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.
Recent scrutiny surrounding foreign political donations have flared after revelations that the National party received one hundred and fifty thousand dollars as a gift from Chinese Billionaire Lang Lin. Lin is an prominent figure in the Chinese horse racing industry and mad the donation through the Inner Mongolian Ride Horse Industry Group. This large sum has lead to fears over foreign influence on New Zealand’s political system. While the cap for overseas donations are supposedly set at fifteen hundred dollars, Lin managed to skirt these laws by donating through a New Zealand based company. Some, such as Victoria University's Dr Simon Chapple have called for an outright ban on foreign donations, as well as a cap on domestic ones. William Boyd spoke with Dr Lara Greaves from the Politics department at the University of Auckland about the laws on donating and the unequal amount gifted to right-leaning parties. William started off by asking Dr Greaves to clarify what the current laws are over foreign donation.
On the wire for the 4th of September we talked with AUT’s Allan Blackman on Dear Science about a controversial study linking fluoride to a lower IQ, as well as Pluto potentially becoming a planet once again!
Helen Clark spoke to us about the report released by the Helen Clark Foundation today around the decriminalisation of cannabis and voting yes in the 2020 referendum.
William Boyd spoke to Dr Lara Greaves about recent scrutiny on foreign political donations.
And finally Tu spoke to Philanthropy NZ Chief Exec Sue McCabe about severe government underfunding of essential social services.
On the Tuesday Wire, Oscar tries to fill the shoes briefly left by Olivia, and brings together a very full show.
We were lucky enough to be joined by;
Nick Smale and Noel Watson of The West Auckland Licensing Trusts Action Group join us to discuss the local body elections and their requests that the Waitakere and Portage Licensing Trusts hold a vote at the 2019 local body elections. The vote would decide if The Trusts should keep or lose their monopoly rights.
This week on Green Desk Mitch speaks to University of Canterbury’s Jo Carpenter who recently published her thesis on seed dispersal in Aotearoa’s flightless birds. The research had a rather specific focus on Weka, which are often be seen as a nuisance amongst campers and trampers, however Jo’s research has discovered that Weka are excellent seed dispersers and are essential to the survival of certain species. The research also showed the significant implications of human interaction with Weka, where those which experienced interaction through camping or picnicking tended to be 40 and 50% less effective in their role functions. Mitchell and Jo discuss the findings of her research and begins by asking her how it began and what she was set out to achieve.
Over the past month there have been further developments in Sudan as the peaceful protests have resulted in political change. Isabella spoke with Sudanese-American activist Wafa Elamin about what to expect from the new power-sharing arrangement, the potential impact of democratic Sudan and the role of the Sudanese diaspora. She began by asking Wafa about the state of Sudanese politics now.
and finally, we talk to Genevieve Brown of Communities and Residents about her campaign.
Over the past month there have been further developments in Sudan as the peaceful protests have resulted in political change. Isabella spoke with Sudanese-American activist Wafa Elamin about what to expect from the new power-sharing arrangement, the potential impact of democratic Sudan and the role of the Sudanese diaspora. She began by asking Wafa what the current state of Sudanese politics is.
Nick Smale and Noel Watson of The West Auckland Licensing Trusts Action Group join us to discuss the local body elections and their requests that the Waitakere and Portage Licensing Trusts hold a vote at the 2019 local body elections. The vote would decide if The Trusts should keep or lose their monopoly rights.
This week on the Monday Wire, Jemima speaks to Green Party co-leader James Shaw about the party's recent media controversies and how the party is responding to them. Southern Cross is back with the latest in Pacific news. Lachlan speaks to Professor Janine Hayward about local government voter turnout and what needs to be done about it. Jemima wraps it up with a chat with Children's Commissioner, Andrew Becroft, about the government child and youth wellbeing strategy and the need for more schools to adopt anti-bullying programmes.
Last week the government announced their overarching child and youth wellbeing strategy, which sets out a shared understanding of what's important for the wellbeing of young New Zealanders. Jemima spoke to Childrens Commissioner, Andrew Becroft, about the strategy and how it will be implemented practically. They also discussed the Commissioner's call for all schools to introduce anti-bullying programmes.
Auckland Action Against Poverty has raised red flags after lobbying efforts from several tobacco companies in New Zealand.
In an email addressed to Auckland Action Against Poverty tobacco giant, Philip Morris, reached out for a meeting saying “Philip Morris strongly supports the Government’s focus on encouraging people to switch to less harmful products and is working towards exiting the cigarette market in NZ. In particular, Philip Morris is working to address the high rates of women smokers.”
Auckland Action Against Poverty is now urging the government to regulate the lobbying efforts of the tobacco industry. Co-Ordinator of AAAP, Ricardo Menendez March joins Laura Kvigstad to discuss the lobbying efforts he’s seen occur by the tobacco industry.
We have reached out to Philip Morris for comment and will be retouching on this issue next week.
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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