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.
The repeal of section 7aa of the Oranga Tamariki Act was announced earlier this year, and the government is reviewing submissions on the bill this week. In response, more than 200 members of Ngāpuhi gathered at parliament on Monday 5th August to protest the change, which they claim will continue the historical mistreatment of tamariki Māori in state care as outlined in the recent abuse in state care report.
The repeal of section 7aa also joins a raft of other legislation under this government, which has been criticised for its targeting of policies or institutions designed to uplift Māori voices or address Māori issues.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Katie Nimon, Wire host Castor asked about the removal of section 7aa and how the government is responding to criticisms. They also asked about the government’s broader approach to Māori issues, and how they plan to address systemic inequalities through policy.
Air New Zealand recently announced their withdrawal from the Science Based Targets Initiative and removal of carbon intensity reduction targets.
The company says the move was driven by a lack of availability and affordability for new aircraft and sustainable aviation fuels.
The announcement drew criticism from experts who say the original plan was unrealistic and that the target removal was unsurprising.
Producer Josef spoke with Professor of Sustainable Business at the University of Otago, and Co-Director of He Kaupapa Hononga, Otago’s Climate Change Research Network, Sara Walton; about the announcement, and what it means for New Zealand’s emissions reduction target.
Last week the government finally launched their Youth Offender Military Academies, more commonly known as ‘boot camps’.
Since their announcement, the idea of the camps has caused a lot of concern surrounding their effectiveness and treatment of youth.
The first camp has taken in 10 youth, nine of which are Māori.
In Aotearoa’s history as well as globally, there is repeated evidence that a tough approach to boot camps hasn’t been effective in lowering youth crime, or rehabilitating the youth involved.
On top of this, the release of the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in state care last week has amplified concerns that these boot camps may contribute to a cycle of abuse, particularly for Māori youth.
Producer Evie spoke to lecturer in counselling, human services and social work at the University of Auckland Kendra Cox about what these boot camps may look like, and the potential impact they’ll have on Māori youth.
On Friday producer Evie also talked to criminology lecturer at the University of Auckland Emmy Rakete, who is Ngāpuhi, about her concerns surrounding the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki act.
We also talked about the Ngāpuhi hikoi taking place today in opposition to the act, and what they believe the government should be doing next.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, Producer Evie speaks to him about the proposed repeal of section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act.
She also speaks to Criminology Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Emmy Rākete (Ngāpuhi) about her concerns surrounding the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki act, about the Ngāpuhi hīkoi taking place in opposition of the act.
She also spoke with Lecturer in Counselling, Human Services and Social Work at the University of Auckland Kendra Cox, about the government’s youth offender boot camps that kicked off last week, and her concerns on how this will affect rangatahi Māori and their mental health.
News and Editorial Director and Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aoteaora National Chair, John Minto, about the 24 pro-Palestinian protests at occured across Aotearoa over the weekend.
And they spoke to PhD Candidate in Environmental Sciences at the University of Auckland, Nargiss Taleb, about experts calling for stricter standards surrounding compostable products.
Last year, the University of Auckland conducted a study into how compostable products affect soil health, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Environments.
THREE new reports have been published about the findings, which advocate for better regulations around these products.
Wire Host Joel spoke to PhD Candidate in Environmental Sciences at the University of Auckland, Nargiss Taleb, about the fundings of the study, and what this means for soil quality.
Last week the government released the findings of the inquiry into abuse in care that was established in 2018. This inquiry was established to investigate abuse in faith and state-based care from 1950 to 1999. Māori, Pacific, and Disabled rangatahi were all overrepresented in this report.
Now people are asking what to expect next when there is evidence abuse in state care remains ongoing, and while the government has promised an official apology and redress scheme.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to the University of Auckland’s Stephen Winter about the report, how it compares to international standards, and what we can expect to come next as a result of the report.
