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 with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about making English an official language of Aotearoa and reducing the minimum proposed homes for Auckland down to 1.6 million.
They also spoke to Dr. Mohsen Mohammadzadeh from the University of Auckland’s school of architecture and planning about PC 120 and how to best develop Auckland as a city for the future.
And producer Alex spoke with Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning, Timothy Welch, about the Infrastructure Commission’s suggestion of a $9 toll on the harbour bridge, whether it's the right move, and what it means for Auckland’s Infrastructure planning.
Last week, the Infrastructure Commission’s first National Infrastructure Plan was released. Outlining a number of different suggestions for infrastructure, the plan has been tabled to parliament by Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop. One such suggestion is the introduction of a $9 toll on the harbour bridge, and any new harbour crossing, in order to fund the construction of any new crossing.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke with Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Timothy Welch, about this suggestion, and how it should play into Auckland’s infrastructure future.
Big Gay Out was held by the Burnett Foundation on Sunday, and appearances from some politicians were met with controversy, ending with a protestor’s removal from the main stage.
There have been discussions of a $9 toll to finance a new harbour crossing this week, while Auckland council’s Value For Money committee has also commenced for 2026.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about these topics, alongside new council initiatives that utilise AI.
A fast-track consent is currently being sought for a major gold mine in Cromwell, Central Otago.
This follows the approval of a controversial $8 billion dollar mine that received fast-track approval for the Coromandel in December.
Local response has largely presented environmental concerns, and raise questions of alternative initiatives for mineral mining in Aotearoa.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Sue Coutts, Director of External Affairs at Zero Waste Aotearoa, about the potential of e-waste and a circular economy for mining gold and other materials.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about the Employment Relations Amendment Bill, the National Infrastructure Plan, and the Salvation Army’s Station of the Nation Report.
They also spoke to E Tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh and University of Auckland Teaching Fellow Simon Schofield on the impact of the Government’s Employment Relations Amendment Bill.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Jasmine spoke to Councillor Fairey about the presence of politicians at Big Gay Out, tolling a new harbour crossing, local government’s Value for Money committee and council’s use of AI
And she spoke to Zero Waste Aotearoa’s Sue Coutts about mining e-waste for minerals instead of fast-tracking new mining shafts.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the National Infrastructure Plan and the Employment Relations Amendment Bill.
Producer Theo then spoke to Greenpeace’s Executive Director, Russel Norman, on the government’s decision to pursue the construction of a liquified natural gas terminal in Taranaki.
And after that, Host Manny spoke to Ora Taiao Co-ordinator Marnie Prickett, about the government's plans to merge several key ministries, in a move that has raised their alarm.
To little fanfair the government announced a huge overhaul of key ministries, merging the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the local government functions of the Department of Internal Affairs into a new agency.
Coming on the back of the yet more fast-track approvals reforms, which have cut out community voices like Forest and Bird, and led to criticisms of environmental destruction, the move is a huge overhaul in governance, leaving many critics alarmed that this is yet another move pulling the country away from climate mitigation and adaptation.
To understand why the government's plans to merge these key ministries is alarming them, I spoke to Ora Taiao Co-ordinator Marnie Pricket.
Last week, the government officially announced plans to build a liquified natural gas (or, LNG) terminal in Taranaki, with the goal of finishing construction by next year or early 2028.
The terminal is intended to provide a stopgap for New Zealand’s energy network during dry years, where hydro sources may not generate sufficient energy to support the network.
Coming at a cost of over a billion dollars, a new levy on electricity users of two to four dollars per megawatt hour, will be introduced to help fund the terminal.
However, the project has already faced criticism from groups such as Greenpeace, who pointed to the poor economic viability of the terminal and its further investment in fossil fuels during the climate crisis.
To understand more, producer Theo spoke to Greenpeace’s Chief Executive Russel Norman on the ramifications of this plan, and possible alternatives for mitigating dry year risk.
Artificial Intelligence has become a part of our lives today and can do everything that humans once relied on their education and expertise for. However, in her latest article for Newsroom, the University of Auckland's Senior Lecturer of Marketing, Professor Shahper Richter, says humans get to decide AI's future.
She says the values programmed into AI softwares don't necessarily fit the culture in Aotearoa, and that humans can still take their autonomy back from AI.
The Wire is starting a new segment - Politics with Māni Dunlop for Te Ao Māori News.
We’ll be catching up on the big political issues of the week and goings on in the House from a Māori perspective.
