Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Castor Chacko, Oto Sequeira, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
The Cook Islands and China have released the details of their recent partnership agreement.
The agreement has raised concern amongst the New Zealand government, who have close constitutional ties with the Cook Islands, as they felt they were not adequately consulted before the agreement was signed.
The controversial agreement, and New Zealand’s opposition to not being adequately consulted, have gained international attention.
For International Desk this week, Wire host Caeden spoke to AUT Law Senior Lecturer Sione Tekiteki about the agreement and the controversy surrounding it.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire host Caeden spoke to Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni about Destiny Church’s Pride Protests and the new tourism ad campaign.
For International Desk, they spoke to AUT Senior Law Lecturer Sione Tekiteki about the controversial Cook Islands/China agreement.
And they spoke to University of Auckland Commercial Law Professor Alex Sims about the Right of Repair Bill that passed its first reading in Parliament yesterday.
For City Counselling this week, producer Sofia caught up with Councillor Shane Henderson about Auckland Council’s submission on the Treaty Principles Bill and the Destiny Church protests at pride events over the weekend.
Last week a major study was published by Nature Communications which discovered that pesticides are causing significant harm to numerous species which they are not intended to harm.
The review examined over 1700 experimental studies, including a handful from Aotearoa. It found pesticides can reduce plant and animal growth, and affect animals' ability to find a mate or catch prey. However, the researchers note that cutting pesticide use could affect global food supply.
Producer Amani spoke with Professor at Lincoln University’s Department of Soil and Physical Sciences and Co-Director of Bioprotection Aotearoa, Amanda Black, on how this could have an impact on Aotearoa’s produce and economy, and what we can do to avoid harming non-target organisms whilst using pesticides.
For their weekly catch up with the Green Party, Oto spoke to Ricardo Menendez March about the government’s recent tourism and biodiversity fund, as well as Destiny Church’s protests at recent pride events and the deportation notice given to 18-year-old Daman Kumar.
For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Vanessa Cole from public housing futures to discuss a campaign of hers calling for the government to construct more public housing for people on the “true waitlist”.
And he spoke to Carrie Leonetti - an associate professor in Law at the University of Auckland at the University of Auckland, to discuss the government’s new anti-stalking legislation, and why it falls short of protecting stalking victims.
Sasha spoke to Dr Chanelle Duley, a lecturer in Business at the University of Auckland, about the introduction of a new bill that will aim at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses.
Amani spoke to University of Auckland’s School of Population Health and spokesperson for Health Coalition Aotearoa, Dr. Kelly Garton, on why we should give kids a break from junk food ads.
She also spoke to Professor at Lincoln University’s Department of Soil & Physical Sciences and Co-Director of Bioprotection Aotearoa, Amanda Black, on how the use of pesticides is worsening the “biodiversity crisis.”
Kids have recently gone back to school, which means they will be “bombarded” with ads for junk food whilst commuting, according to researchers.
Senior research fellow at the University of Auckland’s School of Population Health and spokesperson for Health Coalition Aotearoa, Dr Kelly Garton, has published a comment on this in a recent Newsroom article and is advocating for Aotearoa’s local councils to eliminate junk food advertising from public transport spaces due to the impact they are having on young people.
Producer Amani spoke with Garton about what other major cities around the globe have done to tackle this issue and the further repercussions these ads could have on Aotearoa and its health system.
In December last year, the government introduced the stalking and harassment amendment bill, the first official legislation in Aotearoa to criminalise stalking.
Calls for an official stalking bill became widespread in Aotearoa, following the murder of 21-year old Farzana Yaqubi, who’s calls to the police leading up to her murder were effectively ignored as stalking was not yet a crime at the time.
However, Carrie Leonetti - an associate professor in Law at the University of Auckland who helped create the original draft legislation, said that the new stalking and harassment bill was too weak to actually protect victims of stalking and that the number of acts that constitute as stalking in the bill didn’t cover the full range of potential offenses.
Oto spoke to Carrie about why the new Stalking bill was ineffective and what was needed to improve it.
In recent weeks, primary to secondary school students have been returning to class for the year, with some students entering newly established charter schools. This comes after Associate Education Minister, David Seymour, announced in May 2024 that charter schools would be returning this year, with the government allocating a budget of $153 million to fund the privately owned schools.
