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.
Here is the first of a new fortnightly segment on the Monday Wire, in collaboration with OurActionStation. Today we discuss intercity trains and why they're being neglected, in relation to the Save Our Trains Campaign. Charlie speaks to Patrick Rooney, one of the creators of the campaign, about why we should care more about this type of transport.
Today on the Monday Wire, amongst a few tunes, we bring you:
A new fortnightly segment begins in collaboration with OurActionStation. Every fornight Charlie will speak about a new interviewee about their campaign. this week, she spoke to Patrick Rooney about the Save Our Trains Campaign that wants for done for New Zealand's intercity rail network.
Sam speaks to Dr Richard Stein, The Chair of Crohn’s & Colitis NZ, about IBD medication and how New Zealand isn't putting enough funding into the medication, despite other countries doing so.
Dr Matt Rayner is also with us today, speaking with Charlie about the upcoming T-Rex exhibit that the Auckland War Memorial Museum will be hosting.
Peter the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton will be shown in the Auckland War Memorial Museum from Friday 15th April.
Peter is one of the most complete T-Rex fossils ever discovered and is being shown for the first time to the public right here in Auckland. The exhibit is free to all visitors.
Dr Matt Rayner, Curator of Land Vertebrates at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, spoke with Charlie today about the exhibit and the curation of the fossil.
Aotearoa has the third highest rate of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD in the world, but essential medication is still unavailable due to Pharmac’s budget. Ustekinumab, otherwise known by its brand name – Stelara was approved by MedSafe in 2018 and is already funded in Australia. Crohn’s & Colitis NZ petitioned to get Stelara funded here last year - receiving 30,000 signatures. This led to Pharmac testifying before the petitions committee in October last year – where they said Stelara is needed but they still don’t have the funding. Sam Clark spoke to the Chair of Crohn’s & Colitis NZ, Dr Richard Stein about what has happened since.
Amid hikes in rent prices across the country, the Green Party has launched an open letter calling for a rent freeze and stronger rent controls.
This is the latest in a series of calls from the Greens to revitalise the renting system in Aotearoa, previously including a warrant of fitness for homes and a registrare for landlords.
To learn more, Liam spoke to Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson about what the open letter contains and why the issue is so important.
This week saw the release of another major IPCC Climate Report, stating that without immediate action we will reach a one point five degree rise in climate and beyond by 20300.
Several new contributors to climate change were highlighted, including the cumulative impact of big cities and towns on the climate.
Efforts to turn our cities more green have been taking place across Aotearoa for several months, so Liam Hansen spoke to Crystal Olin from Sustainable cities Aotearoa about what’s being done and what needs to come next.
Aotearoa has a housing crisis. However, Auckland alone has 40,000 unoccupied houses.
Dr Anthony Hoete, a professor of architecture at the University of Auckand and director at QuakeCoRE, New Zealand Centre for Earthquake Resilience talked about issues with housing availability, how Māori housing needs can be rethought, and how different materials might solve construction issues.
This week on the Friday wire Casper had his fortnightly chat with Auckland city councillor Pippa Coom, this time about AT’s proposed speed limit changes.
Liam spoke to Green Party co leader Marama Davidson about their calls for a rent freeze and rent controls, as well as Crystal Olin from sustainable cities Aotearoa about how to make city centres more green.
Jess talked with a Dr Anthony Hoete, a professor of architecture at the University of Auckland about the future of housing, and with Dr Rob Beaglehole from the NZDA about the government's proposal to ban fizzy drinks from primary schools.
Sri Lanka is facing a worsening economic and humanitarian crisis following accusations that the government has mismanaged the economy, producing an economic crisis with severe inflation, daily blackouts, and a shortage of fuel and essential items.
The President and Prime Minister, who are brothers from the prominent Rajapaksa political dynasty have denied calls for their resignation, despite all 26 cabinet ministers resigning en masse on Sunday.
Emilia Sullivan spoke to Nishhza Thiruselvam, spokesperson for Migrants Against Xenophobia and Racism (MARX).
This month, a number of council body reforms have come into effect in the Auckland Council, fulfilling Mayor Wayne Brown’s promise to address issues and implement community feedback into the council’s format.
The three new divisions in the Auckland Council to improve organisation include the Auckland Urban Development Office, the Property Department, and an Economic Development Office, each of which are intended to make decision making more effective and accessible to the public.
As well, with the persisting cold temperatures and rainy weather hitting Auckland this Winter, I wanted to discuss the topic of homelessness in Auckland’s city centre, and to what extent the council is working to support those rough sleeping in the CBD
Public hearings as part of phase two of the Royal Commission into COVID-19 took place in Auckland this week.
The second phase of the inquiry has a stronger focus on lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and the impact of the Covid-19 response on business and the economy.
And yesterday, an independent reference group set up by the Ministry of Environment shared their recommendations for climate adaptation legislation.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Arena Williams about both of these topics.
Recently, a study was conducted by researchers at the University of Southampton which uncovered a shift in the circulation of the Southern Ocean.
The study showed that the shift would draw up more salt water from the deep ocean, subsequently accelerating the loss of ice in the Antarctic and leading to an increase of sea levels and global heating.
