Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Castor Chacko, Alex Fox, Emmanuel Orange, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
This story mentions eating disorders and disordered eating.
A new study from researchers at the University of Auckland has found that there was an increase in hospital admissions for eating disorders during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The study found that 10-19 year old girls with diagnoses of anorexia nervosa had the most significant increase; and that Māori had proportionately more hospital admissions for eating disorders than others.
Admissions for other mental health disorders mostly stayed the same or decreased during the pandemic.
Josef spoke to Dr David Menkes, an Academic Psychiatrist at the University of Auckland and co-author of the study, about the study’s findings and what can be done to avoid similar spikes in the future.
If you need support, talking to someone you know or contacting formal support services can be helpful. For support, call the Eating Disorder Association New Zealand 0800 2 EDANZ or (09) 5222 679. Or you can free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason
The Supreme Court of the United States has reached international news for recent, controversial judgements. This includes for granting Trump immunity for his role in the January 6th insurrection, and the overturning of Chevron which could have huge consequences for things like environmental protection laws.
These decisions are part of a recent series of Supreme Court decisions that overturn decades of judicial and legislative progress from the 20th Century, infamously including Roe v Wade in 2022.
Wire Host Caeden speaks about these recent, and longer-term decisions, from SCOTUS with University of Auckland History Professor Jennifer Frost.
They started by asking why the recent SCOTUS rulings are so significant.
Wire Host Caeden speaks to Labour Leader Carmel Sepuloni about the government’s quarter three action and plan and Labour’s renewed Auckland strategy.
They speak to Quack Pirihi from Mana Āniwaniwa about the upcoming World Suicide Prevention conference.
And they speak to Councillor Shane Henderson about Long Term Plan passing and the end of the Auckland regional fuel tax.
And for The Wire's special 4th of July edition...
Caeden speaks to the University of Auckland Professor of History Jennifer Frost about recent high-profile decisions from the United States Supreme Court.
And Wednesday Wire Host Oto speaks to Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland Stephen Hoadley about replacing President Biden with another candidate, such as Governor of California Gavin Newsom.
The World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference is taking place in New York later this month, hosted by Seneca Nation.
The conference was started by Ngāti Pikiao in 2016 and invites community organisations, advocates, and leaders to come together to discuss the challenges and solutions of suicide prevention for indigenous communities.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Quack Pirihi (Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wai), founder of Mana Āniwaniwa, about why they’re fundraising to go to the conference.
You can tautoko their mahi on their instagrams @quackpirihi and @manaaniwaniwa
The coalition government recently announced it’s action plan for Q3 of 2024, Introducing 40 new laws under the categories of Infrastructure, Public Services, law and order.
For their weekly Catchup, Oto spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menendez-March to discuss the party’s opinion on the action plan and it’s effectiveness. We started the interview by discussing the areas of the plan focusing on law and order.
For their regular catch-up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March about the government’s recent Q3 action plan for 2024.
He spoke to Professor Bob Hancox, Medical Director for the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation to discuss Australia’s new vape laws and his calls to the New Zealand government to tackle the youth vaping epidemic.
And he spoke to professor Chris Ogden, also from the University of Auckland, to discuss the recent general elections in India.
Caden spoke to Greenpeace’s Will Applebe about the government rolling back fresh water protections despite their strong public support
Castor spoke to President of the New Zealand Council for Trade Unions, Richard Wagstaff, about a new law disallowing private contractors from challenging their employment through the courts
A new poll has highlighted that 82% of National voters said it was important to them to protect lakes, rivers, and drinking water. 54% cited specific concerns for nitrate contamination in water.
This is despite proposed Government rollbacks on fresh water protection, which Greenpeace claims will lead to “more polluted lakes, more unswimmable rivers, more contaminated drinking water, and more extinction.”
Caeden spoke with Greenpeace’s Will Applebe about why there is such a disconnect between what voters are saying in polls versus what the Government is actually doing.
