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.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman will be talking to us about all things birds
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about pressures on the education system, and New Zealand’s diplomatic relations
For Green Desk, Sara spoke to University of Auckland associate professor Maria Armoudian about a secret memo by the Ministry of Environment warning the government about the need to meet its global climate targets.
Producer Faith spoke to commercial law professor Alex Sims from the University of Auckland about AI-generated art, who owns the copyright, and what laws need to be put in place
A secret memo by the Ministry for the Environment intended for the central government reveals advice that New Zealand’s failures on climate action may negatively impact our diplomatic relations.
The warning stated that, as New Zealand delays decisions and action on our commitments under the Paris Agreement, we may risk undermining our key alliances with countries like Australia, Canada, the UK and countries in Europe.
More importantly, University of Auckland Associate Professor Maria Armoudian, director of Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society, says that our climate failings are reflective of a global “tragedy of the commons”, which will have urgent negative impacts for our Pacific neighbours.
For this week’s Green Desk, Sara spoke with Armoudian about this Ministry for Environment warning and how New Zealand should be seeking to improve its climate policies.
She started by asking what her expectations and hopes are about the government’s response to this memo
Last week, thousands of secondary teachers went on strike demanding a better pay agreement from the government.
The Post-Primary Teachers’ Association rejected the government’s offer for a one percent pay rise, which they say is the lowest in generations.
Amidst staff shortages forcing some schools to take days off with not enough teachers, in addition to a variety of recent curriculum changes, union leaders have said the education sector is stretched-thin.
As well, the latest Security Threat Environment report has shown that New Zealand is facing the ‘toughest’ national security environment of late, with issues like global conflicts, violent extremism, foreign interference and espionage at the forefront of concern
In this day and age, “just use AI” seems to be a common response when people need a quick and easy solution to make digital art. There’s currently no protection for AI-generated art in Aotearoa, but commercial law Professor Alex Sims believes such copyright laws could be possible. But whose art is it, really?
Producer Faith spoke to Alex about the complexities and grey areas of AI art, how copyright needs to be approached, and how artists who create their own works without being aided by AI are already affected.
Last week, a study was published showing that children are exposed to unhealthy food, alcohol, and gambling marketing in some form 76 times a day on average.
Academics at the University of Otago have called for restrictions on such marketing, as exposure to these ads for children has a negative impact on their health and wellbeing
Producer Alex spoke to Associate Professor of Marketing Leah Watkins from the University of Otago about the study, how it affects Aotearoa’s young people, and what the government should do about it.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about last week’s secondary school teachers' strike, and New Zealand joining over 20 other countries in calling for “immediate and independent” foreign media access into Gaza.
Producer Alex spoke to the Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Otago Leah Watkins about a recent study showing the extent to which children are exposed to junk food, alcohol, and gambling marketing, and why and how we should regulate.
Joel spoke to Dr Natalie Forsdick, the President of Bird New Zealand, about a new study showing birds are singing almost an hour later due to light pollution.
Joel also spoke to Dr Rashi Parker, the Fundraising Manager of BirdCare Aotearoa, a native bird hospital based in West Auckland, about what she is seeing at the hospital, and about the wider impacts of light pollution.
And Alex also spoke with Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Bill McKay, about the Council’s vote to make changes to Housing Density Rules in the Auckland Unitary Plan, and how it will affect Aucklanders and public transport.
Last week, up to 19,000 secondary school teachers across the motu went on strike for a day over what they say is an inadequate pay offer of 1% each year for three years by the Ministry of Education.
The union, the Post Primary Teachers’ Association, or PPTA, say this pay offer is the lowest in a generation.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about these strikes and the Ministry’s pay offer.
They also discussed New Zealand joining 26 other countries in calling for “immediate and independent” foreign media access into Gaza, and to allow Israel to protect journalists reporting from within the besieged strip.
The joint statement by the Media Freedom Coalition says, "Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war. Access to conflict zones is vital to carrying out this role effectively. We oppose all attempts to restrict press freedom and block entry to journalists during conflicts".
Joel also spoke to Court about this, but first, we discussed last week’s secondary school teachers’ strikes.
A recent international study, including using recordings of birds in New Zealand’s North Island, has shown that birds worldwide are singing for almost an hour longer due to light pollution.
The study used audio recordings of millions of birds, and these findings show that light pollution confuses birds, impacting their natural cycles and could have an impact on their health.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Dr Natalie Forsdick, the President of Birds New Zealand, about these recent findings.
Following on from my chat with Forsdick, Joel also spoke to Dr Rashi Parker, the Fundraising Manager at BirdCare Aotearoa, a native bird hospital based in West Auckland, about these findings, how light pollution is impacting the birds coming into the hospital, and what people can do to ensure birds are carefully transported to the hospital if needed.
If you want to support the work BirdCare Aotearoa, you can donate to their charity here.
Last week, Auckland Council voted to take draft changes to the Auckland Unitary Plan to consultation, which would see increased housing density, particularly around public transport networks.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop has spoken positively of the move, and sez it will provide an ‘alternative’ for the Government’s goal of 2 million new homes in Auckland, as well as emphasising how the move can operate alongside Public Transport Developments.
Producer Alex spoke to Senior Lecturer in school of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Bill Mckay, about the changes and what they will mean for housing in Auckland.
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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