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 week, the Infrastructure Commission’s first National Infrastructure Plan was released. Outlining a number of different suggestions for infrastructure, the plan has been tabled to parliament by Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop. One such suggestion is the introduction of a $9 toll on the harbour bridge, and any new harbour crossing, in order to fund the construction of any new crossing.
Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke with Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Timothy Welch, about this suggestion, and how it should play into Auckland’s infrastructure future.
PC 120 or Plan Change 120 was announced for Auckland as a way to boost housing intensification along public transport hotspots and in the CBD. The plan was celebrated as a way to ensure Auckland remains livable as a city into the 21st century, reducing traffic around key centres and increasing affordability.
The plan was met with criticism from those living in affected central neighbourhoods, such as Mount Eden, Parnell, Ponsonby, and Epsom. Some residents say the changes will diminish the character of the neighbourhoods or make things much busier, disturbing their way of life.
Intensification is difficult, therefore, as a balancing act between multiple parties. To discuss how developments can work as we move into a city fit for the 21st century, News Director Castor spoke to Dr. Mohsen Mohammadzadeh from the University of Auckland’s school of architecture and planning.
Big Gay Out was held by the Burnett Foundation on Sunday, and appearances from some politicians were met with controversy, ending with a protestor’s removal from the main stage.
There have been discussions of a $9 toll to finance a new harbour crossing this week, while Auckland council’s Value For Money committee has also commenced for 2026.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about these topics, alongside new council initiatives that utilise AI.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about the Employment Relations Amendment Bill, the National Infrastructure Plan, and the Salvation Army’s Station of the Nation Report.
They also spoke to E Tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh and University of Auckland Teaching Fellow Simon Schofield on the impact of the Government’s Employment Relations Amendment Bill.
For City Counselling this week, Producer Jasmine spoke to Councillor Fairey about the presence of politicians at Big Gay Out, tolling a new harbour crossing, local government’s Value for Money committee and council’s use of AI
And she spoke to Zero Waste Aotearoa’s Sue Coutts about mining e-waste for minerals instead of fast-tracking new mining shafts.
A fast-track consent is currently being sought for a major gold mine in Cromwell, Central Otago.
This follows the approval of a controversial $8 billion dollar mine that received fast-track approval for the Coromandel in December.
Local response has largely presented environmental concerns, and raise questions of alternative initiatives for mineral mining in Aotearoa.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Sue Coutts, Director of External Affairs at Zero Waste Aotearoa, about the potential of e-waste and a circular economy for mining gold and other materials.
For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the National Infrastructure Plan and the Employment Relations Amendment Bill.
Producer Theo then spoke to Greenpeace’s Executive Director, Russel Norman, on the government’s decision to pursue the construction of a liquified natural gas terminal in Taranaki.
And after that, Host Manny spoke to Ora Taiao Co-ordinator Marnie Prickett, about the government's plans to merge several key ministries, in a move that has raised their alarm.
To little fanfair the government announced a huge overhaul of key ministries, merging the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the local government functions of the Department of Internal Affairs into a new agency.
Coming on the back of the yet more fast-track approvals reforms, which have cut out community voices like Forest and Bird, and led to criticisms of environmental destruction, the move is a huge overhaul in governance, leaving many critics alarmed that this is yet another move pulling the country away from climate mitigation and adaptation.
To understand why the government's plans to merge these key ministries is alarming them, I spoke to Ora Taiao Co-ordinator Marnie Pricket.
Last week, the government officially announced plans to build a liquified natural gas (or, LNG) terminal in Taranaki, with the goal of finishing construction by next year or early 2028.
The terminal is intended to provide a stopgap for New Zealand’s energy network during dry years, where hydro sources may not generate sufficient energy to support the network.
Coming at a cost of over a billion dollars, a new levy on electricity users of two to four dollars per megawatt hour, will be introduced to help fund the terminal.
However, the project has already faced criticism from groups such as Greenpeace, who pointed to the poor economic viability of the terminal and its further investment in fossil fuels during the climate crisis.
To understand more, producer Theo spoke to Greenpeace’s Chief Executive Russel Norman on the ramifications of this plan, and possible alternatives for mitigating dry year risk.
Artificial Intelligence has become a part of our lives today and can do everything that humans once relied on their education and expertise for. However, in her latest article for Newsroom, the University of Auckland's Senior Lecturer of Marketing, Professor Shahper Richter, says humans get to decide AI's future.
She says the values programmed into AI softwares don't necessarily fit the culture in Aotearoa, and that humans can still take their autonomy back from AI.
Earlier this week, Councillor Julie Fairey moved a resolution to investigate Auckland Council’s involvement with companies that are complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
And this week, Auckland Council launched an AI virtual assistant to report issues such as graffiti, roaming dogs, and noise complaints.
For City Counselling, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about both of these topics.
Last Friday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown announced the signing of a new ‘City Deal’.
The deal will see closer partnership between the central government and Auckland Council, coordinating planning in areas such as infrastructure and transportation.
