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 infrastructure commission has identified that there is a $210 billion dollar infrastructure deficit in New Zealand. Unfortunately, due to the lack of available capital New Zealanders lose out on the advantages of high quality infrastructure and the wealth it can generate for the public good.
To respond to this Kiwisaver Manager Simplicity has created a new company called Infrakiwi. This company would be listed on the stock exchange and would only allow for New Zealanders to invest in it. This company would own and operate key infrastructure assets, generating long term risk adjusted returns and jobs for New Zealanders as well.
Thursday Wire Producer Sanat spoke to Simplicity’s CEO Sam Stubbs about this proposal and what it means for future generations of New Zealanders
Similar to how Prime Ministers choose who their cabinet members are, the Mayor last week announced his appointments for committees in Auckland Council.
Committees are powerful pieces of the Auckland Council machine, determining the direction on key policy issues around community assets, budgeting, transport and housing.
Notably different to his approach last term, the Mayor has opted to appoint key allies to committee chair roles. These are councilors who have had a good working relationship with the mayor over the last three years and will mean that there are less roadblocks when it comes to advancing his agenda.
At the same time the Mayor and Central Government are responding to increased complaints about anti-social behaviour in the CBD by considering laws and bylaws that would ban homelessness.
Critics of this policy note that such laws would not address the key drivers to poverty and housing need and would simply endanger those individuals experiencing homelessness further.
Thursday Wire Producer Sanat talked to Councilor Shane Henderson today about these committee appointments and this proposed ban on homelessness.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about government ministers announcing they are considering banning rough sleeping in Auckland’s CBD, recent unemployment figures, and the government’s action plan to combat meth usage.
For this week's Get Action, Producer Manny spoke to JT from Touch Compass on their petition to Say YES to “Access” #YesToAccessNZ | Words shape world on their petition to replace inclusion with access.
Manny spoke with Jason Mika, Professor of Māori Management at the University of Auckland, about the ructions within Te Pāti Māori.
And News and Editorial Director Joel spoke with Professor John Morgan, The Head of the School Critical Studies and Education at the University of Auckland, about his article on Newsroom his belief that the country is seeing a collapse of the second curriculum accord.
Recent tensions within Te Pāti Māori, which exploded into the light last month, have culminated in the expulsion of two rogue MPs: Mariameno Kapa-Kingi of Te Tai Tokerau and Tākuta Ferris of Te Tai Tonga.
Despite this, much remains unresolved, and controversy lingers over the preceding actions, the manner in which they were communicated online, and how the expulsion was handled by the party leadership.
Wednesday Wire Producer Manny spoke with Jason Mika, Professor of Māori Management at the University of Auckland, to get his perspective on the expulsions.
During an interview with the ‘Morning Report’, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirmed that orders for the homeless in Auckland’s CBD to move on were “definitely a consideration”. He later stated, that “Aucklanders don’t feel safe going into the central city”, and both Central government and Auckland Council are considering how they can move homeless people out of the CBD ahead of summer.
This follows previous reports that the Government was considering a rough sleeping ban for central Auckland.
This news comes as Stats NZ released their annual unemployment figures this week. The results show that national unemployment has risen to a nine-year high at 5.3%, with the New Zealand youth taking most of the damage.
For our weekly catchup with The Green Party, Wednesday Wire Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March, to discuss the new unemployment figures released last week. They also spoke about the Government’s new action plan to combat methamphetamine use.
But first, they discussed what The Green Party thought about the Government’s plan to decrease homelessness in the Auckland CBD
In an article on Newsroom, John Morgan, Head of the School Critical Studies and Education at the University of Auckland, discusses his belief that we are seeing a collapse in the country’s curriculum accord.
This comes as the government has announced a plethora of changes to the country’s curriculum heading forward.
News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Morgan about the history of the curriculum accords in the country and why we are seeing changes in this space.
The government has been considering a ban on homeless people rough sleeping in central Auckland after dark.
Spokespeople from homelessness and poverty action groups have criticised the proposal for not effectively addressing the root causes of the crisis.
Producer Faith spoke to Aaron Hendry from the youth homelessness organisation Kick Back Make Change about the consideration, and its potential consequences
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin about the world’s biggest spiderweb, bacteria movement, and the Marsden Fund Awards for 2025, thanks to MOTAT.
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the Climate Change Response Act, the Regulatory Standards Bill, and measures being considered around homelessness in Auckland's CBD.
For Green World, Sara spoke to Professor James Renwick from Victoria University in Wellington, about the impact of climate change on human health
Producer Faith spoke to Aaaron Hendry from the Kick Back, Make Change organisation about the government considering banning homeless people rough sleeping in the CBD
Last month, Professors James Renwick, Simon Hales, Rebecca Priestley and Alistair Woodward produced a briefing calling for urgent action on New Zealand’s climate policies, given the vast direct and indirect impacts of climate change on human health.
For Green World this week, Wire Host Sara spoke with Victoria University of Wellington Professor James Renwick, from the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, about their report, going into depth about the health consequences of climate inaction
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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