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.
Yesterday, there was a big protest organised by the dairy owners association regarding the scale of and response to retail crime in the country.
With so many New Zealanders concerned about retail crime, which is quickly becoming a flashpoint political issue, Casper spoke to Greg Harford from Retail NZ - discussing the government’s response, the issue of retail workers feeling unsafe, and what different causes might be at play.
Last week the Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced a hike to the Official Cash Rate of 75 basis point, which was quite a shock and has been reported on extensively as it’s not usually changed this quickly.
Casper had a chat to Robert MacCoulloch from the University of Auckland about what the OCR is, why the Reserve Bank raised it, and what this might mean for New Zealanders.
Milly spoke to Daniel Fulton from swimsafe regarding the different initiatives to encourage young children to learn how to swim as a part of Swimsafer Week.
Milly spoke to Bindi Norwell from Procare regarding the recent goverment announcement which gives a pay increase to some healthcare workers but not general practisioners or nurses, who have requested the change.
Spike speaks to Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick about the St. James Theatre and the campaign for its restoration.
Arno speaks to Haden McRobbie from Te Whatu Ora about New Zealand's smoking rates and nicotine consumption trends, and criminologist Dr Ronald Kramer about National's bootcamp plan for youth offenders.
Recent statistics for the 2021 and 2022 period shows smoking rates are at an all-time low in New Zealand. Arno spoke to Haden McRobbie, regional director for the national public health service Te Whatu Ora, to find out more about New Zealand’s nicotine-consuming population, and to find out how the organisation is progressing on its goals toward a smoke-free New Zealand.
National party has proposed to send teen offenders to military-style boot camps. Ten to seventeen year olds are considered being put in a new “serious young offender” category. National's leader Christopher Luxon said the policy was about reforming young offenders and he was confident it would work. Amnesty International and others have said it’s a bad idea. Arno spoke to University of Auckland criminologist Dr Ronald Kramer to find out more.
Daniel talks about this question with Simon Kingham. Across the country there are plans to lower the speed limits. These plans are part of the Road to Zero project which assigned local councils to envision a plan with zero deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand roads. According to Professor of Human Geography Simon Kingham this is the right thing to do.
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
With the rise of fast fashion outlets like Shein and Temu alongside the wider mainstream options available that contribute substantial amounts of clothing waste to landfill, experts are calling for an urgent response on a governance, business, and individual level.
Wire Host Sara spoke to Mindful Fashion Chief Executive Jacinta Fitzgerald about the problem, and the industry response to sustainability, as well as University of Auckland Marketing Professor Mike Lee about the importance of ethical consumption.for individuals.
First, is the interview with Fitzgerald, where she begins by talking about the organisation Mindful Fashion.
Following this, Sara spoke to Marketing Professor Mike Lee about the research he has undertaken around consumerism.
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
The government has recently rejected all of the Climate Change Commission’s recommendations regarding strengthening the country’s methane targets recommendations.
The commission’s recommendations include strengthening the county’s 2050 methane emission targets, continuing lowering emissions after 2050, and that international shipping and aviation, which represents 9% of the county’s total emissions, should be included within targets.
Despite the commission saying that there would be upfront costs, many of the changes would result in cost savings over time, however, the government rejected this claim.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about the government rejecting these recommendations.
Tāmaki Makaurau’s council budget is among those impacted by the proposal of a rates cap, considering Tāmaki’s average 5.8% annual rates increase across the 25/26 financial year.
Youth homelessness is a growing concern as discussions continue around “move on” orders for those without housing in Auckland’s CBD.
And the Skycity Convention Centre is set to open in 2026, with high hopes for what it may bring for Tāmaki Makaurau after its prolonged development.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Counsellor Fairey about these topics.
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