Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Jessica Hopkins, Castor Chacko, Nicholas Lindstrom, 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 has announced that the flu vaccine will no longer be free for children under 12 or Māori and Pacific people aged 55 to 64.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at the University of Otago, Dr Elizabeth Fenton, who along with other health experts, says this is a missed opportunity for New Zealand's health system to improve outcomes and achieve health equity.
She started off our interview asking Fenton for her reaction to vaccine subsidies being removed for these groups.
Health Coalition Aotearoa have released a press release in which they claim that Associate Education Minister David Seymour is using outdated advice to justify cutting the school lunch program.
A treasury report released in 2023 has been used by the Associate Education Minister as evidence for looking into cutting Ka Ora Ka Ako funding.
However, Health Coalition Aotearoa believes more recent reports highlight the importance and positive benefits of the school lunch programs.
Nicholas spoke to Dr Kelly Garton of Health Coalition Aotearoa about Ka Ora Ka Ako.
A new study into dementia in New Zealand is seeking to fill gaps in our understanding of how dementia affects our communities.
The study will be the largest of its kind and will aim to talk to more than two thousand older people and their families.
The study will also seek to understand the prevalence of dementia across four ethnic communities Pakeha, Chinese, Indian and Fijian Indian, with parallel studies taking place in Maori and Pasifika communities.
Nicholas spoke to the lead researcher for the Indian and Fijian Indian parts of the study Professor Rita Krishnamurthi, I began by asking about what prompted the research .
In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters expressed New Zealand’s support for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Green Party have been vocal advocates for a ceasefire since the beginning of the conflict and have also been advocating for the granting of Visas for Palestinians with family in Aotearoa.
Nicholas spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the foreign Minister’s speech.
They also spoke about the consequences of job cuts in the public sector.
On April 2nd, the coalition government released an action plan discussing their goals for the next quarter. In the plan was a list of thirty six policies, some vague and some specific, addressing issues across various sectors. You can find the full document here.
In our weekly catchup with the National party's James Meager, Wire host Castor asks about several of these policies, and how they could develop in the coming quarter. These policies were number 4 discussing transport, number 17 on the Holidays Act, number 19 on the repeal of the ban on oil and gas exploration, and number 36 on the repeal of section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act.
Schools began implementing the compulsory Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum at the beginning of 2023.
By focusing on four key ideas – Māori history as the foundational history of New Zealand, colonisation, the use of power, and relationships and connections between people – the curriculum intends to teach students from Years 1-10 to understand the big ideas, know the contexts, and do inquiry practises.
Last week, the Education Review Office released a report on how the curriculum’s first year has been received.
Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Kaiārahi for the New Zealand History Teachers Association, Craig Thornhill, about some of the commentary from parliament that has emerged, and how the implementation of Aotearoa New Zealand Histories has been received by students and teachers so far.
Last year, the coalition government signalled its intention to repeal the Therapeutic Products Act 2023.
Due to come into force in 2026, the Act would have modernised the regulation of medicines and natural health products, making medical devices subject to a similar regulatory regime as drugs.
Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Professor of Toxicology at the University of Canterbury, Ian Shaw, about what the Act would have provided and the significance of the repeal in terms of New Zealanders safety.
For Dear Science this week, Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about medically implanted batteries, this morning’s solar eclipse, and the explosion of a star.
Wire host Castor spoke to the National Party’s James Meager about the coalition government’s new action plan.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to ActionStation Aotearoa Director Kassie Hartendorp about the government mandating referendums on Māori wards.
Producer Sofia spoke to Kaiārahi for the New Zealand History Teachers Association, Craig Thornhill, about the Education Review Office’s recent report on the first year of implementing the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum
She also spoke to Professor of Toxicology at the University of Canterbury, Ian Shaw, about the coalition government’s intention to repeal the Therapeutic Products Act 2023.
The flu vaccine will no longer be free for children under 12 or Māori and Pacific people aged 55 to 64.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Associate Professor in Hauora Māori at the University of Otago, Dr Esther Willing, about the impact this will have on the health of our communities, particularly children, Māori, and Pasifika.
She started the interview by asking Willing what her reaction is to this change in eligibility.
A recent study by the University of Auckland has found micro-influencers play a greater role in spreading information during crises than their larger counterparts.
I spoke to Business School Researcher at the University of Auckland, Shohil Kishore, about the implications of his research for government agencies, policy makers and social media platforms.
Disability communities have been rallying against a surprise change in purchasing rules in the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha. Communities have said the changes will have massive impact, despite no consultation on these changes or a formal announcement.
The Department of Conversation also recently proposed staffing cuts to meet funding demands. DoC controls a third of Aotearoa’s landmass which is all conservation land. It remains uncertain how job losses in the Ministry could impact conservation land management.
For weekly catch-up with the Labour party Wire Host Caeden spoke to Labour spokesperson for Disability Issues and Conservation Priyanca Rahdakrishnan about both of these issues.
For our weekly interview with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s proposal to increase student attendance rates and his post on X last week, in which he stated he stands with Israel.
A proposal to merge the Ōtara-Papatoetoe and Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local boards has been met with criticism, with consultation opening at the end of next month.
A new report has also been released on the quality of living in Tāmaki Makaurau with our city receiving mixed results by scoring high on some areas (the environment), and lower on others (education).
Wire Host Caeden speaks to Counsellor Lotu Fuli about both these topics for City Counselling.
The Ministry of Social Development is not immune to job cuts seen in other public service departments, with MSD calling for voluntary redundancies after cost-saving efforts failed to meet Government targets. For our weekly catch-up with Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni Wire Host Caeden asks her about the impact of cuts at MSD, especially amongst other Government policies disadvantaging beneficiaries.
They also ask about the Samoan Citizenship Bill led by Teanau Tuiono, and the impact of losing independent media giants such as Newshub for democracy.
For this week's Get Action! Sofia spoke to petitioner Abdul Safi and his campaign to place sanctions on Israel amidst genocidal acts that are widely considered war crimes.
If you want to sign this petition, you can find it here:
For City Counselling this week, Wire host Caeden spoke with Counsellor Lotu Fuli about the early morning vandalisation of the Rainbow Crossing on Karangahape Road.
They also ask about the end of half-price fares for under 25s, and the relationship Wayne Brown, as well as Auckland Council more generally, has with Auckland Transport.
It is estimated that 50 million people worldwide are currently involved in some form of slavery. Many of those who have been enslaved for their labour, and work as child labourers, produce goods that we import and consume on a regular basis here in Aotearoa.
Currently, there is no existing legislation in Aotearoa that requires companies to disclose the source of their goods, or to ensure that their products are being ethically produced; giving them free rein to indulge in modern slavery in order to cut their production costs.
Producer Oto spoke to Dr Susan Maiava, Co-Founder of the ethical directory Fair & Good who have created a petition and open letter urging the government to introduce modern slavery legislation.
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