Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news & current affairs show, The Wire. Your hosts Sherry Zhang, Justin Wong Mary-Margaret Slack, Lillian Hanly, and Laura Kvigstad focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere, in independent-thinking bFM style. Weekdays 12-1pm on 95bFM.
Mary-Margaret speaks to Low Carbon Specialist Robbie Sutherland about the extent to which responsibility for climate issues lies with the public versus government, and about which initiatives are available for volunteering this winter
Oscar speaks to Richard Hills in this week’s instalment of city counselling and we hear about the logistics of council’s operations now we’re back at level 1
Jemima speaks to Tom Kay of Forest & Bird about water pollution risks and lack of government action
And in Green Desk this week, Bronnie learns about the UNESCO commission for culture in New Zealand, where a new commissioner has just been appointed
Ports of Auckland has applied for consent from Auckland council to deepen the city's shipping channel so larger ships can come to the port. With the population expected to continue to grow, this means more demand from online shopping, commercial goods and general goods which come via container ships. Currently ships entering the harbor can hold up to 5,000 containers, with gradual deepening then allowing ships with up to 12,000 containers in the future. In an effort to understand why this is necessary and to understand the potential affects this move may have, James talked to Matt Ball from Ports of Auckland, and started off by asking why they applied for consent.
Weekly chat with Green party co-leader James Shaw on NZGIF investing into wellington ports and ACC Zero carbon plans.
Southern Cross: Pacific Media Centre Contributing editor Sri Krishnamurthi on the University of South Pacific and tourism in Fiji. Polynesian panthers Will 'Ilolahia also joins us, and we talk about overstayers, and keeping activism going for the next generation.
Finally, producer James Tapp talks to Ports of Auckland spokesperson Matt Ball on deepening the shipping channel at Auckland Ports.
Sam speaks with Associate Professor Yoram Barak about how to traverse the healthspan of life in good stead. Turns out the secret to aging well is staying social... Listen and learn!
Sam speaks with professor Elaine Rush from Child Poverty Action Group aboout growing food insecurity within Aotearoa and how that is impacting our young people.
This week Jemima follows up with her investigation into the commercialisation of social movements. Speaking again to Professor Neal Curtis, she asks what motivates brands to support political movements.
Sam talks to Otago University Professor Yoram Barak about the benefits of social connection for healthy ageing.
Jemima speaks to Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni about the Government announcement to extend and increase rent arrears support.
Sam interviews Professor Elaine Rush about Child Poverty Action Group's research into children experiencing food insecurity in New Zealand household.
Jemima has been looking into the commercialisation of social and political movements and culture in response to the action taken supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. She continues her conversation with University of Auckland Media Professor Neal Curtis to discuss the motivations brands and businesses have in supporting a political movement.
Lobby groups say fast tracking the consent process for eleven shovel ready projects neglects commitments to climate action, and obstructs consultation with iwi & hapu. Economic downturn as a result of COVID-19 lockdown has generated a need for stimulus. The government says infrastructure developments such as these 11 projects will act as stimulus, but commentator Rod Oram explained to Mary-Margaret why this justification is flawed. Mary-Margaret also speaks to Te Ara Whatu's India Logan-Riley about concerns that fast tracking due process will exacerbate breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and Generation Zero's Jen Coatham adds that an opportunity for climate action has been neglected.
As Minister Little is nearing a redress deed with Ngā Iwi o Taranaki, Mary-Margaret asks what the Minister has learnt from listening to Ngā Iwi o Taranaki over the last couple of years. They also discuss the lack of implementation by this government of changes that Māori justice advocates say are essential for fixing a broken justice system.
Lillian Hanly speaks to Tracey Martin about Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
Lobby groups say fast tracking the consent process for eleven shovel ready projects neglects commitments to climate action, and obstructs consultation with iwi & hapu. The government says infrastructure developments such as these 11 projects will act as stimulus during current economic downturn, but commentator Rod Oram explained to Mary-Margaret why this justification is flawed. Mary-Margaret also speaks to Te Ara Whatu's India Logan-Riley about concerns that fast tracking due process will exacerbate breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and Generation Zero's Jen Coatham adds that an opportunity for climate action has been neglected.
