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.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has headed to New York for a conference on a Two State solution in the middle east, where debate over Palestinian recognition and statehood will take place during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
As countries like Australia and Canada pledge support for Palestinian Statehood, alongside other countries that have either expressed intent or already done so, Peters has remained closed off as to whether or not New Zealand will join these ranks.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to the Professor of International Relations at the University of Otago, Robert Patman, about what these expressions of support for Palestinian Statehood mean in the long run, and what we can and should expect from Peters and the Government in this regard.
The University of Auckland’s Maori and Pacific Academic Engagement Advisor for Students and Scholarly Services Mia-Mae Taitimu-Stevens talked to Thursday Wire Producer Sanat today about how social media is enabling higher engagement with Māori political Kaupapa.
Recently Te Pāti Māori won the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, with candidate Oriini Kaipara using social media to far greater effect than Labour candidate Peeni Henare who relied on more tried and true campaigning tactics.
Mia-Mae walked Producer Sanat through how social media has been a transformative tool for Maori, as they rise to the political challenges of the day. Furthermore she walked Sanat through some of the aspects of kaupapa Maori that work particularly well in a social media model.
Last week, thousands of young people began mass protests in Nepal, sparked by a social media ban but over larger frustrations with government corruption.
The protests have led to Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, especially in the wake of public outrage over the killing of 22 people during the police crackdown on protestors.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to University of Queensland Lecturer in Political Science Dr DB Subedi about the circumstances behind these protests, how they fit into the wider region, and the misinformation surrounding them.
Bike Auckland, a pro-cycling advocacy group recently sent out their pledge for candidates which says
“I believe people of all ages should feel able to bike safely to get around. Auckland needs more climate-friendly transport to ensure a sustainable and resilient Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, protecting our environment and communities for future generations. If elected, I commit to making a safe, connected cycle network a priority.”
Several candidates have pledged their support for the bike pledge, so Thursday Wire Producer Sanat wanted to get some more insight from Councilor Shane Henderson into how cycling will play a role in the future of Auckland’s transport network.
Thursday Wire Producer Sanat also asked him about what he has to say to opponents of cycleways that argue the increased cost and congestion is part of a larger “war on cas”
In other Local Government news, an ACT candidate in Whangerei has had their hoarding shot at several times recently. This follows an increase in abuse and vitriol towards local government candidates, particularly from marginalised communities. Producer Sanat asked Shane what he thinks this means for the state of our local democracy.
The profiles of candidates standing in several Māori ward elections were missing from booklets given to enrolled voters intended to inform their votes.
In response to the missing candidate profiles, Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi The Public Service Association (PSA) — representing public servants — has called on the government to move the responsibility for running these elections out of the hands of private companies and back to the Electoral Commission.
Wednesday Wire Producer Emmanuel spoke to the PSA’s acting Kaihautū Māori, Marcia Puru, to discuss the PSA's view on the missing candidate information and its implications.
This morning, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry officially announced they had found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. To count as genocide under the 1948 UN genocide convention, at least one of five acts must have occurred, of which the commission accuses Israel of committing four. The Commission of Inquiry does not speak on behalf of the UN, however they have called on member countries to punish those responsible for it.
To this date, the New Zealand government has not issued any type of sanction against Israel or officially recognised a Palestinian state. However, Saturday’s Pro-Palestine protest – which attracted around 25,000 people to the streets of Auckland – has only increased pressure on the government to act.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa co-chair John Minto believes that recent protests are an accurate measure of where the Aotearoa public stand on this issue and that it’s time for the government to abandon what he describes as “pro-Israel policies”. To discuss this, as well as the UN commission of inquiry declaring genocide in Gaza, Producer Max spoke with John Minto.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about The Greens renewed call for the government to recognise Palestinian statehood, The Greens call for an extension on Māori wards referendum, The most recent failed ETS auction.
For Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, he spoke to Professor of Māori Studies at the University of Auckland - Margaret Mutu about the significance of Te Wiki and the milestones in te reo revitalisation that have been achieved over the past 50 years.
And for this week’s Get Action! He spoke with Nadine Mortaja Spokesperson for the march for humanity about a petition calling on the government to sanction Israel
Max spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair John Minto, to discuss the United Nations officially declaring a genocide in Gaza and how the New Zealand Government should respond.
And Manny spoke to the PSA’s Mar-Sia Puru to discuss the missing candidate profiles in several Māori ward electorates and what they think can be done about it.
This week marks 50 years since the establishment of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, following the 1972 Māori Language Petition. As part of this week everyone across Aotearoa is encouraged to use and learn te reo Māori, fostering its revival and integrating it into their daily life.
However, even 50 years on, the revitalisation of Te Reo still faces a number of issues, with the current coalition Government facing criticism over its policies relating to te reo, such as the removal of te reo on the New Zealand passport, government offices and even in some school books.
Wednesday Wire Host Oto spoke with Professor Māori studies at the University of Auckland, Margaret Mutu, about Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, and the milestones in te reo revitalisation that have been achieved since it began.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin speaks with us about potential biosignatures on Mars, iridescent mammals & plastic waste for carbon capture.
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about Saturday’s March for Humanity, AI and other new subjects in schools, and MP property declarations
For Green Desk, Sara spoke with Dr Amanda Turnbull from the University of Waikato, and IT service Layer3 Solutions Director Daniel Bohan about the environmental impact of AI
Jasmine spoke with Professor Toni Bruce about the lack of coverage of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, and what this means for Women’s sport in Aotearoa
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.
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.
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.
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
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 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
With the rise of fast fashion outlets like Shein and Temu alongside the wider mainstream options available that contribute substantial amounts of clothing waste to landfill, experts are calling for an urgent response on a governance, business, and individual level.
Wire Host Sara spoke to Mindful Fashion Chief Executive Jacinta Fitzgerald about the problem, and the industry response to sustainability, as well as University of Auckland Marketing Professor Mike Lee about the importance of ethical consumption.for individuals.
First, is the interview with Fitzgerald, where she begins by talking about the organisation Mindful Fashion.
Following this, Sara spoke to Marketing Professor Mike Lee about the research he has undertaken around consumerism.
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