The deal will see a long-term partnership between the government and council, with regular meetings and cooperation on strategies for innovation and transportation, with reviews of sporting venues such as Eden Park and the Auckland Tennis Centre.
However, the deal has been critiqued by some as being a collection of promises without any new funding.
So for our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, he and producer Theo discussed the signing of the Auckland City Deal, and how the Green Party would work with Auckland Council on issues such as transportation and infrastructure.
Last week, the Government and Auckland Council agreed on the ‘Auckland City Deal’, which seeks to enhance co-ordination between the two bodies to enable better investment in the city to get the most out of what Mayor Wayne Brown has called the ‘Engine’ of the economy. This will see better communication between the mayor and prime minister, co-operation on certain legislation, and funding.
The weekend also saw Cyclone Vaianu hit the country, with parts of the country facing damage and flooding. The government now has the job of responding to the damage, and deciding what needs to change, looking forward to future cyclones.
This week, Host Alex spoke with National Party MP Ryan Hamilton about each of these topics.
Last week, the Ministry for the Environment together with Stats New Zealand released Our Freshwater 2026, a major report on the state of Aotearoa’s freshwater systems based on decades of data. The report highlights both long-term improvement and deterioration of waterways nationwide, with particular focus on groundwater sources and the impacts of agricultural land use and the climate crisis on water quality.
I spoke to Troy Baisden, co-president of the New Zealand Association of Scientists and Adjunct Professor at Victoria University of Wellington, about what the findings of this report mean and also about the strengths and limitations of freshwater reporting.
Over the past week, the conflict in Iran has seen consistent U-turns as the United States continues to change its strategy in the war. On Wednesday morning, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran, saying "a civilisation will die tonight", just hours before agreeing to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran.
This ceasefire is now in doubt, however, as Israel has escalated its bombing campaign in Lebanon, killing hundreds since it was signed, and Trump announced this morning that the US will block the Strait of Hormuz after failed peace talks with Iran in Pakistan.
Amidst all of this, New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the day of Trump's threats and wouldn't condemn the comments. Some New Zealanders are concerned by the country's limp response to these illegal threats and actions against Iran.
Also this month, the Act Party has continued to call for the abolition of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, after it was announced that a complaint about online site The Platform and its host, Sean Plunkett, would be looked at by the authority.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party's Simon Court, producer Thomas asked him about the ceasefire in Iran, the US blocking the Strait of Hormuz and the Broadcasting Standards Authority.
Over the past few weeks, the government has been hesitant to call out the US and Israel for their role in the recent conflict in Iran. While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has called for all parties to comply with international law, he refrained from explicitly addressing either aggressor. Only in the past week has Luxon offered any criticism, calling Trump’s Iran policy “unhelpful” and Finance Minister Nicola Willis “alarmed” at Trump’s comments around destruction of civilisation in Iran. Labour has criticised the government for its lack of a hard stance.
Also this past week has seen funding for the Tukituki water security project secured, which could see flooding for significant amounts of conservation land in the Hawke’s Bay. The project could also see acceleration under the Fast Track Approvals bill, which Labour has also criticised since its inception.
Lastly, Auckland Council has repeatedly called for additional support for public transport amidst the fuel crisis. Despite these calls, the government has yet to deliver.
To discuss each of these topics and what the Labour party could bring to the table, News Director Castor spoke to Labour MP Shanan Halbert.
A record number of Aucklanders are using public transport amidst rising fuel costs. The average number of users is up 10% from the same time last year.
And yesterday, Watercare lifted its boil water notice for the suburbs of Hillsborough, Mt Roskill, Royal Oak, and Three Kings after 2 days under the notice.
The notice was due to a detection of bacteria on Monday, which a Watercare investigation found was caused by a single water quality monitoring tap.
For City Counselling this week, The Wire Host Caeden spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about these topics.
This morning, with negotiations continuing to stall and his own deadline for ending the war approaching, US President Donald Trump threatened civilisational destruction on Iran if they did not concede to the US demands. Whether a sincere threat or an act of brinkmanship may remain unclear, as just before Trump’s deadline, Trump claimed a two week ceasefire had been agreed to.
Last week, the Green Party released their housing policy - a home for everyone. It takes a welfare-based approach, pitching rent controls, reversing tax breaks on the bright line test, and a public housing building program.
For our weekly catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March, Wire host Manny asked about the gravity of Trump's threats on Iran, but began with the Greens' housing platform.
Cabbage, mull, buds, dak, smoke, skunk, hash, chronic, grass, pot, cannabis. It’s the fourth most used recreational drug in New Zealand, coming in behind caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco. Back in 2020, alongside the general election, voters were asked in a non-binding referendum whether they supported a proposed cannabis legalisation and control bill. The result was a vote opposing the legalisation of cannabis by a thin margin.
Currently, medicinal cannabis is available via prescription, but cannabis otherwise remains illegal to use, distribute, or produce.
For this week’s Get Action, producer Theo spoke to Patrick and Colden from the Reeferendum 2026 campaign, on their petition to legalise cannabis and reform drug laws and policing in Aotearoa New Zealand.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here.
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