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.
In 2022, the Supreme Court used the idea of damage to a person’s mana to overturn Peter Ellis’ historic convictions for child sexual abuse.
In two more recent cases – Green v Police, and Sweeney v Prison Manager of Spring Hill Corrections Facility – the courts too engaged with the concept of mana.
Wire host Sofia Roger Williams spoke to lecturer at the University of Canterbury’s Faculty of Law, Rachael Evans (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Pamoana), about the significance of the precedents they set and how the courts have measured mana.
She began the interview asking her about these cases and how each of them engaged with the concept of mana.
In breaking news early this morning, President Joe Biden stepped down as the democratic candidate in the election race. It comes following mounting concern around Biden’s age and competence to serve another term as President, as well as a campaign from the party itself for the President to step back.
Now, only three and half months out from election day the democrats must pick a new candidate, likely to be Vice-President, Kamala Harris.
Producer Evie spoke to Geopolitical Analyst from the University of Otago, Geoffrey Miller, about what happens next and what effect this will have on the democrats chances of staying in office. We also talk about what impact the result of the election will have here in Aotearoa, as well as on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine.
It has been two years since the Supreme Court of the United States decision to overturn Roe v Wade. This effectively reversed a recognised constitutional right for Abortion in the United States, paving the way for states to set up bans.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to the University of Auckland’s Liz Beddoe about what the impact in the United States has been, and if there still could be potential ramifications here in Aotearoa.
Wire host Caeden speaks to Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime about the beginning of boot camps for youth offenders at the end of this month and funding cuts at Oranga Tamariki.
They speak to Dr Simone Watkins from the University of Auckland about the importance of equitable approaches for Māori, Pacific, and Indian communities in our health system.
And they speak to the University of Auckland’s Liz Beddoe about the state of reproductive justice in the United States two years on from the overturning of Roe v Wade.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sofia speaks to Councillor Julie Fairey about flood prevention work in Māngere and Muriwai as well as increasing public safety in Auckland’s CBD.
Tuesday Wire host Castor spoke to Professor of business at the University of Auckland, Alex Sims, about the history and impact of planned obsolescence.
Along with wind energy and electric vehicles, the growth of solar power is expected to have one of the largest contributions to reducing global carbon emissions.
According to statistics from Climate Analytics, 2024 is likely to be the year that carbon dioxide emissions peak and start to fall, in part thanks to innovations that have allowed the growth of renewable energy sources.
Sasha spoke to Professor Emeritus Ralph Cooney in the department of chemical sciences at the university of Auckland to discuss the evolution of solar power and its contribution to reducing global emissions.
For their regular catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March about the new climate strategy announced by Climate Change Minister Simon Watts.
He spoke to John Minto from Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa about the updated death toll in Gaza published by UK Medical Journal - The Lancet, as well as New Zealand’s participation in RIMPAC and the government’s increased support for Ukraine.
For this week’s Get Action! He spoke to Ayah Kayed from Students for Justice in Palestine Pōneke to talk about a petition calling for Victoria University of Wellington to divest from the state of Israel.
And he spoke to Professor Emeritus Ralph Cooney from the University of Auckland about advancements in solar and wind power and the contribution to our net zero emissions goals.
Sasha spoke to Professor Emeritus Ralph Cooney from the University of Auckland about advancements in solar and wind power and it's contribution to our net zero emissions goals.
A recent report by the UK medical journal - The Lancet, estimated that the actual number of casualties in the Gaza strip is above 186,000. This number was estimated based on the percentage of infrastructure in Gaza destroyed by Israeli missiles, as well as the impacts of famine and communicable disease caused by Israel’s war on the Gaza strip.
Oto spoke to John Minto from Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa to discuss the figures published in the Lancet and what it means for the war in Gaza.
They also spoke about New Zealand’s involvement in RIMPAC, as well as Christopher Luxon’s increased support to Ukraine.
Last week, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts outlined the government's latest climate strategy; a three-page document narrowing the government’s pathway to reducing emissions and decarbonising our industries into five core strategic pillars.
For their weekly catch-up, Oto spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez-March to discuss the climate strategy, and went through the plan by addressing each of the strategy's core pillars.
Artificial intelligence and generative AI have seen a major uptick in usage over the past two years, with impacts across society. Of particular note is the impact on education, with students using artificial intelligence to brainstorm, write, or edit their assignments.
Wire host Castor spoke to the Doctor Sarah Bickerton from the University of Auckland about issues with generative AI in education and what educators can do about it.
For Dear Science this week, we chatted to Doctor Cushla McGoverin about giving an old antibiotic a makeover, frozen woolly mammoth DNA, and a mummified crocodile’s final snack .
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Tom Rutherford about the government’s climate strategy 2024.
He also spoke to Senior history lecturer at the University of Auckland Paul Taillon, about the attempted assassination of former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and its potential social impacts.
And he spoke Sarah Bickerton from the University of Auckland about risks of using generative AI in education.
The Green party recently made renewed calls to the government to sanction Israel for its illegal occupation of Palestine following the seizure of the Madleen, a vessel that aimed to deliver food and medical aid to Gaza.
The vessel, which was en route to Gaza, was intercepted in the Mediterranean by the Israeli Defence Forces before being rerouted to Israel with all those on board, among whom was Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Immigration Minister Erica Stanford recently announced the Parent Boost Visa, part of the government’s self-described commitment to supporting parents living overseas to visit and stay with their families here in Aotearoa.
And, over in the United States, 2000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles in response to protests opposing the city’s recent immigration raids.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about all of these issues
Currently, 19 out of 38 OECD countries use incineration as a form of waste management.
With the process leading to a range of negative impacts, such as air pollution, Co2 emissions and respiratory illnesses, Aotearoa has luckily remained incinerator free.
However, calls have been made by some activists to strengthen New Zealand’s legislation to ensure that incineration facilities are not opened up in Aotearoa.
For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Network New Zealand to discuss a petition calling on the government to keep New Zealand Incinerator-free.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here:
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.
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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