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.
From November 1st to November 30th, Green Bottle and Auckland Council are running Drink Different, a promotion that encourages the public to participate in a survey about reusing glass bottles in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Beth spoke to Founder and Director of Green Bottle NZ Neil Pollett about Drink Different, and how Green Bottle hopes to inform change in the way that Tāmaki Makaurau thinks about and gets rid of their glass bottles.
This week, we are recommending our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s MP for Tāmaki Makaurau Takutai Kemp. Rosetta had a kōrero with Takutai about Te Pāti Māori’s success in the election, going from the previous two seats in parliament to 6 electorate seats this term. We spoke about her priorities for the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate, the coalition agreement announcement from National, ACT and New Zealand First on Friday, and which policies Te Pāti Māori is most concerned about from the incoming government. Finally, they spoke about the party’s vocal stance on Palestinians in Gaza, including their calls to expel the Israeli and United States ambassadors.
Recently, in the cryptocurrency field, we have seen Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, more commonly referred to as CZ, step down and plead guilty to breaking US anti-money laundering laws, as part of a Four Billion US Dollar settlement with the US Department of Justice. He is now currently facing up to 10 years in prison.
Lou talked to Dr Olivier Jutel, Communications Lecturer at the University of Otago, about this further.
After 41 days since the election, and 21 since the final results, New Zealand has finally received the country’s first coalition of three political parties, with National, ACT, and NZ First.
In the weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, Lou talked to Simon Court about the results of these negotiations being finalized, as well as the response to their agreements announced on Friday.
Amnesty International Aotearoa has published an open letter to Prime Minister Elect Christopher Luxon, calling on him and the incoming government to demand a sustained ceasefire in Gaza. The letter has been published in collaboration with Action Station and Save The Children New Zealand and states that the current four-day humanitarian pause is not enough to address the “catastrophic suffering” and “horrifying harm to civilians”. The letter comes after weeks of protests across the country and little comment from the incoming government.
Rosetta spoke to Amnesty International Aotearoa Executive Director Shaun Greaves about the letter, and what the groups would like to see from the incoming National, ACT, New Zealand First coalition government. They also spoke about the Labour Party’s call for a ceasefire, which many have critiqued as a delayed response.
The National, ACT and New Zealand First coalition government announced its coalition deal on Friday, and in the agreement is a pledge to repeal amendments to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 and regulations before March 2024. This decision would push back against legislation that works towards denicotisation, reducing retail outlets, and the goal of creating a smoke free generation. The decision comes as somewhat of a surprise, as the National Party’s Dr Shane Reti, who is set to be sworn in as the Minister for Health, has been vocal in his support of smokefree legislation in the past.
Health Coalition Aotearoa has released a briefing for the incoming government, and in it the group urges the government to implement the laws and reach the goal of Smokefree 2025. Rosetta spoke to Co-chair of the smoke-free expert advisory group for Health Coalition Aotearoa, and national tobacco advocacy lead for the national public health organisation Leitu Tufuga about the incoming coalition government’s decision to repeal a series of smoke-free legislation. They also discussed the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority, as well as other health policies announced in the coalition agreements.
Thanks for tuning in! e whai akei nei, on the show today...
This week we are recommencing our regular catch up with Te Pāti Māori MP for the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate Takutai Kemp. Rosetta spoke to Takutai about Te Pāti Māori’s success in the election, their concerns regarding policies outlined in the National, ACT and New Zealand First coalition agreement announcement on Friday, and Te Pāti Māori’s stance on the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Rosetta also spoke to Co-chair of the smoke-free expert advisory group for Health Coalition Aotearoa, and national tobacco advocacy lead for the national public health organisation Leitu Tufuga about the incoming coalition government’s decision to repeal a series of smoke-free legislation.
Rosetta also spoke to Shaun Greaves, executive director of Amnesty International Aotearoa, about the groups open letter to Prime Minister Elect Christopher Luxon, calling on the incoming government to support a ceasefire in Gaza.
In our Weekly Catch Up with the ACT Party, Lou spoke to Simon Court about the results of the coalition being finalised, as well as discussing the public’s response to their Treaty Principles Bill and what that means for the ACT Party
Lou also spoke to Olivier Jutel about the news surrounding Binance’s CEO stepping down and pleading guilty to breaking US anti-money laundering laws.
Research from the University of Auckland has found reducing meat and dairy consumption within families could also reduce that family’s greenhouse gas emissions.
I spoke to one of the study’s lead authors and honours student at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Eli Kliejunas, about the research and how changing our eating habits could help us meet our climate targets.
For our regular catch-up with the Labour Party, Caeden talked to Deputy Leader, Carmel Sepuloni, about the Labour Party calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and coalition negotiations.
Castor spoke to Senior Communications Advisor to the Chief Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission, Aaron Packard, about a recent public opinion poll on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and how this relates to the Treaty’s role in politics and education.
Castor also spoke to a lead author of a recent study from the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Eli Kliejunas, about the impact of meat and dairy consumption on household greenhouse gas emissions.
Oto spoke to Senior Lecturer in Comparative and International Education at the University of Auckland, Dr Ritesh Shah, about the impact of long-standing Israeli conflict on the mental health of children in Gaza.
News and Editorial Director, Jessica Hopkins, spoke to Communications and Campaigns Manager of Consumer NZ, Jess Walker, about news research from PriceSpy which found fake sales are on the rise in Aotearoa.
And finally, she spoke to Chief Executive of Mindful Fashion, Jacinta FitzGerald, about how they believe people can be more mindful of their fashion consumption, particularly with Black Friday happening this week.
A new poll by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, the Human Rights Commission, has revealed a majority of the New Zealand public support partnership between Māori and non-Māori surrounding Te Tiriti.
The poll investigated a range of public opinions surrounding Te Tiriti, including attitudes towards its role in politics and education.
Castor spoke to Human Rights Commission Senior Communications Advisor Aaron Packard about how the poll results reflect public opinion and how this could influence the incoming government.
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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