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.
UNICEF Aotearoa recently put out a response to the child poverty statistics in the government’s Child and Youth Strategy report.
UNICEF have said that the coalition government lacked policies to make meaningful change to address the number of Tamariki living in material hardship and called for specific investment into programmes that would materially improve children’s lives.
I spoke to UNICEF Aotearoa’s Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor, Clare McLennan-Kissel, about the report and their calls to the government to address the number of Tamariki living in material hardship.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about using physics to make a better cup of joe, inuit words for snow, and Leonardo Da Vinci’s birthday.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Nancy Lu, Wire host Castor asked about the Treaty Principles Bill after it was voted down and about a recent study into harassment of female MPs.
They spoke to head of journalism at AUT, Greg Treadwell about the recent Trust in News in Aotearoa New Zealand report and how to improve relations between the public and news media.
And they spoke to Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Education at the University of Auckland, Camilla Highfield, about Kāhui Ako, an education programme which appears to be on the chopping block.
Producer Amani spoke to Associate Property Professor at the University of Auckland, Edward Yiu, about a recent study which has found Aotearoa’s accommodation supplement to be failing to ease housing stress.
A report was released this week titled ‘Trust in News in Aotearoa New Zealand’, containing data on how much the New Zealand public trusts news organisations. While trust has been declining over the past five years, this year has seen some stabilisation and some optimistic statistics for the future.
To discuss the report and what it means for the relationship between the public and media in Aotearoa, Wire host Castor spoke to one of the study’s authors and head of journalism at AUT, Greg Treadwell.
The Accommodation Supplement is one of Aotearoa’s primary social housing support programmes.
It provides weekly financial assistance to lower-income households struggling with housing costs.
A recent study by University of Auckland has revealed that the supplement is failing to ease housing stress, with renters receiving the subsidy spending more of their income on rent than those who don’t, across all income brackets.
Producer Amani spoke to University of Auckland Associate Property Professor Edward Yiu to find out more about this research and to see what advice he has for student renters.
Calls have been made for New Zealand’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Dr Stephen Rainbow, to either step down from his role, or be fired from his position, over accusations of Islamophobia.
These calls have been made by multiple organisations, including Justice for Palestine.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Co-convenor for Justice for Palestine, Samira Zaiton, about the controversy surrounding the Chief Human Rights Commissioner, and the organisation's calls for him to leave his position.
Yesterday the government announced a proposal to change the requirements when it comes to drivers licence testing.
The announcement by Transport Minister Chris Bishop revealed the axing of the full license test, meaning drivers on their restricted licence would automatically gain their full license after 18 months. Bishop says these changes would make it ‘more efficient, accessible and affordable’ for drivers to get their licence.
The changes come with new safety measures such as drivers needing a completely clear record for 18 months before gaining their full licence, lowering the number of available demerit points for restricted drivers from 100 to 50, as well as introducing a zero alcohol limit for all drivers on their learners and restricted, not just those under 20.
The AA is welcoming some of these changes, but says more safety measures could be taken with New Zealand already having one of the worst rates of fatal crashes in the OECD.
Producer Evie spoke to General Manager for Students Against Dangerous Driving, Donna Govorko about the proposal, and how the group feels about the potential changes.
For our weekly catchup with Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about the Treaty Principles Bill being voted down on it’s second reading and the party announcing they will be running candidates in general seats in the next election.
For our weekly catch up Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about the Treaty Principles Bill being voted down at second reading, an ACT Party Members Bill proposing the removal of university services based on race, and research finding female MPs are increasingly receiving abuse online.
Evie also spoke to Students Against Dangerous Driving’s (SADD) Donna Govorko about the government proposal to change the drivers license testing from two practical tests, to one - removing the full license test.
And Joel spoke to the Co-convenor for Justice for Palestine, Samira Zaiton, about recent controversial comments made by Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Dr Stephen Rainbow, and the organisation's calls for Rainbow to leave his position.
A new report led by the University of Otago Wellington has found high rates of abuse and harassment against female members of parliament in Aotearoa.
Eleven MPs from across the political spectrum participated in the study which found they were regularly harassed, threatened with rape and even death threats.
The study is led by Dr Rhiannon Watson and Dr Lucy Hammans and builds on previous research into harassment of MPs.
Thursday Wire Host Caeden spoke to Dr Lara Greaves (Ngāpuhi, Pākehā, Tararā), associate professor in politics at Victoria University, about the study and its broader context in Aotearoa and global politics.
Caeden started by asking if she could explain the key findings of the study.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, absent Thursday Wire Host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about changing free speech rules for universities, the government’s increase in defence spending, and the impact of Trump’s tariffs.
For City Counselling this week, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about the the Western Springs Speedway Association launching a court battle against the council and councillors deciding what to do with vacant land from storm-affected housing.
For International Desk, Caeden spoke to Charles Hunt from Boise State University about United States Senator Cory Booker’s record-breaking 25-hour filibuster.
And Caeden spoke to Lara Greaves (Ngāpuhi, Pākehā, Tararā) from the Victoria University of Wellington about research into the high levels of harassment and abuse that female MPs face.
Wednesday Wire Host Oto spoke to Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington for their take on the government’s $12 Billion dollar boost to defence spending.
Peace Action have referred to the defence boost as a “shocking waste” that would have been better spent on our infrastructure and medical system and that The Defence Capability Plan ties NZ to America’s territorial ambitions against China.
Last week, fuel stocks in the country went down by three or four days across each fuel type. The government recognised this as not enough to change to phase two in the national fuel plan, drawing some concerned comments from the political opposition around the state of our stocks, and when the government plans to actually move up phases.
Following a week that saw both Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon comment on the state of the Strait of Hormuz, and the way the United States has handled the ongoing conflict, Willis also travelled to the US to meet with White House advisors.
This week, Host Alex spoke with National MP Ryan Hamilton about these fuel crisis developments, and what the government’s approach going forward may look like.
To start our discussion, however, we spoke briefly about the confidence in Christopher Luxon’s Leadership.
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 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.
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