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.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about the seizure of the Madleen freedom flotilla by Israeli Defence Forces and the greens’ calls for Sanctions on Israel, The government's new Parent Boost Visa and the unrest in Los Angeles opposing the US immigration policies and how it could impact immigration policy here in Aotearoa.
For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Network New Zealand about a petition calling for Aotearoa to be kept incinerator free.
And he spoke to Neal Curtis a professor in the Faculty of Arts and Education at the University of Auckland to discuss why “reclaim the wealth” is a better phrase than “tax the rich.”
Max spoke to Brigid Carroll, a professor at the University of Auckland, to talk about the traits that make an effective leader.
And he spoke to Heemi Kapa-Kingi, Co-Founder of the ‘Soften Up Bro’ movement, to talk about men’s mental health.
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.
The Parent Boost Visa is designed to support migrants who may be struggling with workloads or who want to bring their parents here through a more clear pathway.
Wire host Castor spoke to CEO of immigration advisory and support group Aims Global, Arunima Dhingra, about how this parent boost visa will benefit migrants and address the issues they face more generally.
The Hard to Find Bookshop in Auckland is set for its lease to expire in February next year. The bookshop moved into the location on Saint Benedict’s Street in 2017, however it is unclear whether they will be able to move again, especially given rising rents for businesses and increased cost pressures in recent years. There is, therefore, a strong chance that the bookstore may be forced to close.
To discuss the future of the bookshop and the importance of secondhand bookshops in Auckland, Wire host Castor spoke to the owner of the Hard to Find Bookshop, Warwick Jordan.
For Dear Science our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chatted with us about new theories about the big bang, maths anxiety, and the legitimacy of a silver Dutch basin.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about Chris Bishop’s comments at the Aotearoa Music Awards, the suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs from parliament, and the new Parent Boost Visa.
They also spoke to CEO of immigration advisory group Aims Global, Arunima Dhingra, about the Parent Boost Visa and how it addresses the issues migrants are facing in Aotearoa.
And they spoke to the owner of Hard to Find Books, Warwick Jordan, about news that the bookshop’s lease on Saint Benedicts Street will end at the start of next year.
Producer Faith spoke to Kate Stone from Justice for Palestine NZ, about why she thinks our government should recognise the state of Palestine.
She also spoke to PhD student Yuan Gao from the University of Auckland’s health psychology department, about her research on how robots can help people with dementia.
Amidst Israel’s war on Palestine, France and the UK are preparing to recognise Palestinian statehood. There have been debates about whether New Zealand should follow, or whether it should be considered a priority.
147 out of 193 United Nations members have recognised Palestinian statehood. Producer Faith spoke to Justice for Palestine NZ co-convener Kate Stone about why she believes our government should join them.
Although there have been concerns raised about whether robots will replace workers, there have been proposals for how we can utilise this new technology without jobs being at stake.
Producer Faith spoke to PhD student Yuan Gao from the University of Auckland about her research on how robots can help patients suffering from dementia. She has focused on making sure they won’t be a replacement for caregivers, but how caregivers can work alongside them– along with the importance of differentiating the robots from humans for the patients.
Te Pāti Māori MPs, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke have been suspended in Parliament. Co-leaders Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi faced a suspension of 21-days, with Maipi-Clarke facing a suspension of seven days, over their haka in Parliament during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Margaret Mutu, a Māori Studies Professor at the University of Auckland about the ruling, and what impact this will have on the party heading forward.
Recent research by the University of Otago has revealed that more than half of all vape juice and e-liquid products on the shelves misstate the amount of nicotine contained inside.
The study showed that 58% of samples tested had an over 10% difference in nicotine content than what was stated on the label. Of these, 95% had less than advertised and 5% had more.
Producer Samantha spoke with the lead medical student in the research, Renee Hosking, about what it means for the health of the consumer and regulatory implications of these business practices.
For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial and Monday Wire Host Joel speaks to her about the proposed suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke standing, and NZ First Party Leader, Winston Peters’ comments about Waititi’s moko kanohi during the debate.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, they speak to him about David Seymour being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, Seymour’s claims that bots drove fake submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill, and the proposed suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs being held.
They speak to Margaret Mutu — a Professor of Māori Studies at the University of Auckland about the suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs and her concerns around the ruling.
Joel speaks to Michael Swanson — a PhD Candidate in New Zealand Politics at the University of Otago, about ACT Party leader, David Seymour, about being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, and if this will impact how the current government operates.
