Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Sara Mckoy, Max Micheel, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
Just last week, on the Seventh of November the new Treaty Principles Bill was announced in parliament. The development of the bill excluded any consultation with Maori and does not reflect the texts or meaning of Te Tiriti, according to the Waitangi Tribunal. Principle 2 within the Bill, if enacted, would revoke the promises made by the queen to Maori in 1840.
Hikoi protesting the bill began three days ago and has moved from Cape Reinga to Northcote and Bastion Point today, with its eventual goal to protest at parliament on the 19th. The first reading occurs this week in parliament, afterwards being sent to the select committee for a six-month hearing process.
Sasha spoke to Lisa Woods, a Movement Building & Advocacy Director at Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, about the Treaty Principles Bill and its opposition.
On the 11th of November, the Fonterra company announced that they will be selling customer-facing brands, which include Anchor, Mainland and others. Following this announcement, Greenpeace are calling for potential buyers to go palm-kernel free.
This comes after an expose of Fonterra’s dishonest marketing strategies, and claims that its milk is produced with ‘regenerative farming’, a blatant example of greenwashing.
Sasha spoke to Sinéad Deighton-O'Flynn, Agriculture Campaigner at Greenpeace Aotearoa about the new sale of companies associated with Fonterra, including potential implications for consumers and Greenpeace’s expectations for companies looking to purchase.
Education Minister Erica Stanford and Associate Minister David Seymour put out a press release last Friday accusing the Post Primary Teachers Association of disrupting students’ learning.
The press release continues that the PPTA is prioritising ideology over students, and that the meetings create a poor example.
Stanford says “We can’t expect students to value the importance of education and attendance when adults walk off the job.”
To address these claims, Wire host Castor spoke to president of the PPTA, Chris Abercrombie, about the press release and the PPTA’s concerns for teaching in Aotearoa.
For Dear Science, our expert Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about self-experimentation, the infinite monkey theorem, and votes for Charles Darwin.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor to MP Tom Rutherford about the Treaty Principles Bill and the counter hīkoi.
They also spoke to president of the Post Primary Teachers Association, Chris Abercrombie, about the role of the organisation and the government’s recent comments.
News and Editorial Director, Joel spoke to the Media Spokesperson from ADHD New Zealand, Darrin Bull, about Pharmac set to fund a new ADHD medicine.
They also spoke to Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Canterbury, Alison Griffith, about how we can analyse Roman society through a Māori lens.
Pharmac has announced the funding of the ADHD medication Lisdexamfetamine, which is currently not available in the country, as well as removing the renewal criteria for funded treatments.
The new medication will be funded from December, which is expected to benefit over 6000 people.
Many have welcomed these developments, including ADHD New Zealand.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the spokesperson from the organisation, Darrin Bull, about these developments, and why they are so important for Aotearoa’s ADHD community.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the 2024 University of Canterbury Teaching Medalist and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Art, Alison Griffith, on how she approaches understanding Roman society through Māori values.
The Government will issue its apology to survivors of abuse in state care and faith based institutions tomorrow.
The apology has been a long time coming and is set to be a monumental day for survivors. The apology is taking place in Parliament, and with spaces being limited, a huge number of survivors won’t be able to watch it in person, instead entering a lottery to gain a space in Parliament.
The remaining survivors will be watching via livestream in multiple locations.
Beyond the apology the government is also yet to layout what its redress and compensation plans will include despite recommendations being made in the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in state care report.
Producer Evie spoke to the University of Auckland’s Stephen Winter about the apology and what to expect from the government next.
Last week, Transport Minister, Simeon Brown, announced that Auckland’s rail network will close for 96 days, with an additional 53 days where operations will be reduced.
Brown cites multiple reasons for these closures, which are to develop and upgrade Auckland’s rail network.
News and Editorial Director, and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the National Coordinator of the Public Transport Users Association New Zealand, Jon Reeves, about this announcement, what the association’s thoughts are regarding the matter, and what this will mean for public transport users.
Last week Donald Trump won the US election, securing his second term as President, and is now set to take office in January of next year.
This now leaves many questions of what his second term as president will look like.
In contrast to his 2016 presidency, there’s now an ongoing war in Gaza, in which the US has had much influence. Many have been dissatisfied with the response to this by the Biden/Harris administration, and now wait to see what action Trump will take on the issue.
There are also questions on what stance Trump will take on the ongoing war in Ukraine, in which the US has largely supported Ukraine. However Trump undoubtedly has his own relationship with Russia.
Producer Evie spoke to Geopolitical analyst at the University of Otago, Geoffrey Miller about these questions, and what we can expect to see under Trump's administration this time around.
For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori, News and Editorial Director, and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to Tākuta Ferris, about the Treaty Principles Bill being introduced to Parliament two weeks early than previously planned, and the Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi.
For our weekly catch up Producer Evie speaks to the ACT Party's Simon Court about the introduction of the Treaty Principals Bill being moved forward, the nationwide Hikoi kicking off today in opposition to the bill, and David Seymour stating he doesn’t support a ban on Nazi symbols.
