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.
Yesterday the government announced the scrapping of the traffic light covid-19 protection framework, as well as the easing of many key restrictions.
Mask wearing will now no longer be required outside of healthcare settings, household contacts don’t need to isolate and all vaccine mandates will cease at the end of the month.
In the same announcement the government dedicated a one-off public holiday to honour the passing of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
For Casper's regular interview with National MP Dr Shane Reti they spoke about this announcement and how it has been received by the National party.
Casper started off by asking him how he felt about the announced changes and whether there is anything he would have done differently.
This week on the Tuesday Wire with Casper Dr Allan Blackman came into the studio to talk science news for our Dear Science segment.
Casper spoke to Dr Shane Reti from the National party, as he does each week, this time discussing the government dropping the traffic light framework, as well as political responses to the death of Queen Elizabeth II
He also had a chat with Labour MP Rachel Boyack about her Plain Language member’s bill which is now going before parliament.
Over the course of this week 95bFM is airing a number of interviews Casper conducted with several of Auckland’s mayoral candidates, and this show's interview was with Ted Johnston.
New research into gender pay equity in Aotearoa New Zealand universities from the University of Canterbury explores interventions that will improve representation of women at higher levels of academia and therefore address pay equity. This research builds on the authors’ previous work published in 2020 which found that over her career, a woman employed on academic staff at a New Zealand university can expect to earn about $400,000 less than a man.
Joe had the opportunity to speak to Professor Alex James, from the University of Canterbury, who co-authored the study.
Joe spoke to Alex James from University of Canterbury about their new research into gender pay equity within universities, and how it explores interventions that will improve the representation of women at higher levels of academia.
This week’s Wire shows will contain a series of interviews with Auckland’s mayoral candidates, which bFM has been putting together to provide our listeners with relevant information on the candidates and their policies. Today, Casper speaks to Auckland Mayoral Candidate Viv Beck.
Our regular fortnightly segment with OurActionStation is back! Trishil speaks to Protect Putiki about their recent petition calling for the Auckland Council to instigate a review of the resource consent for the marina at Putiki Bay.
Joe also speaks to Andreea Calude, a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at University of Waikato about the Plain Language Bill and why it’s important.
Our regular fortnightly segment with OurActionStation is back! Trishil speaks to Protect Pūtiki about their recent petition calling for the Auckland Council to instigate a review of the resource consent for the marina at Pūtiki Bay.
This week’s Wire shows will contain a series of interviews with Auckland’s mayoral candidates, which bFM has been putting together to provide our listeners with relevant information on the candidates and their policies.
Today, Casper speaks with Viv Beck, who is currently the chief executive of Heart of the City, a business advocacy group for Auckland’s city centre, and has been endorsed by the National-Party aligned Communities and Residents organisation.
With the new Plain Language Bill being brought to parliament, it aims to make comprehensible information from government organisations a basic democratic right.
Joe had the opportunity to speak to Andreea S. Calude, a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at University of Waikato, about this bill and why so it’s important.
This is the full version of Casper’s interview with Auckland mayoral candidate Viv Beck, of which an abbreviated segment was played on the Monday Wire.
Viv Beck is currently the chief executive of Heart of the City, a business advocacy group for Auckland’s city centre, and has been endorsed by the National-Party aligned Communities and Residents organisation.
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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