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.
Host Stewart Sowman-Lund and producer Justin talk through the big issues from New Zealand and around the world.
This week:
Act Party leader David Seymour talks to Stewart about last night’s vote on the End of Life Choice Bill, and what he makes of a referendum on the issue.
After that, Andrew Little is here for his regular catch-up. Today - the National Party backs down on supporting new anti-terrorism legislation. And who should buy TV3?
Then, Green Party Justice Spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman about why the Green Party is now supporting that same anti-terrorism legislation.
International Desk this week goes to Tokyo
And finally - Neighbourhood Watch is back for another week. Today, Australia media unifies for press freedom, and the treatment of race horses is in the spotlight.
All that plus Poll Position and some more viewer feedback! It's The Thursday Wire!
Last night, David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill was back in Parliament - but not for its third reading. MPs were debating whether to send the bill to a public referendum at the next election, should it enter into force. That’s the result of NZ First promising they would only support the bill at third reading if a referendum is agreed to. Last night’s vote resulted in a close 63-57 vote, with NZ First’s 8 votes proving crucial. Stewart Sowman-Lund spoke to ACT party leader David Seymour to get his thoughts and started by asking him if the vote went the way he thought it would.
The Green Party has agreed to support the Government's Anti-terrorism bill, after they said they would oppose it. Stewart talks to the party's justice spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman to find out what changed their stance on the bill.
The conversation around phosphate imported from the disputed area of the Western Sahara continues. After having spoken to one of the two companies who are the last two companies in the western world that continue to trade with Morocco (listen here to Ballance Agri-Nutrients who were the only company that agreed to a phone interview - Lillian is continuing to source information from Ravensdown), Lillian was intent on understanding the legal implications of this.
Kamal Fadel, who is based in Australia, is a spokesperson for Polisario Front - Western Sahara’s independence movement. Kamal had stated last week the group was looking into legal action against the companies in New Zealand. Lillian reached out to Kamal over Twitter to see if she could speak with him about this and it turned out he was in New Zealand for the next couple of days. Kamal had actually been part of organising Tecber’s talking tour, who we heard from for Part I of this series, and they had taken the rare opportunity of having someone from the Western Sahara visiting New Zealand to meet with government officials and attend conferences. When Lillian contacted Kamal, he was speaking at an event for the NZ Institute of International Affairs the following day. Lillian went along to the talk last minute and managed to introduce herself there - Kamal then agreed to come into the bFM studios for a discussion. They ended up discussing the legality of Morocco's invasion and continued occupation, the rights that exist for non-self-governing territories, and why there are plenty of good reasons for the NZ companies to stop being involved in the trading of 'stolen goods'. First up, Lillian asked what Polisario Front is.
"CSBP also completed design work and started fabrication of a regenerative thermal oxidiser that will broaden supply options for the superphosphate manufacturing operation at Kwinana and help reduce dependence on phosphate rock from Western Sahara." Pg. 47
"The two other Australian importers of phosphate from Western Sahara, Wesfarmers (through its subsidiary CSBP) and Impact Fertilisers, divested from the region in 2009 and 2012, respectively."
"Nauruans’ experiences of a resource curse from mining phosphate stands, as a case study of retarded development. Nauru was much adulated in the press in the early 20th century as an example of a small island that became wealthy through mining. The high grade phosphate that covered four fifths of the island was considered by outsiders as a very lucrative resource that had to be mined, particularly as fertilizer to enhance the pastures of Australia and New Zealand. The development of Nauru has been misinterpreted by attributions of wealth to Nauruans when most of the profits from mining accrued to the mining agencies. Sales of phosphate yielded far greater development to Australian agriculture than to Nauruan owners of the resource. Meanwhile the small island surface of Nauru underwent gradual destruction of its interior retarding any developments, economic or humanitarian."
This is Part III in a series, you can listen to the others here:
Mitchell talks to Forest & Bird NZ's chief executive Kevin Hague about a marine report discussing four priority issues the government needs to focus on.
How we handle our waste is becoming increasingly important, and our current waste system is not equipped to effectively recycle all the packaging we find on the shelves of our supermarkets. In light of this, Niamh Peren started the petition Thumbs Up New Zealand calling for the government to introduce new, simple and compulsory labelling on all food and drink packaging indicating whether the packaging is recyclable in New Zealand and made from recycled material. To find out more Olivia spoke to Niamh and began by asking to give a brief rundown on what she is calling for.
E whai ake nei, coming up on the show today we have…
On Green Desk Mitchell talks to Forest & Bird NZ Kevin Hague about a marine report discussing four priority issues the government needs to focus on.
Olivia talks to Interim Retirement Commissioner. Peter Cordtz from the Commission for Financial Capability about a new scheme to help retirees make their money last throughout retirement
Olivia also talks to Niamh Peren from Thumbs Up New Zealand about her petition to simplify labelling on packaging.
And finally Oscar talks to Mikee Santos, from First Union, about the re-opening of the parent visa category.
95bFM's Oscar Perress talks to Mikee Santos of First Union about the Reopening of the Parent Visa Category, what it means and what effect it will have on migrants and employers.
Last week Police Commissioner Mike Bush announced a trial of special patrol vehicles carrying armed officers. The ‘armed response teams’ will be made up of members of the armed offenders squad and run for six months in three regions: Canterbury, Manukau, and Waikato. Some groups are wary of the announcement, saying there is no need for such a unit in New Zealand and it will only lead to unnecessary deaths. Lachlan spoke with Emmy Rakete from PAPA about the announcement.
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
95bFM 