The week before, the government allowed the terrorist designation given to the far-right ‘Proud Boys’ group to expire, effectively decriminalising the act of funding or openly supporting the group here in Aotearoa.
And, just yesterday Finance Minister Nicola Willis confirmed a number of changes to Family Boost which she said would help families with the cost of living.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez March to get the party’s take on all of these issues.
The Southerner was a passenger express train in the South Island running between Christchurch and Invercargill from 1970 to 2002.
The train was eventually closed due a decline in passenger numbers and subsidies, although it was briefly revived in May this year for four days as part of a tourist experience.
Recently, a group of campaigners from Save our Trains launched a petition calling on the government to restore the Southerner train route as a more accessible form of travel for South Islanders.
Wednesday Wire Host Oto spoke with Dave Macpherson from Save Our Train - Southern, to discuss his petition and why the Southerner should be restored.
Hearings on the regulatory standards bill are currently underway, with around 23,000 total submissions both written and oral. Early analysis of the submissions estimated 88% percent are in opposition, while only 0.3% are in support.
The bill has been pushed by Minister for Regulation and ACT Party leader David Seymour, who says it should support the government to reduce regulation and ensure the protection of individual rights and private property. The bill has been criticised for not including clauses around Te Tiriti o Waitangi or environmental protections. It has also been criticised for potentially undemocratic elements, placing large amounts of control in the hands of the unelected Ministry for Regulation.
In our weekly catch-up with the National party, Wire host Castor asked Tom Rutherford about the regulatory standards bill in light of the select committee hearings and new criticisms.
Recently, the government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mayors of Auckland, Otago, and Western Bay of Plenty Councils over the government’s expectations of City and Regional Deals. These deals aim to tighten the partnership between central and local governments.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to MP Cameron Luxton about what to expect heading forward regarding the relationship between local, regional, and central government.
They also discussed last week's Youth Parliament.
Youth Parliament provides the opportunity for 143 rangatahi aged 16-to-24 as Youth MPs, representing MPs across the political spectrum, and Youth Press Gallery members, to understand the country’s political processes, understand how government works, and replicate the Parliamentary process.
Youth MPs had previously accused event organisers of ‘censoring’ their speeches. This follows the MPs being asked to remove elements of their speeches that were critical of government policies, such as the Treaty Principles Bill and pay equity.
However, The Ministry of Youth Development has come out saying the way they communicated their wishes with Youth MPs could have been clearer and more concise. The general manager of the Ministry, John Robertson, says reviewing speeches and suggesting changes was a part of the process, but these recommendations are not enforced.
They also spoke to Luxton about these accusations, and whether they are tantamount to censorship.
Finally, they discussed calls by over half of the Youth MPs represented in this year's Youth Parliament, from across the political spectrum, renewing calls for the voting age to be lowered, to allow 16-to-17-year-olds the right to vote.
5 ACT Youth MPs, including the Youth MP representing Cameron Luxton, Fletcher Brown, had signed a letter calling for the voting age to be reduced.
This follows the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that found the current voting age is unjustified age discrimination and goes against the Human Rights Act 1993.
They also discussed these renewed calls to lower the voting age.
As the youth parliament is set to take place this week, a number of youth MPs have spoken out claiming they have been asked to change or remove elements of their speeches which criticise certain political figures or current topics like environmental action, pay equity and the treaty principles bill.
Youth Organisation Gen Z Aotearoa founder Nate Wilbourne was asked to edit parts of his speech calling out Ministers Shane Jones, Tama Potaka and Penny Simmonds on their role in environmental destruction.
He said “When your voices are edited to remove criticism, when ministers are shielded from being named, when we're told that our lived experiences are too political, that is not neutrality – that is protection of the status quo.”
As well this week, on July 1st a number of changes came into effect including the government’s Kiwisaver contributions and eligibility, the rate in payments for sole parents and through ACC, Healthy Homes standards, and procedures for receiving the job seeker benefit.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Sara asked Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about both of these topics
Following Israel and the US’ large-scale attacks on Iran, and Israel’s continued war on Gaza, this has raised the question on the future of international order.
News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to the Executive Director of the Britain Palestine Project, Dr Brian Brivati, about this turning point in international order, and what we should expect heading forward.
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has suggested to the local government forum that regional councils may be abolished, stating that
"After the upcoming changes to the Resource Management Act, I doubt that there's going to be a compelling case for regional government to continue to exist.“
Regional councils across Aotearoa are responsible for matters relating to natural resource management, flood control, and biosecurity.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said effectiveness between different councils is varied, and that councils generate too much bureaucracy and are “too focussed on vanity projects”.
As well, in order to make the most of local and central investment into Auckland’s growing city, the government is asking Auckland Council to increase the housing development allowance around key Central Rail Link stations in the lead up to the project’s completion.
Seeking to amend the resource management act, the government hopes to increase housing height and density around Mount Albert and Baldwin Avenue stations, allowing upzoning of ten stories around these areas, in addition to allowing upzoning of fifteen stories around Maungawhau, Morningside and Kingsland.
Producer Sara spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics, starting with the proposal to scrap regional councils.
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