Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Sara Mckoy, Max Micheel, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
Over the past few months, unions have been sounding the alarm about the state of our healthcare system as the government cuts funding and guts staff numbers. Now, a new threat has emerged that risks stretching our resources even thinner.
A measles outbreak has reared into the community with cases climbing to 17 in just a week, with potentially thousands exposed.
To understand how much of risk the outbreak is likely to pose to the country Wednesday Wire Producer Manny spoke to Chris Puliuvea, Senior Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology.
Last week, Education Minister Erica Stanford confirmed the latest additions to draft curriculum changes for English and Maths, with the hope for implementation in 2026.
While she says the changes are not significant to the existing system, teachers have said the draft proposes an entire overhaul and greatly increases workload expectations.
Also, ACT MP Laura McClure has put forward the Deepfake Harm & Exploitation Bill to update legislation around exploitation committed on digital platforms especially with AI.
Finally, after 30 years of MMP, the New Zealand Initiative, a kiwi policy thinktank, has proposed a four year parliamentary term and more MPs for Parliament, among numerous electoral reforms that they think can make New Zealand more effective for representing the population.
Wire Host Sara spoke with MP Carl Bates about all of these topics, starting with the curriculum changes.
The 30th UN climate conference will run from next week, the 10th to 21st of November in Belém, Brazil, taking on key issues around the mitigation of climate change, like the limiting of global temperature rise, increase in climate spending commitments, and the impacts for vulnerable populations.
For Green World this week, Wire Host Sara spoke with Senior Lecturer at AUT’s School of Future Environments, Dr Priscila Besen, about the importance of this year’s conference for climate action.
Besen will be in attendance at COP30, and will share content at the event here.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman chats with us about ice variations, the international space station, and a problem in the atmosphere..
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the new draft curriculum, the Deepfake Harm & Exploitation Bill, and the New Zealand Initiative call for electoral reforms
For Green World, Sara spoke to AUT School of Future Environment senior lecturer Dr Priscila Besen, about the upcoming COP30 in Brasil
And finally, Sara spoke to University of Auckland associate professor Dr David Moreau about his latest research on the effects of fasting on the brain
Early this morning, University of Auckland associate professor in psychology Dr David Moreau, published findings in the Psychological Bulletin around the effects of fasting on mental cognition.
The paper has found that while the effects vary across age and genetic composition, there is no indication of decline in mental performance whether or not one is fasting.
Wire Host Sara spoke with Moreau this morning about his research, firstly by asking about his interest in the effects of fasting on the brain.
The government has recently announced a new draft curriculum for years 0-10 that has seen changes to various subjects, including history, as per National/ACT coalition agreements.
ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, says the changes to the Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories curriculum removes “dismal, divisive and overly political ‘big ideas’”.
However, these changes have received criticisms from the NZ History Teachers Association over a multitude of concerns.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about these changes.
They also discussed Labour’s Capital Gains Tax policy, and the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
But first, they talked about the government’s proposed history curriculum.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s new draft curriculum, specifically focusing on the changes to history, Labour’s capital gains tax policy, and the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Producer Alex spoke to Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Dr Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, about concerns that the council and auckland transport are ‘commodifying non-compliance’ with parking tickets; that is, seeing parking ticket enforcement as a source of revenue.
And Joel spoke to Missy Morton, a Professor in Disability Studies & Inclusive Education at the University of Auckland, about the government’s announcement of a charter school for autistic students and her concerns with the move.
Last year. Half a million parking tickets were given out in Auckland by the city's growing fleet of Automatic plate-recognition vehicles. The city now has 25 of these vehicles. With non-compliance tickets having doubled since 2024, concerns have been raised over how these systems generate revenue for Auckland Transport and the council.
While Auckland Transport has defended revenue as an unavoidable consequence of non-compliance systems, and insisted that they must stay consistent in their policing and management, some have labelled this as a ‘commodification of non-compliance’
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Mohsen Mohammadzadeh about these tickets, revenue, and how this technology should, or shouldn't, be used.
Recently, the government announced that a charter school specifically catering to secondary students with autism would be started up.
