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.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis made her Pre-Budget speech, in the leadup to Budget 2025, in which she announced that the government would be halving the operating allowance from $2.4 Billion to $1.3 Billion, going to a select number of government departments that Willis has described as “the most important priorities.”
The PSA have referred to the government’s cuts to the operating allowance as an “irresponsible recipe for failure” for the health system and public sector and plan to strongly oppose any job cuts for public servants or health workers.
Oto spoke with PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons to discuss the government’s pre-budget announcement.
This week, a University of Otago led study found that autistic pupils are significantly less likely to attend school regularly, particularly at a young age.
The researchers of the study had information on 654,438 pupils, of which 8427 were autistic. They found that autistic pupils' regular attendance was 55.3%, compared to 62.5% for non-autistic pupils. They also found that autistic students would experience about 78 fewer school days on average per year compared to their non-autistic peers.
Lead author, Dr Nick Bowden, of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, has said that "it's important to remember that behind the data are real children, whānau, and educators, trying to make it work, often without the tools or support they need".
Producer Max spoke with Larah van de Meer, Research and Advocacy Manager at Autism New Zealand, about the recent study by the University of Otago.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about the government’s pre-budget announcement and cuts to the operating allowance, as well as the government rejection suggestions to review carbon subsidies and the Greens’ call to ban engineered stone products.
He spoke to PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimmons (Fit-Simons) for a follow up conversation about the pre-budget announcement.
And, for this week’s Get Action! He speak to Volunteer president of the Associated New Zealand ME Society Fiona Charlton about a petition to roll back the government’s benefit cuts for people experiencing long term hospitalisation.
Max spoke to Tania Sawicki Mead, Head of Communications at UNICEF Aotearoa, about the announcement that UNICEF would be launching a groundbreaking project to 3D print prosthetic limbs for war-injured children in Gaza.
And he spoke to Larah van de Meer, Research and Advocacy Manager at Autism New Zealand, about the recent study by the University of Otago, that showed that autistic pupils attend school at a noticeably lower rate than non-autistic students.
Gaza currently has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world, with over 23,000 children having sustained conflict-related injuries, and many thousands facing disabilities and needing long-term rehabilitation.
This week it was announced that UNICEF would be launching a groundbreaking project to 3D print prosthetic limbs for war-injured children in Gaza, thanks to funding from the Federation of the Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ).
To talk about this project, as well as the impacts it could have on the children in Gaza, Producer Max spoke with the Head of Communications at UNICEF Aotearoa, Tania Sawicki Mead.
The change to subsidising teachers registration fees has been well received by teachers across the country. A long anticipated change, it should eliminate a barrier to new teachers and a hurdle for existing teachers to cover.
Education minister Erica Stanford also recently announced new classroom upgrades across the country to areas facing more overcrowding. Many schools across the country face overcrowding as an imminent issue, forcing students into hallways, libraries, or other extra rooms.
To discuss the change to teachers registration fees, overcrowding in schools, and what can be done to address these issues, Tuesday Wire Host Castor spoke to president of the Post Primary Teachers Association, Chris Abercrombie.
The government has reviewed travel advice for those heading to the US, however, this status remains at ‘exercised increased caution’.
This comes alongside multiple cases of tourists visiting or transiting through the US being detained, strip-searched and deported, despite having adequate legal documents.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Virginia Braun, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Auckland, about New Zealand’s travel advice to the US, and their recommendations for developing a travel risk assessment before travelling to, or through, the country.
Recently, the government has announced regulations for physician associates, or PAs. Minister of Health Simeon Brown says regulating this role "demonstrates the Government's commitment to patient safety and providing high quality care".
The aim of regulating PAs would allow for more workers in the medical sector, and to entice overseas workers to fill gaps in rural practices.
This move has faced backlash over concerns physician associates do not have the adequate medical expertise.
In the UK, there have been multiple reports of medical malpractice resulting in patient deaths, which resulted in the launch of an independent review into the safety of PAs.
Currently in Aotearoa, Simeon Brown says there are 50 PAs across 29 different clinics.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the National Secretary of the New Zealand Residential Doctors’ Association or the NZRDA, Dr Deborah Powell, about her concerns with this announcement.
For Dear Science, our expert, Doctor Cushla McGoverin talks to us about a tree climbing salamander, lab grown teeth, and an early warning for volcanic eruptions.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor about transport upgrades in Northwest Auckland and subsidies to teachers registration fees.
Also on education they spoke to president of the Post Primary Teachers Association, Chris Abercrombie, about the subsidised teachers registration fees and new classroom developments for overcrowded schools.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the National Secretary of the New Zealand Residential Doctors’ Association, Dr Deborah Powell, about the organisation’s concerns for the regulation of physician associates.
Joel also spoke to Virginia Braun, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Auckland, about New Zealand’s traveller status to the US being ‘exercised increased caution,’ and what they recommend for those visiting or transiting in the United States.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Producer Evie speaks to MP Simon Court about the government’s proposed changes to Early Childhood Education (or ECE) regulations, NZ First’s proposed gender bill and ACC’s ethnic outcomes target.
Evie speaks to early childhood representative on the NZ Educational Institute National (NZEI) Executive Zane McCarthy about the proposed changes to ECE, and why they spark cause for concern.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel speaks to Queer Endurance / Defiance member, Leliel Trethowen, about Winston Peter’s proposed gender bill.
Joel speaks to a board member of ECPAT Child Alert; an organisation aimed at ending child sexual exploitation Rebecca Kingi, about National MP, Greg Flemming, calling for cross-party support for anti-trafficking legislation.
And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio to discuss changes in the way AI is being used.
Recently, NZ First Leader, and Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters, has proposed a members bill that would ensure the terms “woman” and “man” are interpreted alongside one’s sex assigned at birth, as opposed to gender identity.
Peters sez he is aiming for this bill to replace a self-identification law that allows citizens to change their sex on their birth certificate.
This bill has seen a multitude of criticism, over concerns this bill is aligning with similar moves overseas, such as in the UK and US, as well as how the bill would be enforced.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to a member from Queer Endurance / Defiance, Leliel Trethowen, about Winston Peter’s member’s bill, how this will impact Aotearoa’s transgender community, and their planned rally on Parliament grounds against this proposed bill.
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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