Last week an unusual gathering of scientists and hackers met at the University of Pennsylvania. This was not the first time such a group had met and they were tasked with retrieving and preserving climate data from government web pages before the Donald Trump administration tore it all down. Their predictive action was not in vain, either, after the inauguration the new Whitehouse.gov website reflects notable absences. Dr. Bethany Wiggin is director of the program in Environmental Humanities at the university and has been heavily involved in this activism meets data recovery. bFM Reporter Mackenzie Smith spoke to her and began by asking what led to this action.
In our weekly chat with the Māori Party, Te Ururoa Flavell shares his Rātana Pa visit, PM Bill English's new reo and the potential of a Māori-Mana alliance.
Prime Minister Bill English has suggested that the TPPA should go ahead without the US. bFM reporter Momoko spoke with Professor Jane Kelsey who thinks that this would impact negatively on New Zealand as a whole, and Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope, who thinks moving forward with the TPPA Deal is New Zealand’s most viable option to prevent isolation from the world’s trading markets.
Amanda Robinson is a bFM reporter and supporter of Glen Innes woman Niki's fight to prevent her eviction from her home of 30 years. Amanda was at the demonstration held today outside Niki's home and speaks to Mack Smith on the developing events.
A long serving former Labour MP with a short stint as Leader of the Opposition, David Shearer is now in a different form of politics: solving the South Sudanese crisis. Mack Smith filed this report.
Check out the full podcast for this week's Tuesday show, which includes a chat with Māori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell, a look at the potential for a new TPPA, a live chat with bFM contributor Amanda Robinson who was supporting the protest against the eviction of a Glen Innis woman, a look at what former Labour MP David Shearer is doing in South Sudan, and more.
There’s concern at the amount of untreated sewage being washed into Auckland’s harbours. A Herald investigation revealed one million cubic litres of human and animal effluent is flowing into the ocean every year - the equivalent of 400 olympic swimming pools. It’s happening every time more than five millimetres of rain falls in the city, due to our stormwater drains being combined with our sewage drains. While the infrastructure was a great advancement when it replaced open air sewers in the early 1900’s… today it doesn’t quite stack up.Ten of Auckland’s beaches are now so polluted people are unable to swim. 95bFM producer Hannah Ross spoke to Auckland Mayor Phil Goff about the issue, while producer John-Michael Swannix spoke to, Gemma Tolich Allen, a wastewater biologist and scientific advisor for the Manukau Harbour Restoration Society, who has worked in this area for thirty years, and Dr Lokesh Padhye who is a wastewater engineer at the University of Auckland.
An occupation for the right to live in your own home is continuing in Glen Innes today. Niki has been in her state house for over 20 years and intends to stay there. A development company has issued an eviction notice which ran out last wednesday, we hear more from bFM reporter Lillian Hanly
Auckland is now the world's fourth least affordable housing market behind Hong Kong, Sydney and Vancouver. This is putting huge pressure on social housing in particular with record numbers of families on the waiting list for social housing. 95bFM producer spoke to Labour Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford about why these levels are so high.