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.
Mātai Medical Research Institute and the Auckland Bioengineering Institute are working on new research to generate complete computerised models of children’s physiology, particularly internal organs.
Currently, the only modelling data available is incomplete, from overseas, or of adult organs. Researchers hope to develop an idea of what normal physiology for New Zealand children looks like in order to allow for earlier detection of abnormalities.
Arno spoke to Dr Haribalan Kumar of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute to find out more.
Arno started our interview by asking why complete child physiology models were only now being created.
Better housing, income equality, and better access to healthcare and education are some of the things researchers believe will improve the quality of living for Pasifika children in Aotearoa. The recommendations are in a report titled Tamaiti Ole Moana, and alongside the recommendations of the report is a 10-year-pacific health plan driven to provide better outcomes for Pacific children and families.
The health plan focuses on improving Pasifika’s access to quality housing, boosting incomes, improving access to quality healthcare, and finally, a quality education.
Andre Fa'aoso spoke with Dr Teuila Percival, Paediatrician and Director of Moana Connect in the studio this morning. I first asked her whether the government had been receptive to the report.
For their weekly catch-up, News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to ACT’s Karen Chhour about the minimum wage and benefits increase and an alternative Waitematā Harbour crossing.
She started off the interview by asking Chhour why ACT opposes these measures to help low income earners with the rising cost of living.
Last month, Auckland Transport was criticised for encouraging people to travel at off-peak times during what they called “March madness”. Since then, we have also seen mass delays and cancellations across Tāmaki Makaurau.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Public Transport Users Association spokesperson John Reeves about this issue.
She started off the interview asking Reeves if he believes we are in a public transport crisis.
Welcome to the Tuesday Wire! This week on the show:
- Female anatomy is discussed at length on Dear Science with Joel Rindelaub
- Milly has her weekly catch up with Dr Shane Reti and speaks to him about Electrify New Zealand, National's most recently announced renewable energy policy
- Milly speaks to Professor Steve Matthewson from the University of Auckland about building stronger communities in the wake of natural disaster.
- Beth speaks to professor Susanna Trnka regarding the recent uproar caused by a Michelangelo statue at a Texas school
- Milly speaks to Valerie Morse from Auckland Peace Action about putting an end to Military Pacts and Lobbying, as concerns rise about New Zealand's involvement with NATO and AUKUS
Parents in Tallahassee, Florida were outraged when their children were shown Michelangelo’s statue of David in a class about the Renaissance, calling it pornographic. Beth spoke to Professor Susanna Trnka about the uproar and what this means culturally.
This week on the Tuesday Wire Milly Speaks to professor Steve Matthewman from the University of Auckland regarding community empowerment in the wake of natural disaster. They discuss the altruistic nature of humans and how to build a strong community.
The National Party announced a new policy this week, showing a commitment to renewable energy, Electrify New Zealand. This week on the Tuesday Wire for Milly's weekly catchup with Dr Shane Reti, Milly questions him on what this policy will entail as well as delving in to the criticism.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins discussed the minimum wage and benefits increase and an alternative Waitematā Harbour crossing with ACT’s Karen Chhour.
Jessica Hopkins talked to Public Transport Users Association spokesperson John Reeves about mass bus cancellations in Tāmakai Makaurau.
Hanna Thompson spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about addressing child poverty in Aotearoa, reforming our welfare system, and indigenous foreign policy.
Nicholas Lindstrom interviewed associate professor Paula Morris about the state of New Zealand literature, the Auckland City Council budget, funding for the arts and the Aotearoa book review, and a new literature review website.
And Caeden Tipler spoke to several experts on our melting glaciers and what that means for climate change.
Concerns regarding New Zealands Military involvement with NATO and AUKUS have recently been raised. This week on the Tuesday Wire Milly spoke to Valerie Morse from Auckland Peace Action regarding New Zealand's involvement both these groups, investigating the consequences if New Zealand gets involved and our Nuclear Free Status.
On Tuesday, Aucklanders checked the updated property valuations of their house, for many to find declines in value by 10s of thousands of dollars —- on average, by 9% from when they were last done in 2021.
According to the Council. rating valuations were based on market trends and recent sales activity, as of May 1 2024.
Wayne Brown said in response to the decreased values, “The economy's been faltering for a while, and It's really driven by government policies rather than Auckland's policies,”
Also, as we get closer to 2026 and the completion of the City Rail Link, Aucklanders have expressed various concerns about the standard of completion, including incorporation of public feedback.
I discuss the incorporation of the wider neighbourhood in Mt Eden at the Maungawhau station and the dismissal of public perspectives at the K Road station
New Zealand and key allies have imposed sanctions on two “extremist” Israeli politicians for their role in “inciting violence against Palestinians” in the West Bank.
However, opposition parties, including Labour as well as the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, are calling for further action to be taken against Israel.
