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.
New research published in the New Zealand veterinary journal has found that tuatara may be at risk from rat poison. The case has raised questions about pesticide and rodenticide use in Aotearoa, and weighing the risks to native wildlife against the benefits of pest eradication.
To discuss the poisoning and its wider ramifications for conservation in Aotearoa, Wire host Castor spoke to the University of Auckland’s Professor James Russell.
In light of the government’s announcement to reinstate the prisoner’s voting ban, the decision has received significant criticism.
Such criticisms include the ban being described as a violation of fundamental rights, and a weak incentive for criminals
Producer Faith spoke to criminology lecturer from the University of Auckland, and press spokesperson for People Against Prisons Aotearoa Dr. Emmy Rākete, and how she feels about the move.
A recent study from the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ has shown the links between vaping, and an incurable lung disease.
Producer Faith spoke to the foundation’s chief executive Letitia Harding about these findings, and how she thinks the government should address the issue.
For Dear Science, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman chats with us about false eating reports, fluoridated water, and the Sodom comet.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the government’s plans for prisoner voting rights.
They also spoke to Professor James Russell from the University of Auckland about a recent case where some tuatara were potentially poisoned with rodenticides.
Producer Faith spoke to criminology lecturer from the University of Auckland, and press spokesperson for People Against Prisons Aotearoa Dr. Emmy Rākete, about her concerns with the blanket ban on prisoner voting.
She also spoke to the chief executive from Asthma Foundation NZ Letitia Harding about a new study showing the link between vaping and a lung disease.
Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, and Producer Evie, in studio, to discuss young people, social media, and politics.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon recently met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in London. Starmer thanked Aotearoa for its “support” for its “coalition of the willing” regarding safeguarding the potential peace deal being put forward by the Trump Administration.
However, concerns have been raised about what the administration is proposing, which could result in original Ukraine land annexed by Russia, such as Crimea in 2014, belonging to Moscow, and ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Host, Joel, spoke to Robert Patman, a Professor of International Relations at the University of Otago, about his article on the Conversation, discussing his concerns regarding this and how New Zealand should move forward in reiterating support for Ukraine.
*This caption has been edited to add "safeguarding" regarding Luxon and Starmer's meeting in London while discussing Ukraine and Russia.
Currently, a lot of animal products imported into the country are coming from countries with animal welfare standards behind those of Aotearoa, such as in the US and China.
In a report released earlier this year by Animal Policy International, findings show that 60% of all pork eaten in the country comes from overseas.
In light of these concerns, a petition will be delivered to Parliament tomorrow, aiming to better regulate imports of animal products into the country to fit our standards.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland about this, and what he hopes comes out of this petition.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni about the government removing voting rights from prisoners and the strikes happening across Aotearoa for May Day today.
For International Desk, they spoke to Aleksi Toiviainen, co-organiser for Vote16 Canada and a democracy advocate, about the recent Canadian election result.
And they spoke to University of Auckland Associate Professor Brendon Dunphy about the threats facing seabirds in Aotearoa and the recent Oceania Seabirds Symposium.
For City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke with Auckland Councillor Shane Henderson about the Waitākere Ranges management plan
She also spoke with Professor of Health Economics Paula Lorgelly about the latest review of Pharmac.
A recent review of Pharmac, also known as Te Pātaka Whaioranga, has found their current approach not fit for purpose, calling for an overhaul of their strategy and internal culture.
The pharmaceutical management agency faced criticism last year as a result of a lack of credibility and inconsistency of services.
With the proposal this week to scrap Pharmac’s Māori directorate, concerns were especially emphasised about the equitable outcomes for Maaori and Pasifika populations.
While the aim of the independent review was to look into ways to improve the services of Pharmac, it found that staff were sceptical that any meaningful changes could occur.
Producer Sara spoke with University of Auckland’s Professor of Health Economics Paula Lorgelly about the review and what changes are necessary. She started by asking about the key findings
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has announced a total ban on prisoners voting will be reinstated.
The move has been criticised by the opposition parties, as well as those working in criminal justice.
Today is May Day, also known as International Workers Day and unions across Aotearoa are taking action against what they say is an “anti-worker agenda” from this government.
Workers across a wide range of industries are stopping work and taking strike action.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about all of these issues.
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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