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.
Justice Minister Kiritapu Allan has recently announced that she plans to reform New Zealand hate speech laws before next year's general election.
This comes after a royal commission report stemming from the christchurch terror attacks stated that New Zealand does not "provide a workable mechanism to deal with hate speech".
Amnesty International Aotearoa has called for stronger laws covering digital hate speech and a widening of which groups are covered.
However, the opposition has opposed these calls, with the ACT party stating they would overturn the changes if they went into power.
Liam spoke to Lisa Woods from Amnesty NZ about the laws, first asking for an overview of the current hate speech laws.
The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP27 is soon set to take place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
This is the first COP27 to take place since Russia invaded Ukraine, which has brought world tensions to their brink and seen focus on climate legislation delayed.
That being said, action on the climate crisis remains important - in Europe alone the temperature is rising at .5 degrees celsius per decade according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
To learn more about what this conference will look like, Liam spoke to Bronwyn Hayward, a political science professor at the University of Canterbury.
A report into the future of local government commissioned by the Minister of Local Government in New Zealand, Nanaia Mahuta, is in its draft and consultation phase. Stella spoke to Penny Hulse, one of the panel members, about it.
Welcome to the Thursday Wire! Milly joins the show as a producer, chatting to Ellen Rykers from Forest and Bird about the Bird of the Year results. Frances speaks to Ben Green for The Green Desk about flooding in Gisborne. Tuva'a has his weekly catch-up with Andrew Little and Stella speaks to Penny Hulse about the Future of Local Government Report. Stella also talks to the Cuban ambassador to New Zealand, Mr Edgardo Valdés López and Annalucia from Auckland Cuba Friendship Society about sanctions against Cuba by the US and the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
He was barred from running in the 2018 Brazilian presidential election after being imprisoned for corruption and money laundering, however after his charges were nullified, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is back in the same office he occupied from 2003 to 2010.
Lula narrowly won the runoff election against incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, whose time in office was defined by loosening environmental protections and his mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To get some more insight into the election, Emilia spoke to Associate Professor Walescka Pino-Ojeda, Director of the New Zealand Centre for Latin American Studies.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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