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.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the shake-up to regional councils, and the Justice Committee recommending the Electoral Amendment Bill pass.
Producer Alex spoke with Research Fellow at the department of primary healthcare and rural health at the Dunedin School of Medicine, Dr Geoffrey Noller, about the roll out of roadside drug testing for substances such as Marijuana beginning in wellington, and what it means for road safety and legal Marijuana users.
And Alex spoke with Professor in pediatric endocrinology at the Liggins Insititute at the University of Auckland, Paul Hofman, about the governments ban on puberty blockers, and what it means for the mental health of young trans people.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to marine microplastics researcher at the University of Auckland, Dr Samantha Ladewig, about the impact of car tyres on microplastic pollution in marine environments and what the potential solutions are.
Bay of Plenty Reggae festival One Love have announced their 2026 cancellation earlier this week, citing the ongoing cost of living crisis and unforeseen behind-the-scenes developments as the reason why. Speculation around the cancellation continues to tie the festival's legacy to its previous promoter and founder, Pato Alvarez, following his sex offending conviction in 2023.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to musician and sound engineer Lora Thomson, about what the cancellation of the festival indicates for Aotearoa’s live music scene, and the accessibility of venues and touring circuits for musicians in Aotearoa.
New research shows the potential of gene therapy to rescue heart function in a type of heart failure that people with diabetes are more likely to experience.
The type of heat failure that diabetes increases the risk of is currently difficult to treat, but the latest research offers new hope.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to University of Auckland Associate Professor Dr Kim Mellor about her work on this research and what the next steps are for it to turn into a viable treatment.
On Monday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a new National Party Kiwisaver policy, where they’re looking to further increase the default Kiwisaver contribution rate. Luxon said, if re-elected, National would continue to gradually increase the default contribution rates by 0.5% per year until 2032, when both employees and employers would pay 6% each.
The Government also announced that New Zealand would become the latest country to halt new prescriptions for puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria. In response to this, Ricardo Menendez March told RNZ that the government was “buying into imported culture wars”.
And last week saw the end of the COP30 climate summit. One of the major outcomes of the summit was that more than 80 countries, including the United Kingdom and Pacific Island Nations, signed a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels, but New Zealand chose not to.
For our Weekly Catchup with The Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez March about The Green Party’s reaction to the COP30 summit, as well as their thoughts on the Government’s decision to halt new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria.
But first, we started with National’s new Kiwisaver policy.
Following our previous discussion with The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March, Wednesday Wire Host Max decided to further break down The National Party’s new Kiwisaver Policy with Robert MacCulloch, the Matthew S. Abel Chair of Macroeconomics, and Professor in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Auckland.
Here’s what he thought about the newly announced policy by National, and why he's disturbed by it.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max, spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about The National Party’s newly announced Kiwisaver policy, The Green Party’s reaction to the COP30 Climate Summit, as well as their reaction to the Government choosing to halt new prescriptions for puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria.
Following this, Max also spoke with Robert MacCulloch, the Matthew S. Abel Chair of Macroeconomics, and Professor in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Auckland, to discuss The National Party’s new Kiwisaver policy.
Producer Castor spoke to James Russel, a Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Auckland, about the government considering adding feral cats to the Predator Free 2050 list.
And News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Aaron Hendry, the General Manager and Co-Founder of KickBack, about an open letter they have signed over the government’s proposed policy to ban rough sleeping in Auckland’s CBD.
ActionStation Aotearoa, KickBack, and over 40 opposition leaders, community leaders, and organisations, launched an open letter on Monday regarding the government’s potential policy to ban rough sleeping in Auckland’s CBD.
The proposed ban, despite the proposal being in its early stages of discussions, has been heavily condemned across the sector, and has raised the question of where those rough sleeping would go?
News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Aaron Hendry, the General Manager and Co-Founder of KickBack, a youth development organisation responding to homelessness, about this open letter.
Last week, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced plans to add feral cats to the government’s list of pests to be eradicated by 2050. The decision follows a campaign promise from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made in a debate in 2023.
Feral cats pose numerous wildlife risks when compared to other predators such as rats or stoats. In addition, their larger size makes trapping more difficult, meaning new techniques will need to be developed. To discuss the change, why it’s important, and how it fits in with the larger predator free 2050 mission, producer Castor spoke to Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Auckland, James Russell.
Tāmaki Makaurau’s council budget is among those impacted by the proposal of a rates cap, considering Tāmaki’s average 5.8% annual rates increase across the 25/26 financial year.
Youth homelessness is a growing concern as discussions continue around “move on” orders for those without housing in Auckland’s CBD.
And the Skycity Convention Centre is set to open in 2026, with high hopes for what it may bring for Tāmaki Makaurau after its prolonged development.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Counsellor Fairey about these topics.
The Trump administration has caused issues of significant food waste due to a range of its policies, including immigration raids, tariffs, cuts to food assistance programmes, and the destruction of food for programmes like USAID.
This has had huge consequences, including environmental impacts, as well as impacts on the estimated more than 47 million people in the US who don’t have enough food to eat, and those who have relied on US foreign aid that has been cut.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Garrett Graddy-Lovelace, Provost Associate Professor in Environment, Development & Health at American University, about these issues.
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Recently, the government has announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs.
As well as this, Health Minister, Simeon Brown, has called for the decentralisation of Health New Zealand, with the expectation that the entity focuses on deliveries closer to the front-line, additionally expecting a plan to do so by the end of the year.
For our weekly catch up with the National Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to MP Stuart Smith about these topics, starting with the regional council.
From today until the 4th of December, a conference will be held in Queenstown that will look into pest management and how best to protect native species.
The event not only brings experts in the sector from Aotearoa, but will also involve Australian experts as well.
Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke to Dr Sze-Wing Yiu, a Wildlife Ecologist at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, about this week’s conference, and what to expect.
The government has recently announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs.
The ‘shake-up’ of regional councils has left concerns that the move would water down environmental regulations at a local level, reduce Māori and iwi voices in decision making, and would result in central government overreaching into local politics.
As well as this, Parliament’s Justice Committee has recommended passing the Electoral Amendment Bill, albeit with some amendments
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about both of these topics, starting with the changes to regional councils.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka announced the government’s release of the new social housing investment plan which aims to shift to a “needs-based, data driven approach”.
The new flexible fund includes $41 million dollars in operating funding over the next four years, and the government have stated they expect to support up to 770 social homes and affordable rentals in the initial phase.
As well, Health Minister Simeon Brown last week announced a Cabinet decision to stop new prescriptions for puberty blockers for young people identifying as trans or experiencing gender dysphoria.
The rule, in effect from 19th of December, is based on recommendations from a UK National Health Service review which determined that the evidence to the benefits or risks of the treatment was “remarkably weak”.
The government is expected to pause new prescriptions until the outcome of a clinical trial being conducted in the UK, expected to be completed in 2031.
Wire Host Sara spoke with MP Carl Bates about all of these topics, firstly by asking about the flexible fund which will replace the so-called ‘patchwork of programmes’ in place for social housing.
Christmas Lights at MOTAT - experience Auckland’s most magical Christmas lights - heritage trams, festive music, Santa visits, and thousands of sparkling lights Tickets at MOTAT.NZ.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
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