Last month, the 2024 Indian general elections were held, leading to the third re-election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
To many, the re-election of Modi signals the rise of Hindu nationalism in Indian society and the country’s shift towards theocracy and authoritarianism.
Associate Professor and Director of Global Studies in the University of Auckland Faculty of Arts, Chris Ogden, talked to us about the significance of Modi’s election victory and why we should be keeping a closer eye on the world’s largest democracy.
Australia recently passed new legislation regarding the sale of e-cigarettes, only allowing those over the age of 18 to purchase them from pharmacies and requiring those under the age 18 to have a prescription to buy them.
Discussing the new legislation with the Wire, Bob Hancox, Medical Director of the Asthma and Respiratory foundation, said that the government of New Zealand should look into implementing similar policies, and do more overall to combat the youth vaping epidemic here in Aotearoa.
On the night of the 21st of June, the Aratere Interislander ferry was grounded due to a steering issue. The interislander currently operates as an informal part of State Highway One, and as such is crucial to freight deliveries in the South Island.
The previous Labour government had planned investments in a further two ferries and terminals, which were cancelled under the current government, with finance minister Nicola Willis calling the proposal a search for “Ferraris” instead of using the trusty “Toyota Corolla”, in this case the grounded Aratere. The government was met with criticism for this decision, and has been called on to provide an alternative during their term.
The government also recently increased the alcohol levy for the first time since 2009. The alcohol levy funds measures to reduce alcohol related harm, and as of the changes will sit at $16.6 million.
An independent review recommended that the fund be increased to $37 million, with a minimum increase to $21.5 Million to account for inflation. For context, this would translate to a 1.1 cent increase to an average can of beer and an 8 cent increase to the average bottle of wine.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Hamish Campbell about the future of the interislander ferry and increases to the alcohol levy.
Fuck-knuckles, cock, and piss, balls. These are words that you may be hearing much more, or much less, on 95bFM after the government announced earlier this month that it will be scrapping the Broadcasting Standards Authority (or, BSA).
The Authority has responsibility over the broadcast of radio and television, but has long called for regulatory changes to be made given the shift toward digital media. The issue reached prominence last year, when the BSA decided to hear a complaint about the digital media company, The Platform.
The move was met with severe criticisms from the government, with the ACT Party and NZ First in particular calling for the abolishing of the authority.
In its place, the government has proposed the Media Council - a voluntary body - will be involved in self-regulation of the media. However, this proposal has been widely criticised as lacking regulatory teeth.
Instead of scrapping the BSA, the Better Public Media Trust has proposed that the government strengthens it with the recommendations from the government’s ‘Safer Online Services' research project, which would see greater regulation of online and digital spaces.
So, for this week’s Get Action, producer Theo spoke with the Better Public Media Trust’s Myles Thomas, to discuss their petition to reinstate and strengthen the BSA.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here.
Two Green Party members' bills were drawn recently; the first would ban mining on conservation land. It comes at a time when parties in the government coalition seem to have their hearts set on turbo-charging the mining industry, with a key bill being put forward that would enable a range of new commercial activities on conservation land and potentially allow the sale of over 60% of the land.
The other green party bill aims to protect children leaving care in Oranga Tamariki from finding themselves without a place to live.
Finally, a landmark climate lawsuit against six major companies was stopped in its tracks by the government. The government says that it made the decision to prevent the suit to ensure businesses had legal clarity and certainty. However, it has now been revealed that the government and business lobbyests had been in contact, and knowledge of this contact may have been unduly withheld, prompting critics to raise the alarm that the government may be circumventing core democratic processes to satisfy business interests.
So for our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about their parties members bill, especially mining on conservation land, and what it means for the government to intervene in such as way with this case.
Last week, the government announced that it would intensify AI usage in the public sector, in a move to further reduce spending in the sector. The government have defended this move, but concerns have been raised about the safety, regulation, and vulnerability of AI services.
