Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Castor Chacko, Oto Sequeira, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
A ceasefire ending Israel’s 15 month war on Gaza went into effect on Sunday.
However, top government Israeli officials have stated they reserve to resume the war if they feel they need to.
Israel has also ramped up attacks in the Palestinian West Bank, which is not included in any ceasefire terms. Ten Palestinians were killed in a recent raid in Jenin, and an additional dozen, including medical staff, were wounded.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa’s John Minto about the ceasefire and subsequent Israeli military activity.
The inauguration of Donald Trump has taken place, meaning he is officially President of the United States.
Many tech giant were at the event, including SpaceX and Tesla’s Elon Musk who appeared to do a nazi salute during his speech.
On his first day in office, Trump signed a series of controversial executive orders, including ordering the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organisation and Paris Climate Agreement.
For States of the States this week Wire Host Caeden spoke to Yale Daily News’ Andre Fa’aoso about the inauguration and Trump’s first few days in office, as well as the short-lived Tiktok ban.
And Producer Sofia spoke to honorary academic at the University of Auckland Faculty of Science and climate scientist Dr Kevin Trenberth about Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and what this says about his administration’s policy for climate change
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party Wire Host Caeden speaks to Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni about the first political poll of the year and National’s cabinet reshuffle.
For State of the States this week they speak to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about President Trump’s inauguration and the short-lived Tiktok ban.
And they speak to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa’s John Minto about the ceasefire in Gaza.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sofia speaks to Councillor Shane Henderson about new proposed restrictions on dog walking and the Māngere fires from over the weekend.
Also for State of the States this week, she speaks to honorary academic at the University of Auckland Faculty of Science and climate scientist Dr Kevin Trenberth about President Donald Trump withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a major reshuffling of ministerial portfolios within the National party.
Among the most notable portfolio changes was handing over Dr Shane Reti’s role as minister of health to Transport Minister Simeon Brown and the appointment of Nicola Willis as Minister of the newly created portfolio of Minister of Economic Growth, a title formerly known as the Minister of Economic Development.
The cabinet reshuffle has led to concerns about the fate of Health NZ and Aotearoa’s healthcare sector, noting that Shane Reti had over 20 years of experience working in medicine, whereas Simeon Brown has none.
The reshuffle also comes shortly after a recent poll by the Taxpayers Union showed that National’s approval rating had fallen below 30%, the lowest rating they’ve received while in government since 1999.
Oto spoke with Michael Swanson, a PHD candidate in New Zealand politics at the University of Otago, to discuss why National made the decision to shuffle their portfolios at this point in time and the impacts of the portfolio changes for the wider economy, particulary for the healthcare system and constituents in the South Island.
On New Years Eve, the government announced a ‘free vape kit’ initiative to combat tobacco usage rates, as a part of Smokefree 2025 plans.
Associate Health Minister, Casey Costello, says those involved with the initiative will be provided with a vape device and a one month’s supply of nicotine pods each month for a three month period, with additional support from an anti-smoking service.
Costello says vaping has had a "key role," in lowering smoking rates, and that the government is in support of this initiative, as she says that "vaping is far less harmful than smoking cigarettes."
However, the advocacy group for doctors working in general practice; General Practitioners Aotearoa, have expressed concerns about this vaping kit, as they say the government is funding this initiative without strong scientific evidence to back up their claims.
The group referred to a study of individuals undergoing a 'vape to quit' programme, with findings showing that only 16% of participants fully quit both smoking and vaping.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Chair of General Practitioners Aotearoa, Dr Buzz Burrell, about the ‘free vape kit’ initiative, and using vaping as a cessation tool for tobacco usage, as well as whether this move takes into account communities disproportionately affected by nicotine consumption.
They started off by asking him about how much evidence there is that vaping is an adequate method to limit one’s tobacco addiction.
This podcast has been edited to take out the claim "…so if you inhale nicotine through a vape you've got an equal chance of developing lung cancer. So you're not reducing the lung cancer risk at all," as well as mentions of 'vape lung' (EVALI) regarding consuming nicotine from vapes. Despite ongoing research into these claims, there is not currently adequate data to back these points.
For their weekly catch up, Oto spoke to Green Party MP Ricardo Menendez March about the National party’s recent cabinet reshuffle, as well as the government’s changes to free speech legislation in Universities and the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli Defence Force.
