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.
Health Coalition Aotearoa is calling for a permanent fix to New Zealand’s School Lunch Programme.
The current contract is being delivered by provider ‘The School Lunch Collective’, after National axed the prior Ka Ako, Ka Ora programme model. This latest iteration of the school lunches programme has seen smaller meals, lower nutritional quality, and disengagement from community-based providers.
Currently, the funding for the government’s school lunch programme is due to end in late 2026, with no proposed initiatives in its place.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Dr. Kelly Garton about the inefficacies of the current contract, and the urgent need to invest in this support for our rangatahi.
Tomorrow, we are set to see what could be the largest strike in last 40 years, as seperate unions representing nurses, teachers and many more come together to put pressure on the government to take their negotiations seriously. In total, it'll likely be around 100,000 kiwis pushing for better working conditions.
Frequent in their demands are requests for better pay that has been eroded by the inflation of the past few years, as well as safer staffing levels, as many professionals vacate the New Zealand workforce for better working conditions in Australia, leaving our hospitals, schools, and workplaces understaffed.
To discuss the upcoming Mega-Strike, Wednesday Wire Producer Manny spoke with Fleur Fitzsimons, the Natioal Secretary of the Public Service Association.
On Monday this week, the Labour Party announced their first major policy ahead of next year’s general election, which is titled the “Future Fund”. Although Labour didn’t include many specifications about the policy, the aim is to invest in New Zealand businesses that are inventive and resourceful. They also announced the fund would begin with a $200 million investment.
In addition to this, the government made a decision to move ahead with its Roads of National Significance programme. The coalition announced that they’ve allocated $1.2 billion worth of funding to the programme, of which $550 million is being used to buy properties in order to move the project forward.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March, Wednesday Wire Host Max speaks to him about the Green Party’s stance on the Labour Party’s new policy, as well as the government’s decision to move forward with the Roads of National Significance programme.
But first, they discussed the upcoming mega strike from the unions.
The government is looking to introduce a raft of reforms to the driver licence system, officially called the Graduated Driver Licensing System.
The government aims to make getting a full driver’s licence easier and cheaper for New Zealanders, which is why one of the proposed changes to the system includes scrapping the full licence test.
However, the government is also calling for reduced eye exams for class one licence holders, saying repeated eye exams don’t have any significant benefit on safety.
Producer Vihan spoke to the New Zealand Association of Optometrists (NZAO) President Hadyn Treanor about his views on the reduction of eye exams.
He also spoke to a couple of university students about the changes, and their thoughts on it.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez March about the mega strike happening tomorrow, the Labour Party releasing their first major policy ahead of next year’s general election, and the government moving forward with their Roads of National Significance programme.
Max also spoke with Paul Taillon, a senior lecturer in US History from the University of Auckland, to discuss the recent court win by United States President Donald Trump in his attempts to deploy the national guard in democratic cities.
Producer Manny spoke with Fleur Fitzsimons, the National Secretary of the Public Service Association, to discuss the upcoming mega strikes and why so many unions are facing the same problem.
And Producer Vihan spoke to the President of the New Zealand Association of Optometrists, Hadyn Treanor, and a couple of university students about the government’s proposed changes to the driver licence system, and what the reduction of eye exams needed for class one license holders means for the future of New Zealand drivers.
Last week, the Professional Firefighters Union went on strike from 12-1pm on Friday, calling for better pay and conditions for firefighters across New Zealand.
This week, we will see a ‘megastrike’ of nurses and teachers which is predicted to potentially be the largest labour action in forty years.
Among their agenda items are Palestine, NCEA changes, AI marking and the curriculum.
Finally, a petition with 20,000 signatures was delivered to Parliament relating to an amendment which will see tightened eligibility for Maaori groups to receive customary title under the Marine and Coastal Area act.
The amendment bill passed its second reading last week.
Wire Host Sara spoke with National MP Carl Bates about all of these topics, starting with the firefighter union strike
Te Pati Maori have drawn media speculation on the strength of their leadership, which has been described as “internal chaos” and “infighting,” despite the party announcing a reset.
Academic and professor of Maori management Jason Mika from the University of Auckland’s business school likens the conflict to “an open divorce court gone bad,” and believes that a shift in focus is needed.
Producer Faith spoke to Mika about the party’s conflicts, and how he believes they need to refocus.
Grassroots music venues in Aotearoa are struggling, which Dave Carter from Massey University wrote in an article on The Conversation is resulting in the local live music sector being at risk.
Yesterday, News and Editorial Director Joel, spoke to Carter, who is an Associate Professor in the School of Music and Screen Arts at the university about his article, and what can be done to support and uplift these spaces.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman talks about Alfred Nobel, maths in science, and a high resolution telescope accomplishment.
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the megastrike of union workers, and of firefighters, as well as the Marine and Coastal Act amendment
For Green World, Sara spoke to Alexander Kaurov about AI’s role in scientific review and literature.
News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Massey University’s Dave Carter on how grassroots music venues are struggling and what can be done to preserve these spaces.
Producer Faith spoke to The University of Auckland’s Professor Jason Mika about some conflicts within Te Pati Maori, along with some suggestions for how they should be addressed
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
95bFM 
