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.
Currently out for consultation is Auckland's Future Development Strategy which sets out how the city should grow. Alex Bonham spoke to Councillor Angela Dalton, the Deputy Chair of the Planning, Environment and Parks Committee about how the proposed compact city strategy will reduce carbon emissions, shift development away from good soils and areas vulnerable to inundation, align investment on infrastructure, transport and housing so as to be most cost-effective and make the city more walkable, cyclable and vibrant at the same time. Anyone can give feedback at https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/future-development-strategy until 4th July.
The Loafer's Lodge fire has demanded better scrutiny around the management of New Zealand's boarding houses but problems have been going on for years and with weak regulation it is very difficult for councils to push for better standards. MP Jenny Salesa has a private member's bill in the biscuit tin that proposes a register be set up at the industry's cost that will provide better oversight of the sector. Alex Bonham talked to her about how this would work and how it would improve protections for vulnerable people and expose bad landlords.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to ACT’s Karen Chhour about their opposition to a proposal aimed at reducing people's exposure to harmful and illegal content, and National and the Greens supporting Brooke van Velden's GST-sharing bill.
A recent US Supreme Court ruling has found a Republican-drawn Alabama voting map is in violation of federal law.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Associate Professor of History at The University of Auckland Jennifer Frost about what the ruling means for voters' rights and racial discrimination in voting in Alabama and the US as a whole.
Forest and Bird are calling for a moratorium on new mines on public conservation land after a Government did not support a Bill which would have ended new mines on conservation land.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Chief Executive Nicola Toki about why mining access arrangements are a threat to native species and the climate.
She started off the interview discussing why the organisation is disappointed that the government is granting new protesting permits.
This week on the Tuesday Wire, Beth dives into a chat with Maria Alomajan, a canine bahviourlist who tells our listeners about how to keep wildlife safe around dogs, especially if you own one yourself.
Welcome to the Tuesday Wire! This week on the Show:
Davide Mercadante is taking the spot of Joel Rindelaub On Dear Science and they’re talking crabs, coffee and why people love to add
Milly has her weekly catch up with Dr Shane Reti where we talked about Nationals plans to unban GMOs and GEs, we also touch on the EPAs role in New Zealand
Milly speaks to Sam McBride from Alcohol Action New Zealand on FASD and Alcohol harm.
Beth speaks to Maria Alomajan, a Canine Behaviour Consultant, about how we can keep wildlife safe on the beach while walking dogs.
And Rosetta speaks to Laura Boren, Science Advisor at the Department of Conservation, about DOC’s new Lead The Way programme for wildlife-conscious dog ownership.
This week on the Tuesday Wire, Milly spoke to Sam McBride from Alochol Action new Zealand about the new advisory for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder as well as the deep-rooted drinking culture of New Zealand and why this causes a broadrange of issues.
In her weekly catch up with Dr Shane Reti, this week Milly talks about National's plans to unban GMOs and GEs, as well as National's spokesperson for horticulture's comments surrounding the amount of decisions recently passed by the EPA.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to ACT’s Karen Chhour about their opposition to a proposal aimed at reducing people's exposure to harmful and illegal online content, and National and the Greens supporting Brooke van Velden's GST-sharing bill.
Associate Professor of History at The University of Auckland Jennifer Frost discusses a recent US Supreme Court ruling in favour of Black voters in Alabama.
Nicola Toki from Forest and Bird talks about their call for a moratorium on new mines on public conservation land.
This week on Tomorrow’s World, a segment that looks at how science affects people and our future on planet Earth, Leilani Cardosa and Rawan Saadi explore declining tertiary enrolments in geoscience and environmental science around the world. Leilani spoke with Helen Williams, a senior lecturer in geoscience at the Auckland University of Technology and Rawan spoke with Karen Fisher, an associate professor in geography at the University of Auckland.
For Get Action! Caeden Tipler spoke to year 13 student Millicent Dickenson about her petition to subsidise degrees that lead to mental health jobs.
Nicholas Lindstrom spoke to New Zealand Education Institute President Liam Rutherford about primary teachers pay offer agreement with the Government.
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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