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.
Lab technicians carried us through the pandemic, diagnosing thousands of covid cases and working in arduous conditions to do so. Now there’s an exodus of professionals from the field, but the need for them hasn’t gone away. Stella spoke with Abbey Trewavas, an advocate at APEX whose portfolio is lab workers, about the future of the profession, given the experience of science students over the course of the past two years.
On this week's Wednesday show, Stella starts off chatting to advocate Abbey Trewavas from APEX, allied scientific and technical about the document of crisis delivered to government about lab workers. They also touch on the future of the profession, given a generation of lab work students didn't get comprehensive access to labs during lockdowns.
Alex talks to ACT's Brooke Van Velden in their weekly catch up. This week, they cover China’s new cooperation agreements in the Pacific.
Stella talks to the Green Party's Ricardo Menéndez March about the government's actions on the supermarket duopoly.
Finally, Frances speaks with European correspondent Cameron Mulgan on Eurovision, this week covering the war in Ukraine, the EU's Russian oil embargo passed late last night, Sue Grey's report on the Partygate scandal and nine euro per month public transport in Germany.
The latest 1News Kantar political poll is out, and it puts National ahead at 39%, while Labour has dropped to 35%. It's the first poll since the 2022 Budget was announced. The Greens are also up, sitting at 10%, while ACT is down at 7%. Te Pāti Māori is currently on 2%. Labour saw strong support in the wake of the pandemic, with Jacinda Ardern being the face of New Zealand's Covid-19 response. So, why are voters moving away from Ardern and her party now? Christina spoke to Lara Greaves, a political scientist at the University of Auckland.
Marcus Jones joined the team live in studio for Dear Science. This week, Christina and Marcus discussed gun violence research in the US, monkeypox, and the science behind why yawns are contagious.
Aneeka spoke to the National Party's Dr Shane Reti for their regular segment. This week, they discussed crime prevention measures and New Zealand's relations with the Pacific.
Christina spoke to Lara Greaves, a political scientist from the University of Auckland, about the latest political poll results that put National ahead on 39%.
And Jack did an explainer on the proposed Three Waters reform. He spoke to Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall and Waitakere Ward Councillor Shane Henderson.
We’ve all heard about three waters in the news, it’s something that has proven to be a topic of contention for many kiwis with conflict between local councils and the government dominating the headlines.
But there’s one thing that many kiwis still want to know, what is three waters?
The weight of not being fully informed on everything in this country was a heavy burden for The Wire’s Jack Horsnell so he put his investigative journalist pants on and jumped straight into the first page of google.
Jack Spoke Whanganui Mayor, Hamish McDouall and Waitakere Ward councillor, Shane Henderson to try and make sense of it all.
Aneeka caught up with the National Party's Dr Shane Reti for their regular segment. This week, they discussed crime prevention measures and New Zealand's relations with the Pacific.
The plant-based food market is due to get more funidng due to the governments Regional Strategic Partnership Fund. Charlie spoke with Emma Brodie, Campaigns Officer at SAFE, about the plant-based market, the shift away from the currently unsustainable dairy industry, and their new campaign 'Done With Dairy'.
An international study has shown that some animals have managed to adapt and evolve faster than previously thought.
The New Zealand Hihi bird, which was researched by Dr Anne Santure as a part of the wider study, is an anomaly among the animals in the study, being a threatened specials with a 'low capacity to adapt' according to the Department of Conservation.
Trishil spoke to Dr Anne Santure, co-author of the study about the study parameters and the hihi bird.
New Zealand has signed a partnership to work with California on acccelerating their climate goals as a means to reach net zero carbon by 2050. This announcement comes off the back of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's visit to the United States.
The Partnership will guide our transport policies, with the aim to have 30% of vehicles on the road running electric by 2035.
Trishil opened the piece by speaking to Climate Change Minister James Shaw about the partnership, the individual policies attached to them, and our trajectory for hitting our major climate goals as a result of the partnership. Trishil then spoke to Philosophy and Politics Professor Lisa Ellis from the University of Otago on the matter.
Charlie speaks with our segment with OurActionStation is back. Valerie Morse from Zero Waste Collective discussed "Regeneration not Incineration".
Trishil speaks about the Climate Change Cooperation agreement between New Zealand and California. He speaks with Climate Change Minister James Shaw and Professor Lisa Ellis from Otago University.
Professor Nicola Starkey from the University of Waikato discusses with Charlie the long-term effects of mild traumatic brain injuries in light of a recently published study.
Dr Anne Santure from the University of Auckland School of Biological Sciences, talks with Trishil about her research into evolutionary adaptation and the Hihi bird.
Finally, Charlie speaks with SAFE’s Campaign Officer, Emma Brodie, about New Zealand's plant-based market funding and their 'Done With Dairy' campaign.
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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