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The Wire

Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Castor Chacko, Oto Sequeira, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.

Increase in Children Living in Material Hardship w/ Child Poverty Action Group’s Sarita Divis: 24 February, 2025

Increase in Children Living in Material Hardship w/ Child Poverty Action Group’s Sarita Divis: 24 February, 2025 Increase in Children Living in Material Hardship w/ Child Poverty Action Group’s Sarita Divis: 24 February, 2025, 8.07 MB
Mon 24 Feb 2025

Recent Stats NZ findings have shown that there is likely an additional 36,300 children living in material hardship, compared to 2022.

In 2018, the Child Poverty Reduction Act passed, which received cross-party support, helped in creating a downward trend in these statistics. However, these Stats NZ findings show that there has not been any substantial changes to the nine poverty measures from June 2022 to June 2024.

Overall in Aotearoa, an estimated 156,600 children are living within these conditions, which is roughly 1/7th of the population.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Executive Officer for Child Poverty Action Group, Sarita Divis, about what has caused this increase, and what the government should be doing to tackle these concerning findings.

Firstly, they started off by asking her about what reasons there might be for this upward trend in recent years.

Addressing Period Poverty w/ Taslim Parsons, Interim CEO at Dignity NZ: 24 February, 2025

Addressing Period Poverty w/ Taslim Parsons, Interim CEO at Dignity NZ: 24 February, 2025 Addressing Period Poverty w/ Taslim Parsons, Interim CEO at Dignity NZ: 24 February, 2025, 18.11 MB
Mon 24 Feb 2025

On the show last week, in our weekly catch up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court we discussed comments he had made about period products. 

Court came under fire in the media following a hearing on benefit sanctions. During this hearing a female submitter was outlining concerns about period poverty and the impacts menstrual products can have on a low-income family budget. 

In response to these concerns Court asked if she was aware of, or had people around her aware of, a menstrual cup - outlining its cost and where to buy it. He was heavily criticised by Te Pati Maori, and later Labour for ‘mansplaining’, calling his comments ‘deeply offensive’ as he continued to double down. 

During our interview last week he stood by his comments. 

Period poverty action group, Dignity NZ says that Court’s comments were misplaced, and ignore a variety of issues that come with periods. 

Producer Evie spoke to Dignity NZ interim CEO Taslim Parsons about period poverty in Aotearoa and how it needs to be addressed.

Concerns around Tax Model Around Charities Operating as Businesses w/ AUT’s Ranjana Gupta: 24 February, 2025

Concerns around Tax Model Around Charities Operating as Businesses w/ AUT’s Ranjana Gupta: 24 February, 2025 Concerns around Tax Model Around Charities Operating as Businesses w/ AUT’s Ranjana Gupta: 24 February, 2025, 7.01 MB
Mon 24 Feb 2025

Concerns have been raised regarding Aotearoa’s tax model, regarding charities also operating as businesses.

Despite the current model requiring all profit obtained through a charity's business not be used for personal gain, this is a little bit of a grey area.

For example, any profit from weet-bix cereal products is tax exempt, due to Sanitarium Health Food Company being owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which results in the company having an advantage over their competitors.

However, with the 2025 Budget set to be released later this year, changes may be made to this system.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to a Senior Lecturer in the Accounting Department at AUT, Ranjana Gupta, about this tax model, and what she hopes will come out of the 2025 Budget regarding this.

They started off by asking her about what purpose a charity may have to run a business as well.

The Right to Repair Bill Passes its First Reading w/ University of Auckland Associate Professor Alex Sims: 20 February, 2025

The Right to Repair Bill Passes its First Reading w/ University of Auckland Associate Professor Alex Sims: 20 February, 2025 The Right to Repair Bill Passes its First Reading w/ University of Auckland Associate Professor Alex Sims: 20 February, 2025, 13.85 MB
Thu 20 Feb 2025

The Consumer Guarantees (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill passed its first reading in Parliament yesterday.

The bill would require manufacturers to make repair parts and information available to consumers to extend the lifetime of their products.

