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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.

The Sociology of The Anti-Mandate Protests w/ Professor Marcelle Dawson: February 28, 2022.

The Sociology of The Anti-Mandate Protests w/ Professor Marcelle Dawson: February 28, 2022. , 9.15 MB
Mon 28 Feb 2022

The anti-mandate protests in Wellington have been going on for nearly three weeks. They’re becoming increasingly problematic, with residents and reporters being threatened. 

New Zealand has a long history of protests and this is the most widely-covered protest since the 1981 Springbok Tour. But what makes these anti-mandate protests different? 

Sam Clark spoke to sociology Professor Marcelle Dawson from The University of Otago, who specialises in social movements and popular protest.

 

ProCare's 'Mission Possible' w/ Bindi Norwell: February 28, 2022

ProCare's 'Mission Possible' w/ Bindi Norwell: February 28, 2022 ProCare's 'Mission Possible' w/ Bindi Norwell: February 28, 2022, 8.8 MB
Mon 28 Feb 2022

Omicron has caused a rise in stress levels and an influx of patients in the health sector. Bindi Norwell, CEO of ProCare, spoke to Charlie about the company's new initiative that hopes to help aid health professionals.

Cultural infrastructure w/ Chloë Swarbrick: February 28, 2022

Cultural infrastructure w/ Chloë Swarbrick: February 28, 2022 Cultural infrastructure w/ Chloë Swarbrick: February 28, 2022, 10.45 MB
Mon 28 Feb 2022

An open-letter with 60 signatures was submitted by Green MP Chloë Swarbrick with solution suggestions to improve culture infrastructure in Auckland. Charlie spoke to to Chloë about the proposals, accepted solutions and the future of artistic and social spaces.

Auckland protests against Russia w/ Yurko Galdun: February 28, 2022

Auckland protests against Russia w/ Yurko Galdun: February 28, 2022 Auckland protests against Russia w/ Yurko Galdun: February 28, 2022, 9.82 MB
Mon 28 Feb 2022

A peaceful protest took place on 27th February to show support for Ukraine and condemn Russia's military action. Yurko Galdun, Chairman of the Ukrainian Association of New Zealand Northern Regions, spoke with Charlie about the protest, and why what's happening in Ukraine should be important to New Zealanders. Yurko also discusses where you can give aid and donations.

The Wire with Charlie and Sam: February 28, 2022

The Wire with Charlie and Sam: February 28, 2022 The Wire with Charlie and Sam: February 28, 2022, 62.08 MB
Mon 28 Feb 2022

On today's Monday Wire Charlie spoke with Yurko Galdun, Chairman of the Ukrainian Association of New Zealand Northern Regions, about the peaceful protest against Russia's military action that happened in Auckland. As Omicron raises staff shortage concerns in the health sector, Bindi Norwell, CEO of ProCare, discussed their ‘Mission Possible’ initiative with Charlie. Green MP Chloë Swarbrick also spoke with Charlie about an open-letter to improve cultural infrastructure.


Sam spoke with Marcelle Dawson, sociology professor at Otago University about the anti-mandate protests happening in Welington. As many students went back to university today, once again online, Sam spoke with two post graduate students about wanting a partial refund on fees.

The Wire with Jessica: February 25, 2022

The Wire with Jessica: February 25, 2022 The Wire with Jessica: February 25, 2022, 98.75 MB
Fri 25 Feb 2022

Host Jessica Hopkins speaks to Save the Children's Child Rights Advocacy and Research Director, Jacqui Southey about the Government's progress in reducing child poverty.

She also has her regular chat with Auckland Councillor, Pippa Coom.

Producer Liam Hansen spoke with Investigative Journalist Nicky Hager about the Chief Ombudsman’s latest inquiry into his allegations of the New Zealand Defence Force misinforming the Chief about Operation Burnham. 