Wire Host Caeden speaks to Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni about household and tobacco tax cuts and the lowering of child poverty reduction targets
They also speak to Fiasol Miah from the Bangladesh skilled migrants association of New Zealand about the ongoing protests in Bangladesh.
And they speak to the University of Auckland’s Stephen Winter about the results of the Abuse in Care inquiry.
For City Counselling today Producer Sofia speaks to Councillor Julie Fairey about managing construction disruption in Auckland's CBD
Tuesday Wire Host Castor speaks to executive director of the association of salaried medical specialists, Sarah Dalton, about staff shortages in Aotearoa’s health sector.
And News and Editorial Director Joel speaks to CEO and co-founder of Wable, a social networking platform built for neurodiverse people, Holly Fowler, and Love on the Spectrum star and ambassador of Wable, Michael Theo, about the app’s release in Aotearoa.
The health system in Aotearoa has experienced issues of overcrowding and underfunding since before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While the current government campaigned last year on increasing funding to the health sector, most of this funding went to Pharmac and providing new cancer drugs.
Despite staff shortages in the health sector, the government has continually criticised what they claim is an overspend and poor budgeting. The new health commissioner, Lester Levy, went as far to describe the system as ‘bloated’, with similar criticisms from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in his descriptions of ‘fourteen layers of bureaucracy.’
Tuesday Wire host Castor spoke to the executive director of the association of salaried medical specialists, Sarah Dalton, about staffing issues in the health sector and how the government can address them.
Wable, a social media networking app inspired by the television series ‘Love on the Spectrum,’ which has been designed specifically for neurodiverse individuals, is set to release in New Zealand in the coming days.
Joel spoke with CEO and Co-Founder of the app, Holly Fowler, and Love on the Spectrum star and ambassador for Wable, Michael Theo, about what sets this social media platform apart from others, and the importance of designing applications in mind for people who are neurodiverse.
These past few weeks in politics have seen various issues that we spoke about in our weekly catchup with the National Party.
First up, at the Aotearoa Music Awards, National MP Chris Bishop was heard making disdainful remarks such as “what a load of crap” during a performance by singer Stan Walker.
Second, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngārewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi were recently suspended from parliament for 21 days for their haka protesting the Treaty Principles Bill. The penalty is far harsher than any previous penalty for an MP, raising questions about whether it is justified or sets a dangerous precedent.
Finally, the government recently announced a new visa for parents of migrants, allowing them to come to New Zealand for a longer period of time than traditional visitors without having to acquire residency.
Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues in our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, starting with Chris Bishop’s comments at the AMAs.
The recommended suspension for Te Pāti Māori MPs, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, over the MP’s haka in Parliament during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year.
Co-leaders Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi will be suspended from the House for 21-days, with Maipi-Clarke facing a seven day suspension. This is Parliament's harshest sanctions in the country’s history. Prior to this, the longest suspension an MP had faced in Parliament was three days.
The debate had previously been delayed so that the MPs could participate in the Budget debate — however, both co-leaders were not present at the debate.
During the debate MP Tākuta Ferris said that the debate was not about the haka, but at the heart, it was the House continuing to ignore Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori sovereignty, and that the “racism” in the House is hardly being hidden.
For our weekly catch-up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about the suspension, and what’s next for the party.
They also discussed NZ First Party Leader Winston Peters’ comments regarding Waititi’s moko, referring to the MPs moko kanohi as “scribbles”. He was asked to apologise by the Speaker, which he did.
But first, they discussed the suspension of the MPs.
As per coalition agreements, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, has been sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, taking over from NZ First Leader, Winston Peters.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about Seymour’s new position, and what this means for the party.
They also discussed accusations Seymour made regarding submissions to the Regulatory Standards Bill.
In an interview with Guyon Espiner, Seymour claimed that 99.5% of the submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill were driven by ‘bots’ and were ‘fake’ submissions.
