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.
Last Saturday, over 2,000 protests took place across all 50 American States against President Donald Trump.
The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the US Army, and they served as a direct response to the military parade in Washington, DC.
The organisers of the protests say they aimed to reject “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy.”
Wire Host Caeden spoke to Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut about the protests and the backlash towards them from the Trump administration.
Concrete is one of the world’s most polluting materials, accounting for between 5 and 8 percent of global CO2 emissions.
For the past several years, University of Auckland Engineering Faculty, Dr Enrique Del Ray Castillo has been researching and developing an alternative which could decrease the environmental impact of concrete by reducing the amount of cement required in its production.
Using a blend of volcanic ash – or pumice – and kaimoana shells, both of which are natural, local and more sustainable materials, Castillo has explored how traditional Roman engineering and mātauranga Māori could work together to make a material that’s built to last
Last friday, Israel launched a series of missile strikes on Iranian soil, aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear research facilities and assassinating their top generals and scientists.
In response Iran fired a series of their own missile strikes into Israeli territory, striking areas like Tel Aviv and the Israeli port city of Haifa.
Both countries have attacked civilian areas in this round of fighting, with Israel strikes into Iran hitting Iran’s state broadcaster in Tehran as well as the Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah, killing at least 200 people, with Iran’s strikes targeting a number of residential areas in urban Israel similarly.
Oto spoke to an Iranian New Zealander who is currently in Iran, going under the alias of ‘Maryam’ for her safety and security, who talked us about her experiences trying to flee Iran and contacting the New Zealand for assistance.
Oto spoke with Maryam, an Iranian New Zealander in Iran at the moment, talking to us about the missile strikes between Israel and Iran from her perspective
He spoke to Stephen Hoadley, a retired associate professor from the University of Auckland talking about the Israeli Iranian conflict from a broader angle
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke with him about the government's consideration to change sick leave payments, the directive to Health NZ to give private hospitals outsourcing contracts for elective surgeries and David Seymour's review into ECE funding.
And he spoke to Te Kahuratai Moko-Painting A professional teaching fellow at the centre for Pūtaiao at the University of Auckland, about why some Iwi celebrate Puanga instead of Matariki.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa’s Jennifer Shields and AUT’s Greg Treadwell, regarding a story on RNZ which many have raised concerns about over the lack of usage of an individual's preferred name and gender identity, due to the individual having passed away and not being able to communicate his wishes.
Content warning: this story deals with discussions of eating disorders
Recently, RNZ published an article about a young person who passed away in 2023 in emergency accommodation due to his battle with his eating disorder.
However, the article has faced backlash for its portrayal of the young person.
Despite the young person in question; Alex, who identified as trans, the article, at his parents request, referred to him by his deadname and did not use his preferred pronouns. The article mixed in non-gender specific pronouns and the name ‘V,’ depending on an individual's relationship to Alex that was not his parents.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the President of the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa’s Jennifer Shields, about RNZ’s coverage and how this may impact trans rangatahi in the country.
The coverage of this story has also raised the question of what responsible coverage should look like, for a story like this.
According to RNZ’s Rainbow Communities Reporting and Content Guidelines, as Alex could not communicate his wishes, RNZ opted to cover the story the way they did through his parents.
Joel also spoke to the Academic Advisor to Journalism at AUT, Greg Treadwell, about the coverage of this story, and if he believes the coverage is adequate.
LGBTQIA+ organisations to contact for support and resources:
OUTLine Aotearoa: 0800 688 5463 (6pm-9pm) for specialist, 24/7, confidential, mental health support, that also provides specialist counselling for LGBTQIA+ individuals and whānau.
Admist the ongoing rounds of missile strikes being traded between Israel and Iran, Oto spoke to Professor Stephen Hoadley, a retired Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Auckland who gave us a wider contextual understanding of the situation.
He’s also stressed that his views are his own and not related to any institutions he worked for formerly.
This Friday, the Matariki stars will be observed in the Northeastern skies, marking the beginning of the Māori new year and Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar.
However, earlier this year, the Puanga star rose in the Western skies, which some Iwi, especially those in Te Tai Tokerau, look to to mark the beginning of the Maramataka.
