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.
As we venture deeper into the second half of President Donald Trump’s first year of his second term, his actions continue to sow chaos and undermine stability across the globe.
Under this Trump Administration, the US has increasingly acted as a ‘rogue state’ - a term used to denote both uncertainty in international politics, and oppressive domestic policies.
Producer Alex spoke to Associate Professor and Programme Director for Global Studies at the University of Auckland, Chris Ogden, about how Trump has turned America into a Rogue State, and how that will impact the world.
A meeting of all major pacific nations is happening in the Solomon Islands next month. The stability of this conference has been threatened by renewed geopolitical tensions in the Pacific with China and the United States fiercely competing for
New Zealand recently withdrew funding from the Cook Islands, who have signed a multitude of bilateral deals with China that brings the nation in closer cooperation with the Asian superpower.
Tuvalu previously threatened to boycott the conference as the US, China and Taiwan (which are partner countries) have been barred from participating amid rising geopolitical tensions but has since said they will attend.
Producer Sanat wanted to understand a little bit more about the importance of the Pacific Islands Forum and the role that New Zealand plays in the conference of nations, especially in a pacific environment where climate change threatens the sanctity of so many Pacific Island communities.
Auckland Council will go to iwi authorities, government ministries and local boards for consultation on a draft plan that is proposing to increase intensification in the inner suburbs and strengthen hazard rules for new buildings.
Auckland’s population will cross 2 million people in the 2030’s however there is not currently enough housing available in the market to house everyone who calls Auckland home.
This is exacerbated by affordability issues, where many renters and first-home buyers are being priced out of the market.
The Prime Minister also recently said that he wants to see consistent house price growth as the country grapples with a long-tailed recession.
Producer Sanat talked to Councillor Julie Fairey about this new plan to zone for nearly 2 million new dwellings in the city and why it is that Auckland Council is pursuing this change in the current moment.
The Trump administration’s crackdown on both tertiary education and immigration is creating an uncertain environment for students in the United States, particularly international students.
It also comes as the administration has slashed research funding, rolled back protections for disadvantaged student groups, threatened lawsuits against colleges, dismantled the education department and more.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Yale Daily News’ Andre Fa’aoso, about what it’s like to be an international student in the United States right now.
A select committee report has recommended going ahead with a referendum on four-year Parliament terms.
Māori health providers have brought a case to the High Court asking for a declaration of inconsistency between the Government's disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
And the Public Service Commissioner, Sir Brian Roche, is currently considering a “major shakeup” of several ministries, including those for Women, Pacific Peoples, Disabled People, and Māori Development.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, regular Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, regular Wire Host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about four-year parliament terms, the High Court challenge against the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora, and the Public Services Commissioner investigating potential changes to several lived experience ministries.
For International Desk, they spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about the current experiences of international students in the United States, especially as the Trump administration targets Universities for funding cuts.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Sanat spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about a new plan up for limited consultation to build higher-density housing within the city.
He also spoke to the University of Auckland’s Associate Professor of Pacific Studies Gordon Nanau about the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum and the surrounding geopolitical tensions between Pacific Island nations.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party Oto spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez-March about the government’s plan to purchase $2.7 billion worth of US-made aircraft to replace the Defence Force's 757s, The high court case against the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora - the Māori Health Authority and The Green party’s petition to restore funding to polytechnics.
And he spoke with Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington for a follow up conversation about the government’s plan to purchase almost $3 billion in military aircraft.
Max spoke to ChildFund CEO Josie Pagani, to talk about the recent declaration of a famine in Gaza.
And he spoke to Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa co-chair John Minto, to talk about the potential vote to suspend Israel from the United Nations, led by Turkey
Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Minister Winston Peters recently unveiled plans to purchase almost $3 billion worth of US aircraft to replace the Defence Force's ageing 757s.
The five MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, would be procured directly through the United States' Foreign Military Sales programme.
Oto spoke with Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington about the government’s purchase plan, who said that the purchase was “disappointing” given the context of cuts to public services and infrastructure that have occurred within the government’s current term and it was indicative of New Zealand potentially being brought into a wider regional or global conflict by the United States.
Late last week The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification or IPC, declared a famine in Gaza, warning that 41,000 children are at a heightened risk of death. The report said that the number of people facing – what they referred to as ‘emergency’ conditions – is expected to rise to 1.14 million people, or around half of the total population of Gaza, which is currently about 2.1 million people.
Under IPC criteria, a famine can only be formally declared when three conditions are met: at least 20% of households face extreme food shortages, at least 30% are acutely malnourished, and two or more people per 10,000 die each day from hunger or hunger-related diseases.
To talk about what is only the fifth declared famine in the last 15 years, Producer Max spoke with ChildFund CEO Josie Pagani, to discuss what New Zealand can do to immediately help the situation.
Following on from our previous chat, recent events have led to Türkiye potentially pursuing a vote to suspend Israel from the United Nations.
Türkiye foreign minister Hakan Fidan has told the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Riyadh that Israel should be suspended from the crucial meeting of the general assembly next month due to its ‘genocidal aggression’. In response to this, Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa co-chair John Minto has urged New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters to take a stand on this issue.
To discuss a potential vote to suspend Israel from next month’s United Nations general assembly meeting, as well as New Zealand’s current stance on Israel and Gaza, Producer Max spoke with John Minto.
Earlier this week, Councillor Julie Fairey moved a resolution to investigate Auckland Council’s involvement with companies that are complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
And this week, Auckland Council launched an AI virtual assistant to report issues such as graffiti, roaming dogs, and noise complaints.
For City Counselling, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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