Wire host Caeden spoke to University of Auckland Professor and Right to Repair Coalition Aotearoa member Alex Sims about the bill and its limitations.

The Wire w/ Caeden: 20 February, 2025

The Wire w/ Caeden: 20 February, 2025 The Wire w/ Caeden: 20 February, 2025, 107.35 MB
Thu 20 Feb 2025

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire host Caeden spoke to Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni about Destiny Church’s Pride Protests and the new tourism ad campaign.

For International Desk, they spoke to AUT Senior Law Lecturer Sione Tekiteki about the controversial Cook Islands/China agreement. 

And they spoke to University of Auckland Commercial Law Professor Alex Sims about the Right of Repair Bill that passed its first reading in Parliament yesterday.

For City Counselling this week, producer Sofia caught up with Councillor Shane Henderson about Auckland Council’s submission on the Treaty Principles Bill and the Destiny Church protests at pride events over the weekend.

International Desk: The Controversial Cook Islands/China Agreement w/ AUT Law’s Sione Tekiteki: 20 February, 2025

International Desk: The Controversial Cook Islands/China Agreement w/ AUT Law’s Sione Tekiteki: 20 February, 2025 International Desk: The Controversial Cook Islands/China Agreement w/ AUT Law’s Sione Tekiteki: 20 February, 2025, 10.59 MB
Thu 20 Feb 2025

The Cook Islands and China have released the details of their recent partnership agreement.

The agreement has raised concern amongst the New Zealand government, who have close constitutional ties with the Cook Islands, as they felt they were not adequately consulted before the agreement was signed.

The controversial agreement, and New Zealand’s opposition to not being adequately consulted, have gained international attention.

For International Desk this week, Wire host Caeden spoke to AUT Law Senior Lecturer Sione Tekiteki about the agreement and the controversy surrounding it.

Destiny Church’s Pride Protest and the new “Everyone must go!” tourism campaign w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 20 February, 2025

Destiny Church’s Pride Protest and the new “Everyone must go!” tourism campaign w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 20 February, 2025 Destiny Church’s Pride Protest and the new “Everyone must go!” tourism campaign w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 20 February, 2025, 12.94 MB
Thu 20 Feb 2025

A family-friendly Auckland Pride Event was stormed by about 50 protestors in Te Atutū on Saturday.

The event, involving a Drag King talking to children about the science of Rainbows, was invaded by members of Destiny’s Church. Later the same day Destiny’s Church intimidated attendees at Auckland’s Rainbow Parade.

And the government has launched a new tourism ad campaign with the tagline “Everyone Must Go!”

The tagline has had a mixed reception, however, it aims to boost Australian tourism numbers, which haven’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

For our weekly catch-up with Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni, Wire host Caeden asks about both of these topics.

Giving Kids a Break from Junk Food Ads with Dr Kelly Garton: 19 February 2025

Giving Kids a Break from Junk Food Ads with Dr Kelly Garton: 19 February 2025 Giving Kids a Break from Junk Food Ads with Dr Kelly Garton: 19 February 2025, 19.27 MB
Wed 19 Feb 2025

Kids have recently gone back to school, which means they will be “bombarded” with ads for junk food whilst commuting, according to researchers.

Senior research fellow at the University of Auckland’s School of Population Health and spokesperson for Health Coalition Aotearoa, Dr Kelly Garton, has published a comment on this in a recent Newsroom article and is advocating for Aotearoa’s local councils to eliminate junk food advertising from public transport spaces due to the impact they are having on young people.

Producer Amani spoke with Garton about what other major cities around the globe have done to tackle this issue and the further repercussions these ads could have on Aotearoa and its health system.

Why the New Stalking Bill is Too Weak w/ Carrie Leonetti from the University of Auckland: 19 February, 2025

Why the New Stalking Bill is Too Weak w/ Carrie Leonetti from the University of Auckland: 19 February, 2025 Why the New Stalking Bill is Too Weak w/ Carrie Leonetti from the University of Auckland: 19 February, 2025, 24.59 MB
Wed 19 Feb 2025

In December last year, the government introduced the stalking and harassment amendment bill, the first official legislation in Aotearoa to criminalise stalking.

