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.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to OutLine’s volunteer coordinator, Jenn Tamati, about their perspective on how Aotearoa’s rainbow communities are feeling a week on from the vandalism of Karangahape Road's rainbow crossing, one of the most recent acts in increasingly visible hate crimes against our LGBTQIA+ whānau in Aotearoa.
Kiwis battling the deadliest form of breast cancer, are a step closer to gaining access to life-saving treatment. There are currently no funded treatment options for triple-negative breast cancer, but hope is on the horizon with Pharmac recommending funding for drug, Keytruda. Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Breast Cancer Foundation Chief Executive, Ah-Leen Rayner, about the path to rollout for patients in Aotearoa.
Climate change is a problem that hangs perpetually over the head of humankind.
In an effort to find a solution to this existential issue, some scientists have proposed using geoengineering to “hack” the climate.
Possible geoengineering proposals include injecting sea salt into clouds to increase their brightness and using giant space parasols to block the sun.
However, geoengineering has its critics.
Dr Kevin E Trenberth discussed the pitfalls of geoengineering in his recent newsroom article Hacking planet Earth will not save us from ourselves
In the article Dr Trenberth uses this fable to display ethical problems around who gets to control a hacked climate.
“Once upon a time in an idyllic country, near a small town and a farming community, a rope hung out of the sky. One pull on the rope changed the weather from fine and sunny to cloudy and rainy, and the next pull changed it back. For many years the people cooperated; the farmers used the rains to help grow crops, and the townspeople enjoyed the sunny periods. But there came a time when the townspeople protested the rain and wanted more sunshine. The farmers were concerned about their crops. And so arguments broke out, with a person from the town pulling on the rope, followed quickly by a farmer pulling it again, and they pulled and pulled and . . . broke the rope.”
Nicholas spoke to Dr Trenberth about his article and the implications of pursuing geoengineering as a solution to climate change
Nicholas spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Fast Track Approval Legislation and the IMF’s recommendations regarding New Zealand’s tax system.
He also spoke to Dr Kevin E Trenberth about why we shouldn’t rely on geo-engineering as a solution to combat climate change.
Sofia spoke to Research fellow Marnie Prickett about public health concerns regarding the in-process fast-track approval bill
Oto spoke to Professor Giovanni Russello, the head of the school of computer science at the University of Auckland and a lecturer in cybersecurity, to discuss the state of cybersecurity in Aotearoa, and possible steps that can be taken to improve it.
Finally, Sofia spoke to Dr Jude Ball joins us to talk about the impending introduction of even MORE oral nicotine and tobacco products
In August 2021, New Zealand’s intelligence agency was hit with a cyberattack carried out by a group allegedly backed by the government of China, part of a series of attacks that also hit government offices in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
However, the parliament data breach wasn’t the only cyberattack to happen here in Aotearoa. More than 100 staff members were the victim of cybercrime in 2023 alone, disrupting the operations of more than than a third of businesses nationwide. The repeated string of cyberattacks across the country has created discourse surrounding the vulnerability of cybersecurity systems in New Zealand.
Oto spoke to Professor Giovanni Russello, the head of the school of computer science at the University of Auckland and a lecturer in cybersecurity, to discuss the state of cybersecurity in Aotearoa, and possible steps that can be taken to improve it.
Social work students in Aotearoa along with many other countries undergo 120 hours of unpaid placement work as part of their qualifications.
During this time, many students experience financial and material hardship, juggling placement work with paid work or other commitments.
In a recently published paper, social workers discuss the conditions and offer possible solutions. Wire host Castor spoke to one of the paper’s authors, the University of Auckland’s professor Liz Beddoe, about the paper and how these issues affect social work students.
A Māori and Pasifika study space at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, has engendered wide discourse about safe spaces in universities.
Commentary has included ACT MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar saying the space is a form of segregation, and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters saying it is comparable to the Ku Klux Klan and apartheid in South Africa.
Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to Dr Julie Douglas, the National Co-President for the Tertiary Education Union, about this commentary and the importance of these spaces for these tauira.
A nationwide climate strike organised by a coalition of organisations including Fridays for Future, School Strike 4 Climate, and Toitū te Tiriti is happening this Friday April 5th.
The strike is demanding the coalition government to slow down the Fast Track Approvals Bill, keep the ban on oil and gas, uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi, protect land and moana, and more.
