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.
New research from Curtin University over in Perth has recently been released, taking a look at the heat regulation that takes place in west Australian echidnas.
Doctor Christine Cooper and her team utilised thermal vision to discover how echidnas deal with the strong heat present in the region.
Their methods are very unique, often utilising the complex tasks of blowing snot bubbles and doing belly flops to keep cool.
It’s currently uncertain whether or not these methods would work for humans.
Liam had a chat with Dr Cooper to learn more about her research and echidnas in general.
The UK government has voted in favour of blocking a Scottish gender recognition bill that would make it easier for people to change their legally recognised gender, from going to royal assent.
The passing of this bill made Scotland the first nation in the UK to back a self-identification process for legally changing gender. But the UK government used a Section 35 order, a provision which can block Scottish laws, for the first time ever, to thwart Scotland's efforts to expand transgender rights.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, interviewed the Scottish Green's equalities and human rights issues spokesperson, Maggie Chapman, who is the Vice Convener of the Equalities, Humans Rights, and Civil Justice Committee, that took the gender recognition reform legisation through Scottish parliament last year.
She also spoke to Research Associate at the University of Auckland Public Policy Institute, Dr Sarah Bickerton about harmful rhetoric surrounding transgender and other minority rights in the UK and the potential implications of blocking this legislation on Scottish democracy.
On The Wire with Jessica, the Scottish Green's equalities and human rights issues spokesperson, Maggie Chapman, and Research Associate at the University of Auckland Public Policy Institute, Dr Sarah Bickerton, discuss the UK government blocking a Scottish gender recognition bill.
Marilyn Garson Co-founder of Alternative Jewish Voices and Kate Stone, a Co-covenor of the coordinting group for Justice For Palestine speak on the extent to which activists for Palestinian rights are being falsely accused of antisemitism to silence their voices.
And SAFE For Animals CEO Debra Ashton shares their calls to end Rodeo in Aotearoa.
Today on the Tuesday Wire, Casper and Milly speak to Allan Blackman for Dear Science. Casper also spoke to Jason Myers from Oxfam regarding thier report released on billionaires. Milly speaks to Sandra Wotherspoon from the Department of Conservation regarding "Lake Snow", as well as Henry Hansen from Wisewool regading a new initiative to regenerate the NZ wool industry.
Casper spoke with Jason Myers from Oxfam regarding a recent report commenting on the richest 1% of the world's population, that hold almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the population.
Milly spoke with Henry Hansen the CEO of Wisewool a company spearheading a project to boost the New Zealand wool industry. They discuss the $790,000 granted towards the project from the Ministry for Primary Industries and the possibilities when it comes to the use of strong wool.
Lake Snow is a phenomena that is being seen in our alpine lakes across Aotearoa. Milly spoke to Sandra Wotherspoon from the Department of Conservation about what Lake Snow is and how to prevent the spread of this to our Tapu lakes in the alpines.
The cost of living crisis has been plaguing a post-Covid New Zealand for years now, with a record 11% increase in grocery supplier costs last year. In addition the New Zealand dollar is not doing well internationally.
Arno spoke with economist Shamubeel Eaqub to find out more about this crisis. He started off by asking how increased costs further up in the supply chain would affect everyday grocery prices. Also covered were tips for Kiwis going forward.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been going on a lot longer than most expected. This war has been marked by innovative technology and a far stronger resistance to the invasion than previously imagined. Arno spoke to journalist of economics and politics Rod Oram to get an update on the latest occurrences in the conflict.
Arno started off by asking about the casualties on both sides, to find out who currently has the upper hand in this conflict.
Arno speaks to journalist Rod Oram about the current state of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Spike speaks to Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster about the rise of data breaches affecting New Zealand organisations and companies in 2022, along with an increase in malicious attacks.
Arno also speaks to Shamubeel Yakub about the continuing cost of living crisis, its causes, and how it might affect us into the future.
Last week, the government announced that they would begin an official review of the Waitangi Tribunal and the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975.
The government has said that the review is to ensure the Waitangi Tribunal remains effective and relevant, however, a number of Māori and treaty law experts have referred to the review as an attack on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles.
In that same week, the government announced that they would be investing $774 million towards improving the redress process for survivors of abuse in state care in Budget 2025.
However, going against one of the key recommendations of both the Royal Commission and the Redress Design Group, the government will not be looking to set up a new redress scheme for abuse survivors.
And the government recently passed amendments to the Wildlife Act that would permit the “incidental killing” of certain native wildlife species by companies during lawful activities like construction and development.
For our weekly catchup with the Green party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March for the party’s take on all of these issues.
In 2014, Victoria University of Wellington made an official promise to divest $650,000 worth of investments in fossil fuel companies which, at the time, comprised of 2.1% of the University’s total investments.