Joel speaks to Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland, Dr Samantha Marsh, about Australia announcing a law to ban under 16 year olds from social media, and her calls for similar legislation to be implemented here in Aotearoa.
Evie speaks to geopolitical analyst at the University of Otago, Geoffrey Miller, about Donald Trump’s potential impact on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine as he takes on the role of US President early next year.
Joel speaks to the National Coordinator of the Public Transport Users Association New Zealand, Jon Reeves, on Transport Minister Simeon Brown’s announcement that Tāmaki Makaurau’s rail network will be closed for 96 days next year.
And Evie speaks Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, Dr Stephen Winter, about the government’s apology to abuse in state care survivors which is set to occur on the 12th of November.
From Dec 27 to Jan 18, all train lines across Tāmaki will be shutting down for summer maintenance, a closure which is expected to be the last of its kind ahead of the opening of the City Rail Link.
The current measles outbreak in Tāmaki is being continually monitored, with exposure sites being updated daily on info.health.nz. The public are encouraged to track whether they’ve been in possible contact with the virus, and get up to date on any vaccinations to limit possibilities of transmission.
Auckland Council are supporting arts initiatives across the summer months, with Music in the Park kicking off in early January, and Movies in the Park following in February.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about these topics, and also asked for comment following the attack by two gunmen at Bondi Beach earlier this week.
Yesterday, the latest six-monthly survey of housing support providers under the National Homelessness Data Project, or NHDP, showed that homelessness in Auckland has more than doubled in the year to September. The report also found that 14 of the 21 agencies interviewed reported an increase in homelessness.
As well as this, Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16 has taken effect. And according to an interim report into social media harm, a social media ban for children in New Zealand is worth exploring further.
And last week the Government announced the replacement of the Resource Management Act, or RMA. The coalition said its replacement will slash red tape and supercharge growth.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the Government’s new RMA reforms and a potential social media ban in New Zealand.
But first they discussed the latest report on Auckland homelessness.
The Parliament’s Workforce and Education Committee has released an interim report on an inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders face online. The government has recently announced an overhaul of the Resource Management Act and introduced two new bills in its place, the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill.
For our weekly catch-up with the National Party, Producer Vihan spoke to MP Carl Bates, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of the Workforce and Education Committee, about the new findings of the interim report, the new Natural Environment Bill, and the Fast Track Approval Amendments Bill.
The government has announced the overhaul of the Resource Management Act (RMA), which will be replaced by two different bills, the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill. The RMA is set to be fully replaced by 2029.
The RMA, which has been in effect for 34 years, is polarising across the political spectrum.
In announcing the reforms, RMA Reform Minister, Chris Bishop, says that “pretty much everything” will be quicker and less costly under the new regime.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about this overhaul of the RMA.
They also discussed The Education and Workforce Committee’s interim report on the harms young people experience online, with a majority recommending a ban on social media for under-16-year-olds.
But first, they discussed the overhaul of the RMA.
On Sunday, “Block the Ban” held a protest against the government’s decision to ban new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria.
The United Nations’ committee for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination has released a report warning that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights.
And last week, the government rejected the recommended methane emissions targets.
This is despite officials warning against the government doing so, stating that lowering methane emissions targets could increase New Zealand’s contribution to global warming.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
Safety measures on public transport are of growing concern this week following the fatal and unprovoked attack that took place on route 76 in East Tāmkaki on Monday night.
Earlier this week there were also multiple critical incidents that occurred simultaneously across Auckland’s West Coast beaches and waterways, seeing an unusually high deployment of emergency services and surf lifesavers for this early in the summer.
Swedish home and furniture retailer Ikea opened in Sylvia Park a week ago today, drawing huge excitement for many.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about these topics.
Last week was scrutiny week, where Parliament focuses entirely on holding government agencies and ministers to account, to check-in on how well the Government is performing.
Many of the questions surrounding scrutiny week have been focused on climate change, with many recent reports highlighting the Government’s questionable decision-making.. The biggest headline was that the coalition had chosen to reject all three of the climate change commission’s recommendations to strengthen New Zealand’s emissions targets.
Along with this, the United Nations released a new report, where they’ve warned that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights and entrenching disparities for the indigenous population. In the 14-page report, the UN expressed concerns over multiple government policies affecting Maori, including the disestablishment of the Maori Health Authority, cuts to public funding for Maori services, and minimising the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the report released by the United Nations, but first they discussed Scrutiny Week and the Government’s recent climate change decisions.
The government is pausing the new prescriptions of Puberty Blockers to gender diverse and transgender young people from the 19th of December onwards, following a similar move by the UK after the results of the NHS’s Cass Review.
Wire Producer Flo spoke to activist Lauren Craig about the effects of the legislation, her petition “Reverse the decision to deny transgender and takatāpui young people access to puberty blockers” against the changes and the wider political motivation for the policy.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here
The biannual Scrutiny Week took place in Parliament last week, with meetings across select committees and government departments focussed on scrutinising the outcomes of government work.
These include hearings on ministries like Health, Housing, Environment and Justice.
Wire Host Sara spoke to National MP Carl Bates about Scrutiny Week, firstly by asking him to talk about the meetings he was involved in
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