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 Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin speaks with us about potential biosignatures on Mars, iridescent mammals & plastic waste for carbon capture.
For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about Saturday’s March for Humanity, AI and other new subjects in schools, and MP property declarations
For Green Desk, Sara spoke with Dr Amanda Turnbull from the University of Waikato, and IT service Layer3 Solutions Director Daniel Bohan about the environmental impact of AI
Jasmine spoke with Professor Toni Bruce about the lack of coverage of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, and what this means for Women’s sport in Aotearoa
Celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori at MOTAT with a week full of playful, creative, and hands-on experiences for tamariki and whānau! From 13 to 21 September
Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!
This week on Green Desk, Wire Host Sara takes a deep-dive into the environmental issues surrounding the proliferation of AI technology, particularly in New Zealand.
In the context of Luxon’s recent announcement about a $7.5 billion investment by Amazon Web Services into data centres in New Zealand, alongside the rapid adoption of generative AI in sectors across the country, academics have raised concerns about the environmental impact of the growth of this industry.
Last year, University of Waikato’s Dr Amanda Turnbull co-published an article about how New Zealand is outsourcing the “risks and costs” of AI and data centres, highlighting the water and resource consumption of global reliance on data centres and AI.
Sara spoke with Dr Amanda Turnbull about her concerns relating to AI’s environmental impact and how the New Zealand government should be responding to the ever-expanding industry.
Following the interview with Turnbull, Sara was interested in exploring how businesses are confronting the issue of AI, especially as it becomes more integral to work. Layer3’s Solution Director Daniel Bohan published an article earlier this year scrutinising the confusing data surrounding the water footprint of AI. Sara spoke with Bohan more about how businesses and consumers should engage with AI and better understand the environmental impacts.
She start by asking about how he engaged with AI in his mahi
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people rallied in Auckland calling for the government to sanction Israel for their actions and violence in Gaza.
While politicians across the spectrum have responded to the protests with a mix of support and disapproval, the New Zealand government is not expected to announce their official decision on the recognition of a Palestinian state until a General Assembly in New York next week.
Following the government’s announcement to get rid of NCEA in favour of a new system, Education Minister Erica Stanford has revealed numerous subjects to join the senior school curriculum, which will include the incorporation of generative AI.
Finally, the New Zealand Herald published information last week pertaining to MP Carl Bates’ failure to disclose 25 properties to Parliament, against what has been argued as a ‘breach of public trust’.
Wire Host Sara spoke with National MP Bates about all of these topics, starting with the pro-Palestine rally.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about this weekend’s Palestine rally, the ‘March for Humanity’ and Regulations Minister, David Seymour, not ruling out changes for the labelling on alcohol, nicotine, and tobacco products.
Thursday Wire Host Caeden, Thursday Producer Sanat, and Tuesday Wire Host Sara interviewed participants at Saturday’s ‘March for Humanity’ as well as Aotearoa for Palestine organiser Nadine Mortaja.
Joel spoke to Emma Anderson, a PhD Candidate at the Bioethics Centre at the University of Otago, about a recent study she was the lead author in, showing New Zealand news media’s coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic having nationalistic and ‘us versus them’ elements in its reporting.
Producer Alex spoke with the University of Otago’s Robert Patman about recent Russian drone incursions in Poland, and what they mean for NATO and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
And Alex also spoke to The University of Otago’s Michael Holland about artists leaving spotify, and the issues with the platform.
On Saturday, roughly 20,000 marched in the pro-Palestine rally, the ‘March for Humanity,’ with protesters walking from Aotea Square to Victoria Park in Auckland’s CBD.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Simon about the rally and what protestors are calling on the government for, regarding their response to Israel’s war on Gaza, as the death toll in Gaza reaches over 64,000, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
As well as this, Regulations Minister and ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, has not ruled out changes to the labelling of alcohol, nicotine, and tobacco products.
However, firstly, they discussed the ‘March for Humanity’ rally.
A study from the University of Otago, looking into how New Zealand news coverage depicted the country’s responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, has shown elements of nationalism and creating a sense of competition.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Emma Anderson, a PhD Candidate at the Bioethics Centre at the University of Otago, about the study and the harmful consequences of this framing.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people joined the ‘March for Humanity’ in Tāmaki Makaurau. The protestors were calling on the government to sanction Israel over its actions in Gaza.
Producer Sanat and Thursday Wire Host Caeden were at the protest and spoke to rangatahi, politicians, and community members about why they were there.
Tuesday Wire Host Sara also spoke to Aotearoa for Palestine spokesperson Nadine Mortaja about the protest and the movement’s demands for the New Zealand government.
Last week, Poland confirmed that Russian drones had entered and caused damage in Polish airspace. This incursion has been met with strong opposition, with Poland and NATO allies threatening retaliation.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke with the University of Otago’s Robert Patman about the drones, other similar occurrences, and what the geopolitical implications of these incursions in regards to Russia, the US, and Europe.
In recent months, there has been a growing exodus of artists and bands moving away from Spotify. These decisions are being made along political and ethical lines, as the platform continues to come under fire for a range of business practices and investments.
In the streaming era, however, artists cannot make this decision lightly. Musicians often depend on streaming services like Spotify for a consistent source of income.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to the University of Otago’s Michael Holland about why these artists are leaving spotify, and what it means for artists to leave streaming services.
Recent weeks have seen the government adopting a series of policies targeted at immigration. Some of these policies are set to be introduced immediately, while others are proposals for the upcoming election. What all of these policies have in common is that they aim to respond to an idea that there is a subset of immigrants who are making society in New Zealand worse.
This is a narrative that we’ve seen dominate conversations about immigration overseas, particularly in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. It often leads to gross displays of racism, with mass riots and crackdowns on people who have done nothing wrong. With these recent policies and media attention towards the anti-immigrant rhetoric in Aotearoa this month, concerns have been raised over whether those overseas developments could be seen here.
For this week’s catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News Director Castor planned to ask about both immigration and the move-on orders for rough sleepers, though we ran out of time to discuss both. They began by asking Simon about the government’s recent stance on immigration.
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.
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.
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, 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.
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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