And in this week's Neighbourhood Watch Zoe explains the legacy of branch stacking in Australian politics, and the latest comments by Scott Morrison about the history of slavery.
Head of Community Libraries - North & West, Darryl Soljan spoke to Felix about the role of libraries in our communities and what the future may hold for the concept of the "library"
This week on The Green Desk, 95bFM reporter Bronwyn Wilde spoke to Kepa Morgan about a Māori approach to understanding and restoring the vitality of ecosystems in Aotearoa.
One of the most fundamental features of the Trump Administration is a policy of limiting immigration and reversing previous US policy on work visas, asylum, and deportation. Will Trump continue to limit immigration in light of recent US Supreme Court decisions and the Covid-19 Pandemic? Doug Becker speaks with Peter J. Spiro and Hiroshi Motomura.
For more stories like this head to www.thebigq.org
On today's Southern Cross, Pacific Media Centre director David Robie, reflecting on his experience as a journalist on Rainbow Warrior, we follow up on domestic violence in PNG, and journalism in West Papua.
This week Sherry Zhang talks to Green Party co-leader James Shaw, on the Electoral Integrity Amendment Act. This means members of parliament can’t change political parties once they enter parliament, and party leader are able to kick out MP's if they reasonably believe they disproportionately affect the proportion of parliament.
The first part of a longer conversation with NZ First MP Tracey Martin regarding this government term and whether the MMP government has been a success. They discuss major issues that the coalition government has had to respond to and what lessons she will take into a possible next term.
In this week's Neighbourhood Watch, Zoe explains a second wave of COVID-19 happening in Victoria and New South Wales, and we find out where funding for the arts is going at the moment.
Mary-Margaret speaks to the Justice Minister about yesterday’s opening of the New Zealand Criminal Cases Review Commission, and the restoration of the right to legal representation in the family court. They also have a more holistic discussion about making the justice system less 'homogenous', as Andrew describes it.
This morning Lillian spoke with Minister Tracey Martin of NZ First. Originally the proposed discussion was around policy and MMP given Martin has pushed back recently on what she says is a narrative in the media that NZ First is blocking certain policy - she’s asked why there’s less discussion on the policy NZ First tries to get through that also gets blocked. This ended up being a useful discussion about how MMP works and Lillian also asked whether the Minister believed this past government term has been successful.
However, this morning Lillian came across a Newsroom article which follows up on their ongoing investigation into Oranga Tamariki, so I put this to the Minister as well. Today we are going to hear that discussion and either tomorrow or Friday you can hear the rest of the MMP discussion and both will be available on podcast through the bFM website. The article by Newsroom addresses a range of claims made by people currently working for Oranga Tamariki as well as former employees. It addresses claims that describe the agency as ‘plagued with bad practice, bullying and incompetence’, the bullying described is often toward people who don’t toe the company line it says.
For full transparency, the article blurb is copied here:
“Last week Newsroom revealed details around Oranga Tamariki CEO Grainne Moss’ sudden exit from her previous role at Bupa and asked how, within months of receiving a payout, she had managed to secure a top job in the public service. Influential Māori leaders have been calling for her resignation for more than a year, with the heat turned up again this month after the release of the Children’s Commissioner report into the agency’s uplift practices. In the second part of this investigation we talk to current and former staff from Oranga Tamariki who share serious concerns over a culture in the government agency that they say can put tamariki at risk."
Furthermore, in the article it stated, 'in nearly all the conversations they had, the same issues were brought up no matter where in the country the OT staff were from'. Those issues are:
- Qualified social workers being replaced with unqualified youth or care workers
- Social workers being targeted if they complained
- Doubt over the way caseloads are calculated
- Children being misrepresented in documents going before courts
- Only paying lip service to Te Ao Māori
- Major issues with staffing at youth justice facilities
This is outlined here because there is not much discussion during the interview of the detail of the allegations.
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