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 CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices met to review childhood vaccination recommendations in the US. The committee, whose members were appointed by anti-vaccination US Secretary of Health Robert F Kennedy Jr, have voted on a variety of recommendations for child vaccinations and restrictions of vaccinations from COVID-19 to Measles and Mumps immunisations.
This move has been met with concern, both over the implications for the health and wellbeing of children and the public, and what it means for one of the most prominent countries and advisory bodies to make such a move. In particular, the move itself was rife with confusion, with the advisory committee being ill-equipped to review the recommendations.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, Helen Petousis-Harris, about the confused and muddled recommendations, what they mean for public health, and what this says about the state of vaccine regulation.
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 new school subjects set to be implemented into the new, proposed curriculum, and the drastic changes to art history and outdoor education.
Producer Alex spoke with the University of Otago's Robert Patman about international support for Palestinian Statehood, and whether or not Foreign Minister Winston Peters will follow his Australian and Canadian counterparts.
Joel spoke to the Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad about the temporary pause of international adoptions, and what this means for children overseas.
And Alex spoke with the University of Aucklands Helen petousis-Harris about the CDC reviewing vaccine recommendations and regulations under an anti-vax committee.
The Government has passed with urgency a temporary halt on some international adoptions under the Adoption Amendment Bill.
The urgency of this bill is aimed at combating the exploitation of young children who have been adopted from overseas.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Children's Commissioner, Dr Claire Achmad, about this temporary pause, and what this will mean for some children overseas awaiting adoption.
The University of Auckland’s Maori and Pacific Academic Engagement Advisor for Students and Scholarly Services Mia-Mae Taitimu-Stevens talked to Thursday Wire Producer Sanat today about how social media is enabling higher engagement with Māori political Kaupapa.
Recently Te Pāti Māori won the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, with candidate Oriini Kaipara using social media to far greater effect than Labour candidate Peeni Henare who relied on more tried and true campaigning tactics.
Mia-Mae walked Producer Sanat through how social media has been a transformative tool for Maori, as they rise to the political challenges of the day. Furthermore she walked Sanat through some of the aspects of kaupapa Maori that work particularly well in a social media model.
Bike Auckland, a pro-cycling advocacy group recently sent out their pledge for candidates which says
“I believe people of all ages should feel able to bike safely to get around. Auckland needs more climate-friendly transport to ensure a sustainable and resilient Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, protecting our environment and communities for future generations. If elected, I commit to making a safe, connected cycle network a priority.”
Several candidates have pledged their support for the bike pledge, so Thursday Wire Producer Sanat wanted to get some more insight from Councilor Shane Henderson into how cycling will play a role in the future of Auckland’s transport network.
Thursday Wire Producer Sanat also asked him about what he has to say to opponents of cycleways that argue the increased cost and congestion is part of a larger “war on cas”
In other Local Government news, an ACT candidate in Whangerei has had their hoarding shot at several times recently. This follows an increase in abuse and vitriol towards local government candidates, particularly from marginalised communities. Producer Sanat asked Shane what he thinks this means for the state of our local democracy.
Last week, thousands of young people began mass protests in Nepal, sparked by a social media ban but over larger frustrations with government corruption.
The protests have led to Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, especially in the wake of public outrage over the killing of 22 people during the police crackdown on protestors.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to University of Queensland Lecturer in Political Science Dr DB Subedi about the circumstances behind these protests, how they fit into the wider region, and the misinformation surrounding them.
This morning, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry officially announced they had found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. To count as genocide under the 1948 UN genocide convention, at least one of five acts must have occurred, of which the commission accuses Israel of committing four. The Commission of Inquiry does not speak on behalf of the UN, however they have called on member countries to punish those responsible for it.
To this date, the New Zealand government has not issued any type of sanction against Israel or officially recognised a Palestinian state. However, Saturday’s Pro-Palestine protest – which attracted around 25,000 people to the streets of Auckland – has only increased pressure on the government to act.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa co-chair John Minto believes that recent protests are an accurate measure of where the Aotearoa public stand on this issue and that it’s time for the government to abandon what he describes as “pro-Israel policies”. To discuss this, as well as the UN commission of inquiry declaring genocide in Gaza, Producer Max spoke with John Minto.
The profiles of candidates standing in several Māori ward elections were missing from booklets given to enrolled voters intended to inform their votes.
In response to the missing candidate profiles, Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi The Public Service Association (PSA) — representing public servants — has called on the government to move the responsibility for running these elections out of the hands of private companies and back to the Electoral Commission.
Wednesday Wire Producer Emmanuel spoke to the PSA’s acting Kaihautū Māori, Marcia Puru, to discuss the PSA's view on the missing candidate information and its implications.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about The Greens renewed call for the government to recognise Palestinian statehood, The Greens call for an extension on Māori wards referendum, The most recent failed ETS auction.
For Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, he spoke to Professor of Māori Studies at the University of Auckland - Margaret Mutu about the significance of Te Wiki and the milestones in te reo revitalisation that have been achieved over the past 50 years.
And for this week’s Get Action! He spoke with Nadine Mortaja Spokesperson for the march for humanity about a petition calling on the government to sanction Israel
Max spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair John Minto, to discuss the United Nations officially declaring a genocide in Gaza and how the New Zealand Government should respond.
And Manny spoke to the PSA’s Mar-Sia Puru to discuss the missing candidate profiles in several Māori ward electorates and what they think can be done about it.
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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