And Producer Samantha speaks to Renee Hosking, the lead medical student researcher at the University of Otago about a study showing that a large proportion of vape juice packaging misstates the nicotine content present.
David Seymour has been sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister as per coalition agreements. He will be taking over from NZ First Leader, Winston Peters.
During his first speech as Deputy Prime Minister, Seymour said that the ACT Party would be “Labour’s worst nightmare”.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Michael Swanson — a PHD Candidate in New Zealand Politics from the University of Otago about what this will mean heading forward, what the role of deputy is, and if this will have an impact on the re-election of the current coalition government.
Last week, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced plans to scrap the nationwide census moving forward. The census is the largest statistical survey done in Aotearoa, and provides the bulk of population data used in research and decision-making. Reti says the census is “no longer financially viable” and will be replaced with a combination of smaller annual surveys and administrative data.
While the change looks good on paper, there are concerns around how the change in data collection could affect representation of marginalised and minority groups. Census data tends to be more protected from bias than administrative data and smaller surveys, meaning there are more opportunities for misrepresentation. Some statisticians are particularly concerned about the potential exclusion of marginalised rural communities.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked him about the census decision and its implications on marginalised and minority groups.
Associate Health Minister, David Seymour, has recently announced changes to Psilocybin and Melatonin availability.
Psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, will be available for certain patients suffering from poor mental health outcomes. Melatonin, which is used for insomnia and jetlag, is set to be available over the counter.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about this move, and the potential accessibility concerns with accessing these medications.
They also discussed taxpayers set to be funding newly-funded cancer medicines for private facilities.
Finally, they discuss opposition parties criticised Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, over a lack of transparency regarding the effectiveness of boot camps for youth offenders, especially as boot camps have received a boost of $30 million, despite the pilot programme still being ongoing.
But first, they discussed Psilocybin and Melatonin.
Housing intensification is a key priority for Auckland Council as Auckland's population is forecast to reach 2.3 million by 2050.
But as planning for growth continues, some Auckland residents have expressed concern about the approval of developments in areas on flood plains or particularly prone to natural disasters.
With Kāinga Ora selling homes as ‘high risk investments’ in areas which were impacted by flooding in recent years, and 15 percent of all granted consents for new builds by Auckland Council being on floodplains, I spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about how the council is taking into account these issues for the coming years.
Last Saturday, over 2,000 protests took place across all 50 American States against President Donald Trump.
The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and they served as a direct response to the military parade in Washington, DC.
The organisers of the protests say they aimed to reject “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.”
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut about the protests and the backlash towards them from the Trump administration.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon recently spoke to media saying that the government would announce reforms to the Holidays Act that would impact sick leave entitlements for part time workers.
Under the suggested changes, sick leave entitlements would be processed under an accrual system, meaning that part-time workers working half the hours of their full-time counterparts may only earn half of their previously entitled sick leave.
In that same week, a directive was recently given to Te Whatu Ora - Health NZ to give private hospitals 10-year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries.
And earlier this week Associate Education David Seymour announced a review of the funding for early childhood education.
For our weekly Catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez-March about all of these issues.
Last week, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston announced plans to double the tourism value by 2034, with increased funding to support the country in reaching this goal. The funding is primarily targeted at increasing the marketing of New Zealand tourism overseas, which has been met with mixed reactions from tourism operators in Aotearoa, many of whom have been struggling with existing tourist numbers.
Also this past week, the New Zealand government imposed sanctions on two Israeli ministers for ‘inciting extremist violence’ against Palestinians. While the move has received cross-party support, opposition parties such as the Greens and Te Pāti Māori have criticised the government for not taking further action against Israel.
In our weekly catchup with National's Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with the new tourism funding.
This week on Dear Science our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chatted with us about characterising liquid carbon, a New Zealand led cleanup in Antarctica, and plants making their own pesticide.
The ACT Party has recently announced that candidates standing in local elections, if elected, will oppose attempts to mitigate emissions at a local level.
ACT Local Government spokesperson, Cameron Luxton, says council’s should “focus on what they can control,” and not “costly symbolic declarations”.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about this move.
We also discussed the government’s sanctions on Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
New Zealand has joined countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada, and Norway, in banning Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over allegedly “inciting extremist violence" against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and “undermin[ing] peace” for a two-state solution.
Finally, we discussed changes being made to the proposed anti-stalking laws.
But first, we discussed ACT candidates opposing attempts to mitigate emissions at a local level.
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