Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Sara Mckoy, Max Micheel, 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 Cushla McGoverin chats with us about moss in space, a use for mosquitos, and how turtles detect magnetic fields
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the recently updated Social Housing Plan, and the government’s decision to “pause” access to puberty blockers.
For Green World, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Sebastian Gehreke, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Climate and Energy Finance Group at the University of Otago, about COP30, and New Zealand not joining over 80 other countries in agreeing to a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.
Last week, US President Donald Trump put forward a 28 point peace plan as a proposed resolution to the war between Ukraine and Russia — with an initial expectation of response by the 27th of November.
The initial plan included an agreement by NATO to hold dialogue with Russia, to refuse current and future Ukrainian access to NATO, and not station troops in Ukraine, and Europe commit $100 billion to the investment into Ukrainian construction; also providing “financial compensation” for the role of the United States in mediation.
Following backlash from European leaders as well as negotiations between Trump and Zelenskyy, the plan has been refined, with further discussions to take place over the coming week.
Wire Host Sara spoke to University of Otago professor Robert Patman about Trump’s peace plan and the wider impact on international diplomacy
At COP30, New Zealand has not joined over 80 countries in signing a global plan to phase out fossil fuels.
Climate Minister Mark Mitchell has defended this move, saying that the government was already committed to “transition away” from fossil fuels, as of two years ago.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Sebastian Gehreke, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Climate and Energy Finance Group at the University of Otago, about COP30 and whether New Zealand’s climate policies are enough to justify not signing this roadmap
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about ACT MP Laura McClure’s members bill, proposing the disestablishment of the BSA, or Broadcasting Standards Authority, and the government's move to halt new puberty blocker prescriptions for young transgender people.
Following on from their chat with Simon, Joel spoke to the Vice President of PATHA, the Professional Association of Transgender Health Aotearoa, and GP specialist in gender-affirming care, Dr Elizabeth McElrea, more about puberty blockers, and how this temporary ban will affect transgender young people.
Producer Alex spoke to Senior Lecturer in Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland, Dr Jude MacArthur, about the Government’s plans to introduce an ‘expanded’ new curriculum for students with ‘high and complex needs’, and what it might mean for their learning.
And Joel spoke to the Co-Chair of Auckland Pride, Bhenjamin Goodsir, about the organisation's challenge to the High Court, following the removal of transgender guidelines for the participation in community sports.
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.
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.
Health Minister, Simeon Brown, says this move is a “precautionary” measure, as he says the evidence regarding puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria remains unclear.
Despite this, puberty blockers will still be available for young people with conditions such as endometriosis and precocious puberty.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to Dr Elizabeth McElrea, the Vice President of PATHA, the Professional Association of Transgender Health Aotearoa and GP specialist in gender-affirming care, about the government's temporary ban of puberty blocker prescriptions for transgender youth, and what this will mean for young people with gender dysphoria.
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.
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.
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.
Tāmaki Makaurau’s council budget is among those impacted by the proposal of a rates cap, considering Tāmaki’s average 5.8% annual rates increase across the 25/26 financial year.
Youth homelessness is a growing concern as discussions continue around “move on” orders for those without housing in Auckland’s CBD.
And the Skycity Convention Centre is set to open in 2026, with high hopes for what it may bring for Tāmaki Makaurau after its prolonged development.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Counsellor Fairey about these topics.
The Trump administration has caused issues of significant food waste due to a range of its policies, including immigration raids, tariffs, cuts to food assistance programmes, and the destruction of food for programmes like USAID.
This has had huge consequences, including environmental impacts, as well as impacts on the estimated more than 47 million people in the US who don’t have enough food to eat, and those who have relied on US foreign aid that has been cut.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Garrett Graddy-Lovelace, Provost Associate Professor in Environment, Development & Health at American University, about these issues.
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Recently, the government has announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs.
As well as this, Health Minister, Simeon Brown, has called for the decentralisation of Health New Zealand, with the expectation that the entity focuses on deliveries closer to the front-line, additionally expecting a plan to do so by the end of the year.
For our weekly catch up with the National Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to MP Stuart Smith about these topics, starting with the regional council.
From today until the 4th of December, a conference will be held in Queenstown that will look into pest management and how best to protect native species.
The event not only brings experts in the sector from Aotearoa, but will also involve Australian experts as well.
Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke to Dr Sze-Wing Yiu, a Wildlife Ecologist at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, about this week’s conference, and what to expect.
The government has recently announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs.
The ‘shake-up’ of regional councils has left concerns that the move would water down environmental regulations at a local level, reduce Māori and iwi voices in decision making, and would result in central government overreaching into local politics.
As well as this, Parliament’s Justice Committee has recommended passing the Electoral Amendment Bill, albeit with some amendments
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about both of these topics, starting with the changes to regional councils.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka announced the government’s release of the new social housing investment plan which aims to shift to a “needs-based, data driven approach”.
The new flexible fund includes $41 million dollars in operating funding over the next four years, and the government have stated they expect to support up to 770 social homes and affordable rentals in the initial phase.
As well, Health Minister Simeon Brown last week announced a Cabinet decision to stop new prescriptions for puberty blockers for young people identifying as trans or experiencing gender dysphoria.
The rule, in effect from 19th of December, is based on recommendations from a UK National Health Service review which determined that the evidence to the benefits or risks of the treatment was “remarkably weak”.
The government is expected to pause new prescriptions until the outcome of a clinical trial being conducted in the UK, expected to be completed in 2031.
Wire Host Sara spoke with MP Carl Bates about all of these topics, firstly by asking about the flexible fund which will replace the so-called ‘patchwork of programmes’ in place for social housing.
Christmas Lights at MOTAT - experience Auckland’s most magical Christmas lights - heritage trams, festive music, Santa visits, and thousands of sparkling lights Tickets at MOTAT.NZ.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
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