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 new government proposal would see maternity hospital stay periods extended from 48 to 72 hours. The change would reduce stress on parents and allow more time to adjust with hospital support.
To discuss the change and other support for new parents, Wire host Castor spoke to senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, Dr. Charlotte Oyston, about this proposal to increase the maternity hospital stay period.
For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about the Winston Peters meeting with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, the recent Ipsos Issues Monitor Survey findings, and the recent developments in Israel’s war on Gaza.
For our weekly catch up Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about the ACT party entering candidates into local elections, ACT MP Mark Cameron criticising National’s approach to rural communities, as well as David Seymour failing to inform the Education Minister that a key school lunch provider was going into liquidation.
Evie also spoke to Geopolitical Analyst at the University of Otago, Geoffrey Miller about Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters recent trip to the US, and what outcomes this achieved for US New Zealand relations.
Joel spoke to the Political Marketing Expert from the University of Auckland Edward Elder about the most recent Ipsos Issues Monitor Survey, which recorded the government as having the lowest score since the survey started collecting data in mid-2017.
And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio today to discuss the new tv series ‘Adolescence’, and how this relates to creativity and innovation.
Last week Foreign Minister Winston Peters made a trip over to the US to meet with the new Trump administration.
On the trip, Peters carried out a number of meetings with officials such as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Peters has since revealed very little about what was discussed or achieved in these meetings, instead simply stating he was ‘very pleased’ and ‘more confident going out than coming in.’
The main questions ahead of the trip were around what effect Trump’s tariffs may have on Aotearoa, as well as what trade with the US will look like moving forward. However little has been revealed following the trip.
Producer Evie spoke to Geopolitical Analyst at the University of Otago Geoffrey Miller about the trip and what Aotearoa can expect to come out of it.
Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, and Producer Evie in studio to discuss the new TV series, 'Adolescence,' and how this series delves into toxic masculinity and incel culture.
The most recent data from the Ipsos Issues Monitor Survey was released.
The survey looks at various factors, including government favorability, as well as what areas in Aotearoa are of the most concern for respondents.
The survey recorded data from just over 1000 individuals and shows that respondents gave the government a 4.2 out of 10; the lowest score the survey has recorded since collecting data in mid-2017.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to a political marketing expert from the University of Auckland, Edward Elder, about these findings.
They started off by asking him if these recent statistics are a surprise to him.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis is encouraging international supermarket companies to enter Aotearoa.
However, researchers on retail and marketing say it will take too long for an international player to make a difference in the New Zealand market and problems with the duopoly need to be addressed first.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to one of these researchers, Lisa Asher from the University of Sydney, about this topic.
World Vision has just released their annual Price Shocks Report for 2025, examining food price inflation around the world.
They found that while New-Zealand and other wealthier countries saw an improvement in food affordability, many poorer nations reported significantly worsened price to wage ratios.
While the report highlights a clear need for adequate funding for global humanitarian aid, in 2024 only 47% of required humanitarian food assistance was funded, leaving millions without support.
As conflict, climate change and other global crises exacerbate conditions in the worst-off regions, World Vision is calling for the New Zealand government, among other wealthy nations, to contribute more to assist populations suffering from food insecurity.
Producer Sara spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong about this report and World Vision’s call to action for the government. Here is that interview.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about a potential trade deal with India spearheaded by the Prime Minister, the liquidation of school lunch provider Libelle, and the Labour-led Wage Theft Bill passing its third reading in Parliament.
For International Desk, they speak to Tania Sawicki Mead, Director of Communications at UNICEF Aotearoa, about the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire.
And they speak to Lisa Asher from the University of Sydney about the best ways to disrupt the supermarket duopoly in Aotearoa.
For City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about a letter from Aucklands local boards to Mayor Wayne Brown concerning the seventeen point six million dollar budget shortfall, as well as Auckland Council’s new dog shelter in response to an increase in roaming dogs
She also spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, about their latest annual Price Shocks Report, and what the New Zealand government should be doing to address global food insecurity.
The recent tariffs and protectionist policies brought by US President Donald Trump under his new administration have shaken up multilateral agreements and America’s relationship with their traditional allies.