Calls for an official stalking bill became widespread in Aotearoa, following the murder of 21-year old Farzana Yaqubi, who’s calls to the police leading up to her murder were effectively ignored as stalking was not yet a crime at the time.

However, Carrie Leonetti - an associate professor in Law at the University of Auckland who helped create the original draft legislation, said that the new stalking and harassment bill was too weak to actually protect victims of stalking and that the number of acts that constitute as stalking in the bill didn’t cover the full range of potential offenses.

Oto spoke to Carrie about why the new Stalking bill was ineffective and what was needed to improve it.

The Wire w/ Oto: 19 February, 2025

The Wire w/ Oto: 19 February, 2025 The Wire w/ Oto: 19 February, 2025, 115.05 MB
Wed 19 Feb 2025

For their weekly catch up with the Green Party, Oto spoke to Ricardo Menendez March about the government’s recent tourism and biodiversity fund, as well as Destiny Church’s protests at recent pride events and the deportation notice given to 18-year-old Daman Kumar.

For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Vanessa Cole from public housing futures to discuss a campaign of hers calling for the government to construct more public housing for people on the “true waitlist”.

And he spoke to Carrie Leonetti - an associate professor in Law at the University of Auckland at the University of Auckland, to discuss the government’s new anti-stalking legislation, and why it falls short of protecting stalking victims.

Sasha spoke to Dr Chanelle Duley, a lecturer in Business at the University of Auckland, about the introduction of a new bill that will aim at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses.

Amani spoke to University of Auckland’s School of Population Health and spokesperson for Health Coalition Aotearoa, Dr. Kelly Garton, on why we should give kids a break from junk food ads.

She also spoke to Professor at Lincoln University’s Department of Soil & Physical Sciences and Co-Director of Bioprotection Aotearoa, Amanda Black, on how the use of pesticides is worsening the “biodiversity crisis.”

Property Valuation Declines & City Rail Link Maungawhau and K'Road Stations w/ Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson: 12 June 2025

Property Valuation Declines & City Rail Link Maungawhau and K'Road Stations w/ Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson: 12 June 2025 Property Valuation Declines & City Rail Link Maungawhau and K'Road Stations w/ Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson: 12 June 2025, 19.25 MB
Thu 12 Jun 2025

On Tuesday, Aucklanders checked the updated property valuations of their house, for many to find declines in value by 10s of thousands of dollars —- on average, by 9% from when they were last done in 2021. 
According to the Council. rating valuations were based on market trends and recent sales activity, as of May 1 2024.
Wayne Brown said in response to the decreased values, “The economy's been faltering for a while, and It's really driven by government policies rather than Auckland's policies,”

Also, as we get closer to 2026 and the completion of the City Rail Link, Aucklanders have expressed various concerns about the standard of completion, including incorporation of public feedback. 
I discuss the incorporation of the wider neighbourhood in Mt Eden at the Maungawhau station and the dismissal of public perspectives at the K Road station

The Freedom Flotilla, Sanctions Against Israeli Politicians, and the NBR Rich List w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 12 June, 2025

The Freedom Flotilla, Sanctions Against Israeli Politicians, and the NBR Rich List w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 12 June, 2025 The Freedom Flotilla, Sanctions Against Israeli Politicians, and the NBR Rich List w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 12 June, 2025, 9.32 MB
Thu 12 Jun 2025

New Zealand and key allies have imposed sanctions on two “extremist” Israeli politicians for their role in “inciting violence against Palestinians” in the West Bank.

However, opposition parties, including Labour as well as the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, are calling for further action to be taken against Israel.

It comes after Israel kidnapped 12 pro-Palestine activists on international waters, who were intending to break the aid blockade and reach Gaza.

And earlier this week, the National Business released their annual rich list.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, I spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about these topics.

