Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Sara Mckoy, 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.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the government’s plan to replace the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, The FBI office opening in Wellington and The party's call to the government to reverse changes to emergency housing access.
He spoke with Ritesh Shah, a Senior Lecturer Critical Studies in Education, about why Israel is facing international condemnation for how it’s handled aid distribution in Gaza.
And he spoke to Dr Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, A senior lecturer in the school of architecture and planning in the faculty of engineering and design at the University of Auckland about the rollout of AI enabled surveillance technology in Auckland.
Max spoke to Stuart McNaughton, a professor from the University of Auckland, to talk about the government’s decision to scrap NCEA by 2030.
Recently, AI-enabled CCTV cameras, number plate recognition systems and other smart technologies have been rolled out in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.While information about these technologies is limited, what is known is that they’re primarily being used to detect traffic violations at the moment, although ethical concerns have been raised about how this technology could be used in the future.
Oto spoke to Dr Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, A senior lecturer in the school of architecture and planning in the faculty of engineering and design at the university of Auckland about the rollout this new AI enabled surveillance technology in Auckland and it’s ethical implications.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Daniel Thomas on history, pre-history, and the search for Atlantis
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the reversal of the oil and gas exploration ban, yesterday’s announcement of an NCEA overhaul and US tariffs.
Sara also spoke with Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman, about the oil and gas ban reversal in New Zealand, and the plans in the US to repeal the finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health.
Producer Faith spoke to Professor Treasa Dunworth from the University of Auckland about the government’s statement on Gaza.
Faith also spoke to the university’s Dr. Michael Rehm about the humidity standards in green homes, and what needs to change about the rating system.
The International Court of Justice has delivered a landmark, albeit nonbinding ruling, that countries have a legal obligation to act on climate change.
In this context, climate news in this past week has raised worry for climate advocates.
The New Zealand government has passed legislation to reverse the 2018 ban on new oil and gas exploration projects, which is predicted to increase the country’s emissions by 14.2 million tonnes according to official analysis.
As well, the United States are seeking to negate the finding that greenhouse gas emissions pose any danger to human health, with the aim to reduce the power of the Environmental Protection Agency to restrict activities that produce these emissions.
Wire Host Sara spoke to Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman about these two cases and their potential consequences for global climate action.
On Thursday last week, the coalition government passed legislation to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration — a ban which had been initiated by the previous government in 2018.
Minister Shane Jones who drove the reversal, highlighted the impact of the ban on economic growth and energy supply in New Zealand. Opposition parties have voiced concerns about the impact of this decision for New Zealand’s climate commitments.
As well, yesterday Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced an overhaul of the NCEA system, to be replaced with qualifications that they say will be better to understand, and more aligned with international standards.
Finally, as the United States places 15% tariffs on NZ exports, the Labour party have said the government needs to do more to strengthen our trade relationships to avoid a rise in the cost of living for kiwis.
Host Sara spoke with National MP Carl Bates about all these topics. Sara started by asking him to explain the government’s decision to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration in New Zealand.
They may be “green homes,” but there’s plenty of grey areas. Academics such as the University of Auckland’s Dr. Michael Rehm believe that the humidity standards on these eco-friendly houses need to be reassessed.
Producer Faith spoke to Michael about these standards, and whether they’re effective.
Following the fire at the Victoria Park New World, Foodstuffs North Island promised to hire displaced workers at the soon to open New World Point Chevalier.
However, with the opening of the Point Chevalier store on the 19th of August, a significant number of displaced employees remain out of work, with 40% without job offers, as their paycheques come to an end.
Producer Alex spoke to Workers First Union Organiser Jas Giri about Foodstuffs’ promise, the current rehiring situation, and what the Union would like to see in the near future from Foodstuffs.
Last week, Minister for Resources & Regional Development Shane Jones announced ‘From the Ground Up: A draft strategy to unlock New Zealand’s geothermal potential’.
This draft strategy highlights a shift in focus towards the geothermal market, identifying it as one with potential for growth and innovation as a cornerstone of New Zealand’s energy environment.
Producer Alex spoke to the Co-Director of the Geothermal Institute within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Auckland, Dr John O’Sullivan, about geothermal energy and what this focus could mean.
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced that the government would be announcing its position on the recognition of a Palestinian state over the next month.
This announcement was made in the lead up to the UN general assembly in September, where world leaders such as the prime ministers of France and Australia promised to recognise a Palestinian state.
Also this week, Green party Wellington MPs Julie Anne Genter and Tamatha Paul recently launched a petition calling for Māori place names to be restored to Wellington electorates after the Rongotai electorate was recently renamed to the English name Wellington Bays.