Last week also saw the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill pass its first reading. The member’s bill would seek to, in New Zealand law, define genders, in a move that has been criticised by many as transphobic.
Last week also saw the change of government agencies’ names to give primacy to their English names, rather than te reo Māori first.
This week, Wire Host Alex spoke with National MP Ryan Hamilton about these topics.
Last week, NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft put forward a bill that would seek to define the terms “man” and “woman” in law. The bill has been supported by coalition parties through its first reading. Its primary supporters in parliament, ACT and NZ First, say the bill is about prioritising biology over ideology, or about maintaining common sense.
Its opponents, however, say the bill is unnecessary, and that the ideology pushed by its supporters does not align with evidence. Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, the human rights commission, says that the bill is “not necessary”, and “risks harm to communities who continue to experience discrimination on the basis of their gender identity”.
Disability Rights Commissioner and Rainbow rights spokesperson at the Human Rights Commission, Prudence Walker, sez the bill will not only “trample on the mana of trans and intersex people”, but it also “attempts to completely erase non-binary people”.
Despite the strong opposition, the government is pushing for the bill to be considered in select committee.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News Director Castor asked about the bill and why the government is bringing it about.
DISCLAIMER: this interview covers multiple anti-trans talking points, and briefly discusses sexual violence.
The Government is heading into Budget week with plans to cut the core public service, and RNZ reports public servants' fears that their jobs are once again on the line. At the same time, questions have been raised over MFAT being spared from cuts, and the Government has unveiled major changes to secondary education through its proposed NCEA replacement.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about public service cuts, Budget priorities, and what the education overhaul could mean for students and teachers.
A survey of Automobile Association members' views on time-of-use charging has been presented to the Auckland Council’s Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee.
The survey found that members were open to congestion charging if it worked, even if they thought it was unfair.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins gave a ‘State of Auckland’ speech last week, focusing on the need for cross-party collaboration on infrastructure projects.
Wire Host Caeden spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these topics.
This week has seen discussions on New Zealand Firsts announcement that if they win the election they plan to buy BNZ and nationalise it into kiwibank, a plan some estimate to cost $30,000,000,000 and has been completely ruled out by their coalition partner in the National Party. Despite this, it’s sparked conversations around how we should be engaging with our banking sector, the vast majority of it dominated by Australian owned banks.
And critics fear that National party changes to the accommodation supplement is going to hit poor working families at a time they’re already doing it rough, nullifying other support that they are offering the rest of the country more broadly, repeating a pattern of policies that hurt poorer communities worse than the rich.
So for our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March on what impact he thinks will come from restrictions to the accommodation supplement, particularly for the poor, they then discussed New Zealand Firsts policy to buy BNZ bank, and whether minor parties tend to over promise if they are constrained by the major parties who they will inevitably have to work with if they make into parliament.
Last week, National MP Catherine Wedd’s members bill for an Under-16s social media ban was paused. Instead, Education Minister Erica Stanford has pledged to, before this years election, bring a wider and more robust proposal for a ban in a larger bill.
Last week also saw Prime Minister Christopher Luxon make comments about the National Party’s stance on immigration, amidst criticised changes to compliance officer powers, and previous spats and comments over immigration policy between government coalition partners.
And with the budget expected next week, promises have begun to be made by the government for where funding can be expected, particularly within education.
Host Alex spoke with National MP Ryan Hamilton about these topics, starting with the Social Media ban.
Since 1986, the Ministry for the Environment has been the central policy advising entity in New Zealand for environmental issues. The government has recently proposed the Environment Amendment Bill, which seeks to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment, which would be amalgamated into a larger Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport.
For Green World this week, Wire producer Liam spoke with Professor Nicolas Lewis, of the University of Auckland’s School of Environment, about these proposed changes, how they fit in with the government's current priorities around the environment, and the impact this may have on New Zealand in the short-term and long-term.
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