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.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to MP Shanon Halbert about the re-establishment on TEN polytechnics that were previously merged under Te Pūkenga, and Te Pāti Māori members accusing the party of being ‘greedy’ for running MP Peeni Henare in the upcoming Tāmaki Makaurau by-election.
For this week’s City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about her recent biking accident and her hopes for road safety in Auckland, as well as the recently released State of the City report.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Natasha Lindstaedt from the University of Essex on the backslide of democracy in Georgia, particularly due to Russian influence, and the public response.
Joel spoke to Tom Wilkinson, a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Auckland, about Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, nominating US President, Donald Trump, for a Nobel Peace Prize.
And on Monday, Producer Sam spoke to Peter Adams, a Professor in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, about the government’s alcohol levy, in light of recent lobbying by the alcohol industry.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the Green Party's call to Cabinet to drop the Regulatory Standards Bill after it concluded hearings at select committee, The government's decision to return 10 polytechnics to "regional governance" and The Green Party's decision not to stand a candidate in this year’s Tāmaki Makaurau by-election.
Producer Max spoke to Dr. Iresh Jayawardena from the University of Auckland, to talk about what action New Zealand should take to prepare for future floods.
Joel spoke with Ed Boswell-Correa from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation to discuss the cuts to services and patients at Tōtara hospice.
And Max spoke to Nic Rawlence from the University of Otago, to talk about Colossal Biosciences’ project to de-extinct the South Island Giant Moa.
Extreme weather events such as the recent Tasman floods, are becoming more common in New Zealand. With that, the risk of severe flooding is only increasing.
The question is: how prepared is Aotearoa for the next severe flood and what action is needed to prepare for it?
Producer Max spoke to Dr. Iresh Jayawardena, a lecturer in Urban Planning at the University of Auckland, to talk about New Zealand’s lack of awareness when it comes to floods and why short term planning has left many areas vulnerable to severe weather.
Back in April, American company Colossal Biosciences had announced a successful project, from their point of view, to de-extinct the Dire Wolf. Now, the company has teamed up with Sir Peter Jackson, Canterbury Museum and the Ngai Tahu Research Centre, to begin the de-extinction of the South Island Giant Moa.
In April, we conducted an interview with Associate Professor and Director of the Paleogenetics Lab at the University of Otago, Nic Rawlence, who was displeased with the American company’s attempts at the Dire Wolf.
Now, to talk about the recent news of Colossal Biosciences' attempts to de-extinct the Moa, Producer Max spoke to Rawlence once again.
Last week, The Green party issued a statement calling on the government to drop the Regulatory Standards Bill after the bill went through hearings at the select committee, with only 19 out of the total 208 submissions heard supporting the Bill.
This week, the government confirmed their plan to re-establish 10 polytechnics that had been merged into Te Pūkenga under the previous labour government as part of the government’s plan to gradually disestablish the wider institution.
And the Greens recently announced that they wouldn’t be standing any candidates of their own in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-elections, which are happening in September this year.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March to get the party’s take on all of these issues.
Recently, Tōtara hospice in South Auckland announced they would be reducing their patient intake and services by almost a third due to funding gaps.
This announcement follows a hiring freeze the hospice had to put in place last month.
The Hospice helps provide end-of-life care at no direct cost to patients, and is the subject of an upcoming documentary series called ‘Hospice Heroes’.
While Minister of Health, Simeon Brown, has said that funding to the sector increased by 3% this year, representatives of the hospice have said that those figures weren’t nearly enough to cover the costs of their services and that other palliative care centres across the motu were experiencing similar pressures.
News and Editorial Director Joel spoke with Ed Boswell-Correa from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation about the service cuts at Tōtara hospice and how the sector at large is being affected.
Earlier this month, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council entitled ‘From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide’.
The report names companies who have financially supported or sustained Israel’s ongoing war and genocide against Palestinians, and highlights pathways to accountability that “transcend legal and diplomatic rhetoric”.
She calls on civil society to respond to the actions of Israel in light of the limited power of the United Nations to effectively end the violence.
The United States has since imposed sanctions on Albanese, calling for her removal for allegations they say are “false and offensive”.
Exploring more in depth the potential impact of this Economy of Genocide report, as well as the obligation and power of the United Nations as a whole, and the New Zealand government to respond to the situation, Producer Sara spoke with University of Otago Professor for Politics & International Relations Robert Patman, as well as Amnesty International Aotearoa community manager Margaret Taylor.
Patman has published two pieces recently, criticising the New Zealand government’s failure to adequately respond to the US’ role in particular in the violence in Gaza.
ACT Party leader David Seymour announced plans to address the supermarket duopoly at the party summit on Sunday. Seymour proposed that international competitors haven’t begun operations in New Zealand due to restrictive approval processes.
Seymour says that while his opponents have proposed breaking up the duopoly or imposing taxes, his solution of introducing a third competitor would be the only truly effective answer.
Wire host Castor spoke to Emeritus Professor of Economics, Tim Hazledine, about his thoughts on Seymour’s proposal and alternative solutions to break up the New Zealand supermarket duopoly.
For Dear Science, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chatted with us about lightning created by peeling tape, links between talc and cancer, and a new form of Nitrogen.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the government’s health contributions in light of recent strikes.
They also spoke to Emeritus Professor Tim Hazledine about David Seymour’s plans to address the supermarket duopoly in Aotearoa.
On the topic of the recent Economy of Genocide report released by UN Special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, producer Sara spoke with both University of Otago’s Professor of International Relations Robert Patman, as well as Amnesty International Aotearoa’s Margaret Taylor.
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 party’s annual rally that happened yesterday, and the choice of US author, James Lindsay, as a keynote speaker, as well as the recent public hearings into the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the government’s Covid-19 response.
Following up with their chat with MP Simon Court, Joel spoke to the Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition’s Anne Campbell, about James Lindsay, and his controversial views.
Joel spoke to Dr Collin Bjork — a senior Communications lecturer at Massey University, about the government’s recently released AI strategy.
And Joel spoke to AI and technology governor, Dr Karaitiana Taiuru, about how the government’s AI strategy coexists with te ao Māori.
Producer Samantha spoke to University of Auckland Geology Professor, Phil James, about the sustainbility issues with modern society in the global north.
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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