95bFM: The Wire

The Government is introducing a new citizenship test on the “responsibilities and privileges” of New Zealand citizenship for future applicants. 

Topics will include the Bill of Rights Act, voting rights, and the structure of government. Other proposed questions include human rights, certain offences, and general democratic principles. 

Currently, applicants only need to sign a form stating that they understand these topics. Existing requirements regarding residency, good character, and English skills will remain. 

The change was announced by Internal Affairs Minister and ACT MP Brooke van Velden, who says, “people seeking citizenship should understand New Zealanders believe in certain rights, like freedom of speech, or that no one person or group is above the law.”

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Sher Singh, President of the Migrant Rights Network, about this change.

For City Counselling this week, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about Council’s transport policy statement and the Waitākere Ranges being left out of the Resource Management Act reforms. 

They spoke to Associate Professor at Victoria University and trustee at Better Public Media, Dr Peter Thompson, about the Government announcing that the Broadcasting Standards Authority will be scrapped. 

And they spoke to Migrant Rights Network President Sher Singh on the Government announcing a new test for people applying for New Zealand Citizenship. 

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about New Zealand’s new trade deal with Singapore, Act’s proposed immigration policy, and the Government’s leaked emails on Iran.

She also spoke with Doctoral Researcher Claire Reid from the University of Auckland about new findings in her research on how children screen use affects brain function.

For decades now, scientists have been raising the alarm about climate change, and urging those in power to move towards the adoption of greener, more renewable sources of energy production. These calls have often been met with fierce resistance from the political right in the United States, with republican president Donald Trump repeatedly describing climate change as a hoax and reversing efforts to transition away from fossil fuels.

At the same time, however, the sun-drenched regions of the Southern United States have immense potential for solar power. Many states in this region are now switching to renewable energy sources for simple economic reasons, despite being Republican strongholds.

Producer Toby spoke to chemistry expert Dr. Ralph Cooney about this growing trend.

This week on the Wednesday Wire...

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green Party’s bill to protect people placing emergency calls for drug overdoses and the tensions between National and NZ First over our stance on the Iran war.

Producer Toby spoke to Auckland University emeritus professor Dr. Ralph Cooney about the uptake of renewable energy in the United States.

Producer Theo spoke to Lo Aleen, campaigner calling for New Zealand to officially recognise the Armenian Genocide.

Last week, the Green Party's bill to protect overdose emergency callers from legal risks received cross-party support, passing its first reading, keeping it on track to potentially become law. Minor infractions, such as minor possession and paraphernalia, would be overlooked when calling for emergency services to obtain help for someone overdosing. 

And an Official Information Request by the Herald into Winston Peter’s Foreign Minister’s office revealed disagreements between the NZ First Leader and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon over the Coalition government's stance on the war with Iran, with the prime minister pushing for greater support for the United States bombings.

So for our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green Party’s overdose emergency callers bill and the revelations over the US war with Iran.

This week on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin, speaks with us about AI spotting Pancreatic Cancer, Foetal surgery, and Yellowstone.

For our weekly catchup with the National Party, I spoke with Ryan Hamilton about the emails between Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon released last week, what they mean for growing tensions and instability within the coalition, and proposed changes to Treaty Obligations that would see the Te Tiriti only need to be ‘taken into account’.

For Green World today, Producer Liam spoke with Max Harvey from the University of Otago, who lead a recent research study about the habitat usage of the Hector’s dolphin, about the research that they carried out on dolphin populations in Southland, what they discovered and what it tells us about how we can better look after this dolphin species. 

Liam also spoke to Professor Sally Gaw from the University of Canterbury, about the government’s new rules to reduce the amount of lead in drinking water pipes, what this means for New Zealand and why it was not done sooner. 

And Producer Flo spoke to Doctor Lucy Goodman, researcher at the University of Auckland’s School of Optometry and Vision Science about her study into accessible eye health and potential government funding of eye care.

This the New Zealand Brake charity has organised road safety week. Sponsored by the NZ transport agency, Beca and ACC the campaign aims to raise awareness for driver safety and the continued high rate of serious trauma and deaths from crashes in New Zealand.

With a specific focus on youth due to their higher risk of being in crashes  the campaign will have Beca and NZTA officials travel to schools around the country to run safety activities and teach kids about road safety. 

This year the theme for the week is road safety heroes, shining a light on those who help save lives on the roads.

To discuss the road safety week campaign and how we can improve road safety in New Zealand producer Thomas talked to Director of Brake New Zealand Caroline Perry

This week on the Monday Wire... 

For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News Director Castor asked about the ACT Party’s stance on conflict between National and NZ First within the coalition government. I also asked about the government’s proposed changes to treaty principles and how they influence policy. 

They also spoke to Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Otago, Christchurch, Jai Whelan, about Nitrous Oxide use and its harms amidst plans for a government crackdown. 

Producer Thomas talked to E tū union director Mat Danaher about Tiwai Point workers taking industrial action this week.

He also spoke to Brake New Zealand Director Caroline Perry about road safety week and how the campaign is encouraging safe driving.

Health Minister Simeon Brown last week indicated that he’d like to crack down on the recreational use of Nitrous Oxide, commonly referred to as NOS or Nangs. 

Brown says nitrous oxide is “becoming a serious public health concern”. However, when compared to other recreational drugs in Aotearoa, it seems that the risk factor is relatively low. In addition, nitrous oxide is used for medicinal purposes fairly frequently, meaning its health risks in standard doses are well documented. 

To discuss the effects and risks involved with Nitrous Oxide, and how the government could develop a more holistic response, News Director Castor spoke to Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Otago, Christchurch, Jai Whelan.

This week on the Wednesday Wire...

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green Party’s Dental policy and the Free trade agreement with India

Toby spoke to Auckland University’s Jennifer Frost about the so-called ‘redistricting war’ in the United States

Theo spoke to the Director of the MacDiarmid Institute, and Physics Professor at the University of Auckland, Professor Nicola Gaston, on the report to the prime minister on Prioritisation in New Zealand’s Science, Innovation and Technology system.