Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Sara Mckoy, 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.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Daniel Thomas on history, pre-history, and the search for Atlantis
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the reversal of the oil and gas exploration ban, yesterday’s announcement of an NCEA overhaul and US tariffs.
Sara also spoke with Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman, about the oil and gas ban reversal in New Zealand, and the plans in the US to repeal the finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health.
Producer Faith spoke to Professor Treasa Dunworth from the University of Auckland about the government’s statement on Gaza.
Faith also spoke to the university’s Dr. Michael Rehm about the humidity standards in green homes, and what needs to change about the rating system.
Last week, Minister for Resources & Regional Development Shane Jones announced ‘From the Ground Up: A draft strategy to unlock New Zealand’s geothermal potential’.
This draft strategy highlights a shift in focus towards the geothermal market, identifying it as one with potential for growth and innovation as a cornerstone of New Zealand’s energy environment.
Producer Alex spoke to the Co-Director of the Geothermal Institute within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Auckland, Dr John O’Sullivan, about geothermal energy and what this focus could mean.
Following the fire at the Victoria Park New World, Foodstuffs North Island promised to hire displaced workers at the soon to open New World Point Chevalier.
However, with the opening of the Point Chevalier store on the 19th of August, a significant number of displaced employees remain out of work, with 40% without job offers, as their paycheques come to an end.
Producer Alex spoke to Workers First Union Organiser Jas Giri about Foodstuffs’ promise, the current rehiring situation, and what the Union would like to see in the near future from Foodstuffs.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the FBI opening up an office in Wellington, and multiple countries announcing their plans to formally recognise Palestinian statehood, and whether we plan to here, in Aotearoa.
Producer Alex spoke to the Co-Director of the Geothermal Institute at the University of Auckland, Dr John O’Sullivan, about the Government’s recent Draft strategy for geothermal energy, and what geothermal energy means for Aotearoa.
Joel spoke to Professor George Laking from Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupu Centre for Cancer Research at the University of Auckland, about new research, showing hospitalisations of cardiovascular diseases increasing following tropical cyclones.
And Alex spoke to Workers First Union Organiser Jas Giri about Foodstuffs North Island’s promise that the workers displaced by the Victoria Park New World Fire would be rehired at the new Point Chevalier store, which has not fully come to fruition.
Recent findings from 6 countries, including New Zealand, of over 6.5 million cardiovascular disease hospitalisations, show a correlation between hospitalisations and the aftermath following a tropical cyclone.
The research looked into the hospitalisations of six different cardiovascular diseases, and showed that hospitalisations increased two months following a tropical cyclone and continued for six months after.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Professor George Laking from Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupu Centre for Cancer Research at the University of Auckland about this study, and a similar study he helped conduct following Cyclone Gabrielle - ‘Te Weu me Te Wai’
Last week, it was announced that the FBI would open a dedicated attaché office in Wellington, to investigate threats, such as terrorism, child exploitation, and cyber crime.
Announcing the office, director of the FBI, Kash Patel, sez the event is a “historic moment” and that with this move, symbolises the FBI’s prioritisation of having a permanent presence across all Five Eyes countries, which New Zealand is a part of.
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, says Patel’s visit to the country “send[s] a clear message to criminals” that they “cannot hide behind an international border”.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel spoke to Simon about the FBI’s office, and some criticisms the move has had.
They also spoke about multiple countries recently indicating their moves to formally recognise a state of Palestine, and what plans Aotearoa has in this space.
But first, they discussed the FBI’s new office in the capital.
On Monday, Auckland Council staff were sighted taking belongings such as tents and sleeping bags from rough sleepers at the Grafton United Cricket Club ground.
This is happening at a time where the amount of rough sleepers on Auckland’s streets has increased 90 percent since last September and 15 percent of those leaving emergency housing are going straight to homelessness.
On Tuesday, Auckland Council’s Community Committee received updates on the state of homelessness in the city and discussed what the Council’s response will be.
For City Counselling this week Producer Sanat spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about the worsening homelessness in the city.
Sanat started by asking about the incident on Monday and whether Auckland Council is doing enough to respond to homelessness.
Through a mixture of seasonal migration, deportations and cost of living pressures, Pacific Island nations are facing an unprecedented influx of meth into their communities.
Producer Sanat spoke to Sir Colin Tukuitonga, Associate Dean Pacific and Professor of Public Health at the University of Auckland about this crisis in health.
He says that “Meth poses a dire health threat in the Pacific. It’s extremely addictive, devastates people’s mental health, and is driving the spread of HIV in Fiji at an alarming rate, through needle and blood sharing. “
According to Sir Colin more needs to be done by international health organisations and law enforcement to help fund better rehabilitation services and stop the inflow of meth into Pacific Island nations.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni on the spike in homelessness in Auckland, yesterday’s nurses strike, and the end to same-day voter enrollment.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sanat spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about reports earlier this week of Auckland Council staff taking tents and sleeping bags from rough sleepers in the CBD and more broadly what Auckland Council’s response to homelessness looks like.
For International Desk, Joel spoke to Justin Sobion, Senior Tutor in Law at the University of Auckland and counsel for Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’, on the recent International Court of Justice ruling on states' climate change obligations.
And Sanat spoke to Associate Dean Pacific of the University of Auckland Sir Colin Tukuitonga about the growing drug crisis in the Pacific.
Last week, several politicians including the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Auckland attended Auckland's City Rail Link test run. As the project nears completion, the CRL team is busy running tests to ensure this new upgraded rail system is ready for use on the day it launches on an unspecified date in 2026.
