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 year, the government scrapped Pay Equity rules in a move that was widely panned due to its speed and lack of notice. A recent select committee looking into pay equity, as well as international women’s day on Sunday, has brought forth the issue once more into the political limelight.
Tuesday Wire Host Alex spoke with the TEU’s Te Pou Ahurei | National Secretary, Amy Ross, about the Pay Equity situation, the reality for those facing pay equity struggles in the time since their channels were scrapped and, crucially, the role that tertiary institutions, as employers and influential voices, can play in supporting New Zealanders, and advocating for a return to pay equity
Two weeks ago, 1News aired a story discussing the fact that gang members in New Zealand now outnumber police officers. The story was aired the same day as the government released data showing that the number of victims of violent crime has decreased.
After the releases, Police Minister Mark Mitchell complained on Facebook that on the same day as the government announcement, 1News ran a story seemingly with a contrary argument. Later in the week, 1News aired a new story discussing the decrease in victims of violent crime.
After the first story was aired, Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith confirmed he had called the journalist to share his thoughts. He then was called by TVNZ’s board chair, Andrew Barclay, where he says they discussed a range of matters, including the story.
The situation has drawn criticism from some, who say it could indicate biased reporting by 1News. To discuss the situation and the importance of independent journalism to a democracy, News Director Castor spoke to Senior Lecturer in Communication Studies at Auckland University of Technology, Gregory Treadwell.
The road congestion phenomenon known as “March Madness” which hits Auckland every year has begun, with Auckland Transport estimating travel times on Motorways will increase up to 41% this month.
The City Rail link is set to open later this year offering potential congestion relief in the future but Auckland Public Transport fares continue to increase, potentially offsetting this investment as a complete solution.
To discuss the extent of March congestion issues and how they can be solved Producer Thomas talked to Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning from the University of Auckland Dr Tim Welch.
Last week, the Education and Workforce select committee released its final report on an inquiry into social media's harm on young people. The report included 12 recommendations to the government on action to take which would protect tamariki online.
These recommendations included a social media ban for under 16s, establishing an independent national regulator for online safety and addressing legislative gaps to increase companies' liability for harm. Some MPs have disagreed with the report’s findings however, with the ACT party calling for a patient, rather than fast changing, approach to online restrictions.
To discuss the findings of the report and how the government should address online protection Producer Thomas spoke to Tāhono Trust member Anjum Rahmen.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about New Zealand’s response to the US/Israel/Iran conflict and about changes to how ACC payments interact with payments from the Ministry of Social Development.
They also spoke to Senior Lecturer in Communication Studies, Gregory Treadwell, about a recent incident where Media and Communications minister Paul Goldsmith contacted a TVNZ board member about 1News coverage.
And Producer Thomas spoke to Tāhono Trust member Anjum Rahmen about the recently released Select Committee report on online harm to children and its recommended solutions.
He also talked to Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning Dr Tim Welch about Auckland’s March traffic madness and how public transport might be the answer.
The New Zealand Government is currently in talks with officials from the United States (US) about a new border security agreement that would allow New Zealanders' biometric information to be handed over to the US government.
The new agreement could give the United States full automated access to New Zealand's national databases.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to the chair of the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties, Thomas Beagle, about this issue.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has stated that the United States and Israel breached international law with their bombing of Iran, especially with the strike that killed 150 people at a primary girls’ school.
While former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark says New Zealand should not provide military support for “an illegal invasion” of Iran.
And the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey has published its latest results for the year leading up to October 2025.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about both of these topics.
This weekend will see the West Papua Solidarity Forum hosted at the University of Auckland’s Old Choral Hall. The forum looks into the struggles faced by the people of West Papua against ongoing colonialism and repression by the Indonesian government.
As part of the forum, Academy Cinema will be hosting a West Papuan film night this Saturday, highlighting the struggles faced by locals.
To discuss the context behind the struggles in West Papua and the event this weekend, News Director Castor spoke to activist and former Green MP Catherine Delahunty.
