Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Castor Chacko, Alex Fox, Emmanuel Orange, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
The ongoing war between the U.S.-Israeli coalition and Iran is a battle between three nations of three different faiths—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Religious rhetoric and imagery have been deployed on all sides in order to arouse public support, with the Republican administration in the U.S. making some less-than-subtle appeals to its evangelical Christian voter-base.
However, opinion polls show that the war continues to be unpopular in the United States, and while many evangelicals continue to support Trump, the administration’s attempt to frame the conflict as a holy war has been a cause of confusion and annoyance for other sections of the American public.
To help us understand the complex relationship between war, faith, and American politics, producer Toby spoke to Dr. Andrew Shepherd, senior lecturer in theology at the University of Otago.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin speaks with us about scientists using humour, sea slug colours, and wound healing imaging.
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Alex spoke with Ryan Hamilton about the rise in fuel prices, what we can expect from the Government in terms of support, and how that fits into the cost of living crisis.
Alex also spoke with the Head of Brand and Communications, Samantha Perry, about the MOTAT STEM fair, why its important, and what it means in the wider context of MOTAT’s goals
And Producer Flo spoke to Richard Jackson, Leading Thinker Chair in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago about the war in Iran, chances for peace and the long term effects on regional stability and the international community.
This weekend, MOTAT is hosting its STEM Fair. All weekend, hands-on activities and demonstrations will be running in order to provide both education and play to the Innovators of Tomorrow.
Last week, Tuesday Wire Host Alex and News Director Castor headed to MOTAT to speak with Head of Brand and Communications at the Museum, Samantha Perry, about the STEM fair, and how it fits into MOTAT’s wider ethos.
The war between the US-Israeli coalition and Iran has entered it’s fourth week with an immediate end to the conflict remaining out of sight. The war has caused casualties throughout the Middle East and has significantly affected the global economy with fuel prices soaring worldwide.
Flo spoke with Professor Richard Jackson, Leading Thinker Chair in Peace and Conflict Studies and Co-Director of Te Ao O Rongomaraeroa - The National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago about chances for peace, the widespread effects on the region and the meaning of the conflict for the international rules based order.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about increasing fuel prices, public transport, and the scrapped clean car discount.
They also spoke to Professor Alistair Woodward from the University of Auckland about air pollution, how to address it, and also touched on the clean car discount.
Producer Thomas spoke to Forest and Bird National Conservation Advocate Bianca Ranson about the proposed Fisheries Act amendment bill and the risk it poses to our oceans.
And he talked to University of Auckland Senior Research Fellow Dr Kelly Garton about New Zealand's increasing junk food imports and the detrimental health effects this could have on the country .
Last week also saw a study released around air pollution in Aotearoa, which found that Auckland faced significant air pollution risks. Traffic is the leading cause, with congestion and big vehicles as the largest causes. Over 700 people die annually from air pollution from traffic in Auckland, more than any other part of the country.
As the fuel crisis gets worse, some are seeing it as an opportunity to improve our country by becoming less reliant on petrol and cutting out unnecessary large vehicles from our big cities.
To discuss air pollution and the potential opportunities within the fuel crisis, News Director Castor spoke to the University of Auckland’s Professor Alistair Woodward.
Research has recently been released which found between 1990 and 2023 Ultra Processed Foods share in New Zealand’s total food and drink imports has increased from 9 to 22 percent.
This has raised concerns, as diets high in ultra processed foods carry an increased risk of multiple serious health conditions and can be environmentally damaging due to their high usage of plastic packaging, and water and energy in production.
With the country in the midst of a cost of living crisis and people becoming increasingly reliant on these cheap, convenient, but unhealthy food options, the extent of this problem could continue to grow.
To discuss the research and its findings, producer Thomas talked to the report’s lead author Dr Kelly Garton.
Last week, Minister for oceans and fisheries, Shane Jones, introduced the Fisheries Act amendment bill to parliament. The bill proposes sweeping changes to the current Fisheries Act including scrapping minimum size limits for the majority of fish species, and introducing penalties for whistleblowers leaking on-board camera footage.
The bill also ignores thousands of submissions calling for positive environmental changes to the act, such as a ban on bottom trawling. The act’s defenders say the limited market for juvenile fish will financially punish commercial fishers for catching them, and claim the act can unlock commercial fishing's economic potential.
Critics, however, have accused Shane Jones of giving into commercial lobbyists and selling out New Zealand’s enviroment for short term economic gain.
To discuss the changes made in the act and their potential impact on Aotearoa’s oceans producer Thomas talked to Forest and Bird National Conservation Advocate, Bianca Ranson.
20% of the world’s oil supply has been shut off over the past week due to Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Petrol prices have reached $3 NZD a litre, with some stations running out of fuel due to demand.
New Zealand imports all of our petrol, diesel, and jet fuel, making us especially vulnerable to global oil crises. We are particularly dependent on oil for transport, with electricity accounting for just 0.5% of domestic transport energy.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Dr Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland and an expert in transportation and infrastructure, about how New Zealand can move away from car dependency and our reliance on foreign oil imports.
Petrol prices have risen at least 20% since the start of the month, with the price of 91 Petrol now above $3.
The government has offered pay rises to primary teachers on individual employment agreements, undermining their current negotiations with the New Zealand Educational Institute.