According to Minister Seymour, charter schools will offer “new and innovative ways to help students struggling to succeed in school”. However, the 2024 announcement has raised concern amongst educators and researchers in the state system, who have been asking for better resources and funding for several years now.
Producer Athena spoke to Senior Lecturer in Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland, Dr Jude MacArthur, about the differences between charter schools and state schools, and how students will be affected.
For Dear Science this week, our expert Dr Cushla McGoverin, joins us in studio to discuss ancient Egyptian mummies smelling good, antidepressants potentially being able to protect against infections and sepsis, and using quantum inspiration to develop methods for classical computing memory, thanks to MOTAT!
For our weekly catchup with the National Party's Tom Rutherford, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to him about the storming of a library in Te Atatū by groups linked to Destiny Church over a lesson into the science of rainbows taught by a drag king to children, the resignation of Director-General of Health, Dr Diana Sarfati, and Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, and Tourism Minister, Louise Upston, announcing a $500,000 tourism campaign to incentivise Australian tourism in Aotearoa.
They also speak to the Chief Executive of OutLine Aotearoa; a rainbow support service, Emmaline Pickering-Martin, about the protests at the Te Atatū Library, and the organisation's thoughts regarding this.
Finally, they talk to rangatahi development advocate, Aaron Hendry, about these protests as well, specifically discussing the ‘ManUp’ group, who were involved during the rally.
And Producer Athena speaks to Senior lecturer in Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland, Dr Jude MacArthur, about the coalition government's move to bring back charter schools.
Over the weekend, an estimated 50 protesters, a part of Destiny Church-linked groups, stormed the Te Atatū Community Centre and library, where a show discussing the science of rainbows was being performed to children by a drag king as a part of Auckland Pride festivities.
Protestors attempted to storm the library, trying to push through volunteers and librarians, which resulted in 30 children and adults being forced to lock themselves in a room for protection.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Chief Executive of OutLine Aotearoa; a rainbow support service, Emmaline Pickering-Martin, about these protests, and what the organisation hopes will come next to support the LGBTQIA+ community as we start to wrap up Auckland Pride festivities.
As well as this, a noticeable group at the protest was that of the men’s support group, ‘ManUp’ which has links to Destiny Church.
The group were seen displacing merchandise of their group in videos that were streamed online.
However, concerns have been raised about the group, due to their non-peaceful protest actions at the library.
Joel also spoke to rangatahi development advocate, Aaron Hendry, about the protests and the ‘ManUp’ organisation, and his concerns with this group in light of their actions protesting the pride event.
The report ‘Reuniting Families, a path forward for Aotearoa New Zealand’; a collaboration between the University of Auckland and the New Zealand Red Cross, was recently released, with the report highlighting the concerns with Aotearoa’s family sponsorship system regarding the intake of those forcibly displaced from their home countries, and the 7-year backlog of those a part of the system.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Co-Director at the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work, Professor Jay Marlowe, about the report, and what the report details to better correct the system.
Firstly, they started by asking how the family sponsorship system works.
Just two days ago, the government announced a complete overhaul of the Resource Management Act.
The RMA as it is would be dismantled and then split into two acts; a planning act regulating the use and development of land, and a Natural Environment Act focusing on the use and protection of land, air, water and other natural resources.
Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court said that the reforms were intended to streamline development more efficiently while also protecting the environment.
The week before, the Greens issued a call for the compassionate release of 77-year old inmate Dean Wickliffe, who is currently on a hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility after being arrested for being made houseless in violation of his probation conditions.
And Green Party Co-Leader Chloe Swarbrick made a renewed call to the government calling on them to support a members bill of hers that would sanction Israel for their occupation of the Palestinian territories.
For their weekly catchup, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March for the party’s take on all of these issues.
Ever wondered what it would be like to bike in an Art Gallery? Well now you can, for the city is your gallery. In collaboration with EcoFest 2025 and various New Zealand artists, Bike Hubs have set up a Street Art Bike Challenge. Now, anyone can ride around the city, discover amazing works of art and win great prizes.
This week, Green Desk Producer Liam speaks to Brent Bielby, manager of EcoMatters’ Bike Hubs, a community project aimed at encouraging more people to take up cycling. He explains the goal behind the challenge, as well as how cycling can contribute to a healthy lifestyle and provide a source of freedom and fun.
