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.
The government’s new school lunch program, spearheaded by ACT party leader David Seymour, has come under fire for a raft of problems related to its implementation.
With rollout issues continuing since the first week alongside quality and quantity concerns, many are questioning whether the program change was necessary.
School lunches often support struggling families and students to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
Tuesday Wire Host, Castor, speaks to Co-Chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa, Professor Lisa Te Morenga, about why a school lunch program is necessary and how the new program stacks up.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Doctor Cushla McGoverin chats with us about the cleanliness of the International Space Station, colours on birds of paradise, and stretchable display materials, thanks to MOTAT!
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Tuesday Wire Host Castor asked about the new citizen’s arrest policy and its potential impacts across society.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, speaks to the Principal of Papakura High School, Simon Craggs, about the roughly 50 principals from low-income schools who have expressed concerns about the new NCEA tests.
Castor spoke to the Co-Chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa, Professor Lisa Te Morenga, about the government’s new school lunch program.
And Joel spoke to a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Ritesh Shah, about the substantial cuts to USAID, and whether we should revise the models of international aid organisations.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Producer Evie spoke to Simon Court about government legislation for a four year parliamentary term, and the government giving further powers for citizen arrests.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to the Director of Advocacy at IHC New Zealand; an intellectual disability advocacy group, Tania Thomas, on the recently released Stats NZ figures showing a large number of individuals with a disability are needing better care in at least one aspect of their life.
Joel speaks to an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere, on his doctoral research, calling for Aotearoa to adopt an animal welfare police unit.
And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio to discuss students starting university for the year
Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, and Producer Evie in studio to discuss students starting/going back to university!
Recently, Stats NZ have released findings from the 2023 Household Disability Survey (HDS), collected during the 2023 Census, that found that 63% of those with a disability in Aotearoa have called for better care in at least one aspect of their lives, such as with better support, reasonable accommodation, home modifications and equipment, and medical care.
The HDS found that in New Zealand, roughly 10% of children have a disability, with this being 18% of adults, equating to roughly 851,000 people.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Director of Advocacy at IHC New Zealand; an intellectual disability advocacy group, Tania Thomas, about these recently released findings, specifically for those who have an intellectual disability.
This comes as the organisation is set to release a report using these findings in the coming months, highlighting the significant hardship faced by those with an intellectual disability; reinforcing the need for urgent policy to address these concerns.
Joel started off by asking her if these findings were surprising to her.
Concerns have been raised regarding Aotearoa’s animal protection system.
In his doctoral research, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere, comparing our system with Alberta, Canada’s, Ferrere refers to our system as being ineffective, underfunded, and at risk of collapse, and has called for an animal welfare police unit to address the concerns with our current system.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, started off by asking him how grave of a concern our current system is.
Research from a new study of 185 countries has found that New Zealand and Australia have some of the highest rates of breast cancer diagnoses in the world.
However, our mortality rates from breast cancer were at the lower end of the scale, and reducing by 2.1% per year - well on our way to meeting the World Health Organization Global Breast Cancer Initiative goal of 2.5% a year.
Sofia spoke to cancer genomics researcher and data analyst, Dr Annette Lasham, from the University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences about the study and how we respond to breast cancer diagnoses in Aotearoa.
StatsNZ has released new data showing the government has missed all its child poverty targets, and that the number of children in material hardship has risen from 144,100 to 156,600.
The government’s proposal to expand citizen arrest laws has been met with a mixed response. The proposal has been criticised by business groups, First Union, and the Labour Party, largely for the risk to workers.
And protestors against a sewerage pipeline being installed through the tapu Lake Rotokākahu have committed to staying at the site after facing off with police.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about all of these topics.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni about the new Stats NZ child poverty stats, the government’s proposed changes to citizens arrest laws, and the protests at Lake Rotokākahi.
For International Desk, they spoke to Red Tsounga, President of the Aotearoa Africa Foundation, about the ongoing conflict in the Congo.
And they spoke to Carolyn Young, Chief Executive of Retail New Zealand, about the proposed expansion of citizen arrest laws.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sofia caught up with Councillor Julie Fairey about Auckland Council’s proposal to move Kumeū due to flood risk and bed night visitor levy to fill a budget gap for major events.
She also spoke to Dr Annette Lasham from the University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Science about new research from 185 countries showing New Zealand and Australia have the highest breast cancer incidence rates in the world.
And Wednesday Wire Host Oto spoke to University of Auckland health researcher Dr Joanna Hikaka about a new study on older Māori experience with ACC.
Conflict has escalated in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year, driven by ethnic tensions and access to mineral resources.
The conflict has been marked by murder, violence, and forced displacement. Over 6.9 million people in the Congo were displaced by the end of 2023, and 7,000 have been killed since January this year.
For International desk this week, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Aotearoa African Foundation President Red Tsounga about the ongoing violence in the Congo and what more the international community can do to support those who have been displaced.
Yesterday, the ACT Party held their annual rally, being called the “Free and Equal Rally”.
Notably, US author, James Lindsay, was a keynote speaker at the event.
Lindsay is the author of ‘Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody’ - among other titles, such as ‘Race Marxism: The Truth About Critical Race Theory and Praxis’ and ‘The Queering of the American Child: How a New School Religious Cult Poisons the Minds and Bodies of Normal Kids’.
Party Leader, David Seymour, says Lindsay is a “prominent advocate for free speech”. Prior to the event, a spokesperson for the party said Lindsay would discuss “reclaiming liberalism in an age of extremes”.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about the rally, why the party chose Lindsay as a keynote speaker, and we address some of the concerns with Lindsay’s previous comments.
They also discussed the first public hearings into the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the former government’s Covid-19 response, and what to expect heading into the next hearings in Wellington next month.
But first, they discussed ACT’s 2025 “Free and Equal” Rally.
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.
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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