Seymour later clarified to RNZ that by bots, he was meaning “online campaigns” creating “non-representative samples” that do not represent the public’s opinion.
The Ministry of Regulations received roughly 23,000 submissions on the bill. Of the submissions. Of the submissions, 0.33% were fully or partially supporting the bill, with 88% being against the bill.
Finally, they discussed the recommended suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs’ Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke standing.
But they, we discussed David Seymour as Deputy Prime Minister.
Auckland Transport are seeking community feedback on a proposal for a new T3 transit lane on Mount Smart Road to relieve congestion during peak times heading towards the Royal Oak roundabout.
Between better public transport systems, a ‘time of use’ charge, and different ways of managing Auckland traffic, Producer Sara asks Councillor Julie Fairey about how Auckland Council hopes to reduce peak-time congestion as the city’s population grows.
She also talk to Julie Fairey about the recent allocation of funds to community-led projects through Ngā Hapori Momoho. This year, the grant which aims to “improve financial security, improve health outcomes, and grow community and intercultural connection” has approved funding for eleven community groups, six of which are either Māori organisations or delivering ‘strong Māori outcomes’.
Sara begins with questions about Auckland central congestion.
*unfortunately the audio quality on Julie's end is poor
Last week the government announced a series of changes to 16 national direction instruments under the Resource Management Act that would change the way councils implement local plans and rules.
Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, described the changes as removing ‘unnecessary regulations’ for primary industries and investment, with the main changes being: removing freshwater management regulations for councils, removing regulations for the construction of mines and quarries and removing restrictions on non-intensive grazing of beef, cattle and deer in wetlands.
In that same week, Associate Education Minister, David Seymour made a series of changes to the pay parity scheme impacting primary school teachers, where education centres would not need to factor additional and higher qualifications when working out teacher’s starting salaries.
And, just recently, Workplace Relations and Safety minister Brooke van Velden recently announced that she’d be making a series of changes to WorkSafe in order to shift regulators priorities from enforcement to advice.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March to get the party’s take on all of these issues.
The Budget for 2025 came out two weeks ago, with news for the nation on how funds will be allocated over the coming year. The budget held big news for defence spending, $12 billion over the next four years, including $9 billion of new spending.
The funding is planned to go towards various technologies and equipment for different branches of the military, including replacements for two Air Force Boeing 757 planes and new helicopters to be operated from Navy ships. Defence Minister Judith Collins also announced plans to acquire new killer drones with increased lethality, raising some human rights concerns.
In our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the defence spending announcements, concerns over killer drones, and if this money is best spent on more military equipment.
After years of discussion, Auckland Council’s Planning and Policy Committee have approved zoning changes for the city centre, which will see taller buildings and increased development capacity within the Central Business District.
Plan Change 78 sought to increase density and will see double height limits for most of the city centre, up to twenty storeys, unlimited building height for a small section, and the removal of limitations on floor plans to attract investment into a wider variety of building types.
With notification of this decision made tomorrow, the changes are expected to be included in the Auckland Unitary Plan to become operative in June this year.
As well, consultation is currently open in relation to the Western Springs speedway, of which Auckland Council voted in favour of last year based on financial underperformance.
The decision to keep the speedway, develop a new stadium or explore new opportunities for the space has been a hot topic in public debate, with figures like former All Black Sir Bryan Williams, Rich lister Anna Mowbray and her husband, former All Black Ali Williams chiming into the discussion.
Producer Sara spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson this week about both of these topics, starting with the future of development in Auckland’s central city.
From 9th June, the United Nations Ocean Conference is being held in France, which is co-hosting the event with Costa Rica.
More than 50 world leaders are expected to attend, with 1500 delegates from almost 200 countries.
The conference follows the world’s first deep-sea mining application for the international seabed, which was submitted to the United States government as opposed to the United Nations regulator.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Juressa Lee (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Rarotonga), seabed mining campaigner at Greenpeace, about the conference.
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