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The Wire

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.

New Zealand's Silence Surrounding Deep Sea Mining w/ James Hita: July 4, 2022

New Zealand's Silence Surrounding Deep Sea Mining w/ James Hita: July 4, 2022 New Zealand's Silence Surrounding Deep Sea Mining w/ James Hita: July 4, 2022, 19.65 MB
Mon 4 Jul 2022

In a dramatic shift at the United Nations oceans conference in Lisbon this week, a series of Pacific Governments have formed an alliance to oppose deep sea mining in international waters but Greenpeace says the continued silence from the New Zealand Government on the issue is deafening.

To standing ovations, a series of Pacific nations including Fiji and Samoa joined an alliance opposing deep sea mining announced by Palau on Monday. Adding to the momentum, the following day, Tuvalu, Tonga, and Guam announced their support for a halt to deep sea mining and France is now also calling for a legal and robust framework to ban deep sea mining in the high seas. But to date, the New Zealand Government has not formed a position on the issue.

Joe spoke to James Hita, part of the Deep Seabed and Mining Campaign at Greenpeace Aotearoa on the matter.

 

Plastic Free July w/ Sara Tolbert: July 4, 2022

Plastic Free July w/ Sara Tolbert: July 4, 2022 Plastic Free July w/ Sara Tolbert: July 4, 2022, 28.92 MB
Mon 4 Jul 2022

Plastic Free July has rolled around again and we’ll all be hearing about reducing plastic use in our daily lives. Much of the messaging is targeted toward young people through school and youth-focused messaging. However, within our sustainability efforts, we must also look at how we can conduct real change and look at the worst plastic producers around the globe, as well as how New Zealand can improve their efforts.

Joe spoke to Sara Tolbert, Associate Professor of Science and Environmental Education at the University of Canterbury, on the matter

 

The Alcohol Harm Minimisation Bill w/ Chlöe Swarbrick and Dr Nicki Jackson

The Alcohol Harm Minimisation Bill w/Chloe Swarbrick and Dr Nicki Jackson The Alcohol Harm Minimisation Bill w/Chloe Swarbrick and Dr Nicki Jackson, 41.6 MB
Mon 4 Jul 2022

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Harm Minimisation Amendment Bill, introduced by Green Party Drug Reform Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick, seeks to overhaul the state of alcohol awareness and advertising in New Zealand. The bill will also allow local councils to control policies that affect their communities.


Trishil spoke with Chlöe Swarbrick and Alcohol Healthwatch Executive Director Dr Nicki Jackson about the provisions of the bill, including the establishment of Local Alcohol Policies and restrictions of Sponsorships and Advertising.

OurActionStation - MindTheGap w/ Nina Santos

OurActionStation - MindTheGap w/ Nina Santos OurActionStation - MindTheGap w/ Nina Santos, 13.32 MB
Mon 4 Jul 2022

On this week’s regular segment in collaboration with OurActionStation, we’re discussing the pay gap and disparity between women and ethnic communities. Nina Santos, Delivery Manager of MindThatGap, spoke with Trishil today about the petiton, and their push to gain governmental support and instituite a mandatory pay registry

The Wire w/ Joe: July 4, 2022

The Wire w/ Joe: July 4, 2022 The Wire w/ Joe: July 4, 2022, 100.93 MB
Mon 4 Jul 2022

This week on The Wire for Rāhina Monday!

Joe speaks to Sara Tolbert, Associate Professor of Science and Environmental Education at the University of Canterbury, about Plastic Free July. He also talks James Hita from Greenpeace about New Zealand’s silence surrounding deep sea mining. 

Trishil speaks to Nina Santos from MindTheGap for regular segment with OurActionStation. They talk about their mission to ensure that the pay gap is closed for women and ethnic communities. Trishil also speaks to the Green Party's Drug Reform Spokesperson Chloe Swarbrick and Dr Nicki Jackson from Alcohol HealthWatch about the Alcohol Harm Minimisation Bill.

That's us for the Monday Wire!

The Friday Wire: July 1st, 2022

The Friday Wire: July 1st, 2022 The Friday Wire: July 1st, 2022, 104.5 MB
Fri 1 Jul 2022

Another stacked and varied show on this Fridays Wire! Today:

Liam spoke with councillor Richard Hills about the positive new report on Kauri Dieback in the Waitakere Ranges on City Counselling. 

They also had a chat with UoAs Stephen Hoadley about the new NZ EU trade deal.

