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.
The damage and silt buildup wrought by flooding across the country poses a unique danger to all types of animals.
Arno spoke to New Zealand Veterinary Association Head of Veterinary Services Sally Cory about the unique dangers for animals that have been playing outside and animals that have been relocated, and how to spot the signs of a sick pet.
He started off by asking which pets could be affected by flood damage.
Vaping is currently the subject of a debate with certain clinicians suggesting vape sales should use a prescription-only model. Arno spoke to Associate Professor Kelly Burrowes from the Auckland Bioengineering Institute about the ongoing debate on whether or not vaping should be made prescription-only in Aotearoa.
This is a change that some countries, including Australia, have already made.
Arno started off by asking if the government was already planning to make vaping prescription-only.
For their weekly interview, News & Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to ACT’s Karen Chhour about the Health NZ chair being sacked, the government's tourism workforce plans, and School Strike 4 Climate.
Drag Queens Erika and CoCo Flash from Rainbow Storytime NZ discuss the importance of drag storytime events in Aotearoa.
For Action Station, Producer Daniel Teunissen speaks to the Area Manager of the Citizens Advice Bureau Auckland City, Kate Anderson, about Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposal to cut its funding for the service.
Our Europe correspondent Cameron Adams reported on the 'Art is a Weapon' festival in Berlin.
And Daniel interviewed Paul Callister, from the Institute of Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, about why restoring long-distance passenger rail should be a part of Aotearoa's strategy to lower its climate emissions.
Last week, a library in Avondale was forced to stop a drag story time event because of protestors.
This comes as drag story-times have become the target of religious groups and right-wing extremists, particularly in the US, with Republican legislators moving to ban drag in several states.
I spoke to Drag Queens Erika and CoCo Flash from Rainbow Storytime NZ about the misinformation surrounding what drag storytimes are, and discussed and why they are important.
The NZ Drug foundation will be on the University of Auckland campus tomorrow between 3pm-7pm, offering their free and confidential drug checking service.
Drug checking can help reduce risk by providing people with information about what they’re really taking so they can make more informed, and often safer, decisions about their drug use.
95bFM News Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Harm Reduction Manager, Phil Glaser, who will be running the clinic about the importance of their service, and some concerns they have after their recent clinics during O-Week.
Jess interviews NZ Drug Foundation Harm Reduction Manager, Phil Glaser, about their free, confidential drug checking clinic happening near the University of Auckland campus tomorrow. Jess also talks to the COO of pet insurance specialist PD Insurance, Michelle Le Long about their Lead the Way initiative with the Department of Conservation to help dog owners become more aware of Aotearoa’s sensitive coastlines.
Joe Wickins speaks to Assistant Professor of History at Texas Tech University, Daniella McCahey, about Sir Edmund Hillary’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition and how it may have set us apart from the rest of the Commonwealth.
Arno speaks to Associate Professor Kelly Burrowes of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute on a potential prescription restriction for vaping in New Zealand. He also chats to University of Otago professor and Fukushima Daiichi disaster expert Karly Burch on Japan’s dumping of toxic wastewater into the Pacific, and Professor Janet Stephenson, Director of the Centre for Sustainability at the University of Auckland, on the struggles Maori face when it comes to managed retreat and planned relocation. Finally, Arno interviews Sally Cory, head of Veterinary Service for the NZVA, on protecting pets post-flooding.
This week on the Tuesday Wire, Milly spoke to Professor Tracey McIntosh from the University of Auckland regarding a new paper published from a large study into intimate partner violence. The findings of the paper revealed that intimate partner violence is linked to increased risk of both chronic and mental illness, and with one in three women experiencing intimate partner violence, this highlights a health issue.
This week on the Tuesday Wire, Beth speaks to Dr Dawnelle Cylne regarding the Census that took place the same day the Tuesday Wire aired. Beth explores with Dawnelle why the Census is important and why we have a Census in New Zealand.
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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