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.
Protests have continued in Iran calling for the overturning the current government, even in the face of mass arrest.
Public trials of arrested protestors have recently begun, recently seeing the first death sentence ordered and others sentenced to ten to fifteen years of jail time.
The protests stemmed from the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old woman who died in police custody - her passing sparked nationwide dissent calling for women's liberation.
To learn more, Liam spoke to Iranian New Zealander and economist Hanna Habibi about what’s been happening on the ground, what’s changed, and what the outcomes of the protests could be.
Issues of Problem Gambling have been plaguing Timaru, however the areas district council have largely allowed their laws to remain the same.
Minor changes have taken place, particularly in letting new venues for gambling operate at a limit of seven pokie machines, but the Problem Gambling Foundation say this is far from enough.
The region's district councillor claims that the funds from gambling is important due to the amount it funds local community groups.
To learn more, Liam spoke to Andree Froude from the Problem Gambling Foundation about the issues.
Recent statistics show that 30% of people, mostly women, working in construction in the last five years have experienced at lest one form of sexual harassment.
The Waihanga Ara Rau and Hanga-Aro-Rau Workforce Development Councils, supported by the Tertiary Education Commission, have developed practical steps for trade employers to take to ensure women are safe in the workplace from sexual harassment and bullying
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins speaks to Philip Aldridge, the Chief Executive of Waihanga Ara Rau, the Workforce Development Council for Construction and Infrastructure about their Keep it Decent guidelines.
Russia's war on Ukraine has continued to intensify in recent weeks, as the Kremlin has recently launched the most missiles within a single week of the war so far.
One of these strikes coincided with two stray missiles reaching part of Poland near the border of Ukraine, which led to the deaths of two people.
It’s unconfirmed where these strikes came from, as European Correspondent Cameron Adams reports as a part of this weeks Eurovision segment.
Him and Liam also chatted about the European Commission calling for the incorporation of three new member states into 3 more member states to the Schengen area, and a new deal between France and England to control asylum seekers travelling across the English channel.
While Jacinda Ardern is in Vietnam for a trade mission we’ve seen announced a new FTA upgrade with ASEAN and Australia.
Some have commented on the possible geopolitical implications of the PM’s diverging visit to Vietnam, and to get a sense of what this means and this significance of the visit Casper talked to Stephen Hoadley, associate professor of politics and international relations at the University of Auckland.
The National party has been quite critical recently of Adrian Orr’s reappointment to the role of governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
This criticism interestingly breaks with tradition as these appointments are generally not politicised, indicating another area where the impacts of Covid have disrupted political processes.
For their regular interview, Casper spoke to National MP Dr Shane Reti about this appointment, why National has been speaking out against it, and what this says about the political independance of the RBNZ governor going forward.
This week on the Tuesday Wire, Christina, for the last time, spoke to Joel Rindelaub on the phone for a rather apocalyptic Dear Science.
Casper talked to National MP Dr Shane Reti, this time discussing Adrian Orr’s reappointment as Reserve Bank governor.
Christina also spoke to political commentator and former National press secretary Ben Thomas about what to expect ahead of next year’s general election.
Casper also talked to UoA’s Stephen Hoadley about the Prime Minster’s visit to Vietnam.
And Milly, producing for the Tuesday Wire for the first time, spoke to Liam Rutherford from the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa regarding smaller class sizes to increase school attendance.
Milly spoke to Liam Rutherford from the New Zealand educational institute Te Riu Roa, regarding smaller class sizes to increase school attendance. This follows a report releases on the 10th November from the Education Review Office regarding school attendance.
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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