You can find more information about the event here. You can find more information about the screening of West Papuan films at Academy Cinema here.
Late last year, the High Court ruled against the Ministry of Social Development on one of their practices in recovering welfare payments. MSD had, for the last twenty years, required that successful ACC claimants pay back any supplementary assistance they had received while waiting for their claim to be resolved, such as through the accommodation supplement.
This approach would often mean claimants would be left with a significantly reduced payout, and even debt.
Last month, the government began passing legislation that would retroactively make these practices legal, slashing any hopes of forgiving the outstanding debts that were - until recently - unlawful.
The Social Security (Accident Compensation and Calculation of Weekly Income) Amendment Bill has been pushed through parliament in urgency, limiting scrutiny. However, despite a narrow timeframe to submit on the select committee, over eight hundred responses were received.
Producer Theo spoke to Dr Susan St John, Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Auckland - and one of the submitters to the bill’s select committee - about the consequences this legislation will have.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the war in Iran and Pay equity.
We then spoke to Professor Felicity Goodyear-Smith from the Department of General Practice and Primary Healthcare, about the crisis in primary care and what can be done to support GP’s.
And after that, we’ll share with you part of a series of interviews we did with festival organisers looking to understand why so many were struggling at this current time and how the government overlooked these grassroots local event organisers.
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.
Last week, the Prime Minister revealed his cabinet reshuffle, which saw major changes to the roles of two prominent MPs and Ministers, Chris Bishop and Simeon Brown.
Last week also saw the passing of the Resource Management (Auckland Housing) Amendment Bill, after years of discussion, paving the way for a new approach to housing density and intensification in the future.
Of course, the fuel crisis is still hitting New Zealand, and discussions remain around the role public transport should play, and how the government should support public transit.
This week, Wire Host Alex spoke with National Party MP Ryan Hamilton about each of these topics, beginning with the cabinet reshuffle.
This week, the government announced another change to Plan Change 120, Auckland’s plan for future housing developments across the city. Originally, the plan proposed a minimum housing capacity of 2 million homes, but many in central suburbs raised concerns that intensification could harm the character of their neighbourhoods. In February, the government lowered the minimum capacity to 1.6 million, which Auckland’s council and mayor spoke out against.
Despite the disagreement, council developed new plans for the 1.6 million capacity. This week, however, the government announced plans to lower the minimum capacity further to 1.4 million, forcing council to make further changes to the plans.
Also these past few weeks we’ve seen disagreements between the government and council over how best to manage the fuel crisis. The government has focused on payouts to middle and lower class families with children, but Mayor Wayne Brown says a better solution could involve subsidising public transport.
To discuss each of these issues, News Director Castor spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey.
About a month ago, Wednesday Wire host Manny spoke to a researcher sounding the alarm over the state of our primary healthcare, here and globally.
Across the globe, services meant to be the first port of call for health issues such as dental, GPs and pharmacists, were found to be increasingly under stress as costs grow and the workforce fails to keep pace with demand.
Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Workforce Survey in 2022 raised concerns: Over half of GPs were planning to retire within the next decade, a declining number of GPs work in GP run practices and filling that gap is an increasing number of corporate healthcare providers.
As the holder of the Green parties Primary Healthcare Portfolio, our Green Party interviewee is the perfect subject to discuss his parties platform on the subject.
So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, we talk primary healthcare, it’s current state in Aotearoa, the issues it faces and where the Green Party would like to take it.
Last week, Minister for Conservation Tama Potaka announced an update on the Predator Free 2050 strategy, which aims to rid New Zealand of rats, possums and stoats. Five and a half million dollars of funding was set aside by the government with the aim of making Wellington the first predator free city in the world within the next ten years.
This week on Green World, Wire producer Liam spoke to James Russell, professor of conservation biology at the University of Auckland, about the progress and impact of Predator Free projects in Wellington and nationwide.
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