Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Castor Chacko, Sara Mckoy, Emmanuel Orange, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
High levels of nitrate have been found in water supplies in New Zealand, especially in rural regions such as Canterbury, these levels of nitrate can pose significant dangers, especially to children.
Traditional nitrate removal methods produce carbon dioxide and other waste material, Producer Flo spoke to University of Auckland Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Wei-Qin Zhuang about the dangers of nitrate, his newly developed methodology and its potential usage in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts have been utilised since 2012 to treat offences fueled by drug use or committed by people in active addiction.
Offenders who would have otherwise faced up to three years in prison can instead commit to rehabilitation programs and community work to aim to address the core issues of these offenders.
Amidst rising levels of methamphetamine use in New Zealand, the courts have shown success at rehabilitating offenders in the community and stopping reoffending.
Producer Flo spoke to Dr Katherine Doolin, Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Auckland about the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts, the upcoming conference on AODT courts and her thoughts about the future of drug-crime related policy in Aotearoa New Zealand.
On Monday, the government announced that they’d be introducing a rates rises cap, which is expected to be legislated by the end of 2026. The cap would be a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 4% nationwide.
When talking about the reasoning for the introduction of a rates cap, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that ratepayers in New Zealand were “fed up”.
Along with this, The Labour Party announced that if they were to be elected in next year’s election, they would offer doctors and nurse-practitioners low-interest loans to set up new practices or buy into existing ones. In their policy, Chris Hipkins stated they would hand out up to 50 loans per year, which would be up to 90% of the cost of buying into a practice, capped at $500,000 dollars. They also specified they’d be prioritising areas that had no general practitioners or practices with closed or partially closed books.
And last week, the Government announced a proposed major shake-up of local council. Where Mayors of cities and district councils would take over the duties of regional councils.
For our Weekly Catchup with The Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the Government’s regional council’s announcement and Labour’s low-interest loans for family GP practices.
But first, they discussed The National Party’s rates rises cap.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about The National Party’s newly announced rates rises cap, The Labour Party announcing they’d be providing low-interest loans for family GP practices, and last week’s Government announcement that they'd be majorly shaking up local government.
Producer Flo spoke with Dr Katherine Doolin, a Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Auckland, to talk about the effectiveness of Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts, the upcoming conference on AODT courts and hopes for their further implementation in the future.
Max spoke with Peter Shepherd, a Professor in the department of molecular medicine at the University of Auckland, to discuss the World Health Organisation listing Ozempic-style weight loss drugs as a recommendation to combat obesity.
And Flo spoke with Wei-Qin Zhuang, an Associate Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Auckland, to discuss a new methodology to remove nitrate from water supplies.
According to new guidelines by the World Health Organisation, Ozempic-style weight loss drugs are now recommended to combat obesity.
The recommendations in the new guidelines are conditional for now, as the WHO have emphasised that medication alone can’t tackle the worldwide problem of obesity. They’ve also suggested behavioural therapies such as changes to diet and exercise. Overall, the WHO says these medications could play an important role in tackling a condition that affects millions of people globally.
To break down this announcement by the WHO, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke with Peter Shepherd, a Professor in the department of molecular medicine at the University of Auckland.
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A new study by the University of Auckland has shown rising levels of burnout within the Pacific community.
The research is the first large-scale study to examine burnout within New Zealand-born Pasifika adults between the age of 18 to 65.
The study found that 90 per cent of the adults experienced burnout, with almost 50 per cent experiencing burnout repeatedly.
Producer Vihan spoke to University of Auckland Doctoral Candidate Asetoa Sam Pilisi about his study on burnout within New Zealand-born Pacific communities.
Recently, the government has announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs.
As well as this, Health Minister, Simeon Brown, has called for the decentralisation of Health New Zealand, with the expectation that the entity focuses on deliveries closer to the front-line, additionally expecting a plan to do so by the end of the year.
For our weekly catch up with the National Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to MP Stuart Smith about these topics, starting with the regional council.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health released its HIV Monitoring Report to mark World AIDS Day.
The report tracks New Zealand’s goals towards the country’s National HIV Action Plan 2023-2030.
