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.
This July, the United States of America will celebrate 250 years since the declaration of independence, when the original thirteen colonies broke away from the British Empire under King George III. Recently, however, millions of Americans have taken to the streets to voice their disapproval of a man they see as a new monarchical figure: President Donald J. Trump.
The original ‘No Kings’ protests were held on the fourteenth of June last year, to coincide with Donald Trump’s birthday military parade. The most recent round of demonstrations occurred last weekend, and drew an estimated 8 million people, united by the belief that the President must respect the boundaries of his office.
Producer Toby spoke to Jennifer Frost, professor of history at the University of Auckland and chairperson of the New Zealand chapter of ‘Democrats Abroad’ about the significance of these demonstrations in the context of American history.
Last week, Thursday Wire host Caeden spoke to Dr Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland, about New Zealand’s reliance on cars in the face of a fuel crisis.
Earlier this week the Government announced a fuel crisis relief package, which includes giving 150,000 families an extra $50 a week to help with fuel costs.
The Green Party proposed an alternative support package that includes free public transport for three months on top of targeted relief payments.
Caeden spoke to Dr Timothy Welch again, this time about the government’s response and alternative proposals that focus on increasing public transport usage.
They started by asking if he could give an overview of what is in the Government’s relief package.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman speaks with us about going to the moon, graphene, and alchemy.
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Alex spoke with Ryan Hamilton about the Government’s Surcharge ban, the new police amendment, and the continued fuel crisis.
For Green World, Wire Producer Liam spoke to James Russell, Professor of conservation biology at the University of Auckland, about updates to the Predator Free 2050 Strategy, including further funding to make Wellington a predator free city within the next ten years.
And Wire Producer Flo spoke to Chris Bullen, Professor of Public Health at the School of Population Health of the University of Auckland about his criticism’ of the recent RNZ investigation into illicit tobacco and his research-based rejection of the investigation’s findings in Aotearoa New Zealand.
RNZ recently conducted an investigation into sales of illicit tobacco in Aotearoa New Zealand, finding an increasing sale throughout the country. The investigation described illicit tobacco as an open secret, with many dairies now stocking and imported cigarettes and indicated an increase in both supply and demand.
Professor Chris Bullen, Professor of Public Health in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at the School of Population Health of the University of Auckland has refuted the claims made in the RNZ investigation and Flo spoke to him about his research into the illegal tobacco market.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s fuel management plan.
They also spoke to Professor of Climate Science and Physical Geography at Victoria University, James Renwick, about 2025 being one of the hottest years on record and what can be done about it from a policy perspective.
And they spoke to Principal Science Advisor with the Department of Conservation, Drew Bingham, about how increasing temperatures impact conservation efforts.
Producer Thomas spoke to Health Coalition Aotearoa CoChair and Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health, Boyd Swinburn about a new South Auckland food security report and its findings.
A new report by the World Meteorological Organization has found that 2025 was among the three hottest years on record.
High temperatures pose significant risks for our native wildlife, particularly our shorebirds, fish, and alpine birds. As we see a change in the needs of our native species, many of which are already endangered, the response from the Department of Conservation must also change.
To discuss what DOC is doing as climate change continues to impact conservation efforts, News Director Castor spoke to Principal Science Advisor with the Department of Conservation, Drew Bingham.
A report published by the World Meteorological Organisation found that 2025 was the second or third hottest year on record. As temperatures increase due to climate change and emissions, the world’s governments are seeing a similar increase in pressure to act.
In New Zealand, often the narratives around climate change are that our impact through generating emissions or reducing emissions would be minimal, due to our low population. Despite that, the impact of climate change on our country and on our pacific allies is significant.
To discuss what New Zealand can do in the face of rising temperatures and what our role is in responding to climate change, News director Castor spoke to Professor of Climate Science and Physical Geography at Victoria University of Wellington, James Renwick.
Health Coalition Aotearoa and Healthy Families South Auckland have recently released a report looking at food security issues in South Auckland and actions which can be taken to improve access to affordable, nutritious food in these areas.
The report recommended multiple measures which could be taken such as expanding Ka Ora Ka Ako the Healthy School Lunches programme through a sugary drinks tax, giving communities a say in how many junk food outlets are in their neighbourhoods and allowing Auckland Council to better utilize underused public land for kai initiatives.
Its main call to action, however, is to ensure solutions are community-led with a collaborative approach from local and central government, to guarantee those suffering are being put first in systematic fights against the industrial food complex and economic inequality.
To discuss the report and its findings producer Thomas spoke to Health Coalition Aotearoa CoChair and Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health, Boyd Swinburn.
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.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about the government’s response to the fuel crisis and the McCain factory closure.