It comes after Israel kidnapped 12 pro-Palestine activists on international waters, who were intending to break the aid blockade and reach Gaza.
And earlier this week, the National Business released their annual rich list.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, I spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about these topics.
Los Angeles is approaching a week of protests against ICE, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Over 200 protestors have been arrested since the protests began, and restrictions have been placed on protestors, including a curfew.
The White House has sent 2,000 members of the National Guard to the city already, and another 2,000 are expected to be deployed. This is despite California Governor Gavin Newsom attempting to stop their deployment.
For International Desk, I spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about the protests.
The Green party recently made renewed calls to the government to sanction Israel for its illegal occupation of Palestine following the seizure of the Madleen, a vessel that aimed to deliver food and medical aid to Gaza.
The vessel, which was en route to Gaza, was intercepted in the Mediterranean by the Israeli Defence Forces before being rerouted to Israel with all those on board, among whom was Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Immigration Minister Erica Stanford recently announced the Parent Boost Visa, part of the government’s self-described commitment to supporting parents living overseas to visit and stay with their families here in Aotearoa.
And, over in the United States, 2000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles in response to protests opposing the city’s recent immigration raids.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about all of these issues
Currently, 19 out of 38 OECD countries use incineration as a form of waste management.
With the process leading to a range of negative impacts, such as air pollution, Co2 emissions and respiratory illnesses, Aotearoa has luckily remained incinerator free.
However, calls have been made by some activists to strengthen New Zealand’s legislation to ensure that incineration facilities are not opened up in Aotearoa.
For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Network New Zealand to discuss a petition calling on the government to keep New Zealand Incinerator-free.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here:
These past few weeks in politics have seen various issues that we spoke about in our weekly catchup with the National Party.
First up, at the Aotearoa Music Awards, National MP Chris Bishop was heard making disdainful remarks such as “what a load of crap” during a performance by singer Stan Walker.
Second, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngārewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi were recently suspended from parliament for 21 days for their haka protesting the Treaty Principles Bill. The penalty is far harsher than any previous penalty for an MP, raising questions about whether it is justified or sets a dangerous precedent.
Finally, the government recently announced a new visa for parents of migrants, allowing them to come to New Zealand for a longer period of time than traditional visitors without having to acquire residency.
Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues in our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, starting with Chris Bishop’s comments at the AMAs.
As per coalition agreements, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, has been sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, taking over from NZ First Leader, Winston Peters.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about Seymour’s new position, and what this means for the party.
They also discussed accusations Seymour made regarding submissions to the Regulatory Standards Bill.
In an interview with Guyon Espiner, Seymour claimed that 99.5% of the submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill were driven by ‘bots’ and were ‘fake’ submissions.
Seymour later clarified to RNZ that by bots, he was meaning “online campaigns” creating “non-representative samples” that do not represent the public’s opinion.
The Ministry of Regulations received roughly 23,000 submissions on the bill. Of the submissions. Of the submissions, 0.33% were fully or partially supporting the bill, with 88% being against the bill.
Finally, they discussed the recommended suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs’ Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke standing.
But they, we discussed David Seymour as Deputy Prime Minister.
The recommended suspension for Te Pāti Māori MPs, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, over the MP’s haka in Parliament during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year.
Co-leaders Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi will be suspended from the House for 21-days, with Maipi-Clarke facing a seven day suspension. This is Parliament's harshest sanctions in the country’s history. Prior to this, the longest suspension an MP had faced in Parliament was three days.
The debate had previously been delayed so that the MPs could participate in the Budget debate — however, both co-leaders were not present at the debate.
During the debate MP Tākuta Ferris said that the debate was not about the haka, but at the heart, it was the House continuing to ignore Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori sovereignty, and that the “racism” in the House is hardly being hidden.
For our weekly catch-up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about the suspension, and what’s next for the party.
They also discussed NZ First Party Leader Winston Peters’ comments regarding Waititi’s moko, referring to the MPs moko kanohi as “scribbles”. He was asked to apologise by the Speaker, which he did.
But first, they discussed the suspension of the MPs.
Auckland Transport are seeking community feedback on a proposal for a new T3 transit lane on Mount Smart Road to relieve congestion during peak times heading towards the Royal Oak roundabout.
Between better public transport systems, a ‘time of use’ charge, and different ways of managing Auckland traffic, Producer Sara asks Councillor Julie Fairey about how Auckland Council hopes to reduce peak-time congestion as the city’s population grows.
She also talk to Julie Fairey about the recent allocation of funds to community-led projects through Ngā Hapori Momoho. This year, the grant which aims to “improve financial security, improve health outcomes, and grow community and intercultural connection” has approved funding for eleven community groups, six of which are either Māori organisations or delivering ‘strong Māori outcomes’.
Sara begins with questions about Auckland central congestion.
*unfortunately the audio quality on Julie's end is poor
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