The school, the Autism NZ Education Hub, would operate from Wellington and Auckland, with 96 students at first, with Associate Education Minister, David Seymour, saying the structure of the school will be personalised based on a students, needs, strengths, and interests.
However, concerns have been raised regarding whether this is the best approach to support autistic students.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to Missy Morton, a Professor in Disability Studies & Inclusive Education at the University of Auckland about this school, and her concerns regarding it.
International research to understand the relationship between degenerative brain diseases and head knocks that occur in contact sports continues to develop, with New Zealand researchers calling for a delay for children’s involvement in contact sports until they are older.
Risk factors are not exclusive to concussions, or to professional players. Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Dr. Helen Murray, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Brain Injury & Neurodegeneration Research at Waipapa Taumata Rau, about the recommendation to delay contact sports to reduce the risk of degenerative brain diseases later in life.
Tāmaki Makaurau’s council budget is among those impacted by the proposal of a rates cap, considering Tāmaki’s average 5.8% annual rates increase across the 25/26 financial year.
Youth homelessness is a growing concern as discussions continue around “move on” orders for those without housing in Auckland’s CBD.
And the Skycity Convention Centre is set to open in 2026, with high hopes for what it may bring for Tāmaki Makaurau after its prolonged development.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Counsellor Fairey about these topics.
The Trump administration has caused issues of significant food waste due to a range of its policies, including immigration raids, tariffs, cuts to food assistance programmes, and the destruction of food for programmes like USAID.
This has had huge consequences, including environmental impacts, as well as impacts on the estimated more than 47 million people in the US who don’t have enough food to eat, and those who have relied on US foreign aid that has been cut.
For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Garrett Graddy-Lovelace, Provost Associate Professor in Environment, Development & Health at American University, about these issues.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
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Recently, the government has announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs.
As well as this, Health Minister, Simeon Brown, has called for the decentralisation of Health New Zealand, with the expectation that the entity focuses on deliveries closer to the front-line, additionally expecting a plan to do so by the end of the year.
For our weekly catch up with the National Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke to MP Stuart Smith about these topics, starting with the regional council.
From today until the 4th of December, a conference will be held in Queenstown that will look into pest management and how best to protect native species.
The event not only brings experts in the sector from Aotearoa, but will also involve Australian experts as well.
Tuesday Wire Host Sara spoke to Dr Sze-Wing Yiu, a Wildlife Ecologist at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, about this week’s conference, and what to expect.
The government has recently announced some major reforms to how regional councils operate, with regional councillors proposed to be replaced by boards made up of city and regional mayors, and potentially even Crown-appointed representatives, called combined territories boards, or CTBs.
The ‘shake-up’ of regional councils has left concerns that the move would water down environmental regulations at a local level, reduce Māori and iwi voices in decision making, and would result in central government overreaching into local politics.
As well as this, Parliament’s Justice Committee has recommended passing the Electoral Amendment Bill, albeit with some amendments
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about both of these topics, starting with the changes to regional councils.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka announced the government’s release of the new social housing investment plan which aims to shift to a “needs-based, data driven approach”.
The new flexible fund includes $41 million dollars in operating funding over the next four years, and the government have stated they expect to support up to 770 social homes and affordable rentals in the initial phase.
As well, Health Minister Simeon Brown last week announced a Cabinet decision to stop new prescriptions for puberty blockers for young people identifying as trans or experiencing gender dysphoria.
The rule, in effect from 19th of December, is based on recommendations from a UK National Health Service review which determined that the evidence to the benefits or risks of the treatment was “remarkably weak”.
The government is expected to pause new prescriptions until the outcome of a clinical trial being conducted in the UK, expected to be completed in 2031.
Wire Host Sara spoke with MP Carl Bates about all of these topics, firstly by asking about the flexible fund which will replace the so-called ‘patchwork of programmes’ in place for social housing.
Christmas Lights at MOTAT - experience Auckland’s most magical Christmas lights - heritage trams, festive music, Santa visits, and thousands of sparkling lights Tickets at MOTAT.NZ.
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
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