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.
Last week The Green Party released a statement addressing the proposed imigration changes by the government, and how they could fail to guarantee pathways to residency workers in the types of jobs deemed essential throughout the pandemic, by prioritising high income earners - instead of focusing on the wellbeing of workers and enabling migrants to put down roots.
Joe spoke to Green Party spokesperson for immigration, Ricardo Menedez March, on the proposed immigration changes from the government.
Despite the temporary removal of the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax, Fuel Prices are reaching their highest recorded costs. As of today, the most expensive fuel station in Auckland is offering prices up to $3.15 per litre.
Trishil spoke to Larry Green, developer of fuel comparison app Gaspy, and Dr Selena Sheng from the University of Auckland Business School to discuss these trends, as well as future predictions
The Government has recently announced their bringing forward of the Aotearoa border opening to the 31st of July.
This includes a newly implemented two tier system for migrant workers, allowing professional industry workers to gain permanent residency quickly.
As this pushes back other workers in industries with high turnover rates, the Migrant Workers Association of New Zealand have publicly condemned the new system.
Liam had a chat with Anu Kaloti from the association about their frustrations, first asking her to summarise the scheme new government scheme
Foodstuffs, in response to nationwide concerns about the price of groceries, has announced a 10% price cut on its 110 most commonly purchased items.
This announcement mirrors a recent price freeze that was imposed in the last week by foodstuff’s competitor Countdown on its own essential products.
Casper spoke to Jon Duffy, the chief executive of Consumer NZ about Foodstuffs’ announcement, what it will mean for consumers and what it tells us about the current state of competition in the New Zealand supermarket industry. Casper began by asking him how substantial the discount will be for New Zealand consumers.
A recent report has revealed that police have seized over 95 Million dollars worth of cannabis within this year's National Cannabis Eradication operation.
The operation was ended shortly after the 2020s cannabis referendum returned a “no” vote, but was revived by six police districts earlier this year.
The program costs seven hundred thousand dollars per year and saw 79 kilograms worth of cannabis captured.
To learn more about the scheme and its effectiveness, Liam spoke to Fiona Hutton, a Criminology Professor from Victoria University of Wellington,
He first asked her what the police were intending to achieve through the operation.
Researchers from UoA, AUT and the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research have recently discovered the levels of damage that anchors are causing to Picton Harbour.
Anchors are destroying parts of seabed, and producing amounts of sediment that could supposedly fill an olympic swimming pool.
The researchers believe that this issue could be seen in worse states around the world, Considering Picton harbour is generally lower congestion compared to ports of Wellington and Los Angeles.
Liam spoke to NIWA lead researcher and UoA professor Sally Watson about what the study means and what it could predict for anchor damage around the world.
The 2022 annual budget will set the direction of New Zealand’s efforts to combat climate change, allocating resources towards crucial areas such as transport, energy and infrastructure.
Casper spoke to Bronwyn Hayward, a professor in the political science department of Canterbury University and a member of the IPCC intergovernmental panel on climate change, about how the budget might address climate change. Casper began by asking what sorts of investments she is anticipating with regards to addressing climate change.
Today on the Wire Casper had a chat with Jon Duffy from consumer NZ about Foodstuffs recently announced price cuts and what they say about the supermarket industry. He also talked to Bronwyn Hayward from the University of Canterbury about how the 2022 budget might address climate change.
Liam spoke to Anu Kaloti from the Migrant Workers Association about the government's two-tier migration system and the issues that come with it. He also spoke to Fiona Hutton from Victoria University of Wellington about the police reviving the cannabis eradication operation in 2022.
Lastly Liam had a chat with Sally Watson from the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research about the affects anchors are having on seabeds in Picton and the wider world.
Yesterday Myeloma NZ called for Andrew Little to release the independent Pharmac report. Myeloma NZ regarded the report as buried due to it not being released yet. Joe spoke to Myeloma NZ Chief Executive Dr Ken Romeril, on the matter.
As Covid restrictions ease, more employers are trying to lure their employees back into the office.
Dubbed ‘the Great Hybrid Return to Work’, employers have to make decisions on how to implement a working schedule that offers the flexibility that workers had over the lockdowns.
Emilia Sullivan spoke to Dougal Sutherland, Clinical Psychologist from Umbrella Wellbeing, about what employers should take into consideration when figuring out a hybrid working schedule.
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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