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.
Last week, the Professional Firefighters Union went on strike from 12-1pm on Friday, calling for better pay and conditions for firefighters across New Zealand.
This week, we will see a ‘megastrike’ of nurses and teachers which is predicted to potentially be the largest labour action in forty years.
Among their agenda items are Palestine, NCEA changes, AI marking and the curriculum.
Finally, a petition with 20,000 signatures was delivered to Parliament relating to an amendment which will see tightened eligibility for Maaori groups to receive customary title under the Marine and Coastal Area act.
The amendment bill passed its second reading last week.
Wire Host Sara spoke with National MP Carl Bates about all of these topics, starting with the firefighter union strike
Te Pati Maori have drawn media speculation on the strength of their leadership, which has been described as “internal chaos” and “infighting,” despite the party announcing a reset.
Academic and professor of Maori management Jason Mika from the University of Auckland’s business school likens the conflict to “an open divorce court gone bad,” and believes that a shift in focus is needed.
Producer Faith spoke to Mika about the party’s conflicts, and how he believes they need to refocus.
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 government's changes to methane targets and this week’s upcoming multi-sector strikes, which is expected to have 100,000 workers walk off the job.
Producer Alex spoke to Principal Scientist at Earth Sciences NZ Dr Nick Cradock-Henry about the Governments new National Adaption Framework for Climate Change, and what it means for policy and what holes remain.
Thursday Wire Host Caeden spoke to Dr Kevin E Trenberth, climate scientist and honorary academic at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Science, about the most pressing climate change-driven threats and the role of New Zealand in enacting solutions.
And Alex spoke to Associate Professor of History at the University of Auckland, Jennifer Frost, about the No Kings protests in the United States over the weekend, and what they mean politically for the country and the Trump Administration.
The government has recently reduced biogenic methane emission targets to 14-24% by 2050, changing the reductions passed in 2019 under the Zero Carbon Act of cuts between 24-47% below 2017 levels by 2050.
These changes have faced criticisms from the Opposition and climate activists, and scientists. Green Party co-leader, Chlöe Swarbrick, says “This methane denial betrays farmers who are on the front line of climate-driven extreme weather events that threaten global food production and rural livelihoods”.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, New and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to Court about the target changes.
They also discussed this week’s multi-sector strike action, which will be attended by workers from various sectors, such as the medical and education sector.
Public Service Minister Judith Collins, regarding teachers striking, called the strike action “unfair and unwarranted,” and said that the union, the New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association’s (PPTA’s) primary agenda was to discuss Palestine with Education Minister Erica Stanford. However, PPTA President, Chris Abercrombie, disputed this, saying Palestine was one of several topics the union had wanted to discuss with the Minister, including AI in education and changes to NCEA.
They discussed this, but first, we discussed the government’s changes to methane targets.
In a recent article for Newsroom, University of Auckland climate scientist Dr Kevin E Trenberth wrote about the continued ‘existential threat’ of climate change.
He outlines the key issues of climate change, including droughts, intense rains and flooding risks and tropical storms. All leading to food and water shortages.
In the article, he also called net-zero a “pipe dream”, given the shortfalls of the Paris Agreement and other climate accords
Thursday Wire Host Caeden spoke to Trenberth, who is a Distinguished Scholar at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, USA, and an honorary academic at the Faculty of Science, University of Auckland, about his article, including the most urgent climate change-driven threats and what role New Zealand has to play in enacting solutions.
They started by asking what about the current moment inspired him to write his article.
Over the weekend, a Second round of ‘No Kings’ protests took place across the United States, protesting the anti-democratic actions of the second Trump Administration.
The previous protests in june saw 5 million join in, and this round had 250 planned protests across all 50 states. Officials in New York estimated crowds of around 100,000 people.
Concerns, however, remain around whether or not these protests will do something, and whether or not they matter, in the face of Trump’s authoritarian leanings and the actions of his administration.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Associate Professor of History at the University of Auckland, Jennifer Frost, about these protests, and what they say about political attitudes towards Trump in the United States.
Last week, the Government released their first ‘National Adaptation Framework’ for adapting to Climate Change.
The announcement highlights the risks those in Aotearoa face regarding climate related disasters and harms, such as floods or storms as climate change gets worse. This comes alongside a focus on ensuring that Aotearoa’s economy is able to withstand, handle, and grow in the face of these risks.
While this is a positive step, there remain concerns around how adaptation fits in, whether this plan covers all bases, and what still needs to be done.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Principal Scientist at Earth Sciences New Zealand, Dr Cradock-Henry, about the framework, its strengths, and its drawbacks.
Only 32.6% of eligible voters voted in local elections, the worst turnout in 36 years.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the ceasefire in Gaza.
And politicians across the house have criticised Te Pāti Māori for the confusing infighting between members that has played out over the past few days.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these issues.
Earlier this month, the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture visited Aotearoa for the first time since 2013. The delegation made a range of unannounced visits to facilities such as prisons, police stations, and youth justice and protection residencies.
The end of visit observations included a repeated emphasis on strengthening investment in and utility of our National Preventative Mechanism - the collective of Aotearoa’s independent statutory organisations tasked with advancing the kaupapa to keep detained people safe.
The subcommittee’s final report will be delivered to Aotearoa’s government, which is then up to government discretion whether the document is made public.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Meg de Ronde, CEO of Te Kāhui Tika Tangata (Human Rights Commission) - the coordinating body of the National Preventative Mechanism - about the subcommittee's statements.
Local elections wrapped up this Saturday across the country with Auckland recording the lowest turnout in decades. However, as councilors and local board members settle in for the next term, Thursday Wire Producer Sanat talked to Shane Henderson about how leaders from across our city step up and campaign for these elections, what his community is looking forward to over the next term and what sort of reforms he wants to pursue to stem this decline in local democracy.
Last Friday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown announced the signing of a new ‘City Deal’.
The deal will see closer partnership between the central government and Auckland Council, coordinating planning in areas such as infrastructure and transportation.
The deal will see a long-term partnership between the government and council, with regular meetings and cooperation on strategies for innovation and transportation, with reviews of sporting venues such as Eden Park and the Auckland Tennis Centre.
However, the deal has been critiqued by some as being a collection of promises without any new funding.
So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, he and producer Theo discussed the signing of the Auckland City Deal, and how the Green Party would work with Auckland Council on issues such as transportation and infrastructure.
Last week, the Ministry for the Environment together with Stats New Zealand released Our Freshwater 2026, a major report on the state of Aotearoa’s freshwater systems based on decades of data. The report highlights both long-term improvement and deterioration of waterways nationwide, with particular focus on groundwater sources and the impacts of agricultural land use and the climate crisis on water quality.
I spoke to Troy Baisden, co-president of the New Zealand Association of Scientists and Adjunct Professor at Victoria University of Wellington, about what the findings of this report mean and also about the strengths and limitations of freshwater reporting.
Last week, the Government and Auckland Council agreed on the ‘Auckland City Deal’, which seeks to enhance co-ordination between the two bodies to enable better investment in the city to get the most out of what Mayor Wayne Brown has called the ‘Engine’ of the economy. This will see better communication between the mayor and prime minister, co-operation on certain legislation, and funding.
The weekend also saw Cyclone Vaianu hit the country, with parts of the country facing damage and flooding. The government now has the job of responding to the damage, and deciding what needs to change, looking forward to future cyclones.
This week, Host Alex spoke with National Party MP Ryan Hamilton about each of these topics.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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