Freak The Sheep with Taylor & Chris
8pm - 10pm

Launch in new window

The Free Radicals - Water Music

You are here

The Wire with Alex

Latest bCasts • View all

Looking at the Family Court & McKenzie Friends with two family law experts

 Looking at the Family Court & McKenzie Friends with two family law experts Looking at the Family Court & McKenzie Friends with two family law experts, 26.78 MB
Wed 26 Apr 2017

The Backbone Collective is a national coalition of survivors of violence against women and watchdog NGO that acts as a voice for victims of domestic abuse. The Collective recently released the results of a survey, the conclusions of were pretty damning of the Family Court. Last Wednesday, the Principal Family Court Judge Laurence Ryan released a media statement in response to the criticisms made by the Backbone Collective, in which Judge Ryan said many of the issues raised by the Collective were already addressed or discussed by Parliament. Michelle Duggan, Chair of the New Zealand Law Society's Family Law Section, also released a statement supporting the comments of Judge Ryan. 95bFM reporter Caitlin McIlhagga speaks to both Duggan and Professor Mark Heneghan, Dean of Law at the University of Otago, about the Backbone Collective's criticisms of the Family Court and recent Family Court reforms.

Caitlin also spoke to both Duggan and Heneghan about the participation of McKenzie Friends in the Family Court process. A McKenzie Friend is the name given to a support person for people who are representing themselves in court. McKenzie Friends are not lawyers, and cannot address the court without permission or draft any legal documents, but they can sit with litigants in court for support.

To listen to Caitlin’s full interview with the self-proclaimed ‘first McKenzie Friend Specialist’ in New Zealand, click here.

New Zealand’s McKenzie Friend ‘pioneer’: Friend or foe?

 New Zealand’s McKenzie Friend ‘pioneer’: Friend or foe? New Zealand’s McKenzie Friend ‘pioneer’: Friend or foe?, 28.46 MB
Wed 26 Apr 2017

The self-proclaimed “first McKenzie Friend Specialist” in New Zealand, Vinay Deobhakta is a former lawyer setting up a training programme aimed at producing professional McKenzie Friends. McKenzie Friends are support people for self-represented litigants in court - they are not lawyers, but can sit with litigants in court to support them. However, Deobhakta did not leave the law profession out of choice - he was in fact struck off for misconduct in 2014. 95bFM journalist Caitlin McIlhagga speaks to Deobhakta to try understand how he is reconciling his past with his current work setting up the McKenzie Friends training programme.

To learn more about the relationship McKenzie Friends have with the Family Court, check out the other interviews Caitlin did with two experts in family law here.

The Wire with Ximena: Wednesday April 26, 2017

 The Wire with Ximena: Wednesday April 26, 2017 The Wire with Ximena: Wednesday April 26, 2017, 108.59 MB
Wed 26 Apr 2017

Former Wire host, Caitlin McIlhagga, makes a special return to the show this week for an investigation she's been working on around the Family Court system & the place of McKenzie Friends within this framework. AUT's Allan Blackman also joins us for a wee Chemistry-related interlude in the middle of the show, where he chats to Ximena & Adam about the legacy of Ernest Rutherford. 

Reviewing New Zealand's mental health system

 Reviewing New Zealand's mental health system Reviewing New Zealand's mental health system, 22.25 MB
Mon 24 Apr 2017

Earlier this month saw the release of the People's Review of Mental Health, an intiative to gather qualitative data about what life is like for people involved in the mental health system. The review then used the data to make a number of recommendations for the Ministry of Health.

Two groups involved in the People's Review were advocacy group Action Station and the Public Service Assocation, producer Ben speaks to spokespeople from each.

 

Negative gearing: Tax-dodge or legitimate practice?

 Negative gearing: Tax-dodge or legitimate practice? Negative gearing: Tax-dodge or legitimate practice?, 5.15 MB
Mon 24 Apr 2017

Earlier this year, Revenue Minister Judith Collins announced a planned crackdown on tax-dodging by multinational corporations. Under the plan, various loopholes are to be closed, in order to make it harder for untaxed money to be moved outside of New Zealand. However, there are plenty of other ways for people to reduce their tax bill, such as negative gearing, which went unmentioned by Minister Collins. To gain a greater understanding of what negative gearing is, producer Ben spoke to Deborah Russel, a senior lecturer on taxation for Massey University and electoral candidate for the Labour party.

Can you tolerate this?

 Can you tolerate this? Can you tolerate this?, 14.37 MB
Mon 24 Apr 2017

95bFM reporter Amanda Jane Robinson speaks with Windham-Campbell prize winning writer Ashleigh Young ahead of next month’s Ockham book awards about her essay collection, Can You Tolerate This?

SOUL to attend UN summit

 SOUL to attend UN summit SOUL to attend UN summit, 4.48 MB
Mon 24 Apr 2017

Representatives from the group opposing housing development on sacred land Ihumatao are off to a United Nations summit in New York. Save Our Unique Landscape (SOUL) - the group behind the current occupation of the land - are sending two members to the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues next week. Pania Newton and Delwyn Roberts will attend, and have applied o speak at the event. 95bFM reporter Mack Smith spoke to Newton about the issue. 

The Wire with Amanda: Monday April 24, 2017

 The Wire with Amanda: Monday April 24, 2017 The Wire with Amanda: Monday April 24, 2017, 113.02 MB
Mon 24 Apr 2017

This week, producer Ben Goldson speaks to representatives of the People's Review of Mental Health and we chat to Green Party co-leader James Shaw about the PACER Plus agreement, the pay equity bill, and spy agency Five Eyes meeting in New Zealand this week. We have AUT Pacific Media Centre Director David Robie as well as AUT PhD student Stephanie Sageo-Tupungu and her husband Kenneth for regular Pacific news segment Southern Cross. We have bFM reporter Mack Smith speaks to SOUL spokesperson Pania Newton about Ihumatao and the upcoming UN summit, producer Ben Goldson speaks to taxation expert and Labour party candidate Deborah Russell and Wire host Amanda Jane Robinson speaks to Windham-Campbell prize winning writer Ashleigh Young ahead of next month's Ockham book awards about her essay collection, Can You Tolerate This?

This Week's Bits: Sunday, 23rd of April, 2017

 This Week's Bits: Sunday, 23rd of April, 2017 This Week's Bits: Sunday, 23rd of April, 2017, 14.38 MB
Sun 23 Apr 2017

Hannah Ross gives you the low down of this weeks best bFM news bits.

Dr Debra Wilson on brain fingerprinting

 Dr Debra Wilson on brain fingerprinting Dr Debra Wilson on brain fingerprinting, 10.43 MB
Fri 21 Apr 2017

A new brain scanning technique is being developed which could hold potential for crime stopping. Forensics investigators call this Forensic brainwave analysis – or ‘brain fingerprinting” the technology could allow for sci-fi-esque mind reading.

Adam Jacobson spoke to Associate Professor and project researcher Dr Debra Wilson about how exactly brain fingerprinting works