And the latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll was recently released, which showed that Labour had overtaken National as the largest party, gaining 2 points to 33.6 percent, while National’ dropped 2.1 points to 31.8 percent.
For our weekly catchup with the Green party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March to get the party’s take on all of these issues
Last week, Treasury delivered the Long Term Insights Briefing entitled ‘Te Ara Mokopuna’ which examines the use of fiscal policy in New Zealand to respond to challenges and economic shocks.
The report used stakeholder feedback and consultation to underscore how the government can seek to promote “fiscal sustainability and improving wellbeing for future generations of New Zealanders”.
Of particular interest, the report highlights the effect of spending decisions made during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As well, Transportation Minister Chris Bishop has announced the government’s plans to change up the road user charges system in what he says is the ‘biggest change to how we fund our roading network in 50 years’.
The changes are aimed at making charges fairer across road usage, reflecting the evolution in the types of cars now available.
Legislative work will be carried out in 2026, with changes expected to come into effect in 2027.
Last week, the government announced a proposal to replace NCEA with an alternative educational curriculum.
NCEA, which has been in place since 2002, has received mixed responses. In announcing the move, Education Minister, Erica Stanford, says that due to the flexibility of NCEA, this has “come at a cost” for young people to develop critical thinking skills and knowledge for future pathways.
The proposed changes include replacing NCEA level 1 with a foundational test, solely focusing on numeracy and literacy, replacing NCEA’s level 2 and 3 with two new qualifications, requiring students take five subjects, and having to pass at least four to obtain a certificate.
This move is not without its criticisms and concerns, however. For example, Many teachers have told RNZ that the changes, which are set to be phased in from next year, are too swift, with teachers saying they will need additional support during the transition process.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about potentially moving away from NCEA.
The deadline for enrolling to vote in Local elections and nominations for candidates closed last week, with last minute pushes across the country to make sure as many seats as possible were being contested.
There were concerns from the Electoral Commission and Local Councils across the country that some seats might go uncontested or only have one person running.
Producer Sanat wanted to understand what the state of local democracy is in Auckland and whether the council is doing enough to make sure it is healthy and thriving.
Also in today’s discussion is a conversation about Regional Deals. Recently Auckland Council signed a memorandum of understanding with the government in order to begin “negotiating” a regional deal.
Producer Sanat wanted to understand what a regional deal is and what it can do for Auckland, especially as recent unemployment and homelessness figures suggest that our city has been hit hardest by the recent economic downturn.
He started off by asking Councillor Shane Henderson about the state of Auckland's Local Democracy.
“When Genocide Wasn’t News” is a recently released Canadian book that documents major Canadian news organisations' reporting on Gaza.
The book claims the media has “whitewashed Israeli violence, dehumanised Palestinians and smeared a growing protest movement.”
Gabriela Perdomo Páez, Assistant Professor of journalism at Mount Royal University, says journalists who support peace efforts can easily be accused of being “biased” in favour of those promoting peace.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Perdomo Páez about Canadian news coverage of Gaza.
Earlier this week the government announced they’d be replacing the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) with a new set of national secondary school qualifications.
Minister of Education Erica Stanford says the current NCEA system was failing to help students develop critical thinking skills and was difficult for parents to navigate as well.
In that same week, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the FBI would be opening a dedicated law enforcement attaché office in Wellington. Defence Minister Judith Collins and Police Minister Mark Mitchell said that the new office would strengthen our ties with the five eyes alliance, with Patel additionally saying the move would counter Chinese influence in the region.
And the Green party recently launched a petition calling on the government to reverse policies of theirs related to emergency housing access that the Greens say have led to an increase in homelessness across the country.
For our weekly catchup with the Green party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March to get the party’s take on all of these issues.
On Thursday last week, the coalition government passed legislation to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration — a ban which had been initiated by the previous government in 2018.
Minister Shane Jones who drove the reversal, highlighted the impact of the ban on economic growth and energy supply in New Zealand. Opposition parties have voiced concerns about the impact of this decision for New Zealand’s climate commitments.
As well, yesterday Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced an overhaul of the NCEA system, to be replaced with qualifications that they say will be better to understand, and more aligned with international standards.
Finally, as the United States places 15% tariffs on NZ exports, the Labour party have said the government needs to do more to strengthen our trade relationships to avoid a rise in the cost of living for kiwis.
Host Sara spoke with National MP Carl Bates about all these topics. Sara started by asking him to explain the government’s decision to reverse the ban on oil and gas exploration in New Zealand.
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