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.
Early this morning, University of Auckland associate professor in psychology Dr David Moreau, published findings in the Psychological Bulletin around the effects of fasting on mental cognition.
The paper has found that while the effects vary across age and genetic composition, there is no indication of decline in mental performance whether or not one is fasting.
Wire Host Sara spoke with Moreau this morning about his research, firstly by asking about his interest in the effects of fasting on the brain.
Recently, the government announced that a charter school specifically catering to secondary students with autism would be started up.
The school, the Autism NZ Education Hub, would operate from Wellington and Auckland, with 96 students at first, with Associate Education Minister, David Seymour, saying the structure of the school will be personalised based on a students, needs, strengths, and interests.
However, concerns have been raised regarding whether this is the best approach to support autistic students.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to Missy Morton, a Professor in Disability Studies & Inclusive Education at the University of Auckland about this school, and her concerns regarding it.
The government has recently announced a new draft curriculum for years 0-10 that has seen changes to various subjects, including history, as per National/ACT coalition agreements.
ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, says the changes to the Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories curriculum removes “dismal, divisive and overly political ‘big ideas’”.
However, these changes have received criticisms from the NZ History Teachers Association over a multitude of concerns.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about these changes.
They also discussed Labour’s Capital Gains Tax policy, and the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
But first, they talked about the government’s proposed history curriculum.
Last year. Half a million parking tickets were given out in Auckland by the city's growing fleet of Automatic plate-recognition vehicles. The city now has 25 of these vehicles. With non-compliance tickets having doubled since 2024, concerns have been raised over how these systems generate revenue for Auckland Transport and the council.
While Auckland Transport has defended revenue as an unavoidable consequence of non-compliance systems, and insisted that they must stay consistent in their policing and management, some have labelled this as a ‘commodification of non-compliance’
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Mohsen Mohammadzadeh about these tickets, revenue, and how this technology should, or shouldn't, be used.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s new draft curriculum, specifically focusing on the changes to history, Labour’s capital gains tax policy, and the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Producer Alex spoke to Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Dr Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, about concerns that the council and auckland transport are ‘commodifying non-compliance’ with parking tickets; that is, seeing parking ticket enforcement as a source of revenue.
And Joel spoke to Missy Morton, a Professor in Disability Studies & Inclusive Education at the University of Auckland, about the government’s announcement of a charter school for autistic students and her concerns with the move.
The government has finally released its long-coveted curriculum rewrite for subjects ranging from Science to Drama.
The new curriculum has faced growing criticism from sections of the education sector, with some calling the new curricula old fashioned, criticising it for sidelining Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori Knowledge
Thursday Wire Producer Sanat spoke to Professor of Māori Education Georgina Stuart about her views on the changes specifically to New Zealand’s Science Curriculum and whether those changes are fit for purpose.
International research to understand the relationship between degenerative brain diseases and head knocks that occur in contact sports continues to develop, with New Zealand researchers calling for a delay for children’s involvement in contact sports until they are older.
Risk factors are not exclusive to concussions, or to professional players. Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Dr. Helen Murray, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Brain Injury & Neurodegeneration Research at Waipapa Taumata Rau, about the recommendation to delay contact sports to reduce the risk of degenerative brain diseases later in life.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke with Willow-Jean Prime about Labour’s capital gains tax policy and the defunding of Te Karere and The Hui.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Professor Amin Saikal, Middle East Analyst at Australian National University, on Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti and the responsibility of Israel for the leadership vacuum in Gaza and the West Bank.
Producer Jasmine spoke to Dr. Helen Murray, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Brain Injury & Neurodegeneration Research at Waipapa Taumata Rau, on the recommendation to delay our tamariki starting contact sports until their early teens to reduce the risk of degenerative brain diseases later in life.
Producer Sanat spoke to councillor Shane Henderson about people who are struggling to pay their rates, and regulations around fireworks.
He also spoke to AUT’s Professor of Maori Philosophy of Education Georgina Stuart on the new changes to New Zealand’s Science Curriculum.
The future of Palestinian leadership remains unclear as the current Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, remains unpopular and heavily criticised.
One candidate for leadership is Marwan Barghouti, who has been described as a Nelson Mandela-like leader for Palestine. However, he has been imprisoned in Israel since 2004, facing ill-treatment and torture.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Professor Amin Saikal, Middle East Analyst at Australian National University, about Marwan Barghouti and the broader leadership crisis in Palestine.
Thousands of households across the country are currently in rates arrears, struggling to pay their rates for the 2024/2025 financial year.
Auckland Council's head of rates, valuations and data management, Rhonwen Heath, said 6.6 percent of rates, or 42,902 households were outstanding at the start of the 2025/2026 year.
As cost of living pressures continue to grow on households, with rising food, electricity and rents, Thursday Wire Producer Sanat wanted to chat to Auckland Councilor Shane Henderson about how Auckland Council plays a role in making life more affordable for everyday Aucklanders.
They also had a discussion about the role of fireworks in our community, with major festivals like Diwali prompting some communities to express concern about the disruption that fireworks are causing to their families, animals and the natural environment.
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
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