City Counselling w/ Pippa Coom: February 25, 2022

City Counselling w/ Pippa Coom: February 25, 2022 City Counselling w/ Pippa Coom: February 25, 2022, 17.78 MB
Fri 25 Feb 2022

Today on my regular catch up with Auckland Councillor Pippa Coom we discussed the Women4Climate Mentorship Programme that is coming to Tāmaki Makaurau this year.

The programme taking place in several C40 cities globally aims to contribute to the emergence of the next generation of climate leaders by sharing knowledge and experience. 

Jessica Hopkins spoke to Pippa about who is eligible, and clarified the programmes' inclusion of non-binary and gender queer people. 

The Government's Child Poverty Reduction Progress w/ Save the Children's Jacqui Southey: February 25, 2022

The Government's Child Poverty Reduction Progress w/ Save the Children's Jacqui Southey: February 25, 2022 The Government's Child Poverty Reduction Progress w/ Save the Children's Jacqui Southey: February 25, 2022, 16.16 MB
Fri 25 Feb 2022

The latest Stats NZ data shows a downward trend in all nine child poverty measures in Aotearoa. 

However, Save The Children says we still have a long way to go to ensure all tamariki in Aotearoa are able to thrive. 

Jessica Hopkins spoke to Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey, who says that more attention needs to be given to lifting the incomes of our lowest-income families.

They started the interview discussing Jacqui’s response to the Government's announcement that 66,500 children have been lifted out of poverty since 2018. 

The Wire with Jemima: February 24, 2022

The Wire with Jemima: February 24, 2022 The Wire with Jemima: February 24, 2022, 94.7 MB
Thu 24 Feb 2022

Today on the Thursday Wire, Joe Wickins speaks to Tracy Morison, the President of ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa, about the government's plan for a funded national abortion telehealth service.

Alex Wierzbicki is producing the show for the first time! He explores how a move to Phase 3 of the Omicron response could impact hospitality workers and business owners. He interviews Jamie Freedman, President of the Auckland Branch of Hospitality New Zealand, and John Crocker, the National Secretary of Unite Union, about this and the wider impact of Omicron on the hospitality sector. 

The Wire with Christina: February 23, 2022

The Wire with Christina: February 23, 2022 The Wire with Christina: February 23, 2022, 115.04 MB
Wed 23 Feb 2022

Today on the Wednesday Wire, Christina Huang hosts for the first time!

Jemima Huston has her weekly chat with the ACT Party's Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden. They talk about teachers being considered essential workers, and international students entering the country.

Christina looks into the recent developments in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. She speaks to Associate Professor Jim Headley from the University of Otago about the political background of the crisis. She also talks to Professor Robert Ayson from Victoria University about Aotearoa's role in de-escalating the situation.

Aneeka speaks to Dr Robert Smith from the university of Otago about the current marine heatwave, and its implications for iwi, a sustainable seafood industry, and research efforts.

And finally, Christina speaks to Dr Alice Mills, a Criminology professor from the University of Auckland, about intimate partner homicide statistics and domestic violence in Australia and New Zealand.

Removing barriers for the disabled community in emergency preparedness & weighing up proposals to reduce flood risks at Takapuna Golf Course w/ Councillor Shane Henderson: 26 June, 2025

Removing barriers for the disabled community in emergency preparedness & weighing up proposals to reduce flood risks at Takapuna Golf Course w/ Councillor Shane Henderson: 26 June, 2025 Removing barriers for the disabled community in emergency preparedness & weighing up proposals to reduce flood risks at Takapuna Golf Course w/ Councillor Shane Henderson: 26 June, 2025, 15.37 MB
Thu 26 Jun 2025

Last week, the council’s Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) Committee said they would be seeking to implement a number of recommendations that improve emergency readiness for disabled populations.

Following a hui last year where community members were invited to bring forward issues relating to future planning for natural disasters, Sara was interested to hear about how the council is taking suggestions on board.

As well, Auckland Council has been considering proposals to mitigate flood risks around the Wairau catchment, including one which would see the reduction of the size of the Takapuna Golf Course, to convert the space into a flood catchment.

