, an annual campaign aiming to prevent men’s violence by teaching and role modelling ‘healthy masculinity’.
This year the day is focused on tackling the causes of violence.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to White Ribbon Day ambassador Floyd Ormsby who is encouraging people to show kindness towards our young men, and to let them know that men can be caring, supportive, ethical, respectful, friendly, generous and awesome.”
They discuss White Ribbon Day and the message Ormsby wants people to take from his own experience.
Since the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack, the Labour Government has been looking to expand our hate speech laws.
Under the Human Rights Act, people in Aotearoa are protected from hate speech on the basis of colour, race, ethnic or national origins.
The Government initially proposed extending this to other groups who are vulnerable to harmful speech, including women, disabled people, and queer people.
But the government announced this week that they will only make one amendment to hate speech laws to include religious communities and are seeking broad support across parliament.
95bFM News & Editorial Director spoke to Activist Shaneel Lal about the changes.
New reports have recently revealed that, despite the government's investments into mental health, there are the same number of acute mental health beds available in Aotearoa as there were five years ago.
This report has also come as new ministry of health figures have shown some improvements to the general health sector since 2017, as well as new possibilities for pharmacists to treat minor ailments.
All that and more was covered in Tuva's chat with Health Minister Andrew Little for this week.
The COP27 summit has recently concluded, resulting in some more plans to tackle climate change being put in place but less effort on wide scale action with the urgency needed.
The international conference took place in Egypt, and saw a new focus on implementation and the way climate change disproportionately affects developing nations.
Liam had a chat with Climate Minister and Green Party Co-leader James Shaw about his outlook after attending the conference, and the current state of climate policy in NZ.
Tuva’a has his regular chat with Health Minister Andrew Little
Liam talked to Mental Health Foundation CEO Shaun Robinson about mental health infrastructure in Aotearoa
They also have a chat with Climate Minister James Shaw about the COP27 Summit
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins speaks to Shaneel Lal about the exclusion of women, disabled people, and queer people from the government’s expansion of hate speech laws.
And lastly Liam spoke to bFM European Correspondent Cameron Adams about what’s been happening with the war in Ukraine, the UK’s economy, and more.
A brief warning that this story contains multiple mentions of suicide.
A new Ipsos study has revealed that three quarters of New Zealands youth has experienced immense mental distress and fourty percent have seriously considered self harm or suicide over the past year.
This issue isn’t only taking place for young people, though - 61% of people between the ages of 35 and 49 said they were stressed to the point they couldn’t cope, and 30% reported feeling suicidal.
With Aotearoa holding one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world, the mental health foundation sez that the current system is in crisis, and urgent action needs to be taken.
Liam Hansen spoke to the MHF CEO, Shaun Robinson, about the Ipsos survey and what needs to change in Aotearoa to improve our suicide rates.
News & Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins brings you the Wednesday Wire.
She spoke to ACT Party Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden about lowering the voting age and the National Party's plan to combat youth crime during their weekly chat.
Dermet Coffee, a Co-Covenor of the NZ Climate and Health Council, who represents health workers and students around the motu, spoke about them joining the Free Fares Coalition.
And Rachel Mcintosh Vice President of the NZ council of trade unions shared their calls for the Government to follow Australia’s commitment to eliminating violence and harassment in the workplace.
On the Tuesday Wire Milly Spoke with Kristina Hillock from the Department of Conservation regarding a recent Hectors Dolphin sighting in the North Island and new sightings reporting methods that DoC has introduced.
The Healthcare exec Brian Thompson was shot dead by a masked assailant last week.
The crime has gained significant controversy and attention online, with many using it to restart the debate on the inequities of the United States healthcare system.
And this week Yale University was the latest college to commit to divesting from weapons manufacturing after a student vote.
For State of the States this week Wire Host Caeden speak to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about both of these topics.
The government as announced their plan for the Cook Strait ferry a year after they scrapped Labour’s plan, including cancelling the ferries the Labour government had ordered.
And a new report from the Ministry of Social Development has revealed nearly a quarter of beneficiaries are not receiving their correct entitlements.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about both of these topics.
For City Counselling this week, producer Sofia caught up with Councillor Shane Henderson about proposed time-of-use charging to solve congestion problems in Tāmaki and Council selling their remaining Auckland Airport shares last week.
The Green party recently released He Ara Anamata - the Green party’s emissions reduction plan.
The document covers more than 10 areas of the economy and energy Sector that a Greens-led government would be looking to adapt to minimise carbon emissions and protect the natural landscapes of Aotearoa.
It also comes 5 months after the government released their own draft emissions plan. Numerous experts pointed out that the government is behind on their own plan’s targets to meet the crucial emissions budget for 2031-2035.
For their weekly catchup, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March to discuss the party’s new emissions reduction plan and how they would address climate and the economy in a greens-led government.
Last election, one of the National Party’s main campaign promises was to be ‘tough on crime’, promising to increase police coverage and penalties for crimes. A target was set to increase the number of police officers by 500 by November 2025, however some police leaders today say this goal is unrealistic.
The government also announced this week some shakeups to insulation standards, which they say should make houses more affordable.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor spoke to him about police staffing targets and new insulation standards.
This week on Dear Science, our expert Doctor Cushla McGoverin chatted with us about what latrines teach us about people, climate variation affecting Chinese dynasties, and invasive species becoming threatened.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
Last week it was revealed that two of the ten participants in the government's pilot bootcamp programme were on the run.
The youth were two months into the community rehabilitation phase of the programme, following the three month youth justice residence phase. Both teens were found in the weekend, but had allegedly reoffended, and are now set to come before the court.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, who have been heavily advocating for this programme, Producer Evie spoke to Simon Court about this incident.
She also talks to him about proposed changes to employment law which would give employers the power to dismiss workers earning over $180,000 without the employee refuting the decision.
And finally, she talks to him about David Seymour’s incumbent run as Deputy Prime Minister, which is set to begin in May of next year.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sofia spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about changes to Auckland Transport’s responsibilities, nationwide bus and train fare hikes, and concerns over the opening of the City Rail Link.
For State of the States this week, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Andre Fa'aoso from the Yale Daily News about President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, who was due to be sentenced next week for three felony charges.
They also discuss Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, who is the latest in a long list of unorthodox picks for government positions from Trump
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