Frances spoke to Sarah McFadden, the GM of Kelmarna Gardens in Ponsonby about regenerative local food systems.

Liam also spoke with Liam Mcllvanney from UoO on Scottish independence.

And finally Alejandra Perotti from the University of Reading on the possible extinction of tiny mites that have sex on your face as a part of our newest segment, Strangest Things!

NZ EU Trade Deal w/ Stephen Hoadley: July 1st, 2022

NZ EU Trade Deal w/ Stephen Hoadley: July 1st, 2022 NZ EU Trade Deal w/ Stephen Hoadley: July 1st, 2022, 21.75 MB
Fri 1 Jul 2022

Jacinda Arderns current trip to Europe has seen the finalisation of our landmark free trade deal with the European Union. 

This is the culmination of years wirth of work and decades of negotiations.

Aotearoa and the EU will trade agricultural and food based exports, such as cheese, meat, dairy, and vegetables. 


To learn more, Liam spoke to Stephen Hoadley from the University of Auckland about what the deal could mean for the future of NZ. 

 

Scottish Independence w/ Liam Mcllvanney: July 1st, 2022

Scottish Independence w/ Liam Mcllvanney: July 1st, 2022 Scottish Independence w/ Liam Mcllvanney: July 1st, 2022, 17.73 MB
Fri 1 Jul 2022

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, has proposed a referendum date for Scots to vote on their independence from the United Kingdom - the 19th of October, 2023.

 

However despite UK PM Boris Johnson saying now is not the time, Sturgeon says they will run the referendum regardless by having her party run on the sole issue of independence. 

 

The last referendum vote on this issue took place in 2014, but commentators have pointed out the major shift in the UK landscape since due to Brexit. 

 

To learn more, Liam spoke to the University of Otago’s Liam Mcllvanney ,first asking why some Scots are pushing for independence and what's getting in their way.

 

The Wire w/ Emilia: June 30, 2022

The Wire w/ Emilia: June 30, 2022 The Wire w/ Emilia: June 30, 2022, 128.48 MB
Thu 30 Jun 2022

This week on The Wire for Rāpare Thursday!

Our weekly chat with the health minister Andrew Little is back! Tuva’a Clifton speaks to Little about the new investment into harm reduction for gambling, as well as free flu jabs being expanded to children and people with mental health issues, and how the flu is straining our hospitals.

Emilia Sullivan speaks to the University of Auckland team who won an award for their system to help med students report bullying and unprofessional behaviour on clinical placements.

She'll also be chatting to Jo Cribb from MindTheGap about their calls for the government to act more urgently to close gender and ethnic pay gaps in New Zealand.

And she also chats with with Dr. Maria Armoudian from the University of Auckland about yesterday’s surprise January 6th hearing into the insurrection at the U.S Capitol.

That's us for the Thursday Wire this week!

The January 6th Hearings w/ Dr. Maria Armoudian: June 30, 2022

The January 6th Hearings w/ Dr. Maria Armoudian: June 30, 2022 Maria Armoudian: June 30, 2022, 25.6 MB
Thu 30 Jun 2022

The hearings into the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol are set to resume in mid-July, however yesterday the committee reconvened for an unplanned, surprise hearing.

Emilia Sullivan spoke to Dr. Maria Armoudian, a senior politics lecturer at the University of Auckland.

Littering in Council Parks, Illegal Dumping increases across Auckland, & Auckland as the 'premier tech city' of New Zealand w/ Councillor Julie Fairey: 22 May, 2025

Littering in Council Parks, Illegal Dumping increases across Auckland, & Auckland as the 'premier tech city' of New Zealand w/ Councillor Julie Fairey: 22 May, 2025 Littering in Council Parks, Illegal Dumping increases across Auckland, & Auckland as the 'premier tech city' of New Zealand w/ Councillor Julie Fairey: 22 May, 2025, 33.3 MB
Thu 22 May 2025

Last year, Auckland Council removed 30% of bins from public places with the hopes of saving about $9.5 million over an eight year period. While the council didn’t foresee an increase in littering, last week Stuff published an article sharing the frustrations of residents who observed a growing litter problem in council parks.

Illegal dumping has also been on the rise across Auckland.
 With more than 1300 reports per month, the cost of retrieving illegally dumped items is about $2.7 million every year and rising.

Also Mayor Wayne Brown has announced that he wants to see Auckland become the “premier tech city” of New Zealand to boost our global influence and reputation—-- calling on the government to establish the new Advanced Technology Institute here, which he says could play a key role in guiding new start-ups, so ideas don’t ‘die on the vine’.