International Desk: The Los Angeles protests against ICE w/ Yale Daily News Andre Fa’aoso: 12 June, 2024

International Desk: The Los Angeles protests against ICE w/ Yale Daily News Andre Fa’aoso: 12 June, 2024 International Desk: The Los Angeles protests against ICE w/ Yale Daily News Andre Fa’aoso: 12 June, 2024, 19.58 MB
Thu 12 Jun 2025

Los Angeles is approaching a week of protests against ICE, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Over 200 protestors have been arrested since the protests began, and restrictions have been placed on protestors, including a curfew.

The White House has sent 2,000 members of the National Guard to the city already, and another 2,000 are expected to be deployed. This is despite California Governor Gavin Newsom attempting to stop their deployment. 

For International Desk, I spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about the protests.

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March: 11 June, 2025

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March: 11 June, 2025 Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March: 11 June, 2025, 26.37 MB
Wed 11 Jun 2025

The Green party recently made renewed calls to the government to sanction Israel for its illegal occupation of Palestine following the seizure of the Madleen, a vessel that aimed to deliver food and medical aid to Gaza.

The vessel, which was en route to Gaza, was intercepted in the Mediterranean by the Israeli Defence Forces before being rerouted to Israel with all those on board, among whom was Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Immigration Minister Erica Stanford recently announced the Parent Boost Visa, part of the government’s self-described commitment to supporting parents living overseas to visit and stay with their families here in Aotearoa.

And, over in the United States, 2000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles in response to protests opposing the city’s recent immigration raids.

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about all of these issues

Get Action! Keep Aotearoa Incinerator Free! w/ Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Network New Zealand: 11 June, 2025

Get Action! Keep Aotearoa Incinerator Free! w/ Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Network New Zealand: 11 June, 2025 Get Action! Keep Aotearoa Incinerator Free! w/ Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Network New Zealand: 11 June, 2025, 26.42 MB
Wed 11 Jun 2025

Currently, 19 out of 38 OECD countries use incineration as a form of waste management.

With the process leading to a range of negative impacts, such as air pollution, Co2 emissions and respiratory illnesses, Aotearoa has luckily remained incinerator free.

However, calls have been made by some activists to strengthen New Zealand’s legislation to ensure that incineration facilities are not opened up in Aotearoa.

For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Sue Coutts from Zero Waste Network New Zealand to discuss a petition calling on the government to keep New Zealand Incinerator-free.

If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here:

Dear Science w/ Professor Allan Blackman: 10th June, 2025

Dear Science w/ Professor Allan Blackman: 10th June, 2025 Dear Science w/ Professor Allan Blackman: 10th June, 2025, 21.79 MB
Tue 10 Jun 2025

This week on Dear Science our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chatted with us about how the universe really came about, causes of maths anxiety, and the makeup of a Dutch silver basin

Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!

Criticism at the AMAs, suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs, and new Parent Boost Visa w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 10th June, 2025

Criticism at the AMAs, suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs, and new Parent Boost Visa w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 10th June, 2025 Criticism at the AMAs, suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs, and new Parent Boost Visa w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 10th June, 2025, 13.69 MB
Tue 10 Jun 2025

These past few weeks in politics have seen various issues that we spoke about in our weekly catchup with the National Party.

First up, at the Aotearoa Music Awards, National MP Chris Bishop was heard making disdainful remarks such as “what a load of crap” during a performance by singer Stan Walker. 

Second, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngārewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi were recently suspended from parliament for 21 days for their haka protesting the Treaty Principles Bill. The penalty is far harsher than any previous penalty for an MP, raising questions about whether it is justified or sets a dangerous precedent. 

Finally, the government recently announced a new visa for parents of migrants, allowing them to come to New Zealand for a longer period of time than traditional visitors without having to acquire residency.

Wire host Castor asked about each of these issues in our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, starting with Chris Bishop’s comments at the AMAs. 

