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 has signed a partnership to work with California on acccelerating their climate goals as a means to reach net zero carbon by 2050. This announcement comes off the back of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's visit to the United States.
The Partnership will guide our transport policies, with the aim to have 30% of vehicles on the road running electric by 2035.
Trishil opened the piece by speaking to Climate Change Minister James Shaw about the partnership, the individual policies attached to them, and our trajectory for hitting our major climate goals as a result of the partnership. Trishil then spoke to Philosophy and Politics Professor Lisa Ellis from the University of Otago on the matter.
The plant-based food market is due to get more funidng due to the governments Regional Strategic Partnership Fund. Charlie spoke with Emma Brodie, Campaigns Officer at SAFE, about the plant-based market, the shift away from the currently unsustainable dairy industry, and their new campaign 'Done With Dairy'.
Charlie speaks with our segment with OurActionStation is back. Valerie Morse from Zero Waste Collective discussed "Regeneration not Incineration".
Trishil speaks about the Climate Change Cooperation agreement between New Zealand and California. He speaks with Climate Change Minister James Shaw and Professor Lisa Ellis from Otago University.
Professor Nicola Starkey from the University of Waikato discusses with Charlie the long-term effects of mild traumatic brain injuries in light of a recently published study.
Dr Anne Santure from the University of Auckland School of Biological Sciences, talks with Trishil about her research into evolutionary adaptation and the Hihi bird.
Finally, Charlie speaks with SAFE’s Campaign Officer, Emma Brodie, about New Zealand's plant-based market funding and their 'Done With Dairy' campaign.
Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can cause long-term mental health detriment according to a new study done by Auckland University of Technology and the University of Waikato. Charlie spoke with Professor Nicola Starkey, from the University of Waikato, about the study and what some people with concussion have been experiencing up to eight years later.
In collaboration with OurActionStation, we bring you this weeks petition "Regeneration not Incineration – for a Zero waste Aotearoa". Valerie Morse from Zero Waste Collective spoke with Charlie about the petition, the negative impact waste-to-energy incinerators will have in New Zealand, and the circular waste system.
Casper talked to Auckland city councillor Shane Henderson about investment in cycling infrastructure, as well as the public consultation closing on Auckland housing intensification.
He also spoke to Meng Foon, the Race Relations Comissioner about new rights-based guidelines for school uniforms.
Liam had a chat with the Green Parties Golriz Gharaman about her electoral reform bill and moving the voting age to sixteen, as well as political psychology professor Danny Osborne to discuss how the proposed changes could affect voters.
Casper also talked to Maria Armoudian from the University of Auckland about barriers to regulating guns in the United States.
And finally Liam spoke to Wattie Watson from the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union about the strike action firefighters have voted for and the issues that the industry has been dealing with for the past few years.
The Human Rights Comission released a new set of guidelines for school uniforms and how they can be more culturally inclusive, as well as adhere to Te Tiriti.
The rights-based guidelines include specific recognition of Taonga Māori symbols such as tā moko and pounamu.
Casper spoke with Meng Foon, the Race Relations Comissioner, about the guidelines, what’s in them and what kinds of impacts they might have on schools that choose to adopt them. Casper first asked what the new guidelines entail and what their purpose is.
In the wake of the recent tragedy that occured in Texas, a horrific school schooting which cost 21 lives, a discussion around gun regulation has resurfaced in the United States.
Casper spoke to Maria Armoudian from the Univeristy of Auckland about the state of gun control debate in the United States, a country that experiences disproportionately high levels of gun violence especially in schools, and what barriers may exist to regulation.
The Green Parties Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill has recently been drawn, allowing topics of electoral reform in Aotearoa to be brought to the surface.
The most talked-about part of the bill right now is the lowering of the voting age to sixteen, which would see New Zealand join countries like Scotland, Austria, Argentina, and Brazil amongst others.
Other aspects of the bill include enabling voters of Māori descent to change roll type at any time, implementing donation transparency and implementing the 2012 MMP Review recommendations.
To learn more, Liam spoke to the Greens spokesperson for electoral reform, Golriz Gharaman.
As this bill aims to vastly widen the eligibility to vote, many may question how people such as minors and prisoners could vote and change how our country works.
Thus, Liam also spoke to Danny Osborne, a political psychology professor from Otago University about how these groups may approach voting and how we could change our electoral system for the better.
These past few weeks in politics have seen various issues that we spoke about in our weekly catchup with the National Party.
First up, at the Aotearoa Music Awards, National MP Chris Bishop was heard making disdainful remarks such as “what a load of crap” during a performance by singer Stan Walker.
Second, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngārewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi were recently suspended from parliament for 21 days for their haka protesting the Treaty Principles Bill. The penalty is far harsher than any previous penalty for an MP, raising questions about whether it is justified or sets a dangerous precedent.
Finally, the government recently announced a new visa for parents of migrants, allowing them to come to New Zealand for a longer period of time than traditional visitors without having to acquire residency.
Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues in our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, starting with Chris Bishop’s comments at the AMAs.
The recommended suspension for Te Pāti Māori MPs, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, over the MP’s haka in Parliament during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year.