Beginning with the problem of rubbish in Auckland, Producer Sara started by asking Julie Fairey if she believed the removal of bins was to blame for increased littering

International Desk: Israel’s Blockade on Aid into Gaza and the Role of International Law w/ Australian National University’s Donald Rothwell 22 May: 2025

International Desk: Israel’s Blockade on Aid into Gaza and the Role of International Law w/ Australian National University’s Donald Rothwell 22 May: 2025 International Desk: Israel’s Blockade on Aid into Gaza and the Role of International Law w/ Australian National University’s Donald Rothwell 22 May: 2025, 16.2 MB
Thu 22 May 2025

International pressure is mounting against Israel for the 11-week-long and ongoing blockade of aid into Gaza.

The few aid trucks that have been let into Gaza have not been distributed, according to the United Nations.

It comes as cases against Israel in the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court (ICC) for existing violations of international law remain ongoing.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Professor Donald Rothwell from the Australian National University Law School about the aid blockade and response in international law.

Pre-budget Announcements and the Suspensions of Te Paati Māori MPs w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 22 May, 2025

Pre-budget Announcements and the Suspensions of Te Paati Māori MPs w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 22 May, 2025 Pre-budget Announcements and the Suspensions of Te Paati Māori MPs w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 22 May, 2025, 11.31 MB
Thu 22 May 2025

Today is Budget Day, the day the government releases their spending plans for the next year.

The embargo on the budget lifts at 2pm, however, there have already been several pre-budget spending announcements.

Earlier this week, the debate on the Privileges Committee report into the Treaty Principles Bill haka, led by Te Paati Māori, was deferred. 

Opposition MPs have raised concerns that because the debate has been deferred, the Te Paati Māori co-leaders may not be back in time to vote on the budget.

For our weekly catch-up with Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni, Wire Host Caeden asked about all of these topics.

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March: 21 May, 2025

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March: 21 May, 2025 Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March: 21 May, 2025, 15.25 MB
Wed 21 May 2025

Yesterday the debate in the privileges committee regarding the suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi was adjourned until after the upcoming budget announcement.

The Privileges Committee Report and recommended punishments for the three Te Pāti Māori MPs were issued last week for the Haka they performed during a parliamentary session in November 2024 in opposition to the ACT party’s Treaty Principles Bill.

In that same week, the Green party recently issued a call to the government to scrap the Regulatory Standards Bill after the Waitangi Tribunal found that the Bill breaches the Crown’s Tiriti o Waitangi obligations.

And the government recently passed the Social Security Amendment Bill, which the government says would support people into employment and off benefits, however, opponents of the bill have said it could harm beneficiaries and lower income New Zealanders.

For our weekly catch up with the Green Party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez-March about all of these issues.

The Pay Equity Amendment Bill w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 20th May, 2025

The Pay Equity Amendment Bill w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 20th May, 2025 The Pay Equity Amendment Bill w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 20th May, 2025, 13.72 MB
Tue 20 May 2025

Just under two weeks ago the government passed the pay equity amendment bill under urgency. This bill would change existing pay equity legislation to make it more restrictive, which the government says will save billions of dollars. 

The process was originally introduced to address issues of pay inequity between sectors. While the Equal Pay Act mandates that people working the same job are paid the same regardless of gender, Pay Equity is meant to ensure industries dominated by women are not paid less than similar industries dominated by men. The process has worked by allowing applicants to compare their positions with positions in other sectors with similar workloads, skills, or experience. 

The government’s changes will limit the criteria for comparators, allow only industries with over 70% women in the workforce as opposed to the previous 60%, and removing the ability for the authority to award back pay, among other changes. 

These changes have been met with criticism from rights organisations, advocacy groups, and opposition parties. In our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the government’s reasoning behind the Pay Equity Amendment Bill. 

Dear Science w/ Professor Allan Blackman: 20th May, 2025

Dear Science w/ Professor Allan Blackman: 20th May, 2025 Dear Science w/ Professor Allan Blackman: 20th May, 2025, 21.75 MB
Tue 20 May 2025

This week on Dear Science our expert Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about personalised gene therapy, using molecules to spell a word, and the technique for the perfect manu

Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!