Producer Sara spoke to Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson on both of these topics, firstly by asking him to discuss the desired outcomes relating to emergency preparedness for disabled people, and the council’s first steps to implementation

The Zoh-mentum behind Zohran Mamdani’s New York City Democratic Primary Win w/ 95bFM Reporter Sanat Singh: 26 June, 2025

The Zoh-mentum behind Zohran Mamdani’s New York City Democratic Primary Win w/ 95bFM Reporter Sanat Singh: 26 June, 2025 The Zoh-mentum behind Zohran Mamdani’s New York City Democratic Primary Win w/ 95bFM Reporter Sanat Singh: 26 June, 2025, 15.23 MB
Thu 26 Jun 2025

Zohran Mamdani has all but won the Democratic Primary in New York City after key competitor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race. 

Mamdani will now be the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor.

His campaign was built on cost-of-living, where Mamdani presented himself as an authentic, Democratic Socialist, grassroots campaign leader.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to 95bFM reporter and South Asia correspondent Sanat Singh about Momdani’s win, what this means for the communities he represents, and where to from here.

Regulatory Standards Bill, Destiny Church, and the Taxpayers Union-Curia Poll on Cook Islands Citizenship w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 26 June, 2025

Regulatory Standards Bill, Destiny Church, and the Taxpayers Union-Curia Poll on Cook Islands Citizenship w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 26 June, 2025 Regulatory Standards Bill, Destiny Church, and the Taxpayers Union-Curia Poll on Cook Islands Citizenship w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 26 June, 2025, 14.72 MB
Thu 26 Jun 2025

A reported 131,000 submissions were made on the Regulatory Standards Bill.

The Bill, proposed by the ACT party, includes a set of principles outlining “responsible regulation.” Notably, it does not include any mention of either version of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Last weekend, hundreds of Destiny Church members marched on Queen Street in a rally that they called “in defence of faith, flag, and family.”

And the Labour Party has criticised the framing of a poll question by the Taxpayers Union/Curia on whether or not Cook Islanders should retain automatic New Zealand citizenship. 

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden asked Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about all of these topics.

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party's Hūhana Lyndon: 25 June, 2025

Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party's Hūhana Lyndon: 25 June, 2025 Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party's Hūhana Lyndon: 25 June, 2025, 25.29 MB
Wed 25 Jun 2025

Recently the Green Party commissioned independent legal advice to look into the government’s $200 million investment in new gas fields that was carried out last month and found out that the investment was in breach of the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS).

NZ First MP Shane Jones recently announced that he’d be drafting a member's bill to force Ngāpuhi into a single commercial settlement, which would prevent hapū from negotiating separate commercial redresses and remove any reference to hapū sovereignty from the settlement terms.

And the Green party recently issued a call to the New Zealand government to condemn the US strikes on Iranian Nuclear facilities, almost a week after Iran and Israel had both been trading missile strikes between each other.

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke with MP Hūhana Lyndon to get the party’s take on all of these issues

Scrapping the census and subsequent concerns w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 24th June, 2025

Scrapping the census and subsequent concerns w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 24th June, 2025 Scrapping the census and subsequent concerns w/ the National Party’s Tom Rutherford: 24th June, 2025, 13.24 MB
Tue 24 Jun 2025

Last week, Statistics Minister Shane Reti announced plans to scrap the nationwide census moving forward. The census is the largest statistical survey done in Aotearoa, and provides the bulk of population data used in research and decision-making. Reti says the census is “no longer financially viable” and will be replaced with a combination of smaller annual surveys and administrative data. 

While the change looks good on paper, there are concerns around how the change in data collection could affect representation of marginalised and minority groups. Census data tends to be more protected from bias than administrative data and smaller surveys, meaning there are more opportunities for misrepresentation. Some statisticians are particularly concerned about the potential exclusion of marginalised rural communities. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked him about the census decision and its implications on marginalised and minority groups.

