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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Recently, Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, met with India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in Delhi to discuss a variety of different topics. Notably, Modi alleged there has been ‘anti-India activities by some illegal elements’ in Aotearoa.
Many believe Modi’s statements refer to the Khalistan movement in Aotearoa; a movement aiming to establish an independent homeland for Sikhs in India.
More specifically, many believe Modi is referring to the Khalistan ‘referendum’ in Auckland in November last year.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to an activist with the Aotearoa Alliance of Progressive Indians, Sapna Samant, about these allegations by Modi and how she believes his criticisms are more to do with the anti-Hindutva, or anti-Hindu-nationalism, movement in Aotearoa.
They started off by asking her about the Khalistan movement in New Zealand.
Auckland Council's Community Committee has recently reported a 53% rise in rough sleeping over four months, with the data showing the number of people known to be living in cars, parks, or on the streets has risen from 426 in September 2024 to 653 in January 2025.
Kickback, a youth development and social justice community responding to youth homelessness, is calling for an urgent review of The Ministry of Social Development's approach to homelessness.
Producer Amani spoke with General Manager Aaron Hendry about why it is calling for a review and which suggestions it has for the public service department.
A breakthrough in understanding chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to repeated head blows, has been made at the University of Auckland.
Neuroscientists at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research examined brain tissue, primarily from former rugby players, with the research shedding new light on how specific cells respond to damage from repeated head knocks.
Producer Amani spoke with Senior Author of the research Dr Helen Murray about how the findings open the way for a deeper understanding of the causes of CTE and about what the research process involved.
Last week the Green Party’s Tamatha Paul made comments about police presence in Wellington, particularly how increased police activity made some feel unsafe. She also noted some discriminatory and harmful behaviour from police officers towards Wellington’s homeless population. These comments, presented at a panel hosted by the University of Canterbury’s Greens and Peace Action Ōtautahi, were Paul restating feedback she had received from her constituents in Wellington central.
The response to Tamatha Paul’s comments was extremely critical from all sides of the political spectrum, involving feedback such as “insane” from prime minister Christopher Luxon, “unwise” and “stupid” from Labour leader Chris Hipkins, and “just weird” from ACT leader David Seymour. The comments and their responses lead to a series of articles across all major New Zealand news networks.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Tom Rutherford about the substance of Tamatha Paul’s comments and whether the seemingly disproportionate reaction is appropriate.
This week on Dear Science our expert Dr. Cushla McGoverin chatted with us about various April Fools pranks in the world of science, including the 'Sheep Albedo Hypothesis' from here in Aotearoa.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
On Sunday, Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, announced plans to combat the supermarket duopoly between Foodstuffs and Woolworths. This could include breaking-up or restructuring the current chains, with Cabinet also announcing a formal request for information, or RFI, into the matter.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about this announcement, and whether she, and the party, thinks this will be enough to address food accessibility in Aotearoa.
We also discussed the comments made by Green MP, Tamatha Paul, about the police, and whether she believes these comments have become sensationalised.
Finally, we discussed the party’s calls for mandatory police body cameras.
But first, they started off by asking Kemp about how the party are feeling about Nicola Willis’ most recent announcements into the supermarket duopoly.
Last week, the government announced its plans for reforming the Resource Management Act, or the RMA, introducing two acts to replace the current RMA. The plan is to bring the two acts before the select committee next year, passing them just before the next election.
For our weekly catch up News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about this reform, working with the opposition, and the lack of a Treaty clause.
We also talked about concerns that the health and police system in Aotearoa are failing, following an 11-year old being misidentified as a 20-year old by police and being administered antipsychotic drugs.
Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal group chat with top United States security officials who were discussing military plans for strikes on Yemen.
The group chat discussed operational details, and officials, including the Vice President JD Vance, seemed unaware of Goldberg’s presence.
Jeffrey Goldberg initially left out some of these sensitive details in his article on the group chat but has released more specific information after the Trump administration downplayed the situation and said no classified information was shared.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about this issue.
Public submissions regarding Auckland Council’s annual plan from 2025/2026 are set to close tomorrow at 11:59pm, with the plan set to take place from the 1st of July.
These submissions give the public the opportunity to provide feedback on proposals from the coming year.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about this, and the council’s ‘bed tax’.
They also spoke about the recent discussions regarding ensuring fair and equal representation in the upcoming 2025 local election.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters gave a “State of the Nation” speech last weekend where he strongly criticised Labour and announced his party was declaring a “war on woke.”
The government has announced a new replacement for the Resource Management Act, looking to pass it before the next election.
And Labour Foreign Affairs spokesperson David Parker has criticised the government for not condemning Israel in the context of recent military action and the blocking of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about all of these topics.
Ever wondered what it would be like to bike in an Art Gallery? Well now you can, for the city is your gallery. In collaboration with EcoFest 2025 and various New Zealand artists, Bike Hubs have set up a Street Art Bike Challenge. Now, anyone can ride around the city, discover amazing works of art and win great prizes.
This week, Green Desk Producer Liam speaks to Brent Bielby, manager of EcoMatters’ Bike Hubs, a community project aimed at encouraging more people to take up cycling. He explains the goal behind the challenge, as well as how cycling can contribute to a healthy lifestyle and provide a source of freedom and fun.
You can take part in this challenge yourself. All you need to do is take out your bike, pedal over to the artworks, and upload a photo of you and your bike. The challenge will run until the 22nd of April, and you can find a map of all the locations and trails on the EcoMatters website.
A petition was launched by Te Taiao o Kawhia Moana, a group dedicated to the protection and conservation of the Kāwhia harbour, calling on the Ōtorohanga District Council to remove vehicle access from vulnerable areas of the inner harbour and to Support the development of new alternative access infrastructure.
The group says that local taonga species and ecosystems are being put at risk by current vehicle access and that The proposed Ocean Beach access way would provide a sustainable alternative that balances community access needs with environmental protection.
For this week’s Gert Action! Oto spoke to John Forbes, founding Chair of Te Taiao o Kāwhia Moana, to discuss the petition and the importance of protecting the harbour.
If you're interested in signing this petition, you can find it here:
Just two days ago, the government announced a complete overhaul of the Resource Management Act.
The RMA as it is would be dismantled and then split into two acts; a planning act regulating the use and development of land, and a Natural Environment Act focusing on the use and protection of land, air, water and other natural resources.
Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court said that the reforms were intended to streamline development more efficiently while also protecting the environment.
The week before, the Greens issued a call for the compassionate release of 77-year old inmate Dean Wickliffe, who is currently on a hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility after being arrested for being made houseless in violation of his probation conditions.
And Green Party Co-Leader Chloe Swarbrick made a renewed call to the government calling on them to support a members bill of hers that would sanction Israel for their occupation of the Palestinian territories.
For their weekly catchup, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March for the party’s take on all of these issues.
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