With this year’s theme for Matariki being Matariki mā Puanga: Celebrating Together, Oto spoke to Te Kahuratai Moko-Painting, a professional teaching fellow at Te Pūtahi o Pūtaiao - the centre for Pūtaiao at the University of Auckland, about why some Iwi look to Puanga instead of Matariki.
The Act Party has unsuccessfully tried to pass legislation for the regulatory standards bill three times.
Producer Faith spoke to Emeritus law Professor Jane Kelsey from the University of Auckland about why she believes they should not progress a fourth time round.
The government has discussed potential changes to how sick leave is allocated, scaling sick leave days with the number of hours a person works. While this wouldn’t affect the days available to full-time workers, it could see part-time workers with reduced access to sick leave. This has raised some concerns around disproportionate outcomes for women and students, two groups that tend to be employed in more part-time roles.
Wire host Castor spoke to professional teaching fellow at the University of Auckland, Simon Schofield, about the proposed sick leave changes and how they could disproportionately affect some demographics.
The Government is heading into Budget week with plans to cut the core public service, and RNZ reports public servants' fears that their jobs are once again on the line. At the same time, questions have been raised over MFAT being spared from cuts, and the Government has unveiled major changes to secondary education through its proposed NCEA replacement.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Producer Pranuja spoke with Shanan Halbert about public service cuts, Budget priorities, and what the education overhaul could mean for students and teachers.
Crypto investment schemes are spreading across the Pacific, often through trusted family, church, and community networks. While they are promoted as offering financial freedom and fast returns, regulators have warned that some schemes carry serious risks and limited protections for investors.
Producer Pranuja spoke with Associate Dean Pacific Sione Taufa about how trust can be exploited in Pacific communities, why endorsement matters, and what people should know before investing.
A survey of Automobile Association members' views on time-of-use charging has been presented to the Auckland Council’s Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee.
The survey found that members were open to congestion charging if it worked, even if they thought it was unfair.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins gave a ‘State of Auckland’ speech last week, focusing on the need for cross-party collaboration on infrastructure projects.
Wire Host Caeden spoke with Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these topics.
This week has seen discussions on New Zealand Firsts announcement that if they win the election they plan to buy BNZ and nationalise it into kiwibank, a plan some estimate to cost $30,000,000,000 and has been completely ruled out by their coalition partner in the National Party. Despite this, it’s sparked conversations around how we should be engaging with our banking sector, the vast majority of it dominated by Australian owned banks.
And critics fear that National party changes to the accommodation supplement is going to hit poor working families at a time they’re already doing it rough, nullifying other support that they are offering the rest of the country more broadly, repeating a pattern of policies that hurt poorer communities worse than the rich.
So for our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March on what impact he thinks will come from restrictions to the accommodation supplement, particularly for the poor, they then discussed New Zealand Firsts policy to buy BNZ bank, and whether minor parties tend to over promise if they are constrained by the major parties who they will inevitably have to work with if they make into parliament.
Since 1986, the Ministry for the Environment has been the central policy advising entity in New Zealand for environmental issues. The government has recently proposed the Environment Amendment Bill, which seeks to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment, which would be amalgamated into a larger Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport.
For Green World this week, Wire producer Liam spoke with Professor Nicolas Lewis, of the University of Auckland’s School of Environment, about these proposed changes, how they fit in with the government's current priorities around the environment, and the impact this may have on New Zealand in the short-term and long-term.
Last week, National MP Catherine Wedd’s members bill for an Under-16s social media ban was paused. Instead, Education Minister Erica Stanford has pledged to, before this years election, bring a wider and more robust proposal for a ban in a larger bill.
Last week also saw Prime Minister Christopher Luxon make comments about the National Party’s stance on immigration, amidst criticised changes to compliance officer powers, and previous spats and comments over immigration policy between government coalition partners.
And with the budget expected next week, promises have begun to be made by the government for where funding can be expected, particularly within education.
Host Alex spoke with National MP Ryan Hamilton about these topics, starting with the Social Media ban.
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 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.
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