Co-leaders Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi will be suspended from the House for 21-days, with Maipi-Clarke facing a seven day suspension. This is Parliament's harshest sanctions in the country’s history. Prior to this, the longest suspension an MP had faced in Parliament was three days.
The debate had previously been delayed so that the MPs could participate in the Budget debate — however, both co-leaders were not present at the debate.
During the debate MP Tākuta Ferris said that the debate was not about the haka, but at the heart, it was the House continuing to ignore Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori sovereignty, and that the “racism” in the House is hardly being hidden.
For our weekly catch-up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about the suspension, and what’s next for the party.
They also discussed NZ First Party Leader Winston Peters’ comments regarding Waititi’s moko, referring to the MPs moko kanohi as “scribbles”. He was asked to apologise by the Speaker, which he did.
But first, they discussed the suspension of the MPs.
As per coalition agreements, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, has been sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, taking over from NZ First Leader, Winston Peters.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about Seymour’s new position, and what this means for the party.
They also discussed accusations Seymour made regarding submissions to the Regulatory Standards Bill.
In an interview with Guyon Espiner, Seymour claimed that 99.5% of the submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill were driven by ‘bots’ and were ‘fake’ submissions.
Seymour later clarified to RNZ that by bots, he was meaning “online campaigns” creating “non-representative samples” that do not represent the public’s opinion.
The Ministry of Regulations received roughly 23,000 submissions on the bill. Of the submissions. Of the submissions, 0.33% were fully or partially supporting the bill, with 88% being against the bill.
Finally, they discussed the recommended suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs’ Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke standing.
But they, we discussed David Seymour as Deputy Prime Minister.
Auckland Transport are seeking community feedback on a proposal for a new T3 transit lane on Mount Smart Road to relieve congestion during peak times heading towards the Royal Oak roundabout.
Between better public transport systems, a ‘time of use’ charge, and different ways of managing Auckland traffic, Producer Sara asks Councillor Julie Fairey about how Auckland Council hopes to reduce peak-time congestion as the city’s population grows.
She also talk to Julie Fairey about the recent allocation of funds to community-led projects through Ngā Hapori Momoho. This year, the grant which aims to “improve financial security, improve health outcomes, and grow community and intercultural connection” has approved funding for eleven community groups, six of which are either Māori organisations or delivering ‘strong Māori outcomes’.
Sara begins with questions about Auckland central congestion.
*unfortunately the audio quality on Julie's end is poor
Last week the government announced a series of changes to 16 national direction instruments under the Resource Management Act that would change the way councils implement local plans and rules.
Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, described the changes as removing ‘unnecessary regulations’ for primary industries and investment, with the main changes being: removing freshwater management regulations for councils, removing regulations for the construction of mines and quarries and removing restrictions on non-intensive grazing of beef, cattle and deer in wetlands.
In that same week, Associate Education Minister, David Seymour made a series of changes to the pay parity scheme impacting primary school teachers, where education centres would not need to factor additional and higher qualifications when working out teacher’s starting salaries.
And, just recently, Workplace Relations and Safety minister Brooke van Velden recently announced that she’d be making a series of changes to WorkSafe in order to shift regulators priorities from enforcement to advice.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March to get the party’s take on all of these issues.
The Budget for 2025 came out two weeks ago, with news for the nation on how funds will be allocated over the coming year. The budget held big news for defence spending, $12 billion over the next four years, including $9 billion of new spending.
The funding is planned to go towards various technologies and equipment for different branches of the military, including replacements for two Air Force Boeing 757 planes and new helicopters to be operated from Navy ships. Defence Minister Judith Collins also announced plans to acquire new killer drones with increased lethality, raising some human rights concerns.
In our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the defence spending announcements, concerns over killer drones, and if this money is best spent on more military equipment.
After years of discussion, Auckland Council’s Planning and Policy Committee have approved zoning changes for the city centre, which will see taller buildings and increased development capacity within the Central Business District.
Plan Change 78 sought to increase density and will see double height limits for most of the city centre, up to twenty storeys, unlimited building height for a small section, and the removal of limitations on floor plans to attract investment into a wider variety of building types.
With notification of this decision made tomorrow, the changes are expected to be included in the Auckland Unitary Plan to become operative in June this year.
As well, consultation is currently open in relation to the Western Springs speedway, of which Auckland Council voted in favour of last year based on financial underperformance.
The decision to keep the speedway, develop a new stadium or explore new opportunities for the space has been a hot topic in public debate, with figures like former All Black Sir Bryan Williams, Rich lister Anna Mowbray and her husband, former All Black Ali Williams chiming into the discussion.
Producer Sara spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson this week about both of these topics, starting with the future of development in Auckland’s central city.
From 9th June, the United Nations Ocean Conference is being held in France, which is co-hosting the event with Costa Rica.
More than 50 world leaders are expected to attend, with 1500 delegates from almost 200 countries.
The conference follows the world’s first deep-sea mining application for the international seabed, which was submitted to the United States government as opposed to the United Nations regulator.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Juressa Lee (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Rarotonga), seabed mining campaigner at Greenpeace, about the conference.
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