They also spoke to Dr Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland, for a follow-up interview about the government’s response to the fuel crisis.
And they spoke to University of Auckland Associate Professor in History Jennifer Frost about the upcoming ‘No Tyrants’ protest in Auckland this Saturday.
For City Counselling this week, News Director Castor spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about public transport usage amidst the fuel crisis, resource consent changes, and dog control law reform.
And Producer Pranuja spoke to Niamh O’Flynn from Greenpeace on the energy crisis in Aotearoa and our next move to renewable energy.
Over the past week, the conflict in Iran has seen consistent U-turns as the United States continues to change its strategy in the war. On Wednesday morning, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran, saying "a civilisation will die tonight", just hours before agreeing to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran.
This ceasefire is now in doubt, however, as Israel has escalated its bombing campaign in Lebanon, killing hundreds since it was signed, and Trump announced this morning that the US will block the Strait of Hormuz after failed peace talks with Iran in Pakistan.
Amidst all of this, New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the day of Trump's threats and wouldn't condemn the comments. Some New Zealanders are concerned by the country's limp response to these illegal threats and actions against Iran.
Also this month, the Act Party has continued to call for the abolition of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, after it was announced that a complaint about online site The Platform and its host, Sean Plunkett, would be looked at by the authority.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, producer Thomas asked him about the ceasefire in Iran, the US blocking the Strait of Hormuz and the Broadcasting Standards Authority.
Over the past few weeks, the government has been hesitant to call out the US and Israel for their role in the recent conflict in Iran. While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has called for all parties to comply with international law, he refrained from explicitly addressing either aggressor. Only in the past week has Luxon offered any criticism, calling Trump’s Iran policy “unhelpful” and Finance Minister Nicola Willis “alarmed” at Trump’s comments around destruction of civilisation in Iran. Labour has criticised the government for its lack of a hard stance.
Also this past week has seen funding for the Tukituki water security project secured, which could see flooding for significant amounts of conservation land in the Hawke’s Bay. The project could also see acceleration under the Fast Track Approvals bill, which Labour has also criticised since its inception.
Lastly, Auckland Council has repeatedly called for additional support for public transport amidst the fuel crisis. Despite these calls, the government has yet to deliver.
To discuss each of these topics and what the Labour party could bring to the table, News Director Castor spoke to Labour MP Shanan Halbert.
A record number of Aucklanders are using public transport amidst rising fuel costs. The average number of users is up 10% from the same time last year.
And yesterday, Watercare lifted its boil water notice for the suburbs of Hillsborough, Mt Roskill, Royal Oak, and Three Kings after 2 days under the notice.
The notice was due to a detection of bacteria on Monday, which a Watercare investigation found was caused by a single water quality monitoring tap.
For City Counselling this week, The Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about these topics.
This morning, with negotiations continuing to stall and his own deadline for ending the war approaching, US President Donald Trump threatened civilisational destruction on Iran if they did not concede to the US demands. Whether a sincere threat or an act of brinkmanship may remain unclear, as just before Trump’s deadline, Trump claimed a two week ceasefire had been agreed to.
Last week, the Green Party released their housing policy - a home for everyone. It takes a welfare-based approach, pitching rent controls, reversing tax breaks on the bright line test, and a public housing building program.
For our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, Wire host Manny asked about the gravity of Trump's threats on Iran, but began with the Greens' housing platform.
Cabbage, mull, buds, dak, smoke, skunk, hash, chronic, grass, pot, cannabis. It’s the fourth most used recreational drug in New Zealand, coming in behind caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco. Back in 2020, alongside the general election, voters were asked in a non-binding referendum whether they supported a proposed cannabis legalisation and control bill. The result was a vote opposing the legalisation of cannabis by a thin margin.
Currently, medicinal cannabis is available via prescription, but cannabis otherwise remains illegal to use, distribute, or produce.
For this week’s Get Action, producer Theo spoke to Patrick and Colden from the Reeferendum 2026 campaign, on their petition to legalise cannabis and reform drug laws and policing in Aotearoa New Zealand.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here.
Last week, the Prime Minister revealed his cabinet reshuffle, which saw major changes to the roles of two prominent MPs and Ministers, Chris Bishop and Simeon Brown.
Last week also saw the passing of the Resource Management (Auckland Housing) Amendment Bill, after years of discussion, paving the way for a new approach to housing density and intensification in the future.
Of course, the fuel crisis is still hitting New Zealand, and discussions remain around the role public transport should play, and how the government should support public transit.
This week, Wire Host Alex spoke with National Party MP Ryan Hamilton about each of these topics, beginning with the cabinet reshuffle.
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.
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