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.
Just Yesterday, the Ministry for the Environment released their Our environment 2025 report, highlighting the impacts of land use on the ecosystem of Aotearoa.
The report revealed that between 75-95% of Taonga birds, reptiles, frogs and freshwater fish species were at risk of extinction or being threatened and that a significant proportion of groundwater had accumulated excess nitrate due to activities such as intensive farming, logging and urbanisation.
These findings also paint a grave picture for te iwi Māori and tangata whenua, whose livelihoods and mana whenua are also threatened by the extinction of native species and degradation of land.
Oto spoke to Shaun Awatere, a Kaihautū Māori Research Impact Leader and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, about the findings from the Ministry for the Environment’s recent report and the initiatives led by Iwi and Hapu to address it.
For their weekly catchup w/ the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about the Justice Committees recommendations for the treaty principles bill, the $12 billion boost to the New Zealand Defence Force and Donald Trump’s Tariffs on New Zealand
He spoke to Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington for a follow up conversation on the government’s boost to the defence budget.
And he spoke to Shaun Awatere, Kaihautū Māori Research Impact Leader at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, about the state of the environment report released by the Ministry for the environment.
Max spoke to the Director of the Otago Paleo Genetics Lab at the University of Otago, Nic Rawlence, about the supposed “de-extinction” of the Dire Wolf, and the ethics of bringing back extinct species.
For this week’s Green Desk, Producer Sara spoke to Rongoā Māori expert kuia Donna Kerridge, on her upcoming EcoFest 2025 event into understanding Māori medicine.
American company 'Colossal Biosciences' claim to have brought back the Dire Wolf using genetic engineering and preserved DBA, despite the species having been extinct for over 10,000 years.
Producer Max spoke with the Director of the Otago Paleo Genetics Lab at the University of Otago, Nic Rawlence, about the supposed "de-extinction" of the Dire Wolf, as well as the ethics of bringing back extinct species.
The government has announced plans to revisit proposed Trans-Tasman rules on baby formula regulation. The plans were initially rejected following lobbying from formula companies including Danone and The a2 Milk Company, who have also shifted their stance on the standards.
To discuss the changes and what they represent for consumer confidence, Wire host Castor spoke to the University of Auckland’s Dr. Gergely Toldi.
For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman, chats with us about research into multiple sclerosis, links between marriage and dementia, and a new massive particle collider.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the government introducing a competitor to the supermarket duopoly and how New Zealand’s economy will manage in the wake of US tariffs.
They also spoke to Dr. Gergely Toldi about the government’s baby formula changes and what brought them about.
Producer Amani spoke to Retail NZ’s Chief Executive Carolyn Young on how businesses are struggling with the impacts of infrastructure construction around the country.
And she spoke to University of Otago’s Dr Kimberley O’Sullivan on the recent increase to power prices.
From April 1st, Aotearoa households can expect an average increase of around $10 per month in their electricity bills, as lines and transmission charges rise to cover increased costs and investment in the electricity network.
Changes to the consumer care obligations have also come into place, giving households more of a say if their power were to be cut off.
Producer Amani spoke with University of Otago’s Dr Kimberley O’Sullivan to find out more on this and which advice she has for households which experience the repercussions of the increases.
A new report has highlighted the pressure major infrastructure projects are putting on local businesses and communities.
The research from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research shows short-term disruptions are being felt across the country: from Auckland’s City Rail Link to Wellington’s ‘Let’s Get Wellington Moving’ and CBD upgrades in Tauranga and Dunedin.
While it’s widely accepted that Aotearoa needs to invest in infrastructure to futureproof the economy, Retail NZ says more support is needed to help businesses get through the long and often disruptive construction periods.
Producer Amani spoke to Retail NZ’s Chief Executive Carolyn Young to find out more on this.
This description has been edited to add clarification that the work in the report was undertaken as a part of the New Zealand Institute of Economics's (NZIER) Public Good Programme, and has not been funded by Retail NZ.
Donald Trump has plunged markets and economies into turmoil after announcing sweeping trade tariffs across all of the USA’s global trade partners.
The tariffs start at a minimum of 10%, and for some countries reach over 40%. Nations like China have already begun to retaliate, imposing reciprocal tariffs on the US. Aotearoa, which had the baseline 10% tariff put on its trade with the US, has chosen not to fight back - instead joining a number of neutral countries with no response.
Since the tariffs were imposed this weekend, share markets have dropped to levels not seen since covid lockdowns.
Producer Evie spoke to Senior Economics Lecturer at the University of Otago, Murat Ungor about what the potential impact of these tariffs could be on Aotearoa and its economy.
For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about Te Pāti Māori MPs not attending the Select Committee over their contempt of the House due to their haka in Parliament over the Treaty Principles Bill and their plans to hold their own hearing, and the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act passing its final reading.
For our weekly catch up Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about the justice select committee releasing its report recommending the bill be scrapped, the tariffs imposed on New Zealand trade by the US last week, as well as ACT MP Andrew Hoggard facing criticism over potential conflicts of interest.
Evie spoke to Senior Economics Lecturer at the University of Otago, Murat Ungor about the impact of Donald Trump’s trade tariffs on Aotearoa and its economy.
Joel spoke to the spokesperson for Toitū te Tiriti and Professional Teaching Fellow in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, Eru Kapa-Kingi, and Māori Studies Professor at the University of Auckland and Chair of Te Rūnanga-ā-Iwi o Ngāti Kahu, Margaret Mutu, about the Justice Select Committee calling for the Treaty Principles Bill to be thrown away, with an analysis by Newsroom showing 90% of submissions were against the bill.
And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio to discuss non-linear careers.
Last week, the government announced that it would intensify AI usage in the public sector, in a move to further reduce spending in the sector. The government have defended this move, but concerns have been raised about the safety, regulation, and vulnerability of AI services.
Last week also saw the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill pass its first reading. The member’s bill would seek to, in New Zealand law, define genders, in a move that has been criticised by many as transphobic.
Last week also saw the change of government agencies’ names to give primacy to their English names, rather than te reo Māori first.
This week, Wire Host Alex spoke with National MP Ryan Hamilton about these topics.
Last week, NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft put forward a bill that would seek to define the terms “man” and “woman” in law. The bill has been supported by coalition parties through its first reading. Its primary supporters in parliament, ACT and NZ First, say the bill is about prioritising biology over ideology, or about maintaining common sense.
Its opponents, however, say the bill is unnecessary, and that the ideology pushed by its supporters does not align with evidence. Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, the human rights commission, says that the bill is “not necessary”, and “risks harm to communities who continue to experience discrimination on the basis of their gender identity”.
Disability Rights Commissioner and Rainbow rights spokesperson at the Human Rights Commission, Prudence Walker, sez the bill will not only “trample on the mana of trans and intersex people”, but it also “attempts to completely erase non-binary people”.
Despite the strong opposition, the government is pushing for the bill to be considered in select committee.
For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News Director Castor asked about the bill and why the government is bringing it about.
DISCLAIMER: this interview covers multiple anti-trans talking points, and briefly discusses sexual violence.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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