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.
When speaking to people about sex education in their experience, you'll have a variety of responses. Some people had a single day of sex education in their entire time at school, some are concerned about the lack of concent education and some say they don’t even remember what they were taught in amongst their sex education. Michelle Kasey is a sex and relationship councilor who believes sex education should be more sex positive. While she’s not an expert on the sex ed curriculum she says she works with people every day who have been affected by a fear based approach to sex education. She joined Laura Kvigstad to discuss her work. If you'd like to find our more, you can find free resources on her website here or find her on Facebook or Instagram.
Stewart plays musical chairs with his Thursday team, and is joined by Producer Sherry in studio.
This week on the show
Sherry talks to 95bfm reporter Justin Wong, to understand the Hong Kong protests against the extradition Bill
Sherry also talks to Liam Finnagan, a Masters student at the university of Auckland in International relations, on New Zealand and China relations
After that, Stewart chats to Labour’s Andrew Little about the Family Court system, Oranga Tamariki, and the ongoing battle for insurance claims in Christchurh after the 2011 earthquake.
Finally we’ve got an eco-segment - Sherry talks to community recycling group - loop group.
All that plus some listener texts on the family justice system and China-NZ relations. It's The Thursday Wire!
Sherry talks to 95bfm reporter Justin Wong, to understand the Hong Kong protests against the extradition Bill. Sherry and Steward discuss the retracting of an article from Chinese New Zealand Herald on the protests, and Newsroom recently getting blocked in China along with it's critism of Chinese New Zealand Herald's self censorship.
Liam Finnagan is finishing up his masters in international relations, and is leaving to spend a year in China in the next month. Sherry talks to him on Ann Marie Brady, the history of China NZ relations, and if there is growing tensions between the two countries.
Its a tricky space to navigate, and it’s important to remember when critising foreign governments and their values, that there is the chinese state that has questionable stances on human rights. And there are the migrants and diapsora communities in New Zealand: wanting to connect and often just seeking a better life for their family. Open, respectful discussions, are the productive way forward when navigating the space.
Sherry speaks to Carl, a member of loop group, a community recyling group specialising in rejigging up old bikes. Carl talks about corporate responsibility and reducing consumption. Sherry begin by asking him what loop groop does?
Sherry has looking into a few community recycling groups on their views on New Zealand’s processes with waste managment, and if more could be done after coming back her trip in Indonesia. You can listen to her three prt segment on Banter Gebang, South East Asia’s largest landfill and home to over three thousand families: One, Two and Three.
Craft Homes is a is a company committed to building sustainable homes that are conscious of the environment as well as people’s health. Toby Tilsey is the director and believes in better quality, and more energy efficient homes. Lillian Hanly spoke with him about the issues they are hoping to combat with these types of homes.
In the interview, Toby mentions he doesn't know the financial cost for New Zealand from Asthma so Lillian looked up some of the stats. These figures are available on the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ website. One of the key things to know is that asthma and respiratory diseases are two of the leading causes of sickness and death in New Zealand. Over 597,000 people take medication for asthma − it affects one in eight adults and one in seven children (Source: New Zealand Health Survey). Large numbers of children are still being admitted to hospital with asthma, there were 3,050 admissions in 2017, and some of these will have had a potentially life-threatening attack (Barnard & Zhang, 2018). 77 people die from asthma each year, that's just over 1 person per week. By far the highest number of people being admitted to hospital with asthma are Māori, Pasifika peoples and people living in the most deprived areas. The cost of asthma to the nation is over $1 billion per year (Barnard & Zhang, 2018).
Tuwhenuaroa talks to Samuel Richard Walsh and Katie Kerr of Strange Haven about their books and art store on K Road, and what they want to achieve with the space.
On Dear Science with AUT’s Marcus Jones, we talk about hardening arteries, population growth and puppy dog eyes.
Sherry Zhang talks to WasteManagement Institute NZ Organic Materials Sector Group Chair, Chris Purchas, on greenwashing.
Lillian Hanly speak with Toby Tilsey from Craft Homes about sustainable building and the links between good homes and healthy humans.
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira, our newest Wednesday producer, talked to Samuel Walsh and Katie Kerr about the new independent book store Strange Goods on K Road.
Sherry talks to WasteMINZ Organic Materials Sector Group Chair, Chris Purchas, on greenwashing. WasteMINZ have recently released a new set of guidelines for businesses and consumers on the advertising of compostable products and packaging. She also asks Chris's views on the response from countries against the offshore shipping of New Zealand recyling.
The WasteMINZ report recommends products to not state ‘planet friendly’ or ‘eco-safe,’ with pictures of happy seals and polar bears, if not backed up by science, or following an established standard.
The term biodegradable is one of the most mis-used phrases, and companies cannot claim something is biodegradable in landfills as no reliable standards currently exist to measure this. Similarly with degradable, as “the length of time they take to break down can be hundreds or thousands of years and can result in microplastics, which enter the food chain and are harmful to all animals and humans.”
The full show podcast for The Tuesday Wire for the 18th of June, 2019.
We had the privilige to wander into the Community Garden to learn about the Walking summit with Living Streets Aotearoa. At the Green Desk, we talk bottle drives and deposits. We revisit Sudan to provide an update on the recent ongoings there and finally we discuss the Capitol Cinema 'closure'.
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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