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.
Recently, ACT MP Laura McClure has launched a member’s bill, proposing the disestablishment of the BSA, or Broadcasting Standards Authority.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to The Victoria University of Wellington’s Peter Thompson last week on the bill, who said this bill would “enable private media corporations to operate with impunity in pumping out propaganda and disinformation and the cost of that would be a further erosion of our democracy."
As well as this, Recently, the government has announced it will be halting new prescriptions for puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria pending a clinical trial in the UK, with the outcome of this trial set for 2031.
This move has seen backlash from a variety of LGBTQIA+ organisations and health experts working in gender-affirming care, who believe the move goes against the best interests of transgender youth.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about both of these topics, starting with Laura McClure’s member’s bill.
Auckland Pride has filed a High Court challenge, following the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Mark Mitchell, advising the sports body, Sports New Zealand, to withdraw the entity’s Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport.
The organisation says that the move goes against the kaupapa of Sports New Zealand and that Mitchell had not considered legislation such as the Bill of Rights Act and Human Rights Act in deciding on the move.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to the Co-Chair of Auckland Pride Bhenjamin Goodsir, about the organisation’s High Court challenge.
Recently, a lot of conversation has been had about the curriculum, with the government planning to roll out yet another new and expanded curriculum. This expanded curriculum, beginning in term one of next year, will seek to provide the tools for teachers to educate and assist students with ‘high and complex needs,’ who were otherwise ignored in the existing curriculum, or so the government claims. This comes against the background of this government’s push for effective teaching and learning, based in ‘science’.
However, concerns remain about this curriculum. For starters, this curriculum exists separately from the rest of Aotearoa’s student body; we seem to be getting one curriculum for those with complex needs, and one for those without, dividing our youth. This has led to questions about the role of inclusion in our education, and what it means that the government has not attempted to create one curriculum that can work for all students.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Senior Lecturer in Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland, Dr Jude MacArthur, about this separate curriculum, what it means for these students, and how it might affect their learning and inclusion.
The supreme court has made a final ruling on the four-year long court battle between four Kiwi Uber drivers and the Uber corporation. The case signals a huge win for acknowledging employment rights for drivers, amidst the exploitative pitfalls of contractor classifications. The result coincides with the current Employment Relations Bill that has passed its first reading, a piece of legislation that would only allow selected workers access to the Court or Authority to seek declaration of their employment status and secure any minimum rights. The bill was drafted in part, by Uber.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Anita Rosentreter, Deputy Secretary of Workers First Union, who supported the worker’s case, about what this means for Aotearoa’s employment law and protecting the rights of our workers.
The Ipsos New Zealand survey has shown Labour is the most trusted party for eight of the top 10 most important issues to voters. This includes issues like cost of living, healthcare, and the economy.
The Government has amended the Education and Training Act to remove the requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
A petition calling for a minimum age of 16 to access social media has been handed over to Parliament.
And the Government is halting prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria, while continuing to allow them for cisgender young people.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
This week COP30, the world’s main annual climate summit, has continued in the Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil.
COP30 marks a new push from indigenous voices to be elevated at the summit, with the largest indigenous participation in history - an estimated 3,000 with 1,000.
Tens of thousands of people also protested outside COP30 last week in the first large-scale protest at a United Nations climate summit in years.
Wire Host Caeden spoke with Vira Paky, Youth Engagement Co-ordinator at Save the Children New Zealand, who is on the ground at COP.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about the results of the Ipsos survey, the removal of the requirement for school boards to give effect to the Treaty, the petition for a social media ban for under 16s, and the government banning puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria.
For International Desk, they spoke to Vira Paky, Youth Engagement Co-ordinator at Save the Children New Zealand, about her experience on the ground at COP30 in Brazil.
Producer Jasmine talked to Councillor Julie Fairey about Plan Change 120 and Tāmaki hosting the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education this week.
And she talked to Deputy Secretary of Worker’s First Union Anita Rosentreter about four New Zealanders that have won a four-year legal battle against Uber.
Yesterday, the United Nations Security Council voted 13-0 in favour of US President Donald Trump’s resolution for lasting peace in Gaza, although Russia and China chose to abstain. The plan includes vague references to Palestinian statehood in the future, along with the deployment of an “international stabilisation force” in Gaza.
Supporters of the resolution suggest it should lead to the immediate lifting of remaining opposition to the flow of aid into Gaza, and the creation of an international stabilisation force would fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the region, while allowing for the immediate measures required to feed and protect the 2.2 million Palestinians living in the region.
To discuss Donald Trump’s latest plan for lasting peace in Gaza, and what it means for Palestine and Hamas, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke with Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa co-chair John Minto.
Recently, ACT Party MP, Laura McClure, has launched a member’s bill, proposing the disestablishment of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, or BSA.
This member’s bill follows a complaint laid to the BSA regarding Sean Plunket’s online media network, The Platform. Plunket says the content of his show does not meet the requirements of the Broadcasting Act, and that the BSA had "woefully and egregiously overstepped its bounds".
The BSA, however, says Plunket's show clearly meets the requirements of the Act.
News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Peter Thompson, an Associate Media and Communications Professor at the Victoria University of Wellington and board member of the Better Public Media Trust, about this member’s bill and what the bill is proposing.
On Monday, The Green Party announced that a Green Government will commit to revoking any consents, or permits, handed out under the fast-track process for coal, hardrock gold, and seabed mining, if they were to be permitted under the current government.
In their announcement, the Green’s were adamant that it was possible to have an economy that employs people without destroying the ecological basis for our existence. While expressing that they consider these forms of mining to be “deeply destructive” and unsustainable.
Also this week, Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced new changes to the Clean Car Standard. In the new standards, importers will now be charged $15 per gram of CO2 for new imports, compared to the previous $67.50, a nearly 80% reduction. This has led to criticism from experts, who believe New Zealand will now become a dumping ground for high-emission vehicles.
And last week, The Green Party also condemned the Government’s decision to officially pass the Regulatory Standards Bill into law.
For our Weekly Catchup with The Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the new Clean Car Standard, as well as the Regulatory Standards Bill. But first, we discussed The Green’s commitment to revoking any mining permits handed out under the fast-track process.
Last week, the Ministry for the Environment together with Stats New Zealand released Our Freshwater 2026, a major report on the state of Aotearoa’s freshwater systems based on decades of data. The report highlights both long-term improvement and deterioration of waterways nationwide, with particular focus on groundwater sources and the impacts of agricultural land use and the climate crisis on water quality.
I spoke to Troy Baisden, co-president of the New Zealand Association of Scientists and Adjunct Professor at Victoria University of Wellington, about what the findings of this report mean and also about the strengths and limitations of freshwater reporting.
Last week, the Government and Auckland Council agreed on the ‘Auckland City Deal’, which seeks to enhance co-ordination between the two bodies to enable better investment in the city to get the most out of what Mayor Wayne Brown has called the ‘Engine’ of the economy. This will see better communication between the mayor and prime minister, co-operation on certain legislation, and funding.
The weekend also saw Cyclone Vaianu hit the country, with parts of the country facing damage and flooding. The government now has the job of responding to the damage, and deciding what needs to change, looking forward to future cyclones.
This week, Host Alex spoke with National Party MP Ryan Hamilton about each of these topics.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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