You can take part in this challenge yourself. All you need to do is take out your bike, pedal over to the artworks, and upload a photo of you and your bike. The challenge will run until the 22nd of April, and you can find a map of all the locations and trails on the EcoMatters website.
A petition was launched by Te Taiao o Kawhia Moana, a group dedicated to the protection and conservation of the Kāwhia harbour, calling on the Ōtorohanga District Council to remove vehicle access from vulnerable areas of the inner harbour and to Support the development of new alternative access infrastructure.
The group says that local taonga species and ecosystems are being put at risk by current vehicle access and that The proposed Ocean Beach access way would provide a sustainable alternative that balances community access needs with environmental protection.
For this week’s Gert Action! Oto spoke to John Forbes, founding Chair of Te Taiao o Kāwhia Moana, to discuss the petition and the importance of protecting the harbour.
If you're interested in signing this petition, you can find it here:
National MP Sam Uffindell lodged his private members bill last week, which the party claims is aimed at ensuring equal voting rights in local government. However, multiple Māori leaders say the bill ignores representation issues and the purpose of Māori wards.
Māori representation positions on councils and committees aim to ensure and protect representation for Māori, rather than provide a specific privilege.
Also in politics this past week, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters delivered his State of the Nation speech where he spoke about New Zealand First’s direction moving forward. Among his main new talking points were the party’s ‘War on Woke’ and his plans to ‘Make New Zealand First Again’.
In our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about Sam Uffindell’s new bill and how the national party would respond to Peters’ new policies, starting with the private members bill.
Recently, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Winston Peters, met with his US counterpart; the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
Despite this meeting, not much is known about the details of what was discussed, however, the two did discuss tariffs, which Aotearoa may be affected by unless the country is exempt from the current upcoming agricultural tariffs.
For our weekly catchup with Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about Peters and Rubio’s meeting, and what the party thinks of this meeting between the two politicians.
They also spoke about the most recent Ipsos Issues Monitor Survey and Israel’s recent aggression against Gaza.
Last week the ACT Party announced that they were going to stand candidates in the local elections for the first time.
The party is calling for a ‘clean out’ of councils, slating them for failing to make change. The claims have been met with backlash from councillors who say David Seymour and the party don’t understand the work that goes into local government.
For our weekly catch up Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about what decisions lead to the move, and what the party hopes to achieve in local government.
They also discussed ACT MP Mark Cameron who made headlines last week for saying National was leaving farmers and rural communities worse off than James Shaw did due to their higher emission reduction promises.
And finally we also discussed David Seymour failing to inform Education Minister Erica Stanford that a key school lunch provider was going into liquidation.
Auckland’s 21 local boards united in a letter to Mayor Wayne Brown last week, rejecting that they must absorb a $17.6 million budget shortfall tied to the Fairer Funding Initiative.
The letter, dated March 10, highlights the significant pressures imposed on local board activities due to the cost-cutting measures, asserting that local boards had “no control over the budget” and "all decisions were made without any reference to any Local Board”.
While Wayne Brown responded earlier this week, ensuring that local boards would not need to seek extra funding to cover the budget shortfall this year, these discussions will become relevant again for next year’s budget.
Group chief financial officer for Auckland Council, Ross Tucker, says the council "is embarking on a challenging transition to an equity-based funding model that will see local boards being empowered with more budget autonomy as well as greater budget responsibility".
Also, as the need increases to address the number of roaming dogs on the street, as well as the number of dog attacks, Auckland Council has opened a council-operated dog adoption centre.
Last year, less than half of roaming dogs were claimed by their owners, the lowest amount in a decade. The adoption centre which opened on the weekend will house over forty dogs in an effort to relieve the strain on animal shelters around Auckland.
Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these issues this morning. To start off, she asked him to explain the purpose of Auckland Council’s Fairer Funding Initiative.
As of yesterday, New Zealand Immigration have implemented stricter health screening requirements for the dependent children of temporary visa holders.
Under the new regulations, migrant children with significant cognitive or developmental disabilities requiring substantial support will no longer be eligible for student or visitor visas.
In that same week, Volunteer firefighters across the motu launched a petition calling for legislation change that would give volunteer firefighters the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts.
And, ACT party leader David Seymour announced that he wants local councillor candidates to be able to run under the party’s banner in the upcoming October elections.
For their weekly catch up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March for the green party’s take on all of these issues.
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