David Seymour as Deputy Prime Minister, Seymour’s claims of ‘bots’ driving ‘fake’ submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill, and Te Pāti Māori MPs being suspended from Parliament w/ ACT’s Simon Court: 9 June, 2025

David Seymour as Deputy Prime Minister, Seymour’s claims of ‘bots’ driving ‘fake’ submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill, and Te Pāti Māori MPs being suspended from Parliament w/ ACT’s Simon Court: 9 June, 2025 David Seymour as Deputy Prime Minister, Seymour’s claims of ‘bots’ driving ‘fake’ submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill, and Te Pāti Māori MPs being suspended from Parliament w/ ACT’s Simon Court: 9 June, 2025, 23.65 MB
Mon 9 Jun 2025

As per coalition agreements, ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, has been sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, taking over from NZ First Leader, Winston Peters.

For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about Seymour’s new position, and what this means for the party.

They also discussed accusations Seymour made regarding submissions to the Regulatory Standards Bill.

In an interview with Guyon Espiner, Seymour claimed that 99.5% of the submissions against the Regulatory Standards Bill were driven by ‘bots’ and were ‘fake’ submissions.

Seymour later clarified to RNZ that by bots, he was meaning “online campaigns” creating “non-representative samples” that do not represent the public’s opinion.

The Ministry of Regulations received roughly 23,000 submissions on the bill. Of the submissions. Of the submissions, 0.33% were fully or partially supporting the bill, with 88% being against the bill.

Finally, they discussed the recommended suspension of Te Pāti Māori MPs’ Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke standing.

But they, we discussed David Seymour as Deputy Prime Minister.

Te Pāti Māori MPs suspended from Parliament, NZ First Leader Winston Peters’ comments about Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi’s moko kanohi w/ Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp: 9 June, 2025

Te Pāti Māori MPs suspended from Parliament, NZ First Leader Winston Peters’ comments about Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi’s moko kanohi w/ Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp: 9 June, 2025 Te Pāti Māori MPs suspended from Parliament, NZ First Leader Winston Peters’ comments about Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi’s moko kanohi w/ Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp: 9 June, 2025, 16.3 MB
Mon 9 Jun 2025

The recommended suspension for Te Pāti Māori MPs, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, and Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, over the MP’s haka in Parliament during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill last year.

Co-leaders Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi will be suspended from the House for 21-days, with Maipi-Clarke facing a seven day suspension. This is Parliament's harshest sanctions in the country’s history. Prior to this, the longest suspension an MP had faced in Parliament was three days.

The debate had previously been delayed so that the MPs could participate in the Budget debate — however, both co-leaders were not present at the debate.

During the debate MP Tākuta Ferris said that the debate was not about the haka, but at the heart, it was the House continuing to ignore Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori sovereignty, and that the “racism” in the House is hardly being hidden.

For our weekly catch-up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about the suspension, and what’s next for the party.

They also discussed NZ First Party Leader Winston Peters’ comments regarding Waititi’s moko, referring to the MPs moko kanohi as “scribbles”. He was asked to apologise by the Speaker, which he did.

But first, they discussed the suspension of the MPs.

Proposals for Mount Smart Road and Auckland peak-hour congestion & Ngā Hapori Momoho grants for community projects w/ Councillor Julie Fairey: June, 05 2025

Proposals for Mount Smart Road and Auckland peak-hour congestion & Ngā Hapori Momoho grants for community projects w/ Councillor Julie Fairey: June, 05 2025 Proposals for Mount Smart Road and Auckland peak-hour congestion & Ngā Hapori Momoho grants for community projects w/ Councillor Julie Fairey: June, 05 2025, 28.95 MB
Thu 5 Jun 2025

Auckland Transport are seeking community feedback on a proposal for a new T3 transit lane on Mount Smart Road to relieve congestion during peak times heading towards the Royal Oak roundabout.

Between better public transport systems, a ‘time of use’ charge, and different ways of managing Auckland traffic, Producer Sara asks Councillor Julie Fairey about how Auckland Council hopes to reduce peak-time congestion as the city’s population grows.

She also talk to Julie Fairey about the recent allocation of funds to community-led projects through Ngā Hapori Momoho. This year, the grant which aims to “improve financial security, improve health outcomes, and grow community and intercultural connection” has approved funding for eleven community groups, six of which are either Māori organisations or delivering ‘strong Māori outcomes’. 

Sara begins with questions about Auckland central congestion.

*unfortunately the audio quality on Julie's end is poor