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.
Rotorua Hospital has elicited concerns and outrage over people smoking and vaping in what’s meant to be their “smokefree” entrances. Hospital staff, patients, their visiting relatives, and public health experts think that those in charge of implementing the rules need to come down harder on smokers.
Experts such as Professor Chris Bullen believe the smokefree regulations need to be reformed, and have questioned their effectiveness. Producer Faith spoke to Chris about his concerns, and how the issue of nicotine consumption on hospital grounds needs to be addressed.
At the end of July, Pharmac made the decision to expand eligibility to a fully funded Meningococcal B vaccine to all children under five. This decision has been supported and welcomed by the Meningitis Foundation, who say it will benefit over seventy thousand children in New Zealand.
Now, the Foundation is calling for eligibility to be increased to a higher age limit, to account for all young people in New Zealand. Currently, younger people’s access to the funded vaccine is dependent on whether or not they fit a specific criteria, such as a first year student in halls, and the Foundation believes that young people would benefit greatly from the expanding of these criteria to cover a larger portion of the vulnerable young population.
Producer Alex spoke to Gerard Rushton, the chair of the Meningitis Foundation, about Pharmac’s decision, how meningitis affects young people, and why we should be expanding the eligibility to take care of young New Zealanders.
In July last year, the government announced a one year period of lower excise rates on the Heated Tobacco Products produced by Philip Morris. Last month, the government extended that period by two years, with evaluation now set for July 2027.
This move has been seen by some as a tax break or a corporate subsidy for Philip Morris, but some have argued that it is a positive step for harm prevention through encouraging smokers to buy healthier nicotine products.
Producer Alex spoke to Emeritus Professor in Population Health at the University of Auckland Ruth Bonita about the government’s move, what it means for Philip Morris, and how this will impact the health of New Zealanders.
Concerns have been raised with medical professionals using AI scribes to transcribe patient notes.
This follows research by the University of Otago, where researchers surveyed 197 health providers in February and March last year into their experiences using AI in their practices.
40% surveyed had used AI scribes for patient notes, with most saying they had found AI helpful.
However, concerns have been raised over the potential legal and ethical consequences of AI scribing patient notes, such as through data security and patient consent.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the lead researcher in the study, and Professor of Bioethics at the University of Otago, Wellington — Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke, Angela Ballantyne, about AI scribing, and how AI should be regulated in this space.
Last week, the government announced a proposal to replace NCEA with an alternative educational curriculum.
NCEA, which has been in place since 2002, has received mixed responses. In announcing the move, Education Minister, Erica Stanford, says that due to the flexibility of NCEA, this has “come at a cost” for young people to develop critical thinking skills and knowledge for future pathways.
The proposed changes include replacing NCEA level 1 with a foundational test, solely focusing on numeracy and literacy, replacing NCEA’s level 2 and 3 with two new qualifications, requiring students take five subjects, and having to pass at least four to obtain a certificate.
This move is not without its criticisms and concerns, however. For example, Many teachers have told RNZ that the changes, which are set to be phased in from next year, are too swift, with teachers saying they will need additional support during the transition process.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about potentially moving away from NCEA.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s proposed overhaul of the NCEA curriculum to a different curriculum.
Producer Alex spoke to Emeritus Professor at the University of Auckland, Ruth Bonita about the continued lower excise rate on heated tobacco products, and how it plays into combatting smoking harm and Aotearoa’s smokefree goals.
Joel spoke to Angela Ballantyne, a Professor of Bioethics at the University of Otago, on research she led into medical professionals using AI to transcribe patient notes and the concerns of doing so.
And Alex spoke to the Chair of the Meningitis Foundation, Gerard Rushton, about Pharmac’s decision to increase eligibility for the meningococcal B vaccine to all children under five, and the foundation’s desire to see funding expand to all young people.
With World Indigenous People’s Day coming up this Saturday we had an opportunity to talk to Professor Meihana Durie, who is the Co-Chair of this year’s World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education this November.
WIPCE is one of the world’s most significant gatherings for Indigenous educators and thought leaders, returning to Aotearoa for the first time in 20 years
It will bring together over 2,000 Indigenous experts and creatives from 20+ countries - all focused on education, language, climate, arts, and decolonisation.
Professor Durie is a leading voice in Māori education and kaupapa Māori health.
Producer Sanat wanted to understand how this conference fits into the broader global indigenous right’s movement so I started by asking Professor Durie about the conference’s kaupapa.
The deadline for enrolling to vote in Local elections and nominations for candidates closed last week, with last minute pushes across the country to make sure as many seats as possible were being contested.
There were concerns from the Electoral Commission and Local Councils across the country that some seats might go uncontested or only have one person running.
Producer Sanat wanted to understand what the state of local democracy is in Auckland and whether the council is doing enough to make sure it is healthy and thriving.
Also in today’s discussion is a conversation about Regional Deals. Recently Auckland Council signed a memorandum of understanding with the government in order to begin “negotiating” a regional deal.
Producer Sanat wanted to understand what a regional deal is and what it can do for Auckland, especially as recent unemployment and homelessness figures suggest that our city has been hit hardest by the recent economic downturn.
He started off by asking Councillor Shane Henderson about the state of Auckland's Local Democracy.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about the scrapping of NCEA, the opening of an FBI Office in Wellington, and the latest unemployment rate.
For International Desk, they spoke to Assistant Professor in Journalism at Mount Royal University, Gabriela Perdomo Páez, about Canadian news coverage of Gaza.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sanat spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about the state of Local Democracy and a new funding mechanism for councils called regional deals.
He also spoke to Forest and Bird’s General Policy Manager Richard Capie about the Government’s new proposals around conservation land that could see a significant amount of conservation land carved out for commercial use.
And he spoke to Professor Meihana Durie about the World Indigenous People’s Conference on Education, an exciting international event happening this November at the AUT campus about the international global indigenous education movement.
“When Genocide Wasn’t News” is a recently released Canadian book that documents major Canadian news organisations' reporting on Gaza.
The book claims the media has “whitewashed Israeli violence, dehumanised Palestinians and smeared a growing protest movement.”
Gabriela Perdomo Páez, Assistant Professor of journalism at Mount Royal University, says journalists who support peace efforts can easily be accused of being “biased” in favour of those promoting peace.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Perdomo Páez about Canadian news coverage of Gaza.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 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
With the rise of fast fashion outlets like Shein and Temu alongside the wider mainstream options available that contribute substantial amounts of clothing waste to landfill, experts are calling for an urgent response on a governance, business, and individual level.
Wire Host Sara spoke to Mindful Fashion Chief Executive Jacinta Fitzgerald about the problem, and the industry response to sustainability, as well as University of Auckland Marketing Professor Mike Lee about the importance of ethical consumption.for individuals.
First, is the interview with Fitzgerald, where she begins by talking about the organisation Mindful Fashion.
Following this, Sara spoke to Marketing Professor Mike Lee about the research he has undertaken around consumerism.
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