It will also stand in solidarity with the call to free Palestine, demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and calling for the New Zealand government to provide emergency humanitarian visas to Palestinians with family in Aotearoa.
Producer Sofia Roger Williams spoke to one of the organisers of the Tāmaki Makaurau strike, Sophora from Fridays for Future, about these demands, youth-led activism, and how people can get involved.
Education Minister Erica Stanford made several comments in mid-March regarding the government’s “one size fits all” approach to inequities in education.
However, a “one size fits all” approach has been critiqued by several education experts, citing differences in learning ability and environment that make a blanket approach impossible.
Wire host Castor spoke to Professor of Disability studies and inclusive education Missy Morton about the issues with a one size fits all approach and the possible alternatives to better address student needs.
For Dear Science, Professor Allan Blackman spoke to us about 100 year old preserved milk, climate change affecting the earth's rotation, and song lyrics becoming simpler over time.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party's James Meager, Wire host Castor spoke to him about transgender issues in light of transgender day of visibility, as well as the Fast Track Approvals Bill.
He also spoke to the University of Auckland's Professor Liz Beddoe about poor working conditions for social work students.
He also spoke to Professor Missy Morton about the government's "One size fits all" approach to education inequities.
Producer Sofia spoke to Doctor Julie Douglas from the Tertiary Education Union about the importance of safe spaces for tauira with regards to discourse surrounding a study space for Māori and Pasifika students at the University of Auckland.
She also spoke to Sophora from Fridays for Future Tāmaki Makaurau about the climate strike on Friday the 5th of April.
The Healthcare exec Brian Thompson was shot dead by a masked assailant last week.
The crime has gained significant controversy and attention online, with many using it to restart the debate on the inequities of the United States healthcare system.
And this week Yale University was the latest college to commit to divesting from weapons manufacturing after a student vote.
For State of the States this week Wire Host Caeden speak to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about both of these topics.
The government as announced their plan for the Cook Strait ferry a year after they scrapped Labour’s plan, including cancelling the ferries the Labour government had ordered.
And a new report from the Ministry of Social Development has revealed nearly a quarter of beneficiaries are not receiving their correct entitlements.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about both of these topics.
For City Counselling this week, producer Sofia caught up with Councillor Shane Henderson about proposed time-of-use charging to solve congestion problems in Tāmaki and Council selling their remaining Auckland Airport shares last week.
The Green party recently released He Ara Anamata - the Green party’s emissions reduction plan.
The document covers more than 10 areas of the economy and energy Sector that a Greens-led government would be looking to adapt to minimise carbon emissions and protect the natural landscapes of Aotearoa.
It also comes 5 months after the government released their own draft emissions plan. Numerous experts pointed out that the government is behind on their own plan’s targets to meet the crucial emissions budget for 2031-2035.
For their weekly catchup, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March to discuss the party’s new emissions reduction plan and how they would address climate and the economy in a greens-led government.
Last election, one of the National Party’s main campaign promises was to be ‘tough on crime’, promising to increase police coverage and penalties for crimes. A target was set to increase the number of police officers by 500 by November 2025, however some police leaders today say this goal is unrealistic.
The government also announced this week some shakeups to insulation standards, which they say should make houses more affordable.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor spoke to him about police staffing targets and new insulation standards.
This week on Dear Science, our expert Doctor Cushla McGoverin chatted with us about what latrines teach us about people, climate variation affecting Chinese dynasties, and invasive species becoming threatened.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
Last week it was revealed that two of the ten participants in the government's pilot bootcamp programme were on the run.
The youth were two months into the community rehabilitation phase of the programme, following the three month youth justice residence phase. Both teens were found in the weekend, but had allegedly reoffended, and are now set to come before the court.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, who have been heavily advocating for this programme, Producer Evie spoke to Simon Court about this incident.
She also talks to him about proposed changes to employment law which would give employers the power to dismiss workers earning over $180,000 without the employee refuting the decision.
And finally, she talks to him about David Seymour’s incumbent run as Deputy Prime Minister, which is set to begin in May of next year.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sofia spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about changes to Auckland Transport’s responsibilities, nationwide bus and train fare hikes, and concerns over the opening of the City Rail Link.
For State of the States this week, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Andre Fa'aoso from the Yale Daily News about President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, who was due to be sentenced next week for three felony charges.
They also discuss Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, who is the latest in a long list of unorthodox picks for government positions from Trump
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