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.
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, Green Party MP Tamatha Paul made comments about the police and the expansion of beat patrols in Wellington, saying they make a lot of people feel “less safe.”
The comments have been criticised by MPs across National, Act, New Zealand First, as well as Labour.
And Finance Minister Nicola Willis is seeking specialist external advice on what ways the supermarket duopoly could be restructured.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about these issues.
The adult minimum-wage rate has been set to increase by just 35 cents from the 1st April, the lowest increase since 2013.
Announcing the move on Tuesday, Minister for Workplace Relations Brooke Van Velden says it reflects the New Zealand economy’s recovery from a “sustained period of high interest rates and recessionary conditions” and ensures that “employers and businesses can continue to grow and provide employment opportunities – which could be put at risk with a disproportionate increase in the minimum wage.”
Unite Union, who represent hospitality and other minimum-wage workers, disagree.
On Tuesday, Unite Union organised five rallies across Aotearoa demanding the government to provide real pathways to a living wage.
They highlight that the minimum wage increase is essentially a pay cut for thousands of workers as it falls below the inflation adjustment.
To discuss more about the what many believe is this less-than-sufficient wage increase and Unite Union’s call to action, Producer Sara spoke with Unite Union’s co-president Xavier Walsh this morning. Here is that interview
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about Green MP Tamatha Paul’s comments about the police and Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ recent announcement on the supermarket duopoly.
For International Desk, they spoke to Dr Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria from Curtin University in Perth about the arrest of former Philippines President, Rodrigo Duterte, by the International Criminal Court.
For City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke to Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson about Auckland Transport’s decision to increase parking rates by 50 cents per hour in lots across Auckland, as well as the latest development in Auckland’s ‘stadium saga’, in which councillors have voted to support the Eden Park 2.1 project.
She also spoke with Unite Union’s Co-President Xavier Walsh about their call to action for the government, after the minimum wage was only increased by 35 cents this week, the lowest increase in more than a decade.
Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has been arrested by the International Criminal Court and will be tried in the Hague for crimes against humanity.
This comes as the ICC faces criticism for other, more controversial current arrest warrants, including those against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Dr Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria from Curtin University in Perth about Duterte’s arrest and broader issues facing the ICC.
New research, which has been commissioned by the Helen Clark Foundation shows that many are expressing concern for social cohesion in the country.
Tuesday Wire Host, Castor, spoke to the Movement Building and Advocacy Director for Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, Lisa Woods, about this research, and why people may be concerned for social cohesion in New Zealand.
For their weekly catchup w/ the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about Brooke van Velden's changes to the health and safety at work act, The recent controversies over comments made by Greens MPs Tamatha Paul and Benjamin Doyle and The Greens’ call to scrap government changes to early childhood care.
For this week’s Green Desk, Producer Leilani speaks to the Hospital Manager at BirdCare Aotearoa; a rehabilitation hospital for native birds, Pooja Dorle, about how to care for a sick or injured bird. Producer Liam, and News and Editorial Director, Joel, also attended their EcoFest workshop to check out the hospital, prior to their next event on the 6th of April. Thanks to Ecofest 2025!
Tuesday Wire Host, Castor, speaks to the Movement Building and Advocacy Director for Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, Lisa Woods, about new research showing many are concerned for social cohesion in the country.
For this week’s Get Action! Oto spoke to Clinical Psychologist Dr Kumari Valentine about a petition to the government to roll back plans to introduce a new associate Psychology role.
And he spoke to Rachel Mackintosh, Assistant National Secretary at E Tū, about a poll they conducted showing opposition to the government’s plan to cut living wage requirements for a number of professions.
Despite a tenuous ceasefire, the fuel crisis - resulting from the US and Israel bombing of Iran, and subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz - drags on. Prices have remained high, hitting low-income households hard, and while fuel stocks in or on-the-way to the country sit comfortably above a month’s cover, approaches to conserving fuel remain front-of-mind for many.
One strategy that New Zealanders have been urged to adopt is switching to public transport, which would put fewer cars on the road. However, access is often dependent on location and affordability.
Over the past few years, the Ministry of Education has reviewed numerous rural school bus routes, cancelling some, cutting off students from ready access to their education.
For this week’s Get Action, producer Theo spoke to Alicia Hall from Parents for Climate Aotearoa, on their petition to restore rural school bus routes and make public transport free for children, and students under 25.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here.
Last week, the Green Party leaders, Marama Davidson and Chloe Swarbrick, hosted their state of the planet address, where they launched their call to electrify the nation.
On top of that, events this week have led the party to criticise the government. The first critique, instigated by the floods that swept the nation, hitting the Coromandel and causing a state of emergency in the Wellington Region, led the Greens to question the government's decreased funding of flood responses as harsh weather increases.
The second critique came with a cabinet paper this week that shows the government is planning on moving ahead with reforms to legislation that will see references to the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi redefined, in what the government sez is about ‘standardisation’ but what the Green Party sees as dishonouring Te Tiriti.
So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, we discuss their criticisms of the government but start with a discussion of their electrification policy.
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.
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