He spoke to Michael Swanson, PhD Candidate in New Zealand Politics at the University of Otago, for a follow up kōrero on National’s cabinet reshuffle.
He spoke to Amanda Larsson from Greenpeace to discuss newly elected US President Donald Trump’s exit from the Paris Agreement.
And he spoke to Chris Ogden, an Associate Professor Cultures, Languages and Linguistics at the University of Auckland, to discuss Trump’s claims of annexing Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada.
Joel spoke to the Chair of General Practitioners Aotearoa, Dr Buzz Burrell, about the government’s ‘free vape kits,’ and the organisation's concerns surrounding using vaping as a cessation tool for smoking.
One of Trump’s first measures after taking office was to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.
The Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that requires it’s signatories to set their own emissions reductions goals and to report regularly on their progress.
Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement makes the United States one of only four countries in the entire world who are not signatories to the Paris Agreement, with the other three non-signatories being Iran, Libya and Yemen.
Oto spoke to Amanda Larsson from Greenpeace Aotearoa to discuss the implications of Trump’s exit from the Paris agreement, and how Aotearoa should adjust its own climate targets in response.
Yesterday marked the inauguration of the newly elected President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
Trump’s election marks the second non-consecutive term for any US president, with him winning both the popular vote AND electoral college, contrasting his previous election victory in 2016.
However, despite running on one of his campaign slogans of ‘ending all wars’, Trump frequently made promises to annex a number of territories in North and South America, namely Greenland and the Panama Canal, and made comments about turning Canada into America’s 51st state.
Oto spoke to Associate Professor in Cultures, Languages and Linguistics at the University of Auckland - Chris Ogden, to discuss the validity of these claims, why Trump was making them and what military expansion during his presidency could hypothetically look like.
Following the pandemic, hybrid remote and in office work has become more prevalent. According to data from StatsNZ on the September 2024 quarter, more than 40% of businesses offered a work from home option, while 898,700 people worked from home.
In 2023, 5 academics (and work friends) published a study on the nature of workplace friendships in the absence of physical presence. The study indicated several benefits of having work friends, as well as revealing foundational elements to maintaining these friendships.
Producer Athena spoke to Senior Lecturer Dr Stefan Korber, from the University of Auckland Business School, about the benefits of having work friends, and the ways workplace friendships can flourish.
In November of 2024, Te Whatu Ora declared whooping cough an epidemic, and epidemiologists are expecting it will be the most challenging Aotearoa has seen.
Whooping cough is a respiratory infection caused by a bacteria, and is dangerous for babies and toddlers. However, infection can be prevented by vaccination during pregnancy.
Producer Athena spoke to epidemiologist, and Research Fellow at the University of Auckland, Dr Hannah Chisholm, about the circumstances that led to the epidemic, and the necessity of vaccinations.
Donna Kerridge (Ngāti Tahinga, Ngāti Mahuta) is a Kaumatua with more than twenty years of experience sharing matauranga and wisdom on rongoā Māori.
She holds a strong belief in the importance of building connections and learning from our environment as essential to maintaining and restoring our own health.
As part of EcoFest 2025, Donna will be facilitating an introductory workshop to Māori medicine, inviting participants to explore health through an Indigenous lens and learn more about the relationship between our taiao and the whenua.
Green Desk Producer Sara spoke with Donna this week to talk more about the workshop, and how rongoā Māori can benefit health outcomes in Aotearoa. Here is that interview.
The Western Springs Speedway Association has launched a court battle against the Council, following moving the motorsports to Waikaraka Park in Onehunga, from its original homeground of 97 years at Western Springs.
The association claims the council fabricated documents and did not consult properly during the process.
For our weekly catchup with Auckland Council, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson, about this judicial review.
Auckland Council is also set to discuss plans for properties damaged during the 2023 storms. The council was set to purchase just over TWELVE HUNDRED high-risk homes as part of a voluntary buyout scheme. While Council is looking into the sale of some properties, most of the land has low market appeal as a result of damages.
However, Joel started off by asking Henderson about the accusations from the Western Springs Speedway Association towards the council and how he was feeling about them.
The government released its second quarterly action plan for 2025 this week, outlining their targets across a range of sectors. Included in the plan is legislation around free speech at universities. When pitching this legislation previously, ACT leader David Seymour said the change would protect academics and individual freedom of speech, while disallowing universities from deplatforming speakers with controversial or offensive views. Seymour sez the bill will ensure universities remain neutral on non-operational issues.
