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.
World Vision has just released their annual Price Shocks Report for 2025, examining food price inflation around the world.
They found that while New-Zealand and other wealthier countries saw an improvement in food affordability, many poorer nations reported significantly worsened price to wage ratios.
While the report highlights a clear need for adequate funding for global humanitarian aid, in 2024 only 47% of required humanitarian food assistance was funded, leaving millions without support.
As conflict, climate change and other global crises exacerbate conditions in the worst-off regions, World Vision is calling for the New Zealand government, among other wealthy nations, to contribute more to assist populations suffering from food insecurity.
Producer Sara spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong about this report and World Vision’s call to action for the government. Here is that interview.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about a potential trade deal with India spearheaded by the Prime Minister, the liquidation of school lunch provider Libelle, and the Labour-led Wage Theft Bill passing its third reading in Parliament.
For International Desk, they speak to Tania Sawicki Mead, Director of Communications at UNICEF Aotearoa, about the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire.
And they speak to Lisa Asher from the University of Sydney about the best ways to disrupt the supermarket duopoly in Aotearoa.
For City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about a letter from Aucklands local boards to Mayor Wayne Brown concerning the seventeen point six million dollar budget shortfall, as well as Auckland Council’s new dog shelter in response to an increase in roaming dogs
She also spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, about their latest annual Price Shocks Report, and what the New Zealand government should be doing to address global food insecurity.
The recent tariffs and protectionist policies brought by US President Donald Trump under his new administration have shaken up multilateral agreements and America’s relationship with their traditional allies.
Trump’s recent policy decisions are part of a growing movement of countries adopting protectionist domestic policies in opposition to international Tax agreements.
Craig Elliffe’, a professor of law at the University of Auckland, has referred to Trump’s new policies as being part of a “quiet revolution” reshaping international tax law.
Oto talked to Craig about his research paper detailing international tax laws and how Trump’s policies are shaping them
Recently, Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, met with India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in Delhi to discuss a variety of different topics. Notably, Modi alleged there has been ‘anti-India activities by some illegal elements’ in Aotearoa.
Many believe Modi’s statements refer to the Khalistan movement in Aotearoa; a movement aiming to establish an independent homeland for Sikhs in India.
More specifically, many believe Modi is referring to the Khalistan ‘referendum’ in Auckland in November last year.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to an activist with the Aotearoa Alliance of Progressive Indians, Sapna Samant, about these allegations by Modi and how she believes his criticisms are more to do with the anti-Hindutva, or anti-Hindu-nationalism, movement in Aotearoa.
They started off by asking her about the Khalistan movement in New Zealand.
Auckland Council's Community Committee has recently reported a 53% rise in rough sleeping over four months, with the data showing the number of people known to be living in cars, parks, or on the streets has risen from 426 in September 2024 to 653 in January 2025.
Kickback, a youth development and social justice community responding to youth homelessness, is calling for an urgent review of The Ministry of Social Development's approach to homelessness.
Producer Amani spoke with General Manager Aaron Hendry about why it is calling for a review and which suggestions it has for the public service department.
A breakthrough in understanding chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to repeated head blows, has been made at the University of Auckland.
Neuroscientists at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research examined brain tissue, primarily from former rugby players, with the research shedding new light on how specific cells respond to damage from repeated head knocks.
Producer Amani spoke with Senior Author of the research Dr Helen Murray about how the findings open the way for a deeper understanding of the causes of CTE and about what the research process involved.
For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about the NZ First Leader, Winston Peter’s anti-DEI members bill, the Infrastructure Investment Summit, and the recent changes regarding Whānau Ora.
For our weekly catch up, Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about one of the key school lunch programme providers going into liquidation, NZ First's anti-DEI members bill and the ACT Party’s critique of University of Auckland TeTiriti Course.
Joel spoke to the National Secretary for the Public Services Association, Fleur Fitzsimons, about Winston Peter’s anti-DEI members bill, and how this will affect the public sector.
Joel also spoke to the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation New Zealand, Shaun Robinson, about the government’s removal of RSE guidelines in schools without implementing a clear alternative.
And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio today to discuss ‘Mobility’ and the power that brings to the individual - and the requirement of an economy to support it.
As previously discussed, New Zealand First leader, Winston Peters, has proposed a new member’s bill to be placed in the ballot, aiming to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, targets in the public sector.
This bill would amend the Public Service Act, which Peters, and NZ First, voted for when in a coalition government with the Labour Party in 2020.
DEI refers to frameworks that aim to equitably represent certain individuals and communities not represented as much as other demographics in the country.
The reception for this bill varies between the parties. Senior National MP, Chris Bishop, says if the bill were to be pulled out of the ballot, that the party would consider the bill, as they believe in “meritocracy,” however, would want a “public service that is reflective of modern New Zealand”.
Opposition Leader from the Labour Party, Chris Hipkins, says he would want a public sector that represents all New Zealanders.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the National Secretary of the Public Service Association, Fleur Fitzsimons, about Peter’s members bill, and how she believes this will impact the public sector.
They started off by asking how DEI targets work regarding the public sector.
The government has recently removed Relationships and Sexuality Education, or RSE, guidelines in schools without implementing a clear alternative.
The RSE guidelines were changed in 2020, to better support, and include updates to the the 2007 curriculum for primary and secondary school students, on topics such as the prominence of social media, bullying and cyber-bullying, and consent, in an age-appropriate manner.
With the removal of the 2020 guidelines, many educators are wondering how they adequately cover the topics covered in RSE.
As well as this, concerns have been raised about whether a move like this will impact the mental health of students, especially from minority communities, such as the LGBTQIA+ community.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation New Zealand, Shaun Robinson, about the removal of RSE guidelines without the government clearly indicating to an alternative, and the organisations concerns regarding these developments.
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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