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.
Earlier in the week the government announced the 2022 Special Ukraine Policy which will open up a fasttracked path for immigration for the family of Ukrainians in New Zealand.
This policy is expected to benefit around four thousand people and will be open for one year from now.
Green party MP and immigration spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March put out a media release following the announcement in which he calls for this response to be a part of a broader equitable framework.
Casper spoke to Ricardo about the policy and how it might be extended as a part of New Zealand’s immigration approach.
It's another Friday Wire! This week on the show, Casper talked to Green party MP Ricardo Menendez March about a media release he put out calling for the Ukraine response to be a part of a broader equitable framework.
Liam had a chat with with Jackie Edmond from Family Planning about the safe areas bill surrounding abortion clinics.
Casper also spoke to Shane Henderson as part of our regular city counselling segment, and today we talked about the government’s recent announcement to temporarily reduce the cost of fuel and public transport as well as the time running out for Auckland city’s annual budget consultation.
Liam also spoke to Alan Renwick from Lincoln University about the implications of Te Pati Maoris New policy to end the GST on Kai.
Finally, Casper interviewed Dr Timothy Welch from the university of Auckland on the hidden costs of cars.
After two years since Abortion was initially decriminalised in Aotearoa, the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Bill has passed with a vast majority.
Led by Labour MP Louisa Wall, 108 MP’s voted for the bill with only nine national MP’s and three Labour MP’s voting against.
The bill allows for a hundred and fifty metre safe area around clinics banning protests from taking place within the space area.
To learn more abot the bill and how it’ll affect Aotearoa, Liam Hansen spoke to NZ family planning chief executive Jackie Edmond about the bill.
There has been a great deal of talk recently about the rising cost of fuel with the price per liter reaching over $3 in New Zealand.
However, there are hidden costs to driving cars that are not factored in at the pump, particularly in regards to the environmental and social impacts of the car’s prevalence.
Casper had a chat with Dr Tim Welch, a senior lecturer in architecture and planning at the University of Auckland, about the hidden costs of cars and what rising fuel prices mean from a broader, social lens.
The New Zealand Dental Association is calling on the Government to deliver on its dental promises this World Oral Health Day. Joe spoke to Dr. Katie Ayers, the NZDA Access to Care spokesperson on the matter.
Today on the show, Joe Wickins speaks to Dr. David Welch about New Zealand's border reopening being shifted to April.
In our weekly chat with Andrew Little, Tuva'a Clifton talks to him about mental health and the strike action by healthcare workers that was called off.
Joe also speaks to Lynda Stuart, former President of the NZEI and current principal of May Road School about the most recent OECD report.
Emilia Sullivan speaks to Sarah Salmond, a partner at MinterEllisonRuddWatts about the Russia Sanctions Act and how she is helping her clients navigate new restrictions.
Lastly, Joe also speaks to the Dr. Katie Ayers of the New Zealand Dental Association regarding the upcoming World Oral Health day.
Parliament unanimously passed the Russia Sanctions Act last week in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the sanctions would be able to target those associated with the invasion, including people, services, companies, and assets.
Emilia Sullivan spoke to Sarah Salmond, a Partner at MinterEllisonRuddWatts who is currently helping clients navigate these new restrictions.
A recent OECD Report has highlighted the need for increased levels of equity funding and better support for teachers and school leaders in disadvantaged schools. Joe spoke to Lynda Stuart, the former President of the NZEI and the current Principal of May Road School about the report.
Earlier this week, the government announced the date of the border reopening. The country’s border is set to open for tourists and others from Australia without residence visas from midnight 12 April, and travellers from visa waiver countries such as the US and UK will come in May 2, with mandatory vaccination and a negative pre-departure test. Joe spoke to Dr. David Welch, a Senior Lecturer from the Centre for Computational Evolution and School of Computer Science at the University of Auckland
The Green party recently made renewed calls to the government to sanction Israel for its illegal occupation of Palestine following the seizure of the Madleen, a vessel that aimed to deliver food and medical aid to Gaza.
The vessel, which was en route to Gaza, was intercepted in the Mediterranean by the Israeli Defence Forces before being rerouted to Israel with all those on board, among whom was Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Immigration Minister Erica Stanford recently announced the Parent Boost Visa, part of the government’s self-described commitment to supporting parents living overseas to visit and stay with their families here in Aotearoa.
And, over in the United States, 2000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles in response to protests opposing the city’s recent immigration raids.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about all of these issues
Currently, 19 out of 38 OECD countries use incineration as a form of waste management.
With the process leading to a range of negative impacts, such as air pollution, Co2 emissions and respiratory illnesses, Aotearoa has luckily remained incinerator free.
However, calls have been made by some activists to strengthen New Zealand’s legislation to ensure that incineration facilities are not opened up in Aotearoa.
For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Network New Zealand to discuss a petition calling on the government to keep New Zealand Incinerator-free.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here:
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.
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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