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.
New Zealand is ‘grossly underprepared’ if we were to find ourselves facing a fentanyl crisis as life-saving overdose reversal medication continues to be out of reach.
Naloxone is one of the best tools available to treat opioid overdoses, and is available in New Zealand in two forms: via a nasal spray, or in an injectable form. However, only the nasal spray is available over the counter, and is $92 for a pack of two.
Experts say opioid overdoses already claim at least 40 lives a year in this country, and there is a risk Aotearoa could face an opioid crisis like the ones being experienced in North America and Europe if adulterated drugs continue to circulate in the New Zealand drug market.
Emilia Sullivan spoke to Sarah Helm, Chief Executive of the NZ Drug Foundation.
A Water Safety New Zealand report has revealed ninety people died by drowning just last year, the worst year for drowning fatalities since 2011.
Emily chatted with Water Safety New Zealand’s Chief executive Daniel Gerrard about the report’s findings and risk factors associated with drownings in Aotearoa.
The proposed government Data and Statistics bill has been criticised for its potential to threaten the political independence of the role of the government statistician.
The reforms would allow the government statistician to defer powers at will to other agencies, allowing for wider data collection.
To get a sense of why experts are wary of such changes, Casper spoke to one of the most prominent critics of the bill, former government statistician Len Cook.
The waiting list for elective surgeries has skyrocketed in the last year, with many experts pointing towards ongoing workforce shortages as the cause.
Thousands of people on the waiting list are in intense, ongoing pain, requiring essential operations such as hip or knee replacements.
For Casper's weekly catchup with the National party’s Dr. Shane Reti, they discussed the causes of the growing waiting list and the National party’s proposed solutions to the problem.
This week on the Tuesday Wire Casper and Emily were joined remotely by Marcus Jones who caught them up on the latest science news. Casper had his weekly chat with the National Party’s Dr. Shane Reti, talking this week about the elective surgery waiting list.
Casper also spoke to Len Cook, the former government statistician, about the dangers of a proposed Data and Statistics bill.
Emily spoke with Jason Young from the New Zealand China Resarch Institute about New Zealand’s relationship with China- past, present and future. She also chatted with Water Safety New Zealand’s Chief executive Daniel Gerrard about their new report on drownings in Aotearoa
For this week's episode of Dear Science Marcus Jones joined Casper and Emily over the phone to discuss prior Omicron infections protecting against BA.4 and BA.5 variants, Ear fossils revealing the origin of warm-blooded mammals and how cleaner air can contribute to global warming.
A meteor’s sonic boom was heard across South Canterbury at around 8:00pm on Thursday night. It didn’t take long for reports to come through on social media by people from across the South Island. The arrival was caught by at least four specialised meteorite detection cameras, as well as on CCTV and by at least one lucky astrophotographer.
This is New Zealand’s second meteorite this month. On July 7th, a meteor crashed near Wellington during the day with a force equivalent to 1,800 tonnes of TNT, creating a sonic boom heard across New Zealand. Two weeks on, Canterbury experienced its own meteor strike.
Joe spoke to Dr Michele Bannister, a Senior Lecturer from the University of Canterbury, on the matter
Palaeontologists digging near Saint Bathans in Central Otago have discovered a fossil that probably belonged to the Southern Hemisphere’s oldest known swan species. The Bannockburn Swan lived between 16 and 19 million years ago on Lake Manuherikia, a huge lake covering most of modern Central Otago.
Joe spoke to Paul Scofield, a Senior Curator of Natural History and Adjunct Professor in Palaeontology in the Geology Department at the University of Canterbury, about the discovery.
Joe speaks to Dr Michele Bannister, a Senior Lecturer from the University of Canterbury about scientists seeking meteorite footage. He also chats to Paul Scofield, a Senior Curator of Natural History and Adjunct Professor in Palaeontology in the Geology Department at the University of Canterbury about the ancient waterfowl recently found at St Bathans in Central Otago.
Trishil speaks to Professor Lara Greaves about the Green Party Leadership Vote and Professor Stephen Hoadley about the Grain Crisis in Ukraine and Russia’s disinformation campaign against the West on the matter.
Isla and Stella discuss how Mātauranga Māori can aid science in the management of kauri dieback. They talk with Dr Amanda Black and Dr Nick Waipara about the cultural significance of kauri and the scope of biosecurity in Aotearoa.
From Dec 27 to Jan 18, all train lines across Tāmaki will be shutting down for summer maintenance, a closure which is expected to be the last of its kind ahead of the opening of the City Rail Link.
The current measles outbreak in Tāmaki is being continually monitored, with exposure sites being updated daily on info.health.nz. The public are encouraged to track whether they’ve been in possible contact with the virus, and get up to date on any vaccinations to limit possibilities of transmission.
Auckland Council are supporting arts initiatives across the summer months, with Music in the Park kicking off in early January, and Movies in the Park following in February.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about these topics, and also asked for comment following the attack by two gunmen at Bondi Beach earlier this week.
Yesterday, the latest six-monthly survey of housing support providers under the National Homelessness Data Project, or NHDP, showed that homelessness in Auckland has more than doubled in the year to September. The report also found that 14 of the 21 agencies interviewed reported an increase in homelessness.
As well as this, Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16 has taken effect. And according to an interim report into social media harm, a social media ban for children in New Zealand is worth exploring further.
And last week the Government announced the replacement of the Resource Management Act, or RMA. The coalition said its replacement will slash red tape and supercharge growth.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the Government’s new RMA reforms and a potential social media ban in New Zealand.
But first they discussed the latest report on Auckland homelessness.
The Parliament’s Workforce and Education Committee has released an interim report on an inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders face online. The government has recently announced an overhaul of the Resource Management Act and introduced two new bills in its place, the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill.
For our weekly catch-up with the National Party, Producer Vihan spoke to MP Carl Bates, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of the Workforce and Education Committee, about the new findings of the interim report, the new Natural Environment Bill, and the Fast Track Approval Amendments Bill.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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