Trump’s recent policy decisions are part of a growing movement of countries adopting protectionist domestic policies in opposition to international Tax agreements.
Craig Elliffe’, a professor of law at the University of Auckland, has referred to Trump’s new policies as being part of a “quiet revolution” reshaping international tax law.
Oto talked to Craig about his research paper detailing international tax laws and how Trump’s policies are shaping them
Last week, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced plans to scrap the nationwide census moving forward. The census is the largest statistical survey done in Aotearoa, and provides the bulk of population data used in research and decision-making. Reti says the census is “no longer financially viable” and will be replaced with a combination of smaller annual surveys and administrative data.
While the change looks good on paper, there are concerns around how the change in data collection could affect representation of marginalised and minority groups. Census data tends to be more protected from bias than administrative data and smaller surveys, meaning there are more opportunities for misrepresentation. Some statisticians are particularly concerned about the potential exclusion of marginalised rural communities.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked him about the census decision and its implications on marginalised and minority groups.
Associate Health Minister, David Seymour, has recently announced changes to Psilocybin and Melatonin availability.
Psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, will be available for certain patients suffering from poor mental health outcomes. Melatonin, which is used for insomnia and jetlag, is set to be available over the counter.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about this move, and the potential accessibility concerns with accessing these medications.
They also discussed taxpayers set to be funding newly-funded cancer medicines for private facilities.
Finally, they discuss opposition parties criticised Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, over a lack of transparency regarding the effectiveness of boot camps for youth offenders, especially as boot camps have received a boost of $30 million, despite the pilot programme still being ongoing.
But first, they discussed Psilocybin and Melatonin.
Housing intensification is a key priority for Auckland Council as Auckland's population is forecast to reach 2.3 million by 2050.
But as planning for growth continues, some Auckland residents have expressed concern about the approval of developments in areas on flood plains or particularly prone to natural disasters.
With Kāinga Ora selling homes as ‘high risk investments’ in areas which were impacted by flooding in recent years, and 15 percent of all granted consents for new builds by Auckland Council being on floodplains, I spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about how the council is taking into account these issues for the coming years.
Last Saturday, over 2,000 protests took place across all 50 American States against President Donald Trump.
The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and they served as a direct response to the military parade in Washington, DC.
The organisers of the protests say they aimed to reject “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.”
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut about the protests and the backlash towards them from the Trump administration.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon recently spoke to media saying that the government would announce reforms to the Holidays Act that would impact sick leave entitlements for part time workers.
Under the suggested changes, sick leave entitlements would be processed under an accrual system, meaning that part-time workers working half the hours of their full-time counterparts may only earn half of their previously entitled sick leave.
In that same week, a directive was recently given to Te Whatu Ora - Health NZ to give private hospitals 10-year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries.
And earlier this week Associate Education David Seymour announced a review of the funding for early childhood education.
For our weekly Catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez-March about all of these issues.
Last week, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston announced plans to double the tourism value by 2034, with increased funding to support the country in reaching this goal. The funding is primarily targeted at increasing the marketing of New Zealand tourism overseas, which has been met with mixed reactions from tourism operators in Aotearoa, many of whom have been struggling with existing tourist numbers.
Also this past week, the New Zealand government imposed sanctions on two Israeli ministers for ‘inciting extremist violence’ against Palestinians. While the move has received cross-party support, opposition parties such as the Greens and Te Pāti Māori have criticised the government for not taking further action against Israel.
In our weekly catchup with National's Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with the new tourism funding.
This week on Dear Science our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chatted with us about characterising liquid carbon, a New Zealand led cleanup in Antarctica, and plants making their own pesticide.
The ACT Party has recently announced that candidates standing in local elections, if elected, will oppose attempts to mitigate emissions at a local level.
ACT Local Government spokesperson, Cameron Luxton, says council’s should “focus on what they can control,” and not “costly symbolic declarations”.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about this move.
We also discussed the government’s sanctions on Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
New Zealand has joined countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada, and Norway, in banning Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over allegedly “inciting extremist violence" against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and “undermin[ing] peace” for a two-state solution.
Finally, we discussed changes being made to the proposed anti-stalking laws.
But first, we discussed ACT candidates opposing attempts to mitigate emissions at a local level.
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