The action plan was joined by the new 2025 defence capability plan, which includes 9 billion dollars of new funding for the defence sector. Included in this 9 billion is 450 million dollars for killer drones, a first for New Zealand’s defence force.
The past few weeks have also seen economic instability in the US following a series of tariffs introduced by president Donald Trump. While New Zealand is only affected by the lowest 10 per cent tariff rate, the consequences remain uncertain for our still recovering economy.
In our weekly catchup with the Labour Party, Thursday Wire host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about each of these issues, beginning with free speech at universities.
Last week United States Senator Cory Booker gave a marathon 25-hour speech, or “filibuster”, in the Senate.
Booker’s speech included a broad range of criticisms of President Donald Trump, including his widespread cuts with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and his threat to annex Greenland and Canada.
Booker had over 1,000 pages of prepared material, including stories from 200 Americans who had written to Booker about Trump’s actions.
Thursday Wire Host, Caeden, spoke to Charles Hunt from Boise State University in Idaho about Booker’s speech, its historical basis, and its impact on a growing anti-Trump movement in the United States.
They started by asking if he could explain what a filibuster is.
Parliament’s Justice Committee recently released a report into the ACT Party’s Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill.
With 90% of the bill’s 300,000 submissions being opposed to it, the select committee’s 45-page report recommended that the treaty principles bill should not proceed, with National and NZ first both committed to voting it down in its upcoming second reading.
Just this week, the government announced that they would be investing $12 billion dollars into the New Zealand Defence Force over the next four years, as part of a plan to bring defence spending to 2% of our GDP.
And Prime Minister Christopher Luxon recently condemned the tariffs of 10% that had been placed on New Zealand exports by US President Donald Trump.
For their weekly Catch Up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto talked to him about the party’s take on all of these issues.
Nicola Willis recently took over responsibility for grocery regulation after recently appointed consumer affairs minister Scott Simpson identified a conflict of interest. Willis says she is interested in introducing a competitor to the New Zealand supermarket duopoly, though whether this competitor will come from overseas or internally remains to be seen.
Also in politics this past week are US president Donald Trump’s tariffs, which have had massive economic impact in the US and internationally. While New Zealand is minimally affected by the tariffs, our economy only recently exited a recession, so we may be in a position of vulnerability to further economic instability.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with plans to address the supermarket duopoly.
You can find the press conference referenced by Tom Rutherford here.
Three Te Pāti Māori MPs, Hana Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Rawiri Waititi, did not attend the Privileges Committee over their contempt of the House, following their haka in Parliament protesting the Treaty Principles Bill.
The party instead are planning on holding their own hearing regarding the matter.
Privileges Committee chairwoman Judith Collins, called the no-show “unprecedented” and has given the MPs “one final chance” to attend the hearing.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about the party’s action, and why they are going about the hearing in their own manner.
We also spoke about the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act passing its final reading.
But first, we discussed the party not attending the Privileges Committee.
After months of hearings, submissions and debate, the Justice Select Committee has released its report into the Treaty Principles Bill, recommending that the bill not proceed.
The report found that of all submissions, nearly 90% were opposed, around 8% in support and just over 3% were unstated.
Despite this final damning backlash against the bill, David Seymour and the ACT party maintain that there is a place for the bill in Aotearoa, saying submissions often don’t reflect the majority view of the country.
For our weekly catch up, Producer Evie spoke to ACT’s Simon Court about the report, and what the ACT party intend to do next.
They also spoke about the tariffs imposed on trade by Donald Trump last week, and how the government expects them to impact New Zealand.
Finally, they spoke about an unfolding situation concerning ACT MP and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard. An RNZ investigation late last week found a potential conflict of interest between the minister and his sister who is the executive director of a dairy company. The investigation found that her company had lobbied against the minister's office introducing tougher regulations on baby formula.
Last week, Green Party MP Tamatha Paul made comments about the police and the expansion of beat patrols in Wellington, saying they make a lot of people feel “less safe.”
The comments have been criticised by MPs across National, Act, New Zealand First, as well as Labour.
And Finance Minister Nicola Willis is seeking specialist external advice on what ways the supermarket duopoly could be restructured.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about these issues.
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