Waitangi Tribunal Recommends Halting Regulatory Standards Bill and Review into Waitangi Tribunal w/ the ACT Party’s Simon Court: 19 May, 2025

Waitangi Tribunal Recommends Halting Regulatory Standards Bill and Review into Waitangi Tribunal w/ the ACT Party’s Simon Court: 19 May, 2025 Waitangi Tribunal Recommends Halting Regulatory Standards Bill and Review into Waitangi Tribunal w/ the ACT Party’s Simon Court: 19 May, 2025, 23.58 MB
Mon 19 May 2025

The Waitangi Tribunal review into the controversial regulatory standards bill has found that the Crown would be in breach of Treaty principles if it were to introduce the regulatory standards bill to Parliament without more consultation with Māori. 

Because of this the tribunal has called for an immediate halt to be put on the bill. 

Despite this, the bill is set to be introduced to Parliament today. 

The recommendation came after following a one day urgent hearing from the Waitangi Tribunal last week, which was pushed forward from June 6, after it was revealed the bill would be introduced to Parliament today. 

Critics of the bill fear it will work against Māori rights and interests. However, the ACT Party, fronted by Minister for Regulation, David Seymour simply say the Tribunal is ‘incorrect’. 

For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Producer Evie spoke to Simon Court to unpack this further. Discussing why they contest the tribunal’s review, and where they plan to take the bill from here. 

We also spoke about the government launching a review into the Waitangi Tribunal, which is heavily backed by ACT - David Seymour saying the tribunal needs to be ‘put in its place’. 

Te Pāti Māori MP Suspensions, Waitangi Tribunal on Regulatory Standards Bill w/ Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp: 19 May, 2025

Te Pāti Māori MP Suspensions, Waitangi Tribunal on Regulatory Standards Bill w/ Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp: 19 May, 2025 Te Pāti Māori MP Suspensions, Waitangi Tribunal on Regulatory Standards Bill w/ Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp: 19 May, 2025, 15.31 MB
Mon 19 May 2025

Last week, the Privileges Committee recommended Te Pāti Māori co-leaders, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, be “severely censured” with a 21-day suspension, with Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi Clarke facing a 7-day suspension for their haka during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill.

Telling RNZ, Judith Collins - the chairperson of the Privileges Committee, says the ruling was unprecedented because the “situation was unprecedented” and said the decision was not taken lightly.

Te Pāti Māori’s lawyer says the punishment given to the MPs is an “absolute disgrace”.

For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about this, and how she is feeling heading into the debate of the report tomorrow.

We also discussed the Waitangi Tribunals recommendations regarding the Regulatory Standards Bill.

But first, we discussed the Privileges Committee's recommendations.

Get Action! VUW Divest from Fossil Fuels w/ Hugh Acton from Climate Action VUW: 14 May, 2025

Get Action! VUW Divest from Fossil Fuels w/ Hugh Acton from Climate Action VUW: 14 May, 2025 Get Action! VUW Divest from Fossil Fuels w/ Hugh Acton from Climate Action VUW: 14 May, 2025, 16.16 MB
Wed 14 May 2025

In 2014, Victoria University of Wellington made an official promise to divest $650,000 worth of investments in fossil fuel companies which, at the time, comprised of 2.1% of the University’s total investments.

However, more than 10 years on, a student-led investigation found that the university still held significant investments in companies like Exxon Mobil and SHELL through third-party investment managers.

A year after a successful petition by Students for Justice in Palestine Pōneke calling on the university to divest funding from Israeli companies, a group of students from Climate Action Victoria University of Wellington have made renewed calls to the university to divest from fossil fuel companies. 

For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Hugh Acton, a member of Climate Action Victoria of University of Wellington, who’s launched a petition calling on the university to disclose their investments in companies involved in fossil fuel production and to divest from them immediately.

If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here:

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March: 14 May, 2025

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March: 14 May, 2025 Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March: 14 May, 2025, 26 MB
Wed 14 May 2025

Last week, the government announced that they would begin an official review of the Waitangi Tribunal and the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975.

The government has said that the review is to ensure the Waitangi Tribunal remains effective and relevant, however, a number of Māori and treaty law experts have referred to the review as an attack on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles.

In that same week, the government announced that they would be investing $774 million towards improving the redress process for survivors of abuse in state care in Budget 2025. 

However, going against one of the key recommendations of both the Royal Commission and the Redress Design Group, the government will not be looking to set up a new redress scheme for abuse survivors.

And the government recently passed amendments to the Wildlife Act that would permit the “incidental killing” of certain native wildlife species by companies during lawful activities like construction and development.

For our weekly catchup with the Green party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March for the party’s take on all of these issues.