And Lawyers for Climate Action and the Environmental Law Initiative are jointly taking a court case against the government for their dismantling of climate policies immediately after they were elected.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
This week, the government announced another change to Plan Change 120, Auckland’s plan for future housing developments across the city. Originally, the plan proposed a minimum housing capacity of 2 million homes, but many in central suburbs raised concerns that intensification could harm the character of their neighbourhoods. In February, the government lowered the minimum capacity to 1.6 million, which Auckland’s council and mayor spoke out against.
Despite the disagreement, council developed new plans for the 1.6 million capacity. This week, however, the government announced plans to lower the minimum capacity further to 1.4 million, forcing council to make further changes to the plans.
Also these past few weeks we’ve seen disagreements between the government and council over how best to manage the fuel crisis. The government has focused on payouts to middle and lower class families with children, but Mayor Wayne Brown says a better solution could involve subsidising public transport.
To discuss each of these issues, News Director Castor spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey.
About a month ago, Wednesday Wire host Manny spoke to a researcher sounding the alarm over the state of our primary healthcare, here and globally.
Across the globe, services meant to be the first port of call for health issues such as dental, GPs and pharmacists, were found to be increasingly under stress as costs grow and the workforce fails to keep pace with demand.
Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Workforce Survey in 2022 raised concerns: Over half of GPs were planning to retire within the next decade, a declining number of GPs work in GP run practices and filling that gap is an increasing number of corporate healthcare providers.
As the holder of the Green parties Primary Healthcare Portfolio, our Green Party interviewee is the perfect subject to discuss his parties platform on the subject.
So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, we talk primary healthcare, it’s current state in Aotearoa, the issues it faces and where the Green Party would like to take it.
Last week, Minister for Conservation Tama Potaka announced an update on the Predator Free 2050 strategy, which aims to rid New Zealand of rats, possums and stoats. Five and a half million dollars of funding was set aside by the government with the aim of making Wellington the first predator free city in the world within the next ten years.
This week on Green World, Wire producer Liam spoke to James Russell, professor of conservation biology at the University of Auckland, about the progress and impact of Predator Free projects in Wellington and nationwide.
Fuel prices across the country are rising, and concerns over a potential fuel shortage are growing. In response, the government announced the national fuel response plan late last week. The plan has four stages, named Watchful, Precautionary, Managed, and Protected. The last two remain under consultation, and we’re currently under only the first.
Analysts have criticised the plan for being vague, especially in later stages, and the early stages for not doing enough. The Watchful stage involves increased monitoring, data publications, coordination, and an ad campaign encouraging people to reduce fuel consumption.
The government has responded to most critiques by comparing its response to that of the previous Labour government to COVID, which they have repeatedly criticised. They say government intervention is the wrong way to deal with a crisis, an idea which many have questioned.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News Director Castor asked him about the fuel crisis, what the government’s doing, and how the previous government plays into all of this.
Last week saw public transport usage in Auckland reach a 7 year high, on account of high fuel prices across the country. While high usage bodes well for public transport, the network is facing difficulties around overcrowding. In addition, Auckland Transport is pushing for central government support to lower fares, which ministers have rejected.
Auckland Council has also conducted a review into its resource management consenting processes, and found multiple spots for improvement.
And central government has announced dog control law reforms, which Auckland Council has welcomed given its extensive existing operations in animal control.
To discuss each of these issues, News Director Castor spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson.
The Government has announced a support package to address rising fuel prices.
And the McCains processing factory in Hastings is set to close in January 2027, but it is not yet known how many workers and growers will be affected by the closure.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden asked about both of these topics.
Back in 2020, two new guidelines were introduced to support schools in teaching Relationships and Sexuality Education. The guidelines were introduced by the then Associate Education Minister and New Zealand First MP, Tracey Martin, after reports from the Education Review Office showed inconsistencies in how schools taught this subject - alongside significant gaps. The new guidelines brought greater emphasis to sexuality and gender diversity, Māori and Pacific views of sexuality, the use of digital technologies, and information about relationships and sexuality education for disabled learners.
However, the current government scrapped these guidelines as part of a coalition agreement with New Zealand First, who campaigned on removing the guidelines, which they called ‘woke gender ideology.’
The new proposed guidelines for relationships and sex education are significantly different to those introduced back in 2020.
For this week’s Get Action, Producer Theo spoke to Leonie Morris from Te Wāhi Wāhine o Tāmaki Makaurau - the Auckland Women’s centre - on their petition to bring back Te Tiriti-based, inclusive relationships and Sexuality education in schools.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here.
The crisis growing at the pump is ramping up in seriousness as the conflict in Iran continues to escalate.
This week saw US President Donald Trump make further threats to destroy Iran’s energy infrastructure that is yet to be bombed and - in turn - Iran continues to target the Gulf states and block the Strait of Hormuz, preventing any exports from this critically global hub
This blockade is preventing over a third of the world's nitrogen fertilisers and a fifth of the global supply of oil and liquefied natural gas from leaving the region, while both sides' bombing campaigns are causing widespread destruction to infrastructure, which means we may not see a return of some oil and gas fields for years to come.
In Aotearoa, the costs of fuel have seen steep rises, soon to be spread across the economy as everyone's back pocket is hit, and attention is now being turned to fuel reserves with fears that we may see imports decline.
To face the moment, the Green Party has put together a collection of proposals which they have sent in an official letter to the National Party and between the two parties, they’d have enough votes to pass.
For our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, Host Manny dug into this letter, the Greens proposals, and why they are reaching out to the Nats.
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