Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Castor Chacko, Oto Sequeira, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
On Dear Science today we talk about creating nuclear fusion reactions in your bedroom, dangerous levels of carbon dioxide, and government funding being used for unethical research.
Fletcher Tabuteau is with us this week and we talk capital gains, golf tournaments and the provincial growth fund.
We hear from Jan Logie of the Green Party briefly about the deferment of the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill.
And lastly, we are back to our special feature on the Wednesday Wire, we have Episode 2 of Economic Anxiety with Rod Oram.
The Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill has been deferred. The Bill is necessary to improve ease of identification for members of the transgender and nonbinary communities. Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin sez it has been deferred due to "problems caused by the select committee process." The Green Party is disappointed with the delay and MP Jan Logie says they are working hard to ensure the Bill is passed soon. Isabella Holdsworth spoke briefly with Logie and started by asking why the bill was deferred.
To start the show off, we have a quick recap on Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s speech to the business community this morning at Eden Park
Then we discuss poor housing conditions through the lense of the government's recent announcement of a plan and a schedule for healthier homes, and the coincidental release of a report on the cost of unhealthy dwellings.
Lillian Hanly talks to our correspondent in Europe, Mary-Margaret Slack about the latest Brexit developments.
We keep it international and we head to Cuba for a report on this weekend’s vote on a new Constitution for the island.
On the Green Desk this week: Mitchell talks to Puna Wano-Bryant about the recently formed role of Kaitiaki Whenua Ranger under Te Kahui o Taranaki
This week, Lillian Hanly speaks to Mary-Margaret Slack about the latest developments on Brexit, which ironically seem much similar to the latest developments last month. They touch on Prime Minister Theresa May’s hope for a winning vote on the same withdrawal agreement she has previously laid out, the EU’s suggestion of a a 2021 Brexit and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn’s relenting to consider a second referendum on Brexit itself.
Lillian Hanly went along to the Breakfast with the Finance Minister at Eden Park this morning. Grant Robertson gave a speech outlining NZ's economic position and where the government wants to go with that in the long term. Lillian gives a recap of the speech and reflects on conversations around a possible Capital Gains Tax.
Cubans were invited to vote on a new Constitution, the first since 1976.
While heavy support for the text, which enshrines communism despite offering a few liberal reforms, is to be expected, the almost year-long campaign has given a voice to dissidents, and shown Cubans are not as united as they used to be.
At the time of the recording, the results had not come in. Official results show that 86% of the voters have supported the new Constitution.
Lisa Boudet brings us an overview of the Healthy Homes Standards released by the government this week, and a report on the financial cost of poor housing conditions in New Zealand. Mayor Phil Goff chatted about these issues with Mikey on Breakfast the same morning, so this audio is included, as well as a brief interview with Dr Lynn Riggs who co-authored the research.
Amnesty International has released a new report that shows a worrying increase in legislation targeting human rights groups, impacting on their ability to carry out their work. Lachlan spoke with Tony Blackett, Executive Director of Amnesty International New Zealand, about the report.
The Government has announced new regulations for rental homes. They go further than the changes implemented by the previous government which largely relied on self reporting from tenants. Lachlan spoke to Sam Archer from the New Zealand Green Building council about the changes
Last week, the council’s Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) Committee said they would be seeking to implement a number of recommendations that improve emergency readiness for disabled populations.
Following a hui last year where community members were invited to bring forward issues relating to future planning for natural disasters, Sara was interested to hear about how the council is taking suggestions on board.
As well, Auckland Council has been considering proposals to mitigate flood risks around the Wairau catchment, including one which would see the reduction of the size of the Takapuna Golf Course, to convert the space into a flood catchment.
Producer Sara spoke to Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson on both of these topics, firstly by asking him to discuss the desired outcomes relating to emergency preparedness for disabled people, and the council’s first steps to implementation
Zohran Mamdani has all but won the Democratic Primary in New York City after key competitor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race.
Mamdani will now be the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor.
His campaign was built on cost-of-living, where Mamdani presented himself as an authentic, Democratic Socialist, grassroots campaign leader.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to 95bFM reporter and South Asia correspondent Sanat Singh about Momdani’s win, what this means for the communities he represents, and where to from here.
A reported 131,000 submissions were made on the Regulatory Standards Bill.
The Bill, proposed by the ACT party, includes a set of principles outlining “responsible regulation.” Notably, it does not include any mention of either version of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Last weekend, hundreds of Destiny Church members marched on Queen Street in a rally that they called “in defence of faith, flag, and family.”
And the Labour Party has criticised the framing of a poll question by the Taxpayers Union/Curia on whether or not Cook Islanders should retain automatic New Zealand citizenship.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden asked Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about all of these topics.
Recently the Green Party commissioned independent legal advice to look into the government’s $200 million investment in new gas fields that was carried out last month and found out that the investment was in breach of the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS).
NZ First MP Shane Jones recently announced that he’d be drafting a member's bill to force Ngāpuhi into a single commercial settlement, which would prevent hapū from negotiating separate commercial redresses and remove any reference to hapū sovereignty from the settlement terms.
And the Green party recently issued a call to the New Zealand government to condemn the US strikes on Iranian Nuclear facilities, almost a week after Iran and Israel had both been trading missile strikes between each other.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke with MP Hūhana Lyndon to get the party’s take on all of these issues
Last week, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced plans to scrap the nationwide census moving forward. The census is the largest statistical survey done in Aotearoa, and provides the bulk of population data used in research and decision-making. Reti says the census is “no longer financially viable” and will be replaced with a combination of smaller annual surveys and administrative data.
While the change looks good on paper, there are concerns around how the change in data collection could affect representation of marginalised and minority groups. Census data tends to be more protected from bias than administrative data and smaller surveys, meaning there are more opportunities for misrepresentation. Some statisticians are particularly concerned about the potential exclusion of marginalised rural communities.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked him about the census decision and its implications on marginalised and minority groups.
Associate Health Minister, David Seymour, has recently announced changes to Psilocybin and Melatonin availability.
Psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, will be available for certain patients suffering from poor mental health outcomes. Melatonin, which is used for insomnia and jetlag, is set to be available over the counter.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about this move, and the potential accessibility concerns with accessing these medications.
They also discussed taxpayers set to be funding newly-funded cancer medicines for private facilities.
Finally, they discuss opposition parties criticised Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, over a lack of transparency regarding the effectiveness of boot camps for youth offenders, especially as boot camps have received a boost of $30 million, despite the pilot programme still being ongoing.
But first, they discussed Psilocybin and Melatonin.
Last Saturday, over 2,000 protests took place across all 50 American States against President Donald Trump.
The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and they served as a direct response to the military parade in Washington, DC.
The organisers of the protests say they aimed to reject “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.”
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut about the protests and the backlash towards them from the Trump administration.
Housing intensification is a key priority for Auckland Council as Auckland's population is forecast to reach 2.3 million by 2050.
But as planning for growth continues, some Auckland residents have expressed concern about the approval of developments in areas on flood plains or particularly prone to natural disasters.
With Kāinga Ora selling homes as ‘high risk investments’ in areas which were impacted by flooding in recent years, and 15 percent of all granted consents for new builds by Auckland Council being on floodplains, I spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about how the council is taking into account these issues for the coming years.
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