News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Peter Saxton, an Associate Professor in Social, the School fo Population Health and HIV researcher at the University of Auckland, about the report, and where the country is at in combating HIV transmissions.
From today until the 4th of December, a conference will be held in Queenstown that will look into pest management and how best to protect native species.
The event not only brings experts in the sector from Aotearoa, but will also involve Australian experts as well.
Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke to Dr Sze-Wing Yiu, a Wildlife Ecologist at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, about this week’s conference, and what to expect.
arlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum that made international headlines.
The speech was focused on the future of global politics in the face of a world increasingly shaped by threats and hard power, and the need for “middle power” states to cooperate.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Stewart Prest, Lecturer in Political Science at the University of British Columbia, about Mark Carney’s speech.
Last week, following weather warnings and torrential rain, slips across the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty wreaked havoc, cutting off communities, damaging houses, and worst of all, taking lives.
At the base of Mauoa, Mount Maunganui, a slip hit a council-owned campsite, claiming six lives and now eyes are turning towards how a tragedy like this could be prevented in future.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was among the world leaders offered membership on Trump's post conflict government body, the board of peace. The board has received scathing criticism for including people under investigation for war crimes and failing to have a representative voice for the Palestinian people. Luxon has, in turn, received criticism for not ruling out the invitation.
Finally, the New Zealand Defence Force has begun to incorporate uncrewed vehicles and drones as it moves into a new era of increased defence spending
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wire host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about Luxons refusal to rule out joining Trump’s board of peace, and the New Zealand Defence Forces incorporation of drones but began with asking him about the fatal slip in Tauranga,
As New Zealanders across the motu witness the fallout of extreme weather including landslips and flooding, climate experts reiterate the importance of connecting these events to a wider trend of increased frequency and intensity climate events.
In particular, experts including Dr Kevin Trenberth and Sustainability lecturer Sasha Maher say that New Zealand’s existing infrastructure needs to be upgraded to account for how future natural disasters and climate events will impact Aotearoa.
For Green World this week, Wire host Sara spoke to both of these experts about the challenges New Zealand will face on this issue.
First, Sara spoke to University of Auckland affiliated climate scientist Dr Kevin Trenberth about the drivers of extreme weather conditions, starting by asking how they reflect a larger pattern of temperature change.
Next, Sara spoke to University of Auckland lecturer Sasha Maher about the political response to these observable climate impacts.
Last week's landslide at Mount Maunganui has had severe consequences on people and the environment. Producer Vihan spoke to National MP Ryan Hamilton about the landslide and the government's response to it, as well as it's response to climate change, in general.
Tāmaki was hit with severe heavy rain warnings in recent days, with extreme weather and states of emergency declared around the motu. These heightened caution around risks of flooding in areas affected by 2023 Auckland Anniversary floods.
Last week, there were changes to national laws that now allow ‘granny flats’ to be built on properties without the need to obtain resource consent.
And stripping of marine life from rock pools around Whangaparāoa has raised discussion of shellfish protections, but not without increasing racial tensions in community discourse.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about how these topics impact Tāmaki Makaurau.
As a part of their energy policy, the current national-led government has reopened the door to offshore oil and gas exploration and mining after it was banned under the previous government. Last week, we saw reports of the first bid under the scheme, a sign of further oil and gas projects.
Alongside this the government has put through legislation increasing the maximum amount energy companies can be fined by three times, they say, to increase accountability.
Finally, rumours swirl that the central government is about to step in to override the rezoning plan crafted by the Auckland Council once again, as the groups protest the plan enabling higher-rise buildings around transport hubs.
For this week's Weekly Catch-up with the Green Party, Wire Producer Manny spoke to MP Recardo Menendez March about the expansion of fines on energy companies and the central government's intervention in Auckland Council's zoning plans. But first we discussed the first bid in offshore oil and gas.
The survey provides world-first substantial evidence of how unaffordable clean fuel supply can generate severe risks for health and climate in these communities.
Co-author Professor Hari Vuthaluru from Curtin's Western Australian School of Mines said toxic emissions, health issues and food contamination were among the consequences of this practice.
Wire Host Sara spoke to Vuthaluru further about the study in light of the environmental consequences.
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