Dear Science w/ Doctor Cushla McGoverin: 24th June, 2025

Dear Science w/ Doctor Cushla McGoverin: 24th June, 2025 Dear Science w/ Doctor Cushla McGoverin: 24th June, 2025, 29.62 MB
Tue 24 Jun 2025

This week on Dear Science, our expert, Dr. Cushla McGoverin, chatted with us about the early human subspecies of Denisovans, plants having an extra set of even deeper roots, and sea spiders farming their own bacteria.

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

Psilocybin and Melatonin, Taxpayers Funding Cancer Medicines for Private Facilities, Criticisms of ACT MP Karen Chhour regarding Bootcamps w/ the ACT Party’s Simon Court: 23 June, 2025

Psilocybin and Melatonin, Taxpayers Funding Cancer Medicines for Private Facilities, Criticisms of ACT MP Karen Chhour regarding Bootcamps w/ the ACT Party’s Simon Court: 23 June, 2025 Psilocybin and Melatonin, Taxpayers Funding Cancer Medicines for Private Facilities, Criticisms of ACT MP Karen Chhour regarding Bootcamps w/ the ACT Party’s Simon Court: 23 June, 2025, 19.28 MB
Mon 23 Jun 2025

Associate Health Minister, David Seymour, has recently announced changes to Psilocybin and Melatonin availability.

Psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, will be available for certain patients suffering from poor mental health outcomes. Melatonin, which is used for insomnia and jetlag, is set to be available over the counter.

For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about this move, and the potential accessibility concerns with accessing these medications.

They also discussed taxpayers set to be funding newly-funded cancer medicines for private facilities.

Finally, they discuss opposition parties criticised Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, over a lack of transparency regarding the effectiveness of boot camps for youth offenders, especially as boot camps have received a boost of $30 million, despite the pilot programme still being ongoing.

But first, they discussed Psilocybin and Melatonin.

International Desk: “No Kings” Protests for Democracy in the United States w/ University of Connecticut’s Jeremy Pressman: 19 June, 2025

International Desk: “No Kings” Protests for Democracy in the United States w/ University of Connecticut’s Jeremy Pressman: 19 June, 2025 International Desk: “No Kings” Protests for Democracy in the United States w/ University of Connecticut’s Jeremy Pressman: 19 June, 2025, 17.09 MB
Thu 19 Jun 2025

Last Saturday, over 2,000 protests took place across all 50 American States against President Donald Trump. 

The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and they served as a direct response to the military parade in Washington, DC.

The organisers of the protests say they aimed to reject “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.”

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut about the protests and the backlash towards them from the Trump administration.

Developing amidst flood risks, Auckland Council's conflict between intensification plans and Auckland's flood plains w/ Councillor Julie Fairey: June 19, 2025

Developing amidst flood risks, Auckland Council's conflict between intensification plans and Auckland's flood plains w/ Councillor Julie Fairey: June 19, 2025 Developing amidst flood risks, Auckland Council's conflict between intensification plans and Auckland's flood plains w/ Councillor Julie Fairey: June 19, 2025, 32.67 MB
Thu 19 Jun 2025

Housing intensification is a key priority for Auckland Council as Auckland's population is forecast to reach 2.3 million by 2050. 
But as planning for growth continues, some Auckland residents have expressed concern about the approval of developments in areas on flood plains or particularly prone to natural disasters.

With Kāinga Ora selling homes as ‘high risk investments’ in areas which were impacted by flooding in recent years, and 15 percent of all granted consents for new builds by Auckland Council being on floodplains, I spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about how the council is taking into account these issues for the coming years.

Scrapping the census, sick leave, and escalating tensions between Israel and Iran w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 19 June, 2025

Scrapping the census, sick leave, and escalating tensions between Israel and Iran w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 19 June, 2025 Scrapping the census, sick leave, and escalating tensions between Israel and Iran w/ Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni: 19 June, 2025 , 9.74 MB
Thu 19 Jun 2025

Statistics Minister Shane Reti has announced that the Census form will be scrapped and instead replaced with smaller surveys and administrative data.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed openness to reducing sick leave entitlements.

And tensions between Israel and Iran continue to escalate as Israel’s war on Gaza continues, threatening global security.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about both of these topics.