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.
Just Yesterday, the Ministry for the Environment released their Our environment 2025 report, highlighting the impacts of land use on the ecosystem of Aotearoa.
The report revealed that between 75-95% of Taonga birds, reptiles, frogs and freshwater fish species were at risk of extinction or being threatened and that a significant proportion of groundwater had accumulated excess nitrate due to activities such as intensive farming, logging and urbanisation.
These findings also paint a grave picture for te iwi Māori and tangata whenua, whose livelihoods and mana whenua are also threatened by the extinction of native species and degradation of land.
Oto spoke to Shaun Awatere, a Kaihautū Māori Research Impact Leader and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, about the findings from the Ministry for the Environment’s recent report and the initiatives led by Iwi and Hapu to address it.
For their weekly catchup w/ the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about the Justice Committees recommendations for the treaty principles bill, the $12 billion boost to the New Zealand Defence Force and Donald Trump’s Tariffs on New Zealand
He spoke to Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington for a follow up conversation on the government’s boost to the defence budget.
And he spoke to Shaun Awatere, Kaihautū Māori Research Impact Leader at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, about the state of the environment report released by the Ministry for the environment.
Max spoke to the Director of the Otago Paleo Genetics Lab at the University of Otago, Nic Rawlence, about the supposed “de-extinction” of the Dire Wolf, and the ethics of bringing back extinct species.
For this week’s Green Desk, Producer Sara spoke to Rongoā Māori expert kuia Donna Kerridge, on her upcoming EcoFest 2025 event into understanding Māori medicine.
American company 'Colossal Biosciences' claim to have brought back the Dire Wolf using genetic engineering and preserved DBA, despite the species having been extinct for over 10,000 years.
Producer Max spoke with the Director of the Otago Paleo Genetics Lab at the University of Otago, Nic Rawlence, about the supposed "de-extinction" of the Dire Wolf, as well as the ethics of bringing back extinct species.
The government has announced plans to revisit proposed Trans-Tasman rules on baby formula regulation. The plans were initially rejected following lobbying from formula companies including Danone and The a2 Milk Company, who have also shifted their stance on the standards.
To discuss the changes and what they represent for consumer confidence, Wire host Castor spoke to the University of Auckland’s Dr. Gergely Toldi.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chats with us about research into multiple sclerosis, links between marriage and dementia, and a new massive particle collider.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the government introducing a competitor to the supermarket duopoly and how New Zealand’s economy will manage in the wake of US tariffs.
They also spoke to Dr. Gergely Toldi about the government’s baby formula changes and what brought them about.
Producer Amani spoke to Retail NZ’s Chief Executive Carolyn Young on how businesses are struggling with the impacts of infrastructure construction around the country.
And she spoke to University of Otago’s Dr Kimberley O’Sullivan on the recent increase to power prices.
From April 1st, Aotearoa households can expect an average increase of around $10 per month in their electricity bills, as lines and transmission charges rise to cover increased costs and investment in the electricity network.
Changes to the consumer care obligations have also come into place, giving households more of a say if their power were to be cut off.
Producer Amani spoke with University of Otago’s Dr Kimberley O’Sullivan to find out more on this and which advice she has for households which experience the repercussions of the increases.
A new report has highlighted the pressure major infrastructure projects are putting on local businesses and communities.
The research from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research shows short-term disruptions are being felt across the country: from Auckland’s City Rail Link to Wellington’s ‘Let’s Get Wellington Moving’ and CBD upgrades in Tauranga and Dunedin.
While it’s widely accepted that Aotearoa needs to invest in infrastructure to futureproof the economy, Retail NZ says more support is needed to help businesses get through the long and often disruptive construction periods.
Producer Amani spoke to Retail NZ’s Chief Executive Carolyn Young to find out more on this.
This description has been edited to add clarification that the work in the report was undertaken as a part of the New Zealand Institute of Economics's (NZIER) Public Good Programme, and has not been funded by Retail NZ.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about Te Pāti Māori MPs not attending the Select Committee over their contempt of the House due to their haka in Parliament over the Treaty Principles Bill and their plans to hold their own hearing, and the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act passing its final reading.
For our weekly catch up Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about the justice select committee releasing its report recommending the bill be scrapped, the tariffs imposed on New Zealand trade by the US last week, as well as ACT MP Andrew Hoggard facing criticism over potential conflicts of interest.
Evie spoke to Senior Economics Lecturer at the University of Otago, Murat Ungor about the impact of Donald Trump’s trade tariffs on Aotearoa and its economy.
Joel spoke to the spokesperson for Toitū te Tiriti and Professional Teaching Fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, Eru Kapa-Kingi, and Māori Studies Professor at the University of Auckland and Chair of Te Rūnanga-ā-Iwi o Ngāti Kahu, Margaret Mutu, about the Justice Select Committee calling for the Treaty Principles Bill to be thrown away, with an analysis by Newsroom showing 90% of submissions were against the bill.
And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio to discuss non-linear careers.
Donald Trump has plunged markets and economies into turmoil after announcing sweeping trade tariffs across all of the USA’s global trade partners.
The tariffs start at a minimum of 10%, and for some countries reach over 40%. Nations like China have already begun to retaliate, imposing reciprocal tariffs on the US. Aotearoa, which had the baseline 10% tariff put on its trade with the US, has chosen not to fight back - instead joining a number of neutral countries with no response.
Since the tariffs were imposed this weekend, share markets have dropped to levels not seen since covid lockdowns.
Producer Evie spoke to Senior Economics Lecturer at the University of Otago, Murat Ungor about what the potential impact of these tariffs could be on Aotearoa and its economy.
Recently, the Justice Select Committee has called for the Treaty Principles Bill to be thrown away.
This comes as an analysis by Newsroom shows that 90% of public submissions were against the bill.
The committee accepted close to 300,000 public submissions, with 90% opposing the bill, roughly 270,000, 8% in support, and 2% indifferent.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the spokesperson for Toitu te Tiriti and Professional Teaching Fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, Eru Kapa-Kingi, about these recent developments and how he believes the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti has come into play regarding the public submission protest.
They also spoke to Māori Studies Professor at the University of Auckland and Chair of Te Rūnanga-ā-Iwi o Ngāti Kahu, Margaret Mutu, also about these recent developments, and how Te Tiriti o Waitangi is viewed in the country overall.
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.
95bFM 