However, more than 10 years on, a student-led investigation found that the university still held significant investments in companies like Exxon Mobil and SHELL through third-party investment managers.
A year after a successful petition by Students for Justice in Palestine Pōneke calling on the university to divest funding from Israeli companies, a group of students from Climate Action Victoria University of Wellington have made renewed calls to the university to divest from fossil fuel companies.
For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Hugh Acton, a member of Climate Action Victoria of University of Wellington, who’s launched a petition calling on the university to disclose their investments in companies involved in fossil fuel production and to divest from them immediately.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here:
National Party MP Catherine Wedd recently filed a private members bill that would look at restricting social media use for young people, mainly those under 16. While the bill has received some criticism from the ACT party, other parties such as Labour have agreed that legislation around this issue is important.
At the end of April New Zealand First MP Jenny Marcroft put forward a private members bill forward that would seek to define the word ‘woman’ in New Zealand law. The bill was received with criticism from opposition parties and the general public, who say the bill is drawing on transphobic sentiments to distract from more important issues.
In our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues, starting with the potential social media restrictions.
Last week, the controversial Pay Equity Amendment Bill passed under urgency.
The bill makes drastic changes to the Equal Pay Act 1972, making the criteria for equity claims stricter, and could can the 33 existing claims, affecting 150,000 female workers.
The passing of the bill has faced significant opposition from the Labour Party, Green Party, and Te Pāti Māori, over concerns this bill would set women back, and resulted in nationwide protests.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about the passing of the Pay Equity Amendment Bill, and how this would impact marginalised communities.
They also spoke about the Ministry of Education releasing the draft relationships and sexuality education, or RSE, framework, for students years 0 to 13, and the party’s concerns regarding this.
But first, they discussed the Pay Equity Amendment Bill
The ACT Party has defended the Government’s controversial move to pass changes to pay equity law under urgency — a move that immediately halted all current claims and raised the bar for future ones. The Government argues the new rules will provide more “clarity” and prevent costly legal disputes, while unions and advocates say the bill is a rollback of hard-won gains for women in low-paid sectors.
Critics also slammed the lack of consultation and the speed of the legislative process, while questions are raised over whether the move was made to plug a hole in the upcoming budget. For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Producer Evie spoke to Simon Court about why ACT supports the Pay Equity Amendment Bill, and whether it risks undermining efforts to close the gender pay gap.
They also discussed a National Party member’s bill that would ban under-16s from using social media — a proposal ACT has declined to back for now. National says the ban would protect young people’s mental health, while ACT argues it raises serious questions about freedom of speech and parental responsibility.
International relations experts are fearing a major conflict between India and Pakistan after sharp, escalating tensions, following a deadly terrorist attack in militarised Kashmir that killed 26 people.
Kashmiris have a long history of oppression. In modern times, this has been as India and Pakistan fight over the region while Kashmiris fight for independence.
Human Rights Watch reports on Kashmir reveal examples of forced displacement, sexual violence, disappearances and allegations of torture and death in custody.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Rohan Davis about the recent terrorist attack and ongoing military escalation, as well as the historical and political context of the Kashmir crisis.
Davis is a video essayist on YouTube from Kerala, India, who covers Indian history and politics.
The government has changed pay equality laws, halting all existing claims and reducing the number of workers who can argue for better pay based on gender discrimination.
New figures show the unemployment rate has remained unchanged from last quarter at 5.1%.
And National has put forward a member's bill proposal that would ban social media for under-16s.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about all of these topics.
Earlier this week, defence Minister Judith Collins announced that $2 billion would be set aside in this year’s budget to replace the Defence Force’s maritime helicopters.
This would be outside the additional $12 billion dollars that the government will be investing in the Defence Capability plan and would include another separate $1 Billion investment in the defence force over the next four years.
In that same week, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith recently announced that Cabinet had reinstated a total ban on prisoners voting in general elections, overturning laws under the previous Labour government allowing prisoners serving less than three years to vote.
And Green Party MP Steve Abel recently added The Animal Products (Closing the Welfare Gap) Amendment Bill to the biscuit tin, which would ensure that imported products in New Zealand met our animal welfare standards.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke to Greens MP Ricardo Menendez-March to discuss all of these issues.
Winter is coming, and so is a projected increase in respiratory illnesses and COVID cases. Schools are particularly notorious breeding grounds for such diseases with children being more susceptible to respiratory illnesses.
Ultimately, this results in teachers also being subject to COVID and respiratory illnesses at a higher rate than other professions, and an increased number of teachers leaving the profession due to long COVID symptoms is worsening Aotearoa’s already severe teacher shortage.
For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Tara Forde from Aotearoa Covid Action, to discuss a petition of hers calling for the government to prevent the spread of COVID in our schools by making improvements to school air quality and improving accessibility to Booster Vaccines and Rapid Antigen Tests.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here:
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