Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Sara Mckoy, Max Micheel, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
- Spike speaks to ACT MP Simon Court about ACT's opposition to the Let's Get Wellington Moving project
- Hanna speaks to Te Pati Maori candidate Takutai Kemp about the party's new 20 year old candidate for Hauraki-Waikato, and the new Ombudsman report on Aotearoa prisons
- Nicholas talks to Maritime Union national organiser Craig Harrison about the potential repercussions of a privatised Port of Auckland
- Jessica Hopkins speaks to sarcoma cancer survivor and member of a sarcoma advisory group Sara Chung for Sarcoma Awareness Month, about the group's recomendations for improving sarcoma patient outcomes
For their weekly catchup, Hanna spoke to Takutai Kemp about the party's 20-year old candidate for Hauraki-Waikato, Hana Maipi-Clarke. They discussed whether youth may bring insight rather than hindrance, rangatahi representing rangatahi on issues which affect them, and how future generations can bring tradition forward.
They then discussed the Chief Ombudsman's scathing review of Corrections, which showed no change since the 2020 Waikeria riot despite repeated recommendations. They covered resistance to change within Corrections, Māori mass incarceration, and changes Te Pāti Māori would make - both inside and outside the prison.
Auckland city council’s decision to sell a percentage of their shares in the Auckland Airport has placed a fresh spotlight on other Council owned assets.
No plans have been announced yet, but a review into Auckland’s ports could lead to the potential sale and privatisation of the currently council owned ports..
Nicholas spoke to Craig Harrison, The National Secretary of The Maritime Union of New Zealand, about the potential pitfalls of selling the ports of Auckland.
The Entrust dividend payment is a payout of Entrust’s dividends in Vector Limited, and is paid out to beneficiaries throughout Tamaki Makaurau who reside within the Entrust district. During the current cost of living crisis, the dividend payment is expected to be a welcome relief for Aucklanders eligible to receive it.
Last year Entrust paid out more than three-hundred dollars each to more than three-hundred-and-fifty-thousand Entrust beneficiaries throughout Auckland. To learn more about the Entrust Dividend payment, where the money comes from, and how many Aucklanders can expect to receive the payment this year, Andre Fa’aoso spoke to Denise Lee, Entrust’s Dividend Sub-Committee spokesperson and started off by asking her how much the 2023 dividend payment will be.
To learn more about Entrust’s operations, Andre asked Denise how Entrust operates, and also asked about a tax-reform campaign Entrust is fronting that aims to secure fourteen million dollars extra in dividends for Aucklanders.
A WW2 era shipwreck in the Hauraki Gulf has recently been brought back to attention as a potential environmental hazard due to the oil it contains.
Although the remains have been explored, there has been no survey of the risk and experts along with the Hauraki Gulf Forum are calling the government to invest in further assessment.
Rawan spoke with Kieth Gordon, a long term underwater explorer who was the first person to bring up these risks 33 years ago, about what this means now.
Spike speaks to Shane Henderson on City Counselling this week, covering the official passing of the Council budget, the Great North Road cycleway project finally being approved, and the Auditor-General report into Auckland Emergency Management. Spike also speaks to Tertiary Education Union national president Julie Douglas about the new university funding announcement, and Professor Paul Glue about a new trial into MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for cancer patients.
Rawan speaks to Taimi Allen about a recent Te Hiringa Mahara report on peer support in the mental health and addiction system, and Keith Gordon on the HMS Niagara shipwreck and the environmental risks it poses for the Hauraki Gulf.
Long COVID or long-haul COVID is a series of conditions characterised by long-term, multi-system, often severe health problems persisting or appearing after the typical recovery period of COVID-19. However there is little consensus on the definition of the term as of earlier this year. A new study by the Liggins Institute, headed by Rachel Jaros, sheds new light on the long-term health implications Covid can have, including heart disease and Parkinson’s.
Arno started our interview by asking what clarifications the study focused on and to see what new research uncovered about Long Covid and its health effects.
Producer Andre Fa'aoso speaks to Denise Lee, spokesperson for the Entrust Dividend Sub-committee about the Entrust Dividend Payment, and their recent tax-reform campaign that says Auckland beneficiaries are missing out on fourteen million dollars in extra dividends.
750 postal workers living in Auckland and Christchurch are set to be made redundant due to lowering volumes of mail globally. E Tu Union, representative of the postal workers, are putting in place a Just Transition program to help postal workers to transition to new jobs. They similarly did something in March earlier this year when the Manawatu postal centre closed down.
Arno spoke to Joe Gallagher, E Tu Union representative, to find out more about the Just Transition plan. Arno started the interview by asking how the livelihoods of those workers would be affected.
The Wire is back with a stacked show for your Rāapa Wednesday! On today's show:
Our News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, speaks to Geoffrey Miller, a geopolitical analyst at the Democracy Project, about Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ visit to China this week.
