Tonight's show was actually entirely curated by bFM's own Samuel Harmony, who sent Oto and Jaycee, not just a playlist, but a stack of CDs and Casettes that he collected while he was in Indonesia as part of the New Zealand Delegation attending AXEAN Festival 2025. Whakarongo mai to experience 2 hours of Psych rock, folk, disco and more by Southeast-Asian artists playing at the festival!
Happy New Year and with that Walao starts off strong with Co-Host Jaycee showing us demos and his top plays and discoveries from 2025. From Hyperpop to experimental, what a treat!
The Productivity Commission has proposed that the government should shift to variable subsidies for tertiary education funding.
95bFM reporter, Kelly Enright spoke to Productivity Commission chief Advisor Kevin Moar about the report. She started by asking what the proposal actually recommends.
bFM’s Joel Thomas also spoke to Jonathan Gee, the president of the New Zealand Union of Students Association, about the problems he has with the proposal. Gee believes variable subsidies will disadvantage lower-income students and imply the sole purpose of tertiary education is to get students into the workplace.
In December it was reported by Child Poverty Action Group that ethical lending schemes should be a model for adoption nationwide. They referenced Ngā Tangata Microfinance, a not for profit organisation designed as an alternative to the more merciless loan shark type models of lending companies.
Loan sharks often force families into an endless cycle of debt. Ngā Tangata Microfinance on the other hand provide no-interest loans to qualifying clients for family well-being and relief from high interest debt. A report from the organisation says this type of loan has improved people’s well being and reduced stress. It is estimated the loans have saved recipients collectively over a million dollars in interest and other charges. Lillian Hanly speaks with Robert Choy, the Executive Officer of the organisation.
Amid the coldest part of every year, in the early hours of the morning, Ngā mata a te ariki Tawhirimātea, or Matariki for short, rises in the east, with a gleam rivalled only by the Sun which follows close behind. Matariki is the Māori name for a group of seven stars known as the Pleiades star cluster. Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira explores its significance to Maori, why it is celebrated, and the impact it has on the nation.
Last week, a number of researchers presented the government with modelling on the vaccination rates required to protect New Zealanders in the coming years. Noah Ferguson-Dudding spoke to one of the researchers, Professor Shaun Hendy, about the models and their implications. They also discussed New Zealanders' attitudes towards lockdown, whether the government could have prepared better in their rollout, and how Auckland's housing crisis is exacerbating the pandemic.
Congratulations are in order for NZ's first family - and being a recent(ish) father himself, Mike's as pleased as punch. And just what is a piece of errant budget modelling code? Or, more importantly, _whose responsibility_ is a piece of errant budget modelling code?
Sam mans the Breakfast ship this morning! Dr Kirsten Zemke brings us Afrobeats on Travelling Tunes. Sam speaks to Rachael Norcross, guitarist and vocalist of Model Home about the band’s new debut album, out today, titled ...And Nobody Made A Sound. Joel Armstrong is our Viewmaster, reviewing the One Piece live action, streaming on Netflix. Whakarongo mai nei!
Gather around the campfire with Zambo for some strange happenings - Folk rock, Brazilian beats and jangly guitars. Is it a beautiful dream, or we are just stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again? Prehaps next time you should learn how to say no no no no, I don't smoke it no more.
95bFM