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.
Recently, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, announced the party’s position statement on climate, saying that if the Paris Agreement isn’t reformed, the country should leave the agreement.
The Paris Agreement, signed by New Zealand by the then National-led government in 2016, aims to keep the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with an overall aim of keeping the temperature increase to 1.5°C. Currently, Aotearoa is one of 195 UN parties to adopt this framework.
If the country were to leave the Paris Agreement, the country would join the likes of the US, who signed an executive order to withdraw this year, and Iran, Libya, and Yemen, who have never formally joined the agreement.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about the Paris Agreement, and our future with this framework.
Kainga Ora, New Zealand’s state housing provider has been subject to deep cuts under the current coalition Government. Current housing demand demonstrates that nationally nearly 30,000 houses are required. However, most developments that were in Kainga Ora’s pipeline have since been cancelled with the most recent cut coming in Whanganui where 138 planned houses have now been cut down to 7.
This comes at the same time as the Government is trying to stimulate a sluggish housing market by offering tax incentives to property owners, lowering interest rates and opening up New Zealand’s housing market to overseas investors. This in the hopes that private developers and the market can cater to high levels of demand.
Producer Sanat talked to Vanessa Cole from the Public Housing futures campaign, a group that is trying to halt the deep cuts that are currently being experienced by Kainga Ora.
High numbers of roaming dogs in Auckland’s communities have continued to be a persistent problem. New data revealed shows nearly 17.000 reports of unruly behaviour from dogs with nearly 1300 attacks on people and 1200 attacks on other animals.
Dog shelters are also increasingly under strain with nearly 10,000 dogs being impounded in the last year. I talked to Councilor Shane Henderson today about what the drivers behind these increased incidents and how Auckland Council is trying to respond.
In other news, inner city suburbs have been hosting public forums on Plan Change 78, a change to Auckland’s zoning and intensification framework that would allow for the development of high density housing in the central isthmus.
There has been vehement public opposition in inner city suburbs with residents shouting and heckling at MPs, councillors and even members of the public that do support high density housing.Councilor Chrstine Fletcher has also made claims that this housing intensification plan will cost Aucklanders nearly $20 billion in associated infrastructure costs. Mayor Wayne Brown has decried these claims, calling them “complete rubbish”
Producer Sanat wanted to talk to Councilor Henderson about why there is so much public opposition to this plan and whether housing intensification will change the city for the better or the worse.
The University Advisory Group headed up by Sir Peter Gluckman made more than 60 recommendations to improve the fragmentation, poor governance and funding woes of the university sector. Sitting above them all was a ‘highest priority’ call to set up a standalone government agency to administer separate strategy and funding for universities. The Government has said no.
Producer Sanat spoke to the Tertiary Education Union’s spokesperson Sandra Grey about the Government’s response to this report and whether it will change the Tertiary Education Sector fundamentally to respond to the persistent challenges that have affected New Zealand’s Universities.
Advance voting is currently open for the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, with the official election day on Saturday.
A Newsroom investigation has questioned the accuracy of Amazon’s claim that it will open several Amazon data centres in Auckland, boosting our economy.
And a new exemption has been announced to the 2018 ban on foreign buyers.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden asked Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden asked about the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, the latest update on an Amazon Data Centre opening in Auckland, and a new exemption to the ban on foreign buyers.
For International Desk, they spoke to Associate Professor in Disaster Resilience at the University of Newcastle, Iftekhar Ahmed, about the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan and the challenges of the disaster response.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sanat spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about the rise in Dog attacks across Auckland and public opposition to Auckland Council’s proposed housing intensification changes.
After that he spoke to Vanessa Cole from the Public Housing Futures campaign about New Zealand’s state housing system and why the campaign is fighting for higher quality state housing.
He also spoke to Tertiary Education Union spokesperson Sandra Grey about the Government’s response to the University Advisory Group’s report.
Over the weekend, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck in Eastern Afghanistan.
The death toll has passed at least 1400, with another 3000 injured and 500,000 impacted.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Associate Professor in Disaster Resilience at the University of Newcastle, Iftekhar Ahmed, about the earthquakes and the challenges with the disaster response.
Earlier this week, The Washington Post published a leaked prospectus for a ‘Gaza Riviera’ plan that had reportedly been circulating the White House.
Named the “Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust” or ‘GREAT’, the plan includes the forced displacement of Gaza’s entire population of 2 million people, as well as the territory being placed into a US trusteeship for at least a decade. Although it’s not yet clear whether the plan reflects US policy, it seems to match US President Donald Trump’s previously stated ambitions to “clean out” Gaza and redevelop it.
Critics of the plan identify it as a blueprint for mass deportation and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people disguised as a marketing development, and that if the plan were to be executed it would include international crimes on an unimaginable scale.
To discuss what the leaked plan says about US foreign policy under Trump and how Aotearoa, as well as other countries, should respond to this, Producer Max spoke with John Minto, Co-Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa.
Lately, our government, civil society organisations and UN bodies have all condemned the range of human rights abuses Israel is currently committing against the Palestinian population. However, universities in New Zealand, like in many other parts of the world, have made an intentional decision to remain neutral in their position on Gaza, despite public sentiment shifting on this issue.
This stance of international neutrality can be traced back to a 1967 study known as the Kalven report. But was this report ever relevant? And should it still apply today?
To discuss this, as well as what Universities could potentially do to act against Israel, Producer Max spoke to Dr Ritesh Shah, a senior lecturer of comparative and international education and the co-director of the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Study at the University of Auckland.
If you'd like to sign this open letter you can find it here.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the new laws allowing Foreign Investors to buy homes in Aotearoa, the ongoing nurse strikes happening this week and the Greens members bill to change laws regarding overdose responses.
He then spoke to New Zealand Nurse Organisation Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku for a follow-up conversation about the current nurse strikes.
Max spoke to John Minto, Co-Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, to discuss the ‘Gaza Riviera’ plan that was leaked to the Washington Post earlier this week.
And he also spoke to Dr. Ritesh Shah from the University of Auckland, to discuss why Universities in New Zealand choose to stay neutral on topics such as Gaza and whether a neutral stance is right
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.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
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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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