She also talks to Sam Vincent from Uyghur Solidarity Aotearoa, a group focused on amplifying Uyghur voices and calling for action on the genocide of Uyghur people in China about Hipkins’ meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Andre speaks to Denise Lee, spokesperson for the Entrust Dividend Sub-committee about the Entrust Dividend Payment, and their recent tax-reform campaign that says Auckland beneficiaries are missing out on $14,000,000 in extra dividends.
Arno speaks to Rachel Jaros of the Liggins Institute on a new study showing the effects of long-haul Covid on a host of other health conditions.
And he also chats with Joe Gallagher about E Tu Union’s transition plan for 750 laid-off workers at New Zealand Post Auckland and Christchurch.
From Dec 27 to Jan 18, all train lines across Tāmaki will be shutting down for summer maintenance, a closure which is expected to be the last of its kind ahead of the opening of the City Rail Link.
The current measles outbreak in Tāmaki is being continually monitored, with exposure sites being updated daily on info.health.nz. The public are encouraged to track whether they’ve been in possible contact with the virus, and get up to date on any vaccinations to limit possibilities of transmission.
Auckland Council are supporting arts initiatives across the summer months, with Music in the Park kicking off in early January, and Movies in the Park following in February.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about these topics, and also asked for comment following the attack by two gunmen at Bondi Beach earlier this week.
Yesterday, the latest six-monthly survey of housing support providers under the National Homelessness Data Project, or NHDP, showed that homelessness in Auckland has more than doubled in the year to September. The report also found that 14 of the 21 agencies interviewed reported an increase in homelessness.
As well as this, Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16 has taken effect. And according to an interim report into social media harm, a social media ban for children in New Zealand is worth exploring further.
And last week the Government announced the replacement of the Resource Management Act, or RMA. The coalition said its replacement will slash red tape and supercharge growth.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the Government’s new RMA reforms and a potential social media ban in New Zealand.
But first they discussed the latest report on Auckland homelessness.
The Parliament’s Workforce and Education Committee has released an interim report on an inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders face online. The government has recently announced an overhaul of the Resource Management Act and introduced two new bills in its place, the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill.
For our weekly catch-up with the National Party, Producer Vihan spoke to MP Carl Bates, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of the Workforce and Education Committee, about the new findings of the interim report, the new Natural Environment Bill, and the Fast Track Approval Amendments Bill.
The government has announced the overhaul of the Resource Management Act (RMA), which will be replaced by two different bills, the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill. The RMA is set to be fully replaced by 2029.
The RMA, which has been in effect for 34 years, is polarising across the political spectrum.
In announcing the reforms, RMA Reform Minister, Chris Bishop, says that “pretty much everything” will be quicker and less costly under the new regime.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about this overhaul of the RMA.
They also discussed The Education and Workforce Committee’s interim report on the harms young people experience online, with a majority recommending a ban on social media for under-16-year-olds.
But first, they discussed the overhaul of the RMA.
On Sunday, “Block the Ban” held a protest against the government’s decision to ban new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria.
The United Nations’ committee for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination has released a report warning that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights.
And last week, the government rejected the recommended methane emissions targets.
This is despite officials warning against the government doing so, stating that lowering methane emissions targets could increase New Zealand’s contribution to global warming.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
Safety measures on public transport are of growing concern this week following the fatal and unprovoked attack that took place on route 76 in East Tāmkaki on Monday night.
Earlier this week there were also multiple critical incidents that occurred simultaneously across Auckland’s West Coast beaches and waterways, seeing an unusually high deployment of emergency services and surf lifesavers for this early in the summer.
Swedish home and furniture retailer Ikea opened in Sylvia Park a week ago today, drawing huge excitement for many.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about these topics.
Last week was scrutiny week, where Parliament focuses entirely on holding government agencies and ministers to account, to check-in on how well the Government is performing.
Many of the questions surrounding scrutiny week have been focused on climate change, with many recent reports highlighting the Government’s questionable decision-making.. The biggest headline was that the coalition had chosen to reject all three of the climate change commission’s recommendations to strengthen New Zealand’s emissions targets.
Along with this, the United Nations released a new report, where they’ve warned that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights and entrenching disparities for the indigenous population. In the 14-page report, the UN expressed concerns over multiple government policies affecting Maori, including the disestablishment of the Maori Health Authority, cuts to public funding for Maori services, and minimising the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the report released by the United Nations, but first they discussed Scrutiny Week and the Government’s recent climate change decisions.
The government is pausing the new prescriptions of Puberty Blockers to gender diverse and transgender young people from the 19th of December onwards, following a similar move by the UK after the results of the NHS’s Cass Review.
Wire Producer Flo spoke to activist Lauren Craig about the effects of the legislation, her petition “Reverse the decision to deny transgender and takatāpui young people access to puberty blockers” against the changes and the wider political motivation for the policy.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here
The biannual Scrutiny Week took place in Parliament last week, with meetings across select committees and government departments focussed on scrutinising the outcomes of government work.
These include hearings on ministries like Health, Housing, Environment and Justice.
Wire Host Sara spoke to National MP Carl Bates about Scrutiny Week, firstly by asking him to talk about the meetings he was involved in
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