Wire Host Caeden caught up with Māni Dunlop about the new Te Tai Tokerau Party, the Conservation Amendment Bill passing first reading, and the submissions made as part of the Mana Wāhine inquiry this week.
The Government has confirmed plans to disestablish the Broadcasting Standards Authority and move toward a self-regulation model for media complaints, raising questions about accountability, misinformation, and audience protection.
It has also been confirmed that the Fees Free tertiary scheme will be scrapped in the upcoming Budget, while the new citizenship test has sparked debate over whether it strengthens civic knowledge or creates another barrier for migrants.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about these topics.
This week on Dear Science our expert Professor Allan Blackman chatted with us about the science behind football players choking, the chemistry behind the taste of beer, and the woman behind determining the structure of insulin.
Last week the government announced plans to scrap the Broadcasting Standards Authority, the entity that serves to ensure television, radio, and internet broadcasters remain accountable to members of the public.
While the government saysit trusts broadcasters to self regulate, it’s unclear what this regulation could look like, especially without the all encompassing BSA to ensure that a universal standard is met.
In addition, ACT Party Leader David Seymour has expressed dismay at some of the recent publications by state funded broadcasters TVNZ and RNZ. Since Seymour is one of the ministers responsible for appointing the board for each organisation, his comments and criticisms are being compared to threats of censorship.
Lastly, the government has announced a new test for prospective immigrants to New Zealand, which would see them quizzed over topics relating to New Zealand values, our Bill of Rights, and our system of government. While the government is proposing this standard of knowledge for immigrants, many New Zealand citizens could be unable to answer the questions.
For this weeks catchup with the National Party's Ryan Hamilton, News Director Castor asked about these topics, beginning with the BSA.
Last week, the government announced plans to scrap a policy that gave university students one free year of study, known as fees free, with commitments to reallocate that funding to trades training. This comes at a time when an increasing number of young people are absent of employment, education and training.
And an OECD report spelled bad weather for the New Zealand economy. To correct course, they urged for reforms to increase the age of eligibility of Superannuation all the way up to 72, among other policies. This was picked up by the National Party, who are campaigning on moving forward with their previous plans to raise the retirement age up to 67.
So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party, host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the scrapping of fees-free and raising the eligibility age for superannuation, but as we called in, Mr Menéndez March was just leaving an extended sitting of parliament to scrutinise Erica Stanford's Immigration Amendment Bill, and we began with a discussion on how he believes it will hurt vulnerable migrant communities.
Last week, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka submitted the Conservation Amendment Bill to parliament. Among various changes, the bill has drawn criticism for its proposals to change the role of the Department of Conservation and make it easier for government ministers to exchange or sell off up to 60% of conservation land.
For Green World this week, producer Liam spoke with Richard Capie, Chief Advisor for Forest and Bird about what the Conservation Amendment Bill really means, the impact it might have and the importance of preserving our conservation land for future generations.
Last week the ACT Party announced a new health policy that would see the responsibilities of pharmacists expanded to move pressure away from GPs. The idea of the policy is that for less significant health issues, people could see their local pharmacist instead of their GP, reducing wait times and costs for the public.
Also last week, the government announced plans to scrap the broadcasting standards authority. The announcement follows a period of complaints from the government over the BSA, which had ruled on online broadcaster The Platform. The government (and The Platform) say that the BSA shouldn’t be able to make rulings on online broadcasters, but some others disagree.
Without the BSA, many of the restrictions and rules that broadcasters are held to could disappear. In addition, the BSA offers a vehicle for members of the public to hold said organisations to account. Without the BSA, avenues for public feedback on poor conduct are minimal.
For this week’s catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News Director Castor asked about each of these issues, beginning with the party’s new health policy.
The Government has signed a new Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies with Singapore, aimed at keeping crucial goods like fuel, food, medicine and construction materials moving during future crises.
Meanwhile, ACT has released a new immigration policy, framing it as a way to make immigration “work for New Zealand,” with proposals including tougher deportation settings and requirements for migrants.
And leaked emails around New Zealand’s response to US strikes on Iran have raised questions about the coalition’s foreign policy direction.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert on these topics.
Auckland Council has approved their first-ever transport policy statement, which, together with the central Government’s Policy Statement on Land Transport, will shape the future of transport funding in Auckland.
And a petition is being hosted on Our ActionStation that calls on the Government to strengthen protections for the Waitākere Ranges.
For City Counselling, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these topics.
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