Several political leaders were invited to a test last week where they went through the three new stations that are a part of New Zealand’s first underground rail system.
This comes at a time where Central Government is becoming increasingly stand-off ish with Local Governments across the country with rhetoric aimed at focusing councils on “Roads, Rubbish and Rates”
This has come to a head with a recent move to introduce a rates cap which threatens to put a hard ceiling on what Local Councils can spend on in their communities.
The CRL has been under construction for nearly a decade and costs more than $5.5 billion dollars with the project going over budget and over schedule on multiple occasions, drawing criticism from those who believe we are spending too much money on ineffective infrastructure projects.
Producer Sanat talked to Councilor Julie Fairey today about the value that CRL will give to the city and why we have such a hard time nationally building ambitious infrastructure projects.
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark recently visited the border of Gaza with Egypt. She told media there was “no reason” why Aotearoa New Zealand shouldn’t take the step to recognise a Palestinian state.
The latest Taxpayers Union-Curia poll has predicted a hung parliament next election. Labour has overtaken National, with both National leader Christopher Luxon and Labour Leader Chris Hipkins up in the preferred Prime Minister poll.
And the independent “Representation Commission” has announced the changes to electorates in time for the next generation election. While the changes focus on adjusting boundaries, the electorate of “Rongotai” was also renamed to “Wellington Bays.”
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these issues.
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced that the government would be announcing its position on the recognition of a Palestinian state over the next month.
This announcement was made in the lead up to the UN general assembly in September, where world leaders such as the prime ministers of France and Australia promised to recognise a Palestinian state.
Also this week, Green party Wellington MPs Julie Anne Genter and Tamatha Paul recently launched a petition calling for Māori place names to be restored to Wellington electorates after the Rongotai electorate was recently renamed to the English name Wellington Bays.
And the latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll was recently released, which showed that Labour had overtaken National as the largest party, gaining 2 points to 33.6 percent, while National’ dropped 2.1 points to 31.8 percent.
For our weekly catchup with the Green party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March to get the party’s take on all of these issues
Last week, Treasury delivered the Long Term Insights Briefing entitled ‘Te Ara Mokopuna’ which examines the use of fiscal policy in New Zealand to respond to challenges and economic shocks.
The report used stakeholder feedback and consultation to underscore how the government can seek to promote “fiscal sustainability and improving wellbeing for future generations of New Zealanders”.
Of particular interest, the report highlights the effect of spending decisions made during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As well, Transportation Minister Chris Bishop has announced the government’s plans to change up the road user charges system in what he says is the ‘biggest change to how we fund our roading network in 50 years’.
The changes are aimed at making charges fairer across road usage, reflecting the evolution in the types of cars now available.
Legislative work will be carried out in 2026, with changes expected to come into effect in 2027.
Last week, the government announced a proposal to replace NCEA with an alternative educational curriculum.
NCEA, which has been in place since 2002, has received mixed responses. In announcing the move, Education Minister, Erica Stanford, says that due to the flexibility of NCEA, this has “come at a cost” for young people to develop critical thinking skills and knowledge for future pathways.
The proposed changes include replacing NCEA level 1 with a foundational test, solely focusing on numeracy and literacy, replacing NCEA’s level 2 and 3 with two new qualifications, requiring students take five subjects, and having to pass at least four to obtain a certificate.
This move is not without its criticisms and concerns, however. For example, Many teachers have told RNZ that the changes, which are set to be phased in from next year, are too swift, with teachers saying they will need additional support during the transition process.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to him about potentially moving away from NCEA.
The deadline for enrolling to vote in Local elections and nominations for candidates closed last week, with last minute pushes across the country to make sure as many seats as possible were being contested.
There were concerns from the Electoral Commission and Local Councils across the country that some seats might go uncontested or only have one person running.
Producer Sanat wanted to understand what the state of local democracy is in Auckland and whether the council is doing enough to make sure it is healthy and thriving.
Also in today’s discussion is a conversation about Regional Deals. Recently Auckland Council signed a memorandum of understanding with the government in order to begin “negotiating” a regional deal.
Producer Sanat wanted to understand what a regional deal is and what it can do for Auckland, especially as recent unemployment and homelessness figures suggest that our city has been hit hardest by the recent economic downturn.
He started off by asking Councillor Shane Henderson about the state of Auckland's Local Democracy.
“When Genocide Wasn’t News” is a recently released Canadian book that documents major Canadian news organisations' reporting on Gaza.
The book claims the media has “whitewashed Israeli violence, dehumanised Palestinians and smeared a growing protest movement.”
Gabriela Perdomo Páez, Assistant Professor of journalism at Mount Royal University, says journalists who support peace efforts can easily be accused of being “biased” in favour of those promoting peace.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Perdomo Páez about Canadian news coverage of Gaza.
Earlier this week the government announced they’d be replacing the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) with a new set of national secondary school qualifications.
Minister of Education Erica Stanford says the current NCEA system was failing to help students develop critical thinking skills and was difficult for parents to navigate as well.
In that same week, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the FBI would be opening a dedicated law enforcement attaché office in Wellington. Defence Minister Judith Collins and Police Minister Mark Mitchell said that the new office would strengthen our ties with the five eyes alliance, with Patel additionally saying the move would counter Chinese influence in the region.
And the Green party recently launched a petition calling on the government to reverse policies of theirs related to emergency housing access that the Greens say have led to an increase in homelessness across the country.
For our weekly catchup with the Green party, Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March to get the party’s take on all of these issues.
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