95bFM: The Wire

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin talks with us about the Nobel prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Chemistry, and Physics For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about methane emissions reduction targets, benefit changes for 18 and 19 year olds, and the Policing Act amendment. For Green World, news-teamer Leilani spoke to Earth Sciences NZ Dr Cliff Law about ocean acidification Producer Faith spoke to NZ Drug Foundation’s policy director Dr. Jacek Kolodziej (YAH-SEK CA-WODGE-AY) about harm reduction in Aotearoa, and what laws need to change. Faith also spoke to Save Animals From Exploitation (aka the SAFE organisation) CEO Debra Ashton about the government’s new pig-caging bill

Since the Industrial Revolution in 1840, the burning of fossil fuels and land use change have increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. While much of this excess carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere, a significant portion is absorbed by the oceans. As a result, the pH of the oceans is steadily decreasing, threatening marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and the communities that depend on them. This week, Leilani spoke to Dr Cliff Law from Earth Sciences New Zealand about ocean acidification

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Dr Cushla McGoverin talks with us about the Nobel prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Chemistry, and Physics. Love all things trams? LIVE Day: Trams is on at MOTAT this Sunday 19 October! Check out their impressive collection and catch a ride on one of the steam trains. Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow.

Last week, Police Minister Mark Mitchell announced the Cabinet’s decision to amend the Policing Act, to restore the right for police to collect and use images in public spaces.  This follows a recent Supreme Court case which ruled that an image of a person taken during a traffic stop could not be used against them in an unrelated crime. Privacy law specialist Gehan Gunasekara says the revision could extend police powers towards a “surveillance state”. The government has also announced a change of eligibility for the jobseeker benefit to come into effect from next November — which will see 18 and 19 year olds with parents making more than a combined income of $65,529, no longer able to receive payments.  In the June 2025 quarter, 12.9% of this country’s 15 to 24 year olds were not in jobs, education or training, and despite claims by Prime Minister Chris Luxon, employers and recruitment agencies have said there aren’t enough roles for those seeking. Finally, on Sunday the government announced their plan to change methane emissions reduction targets in New Zealand, aiming for between 14 and 24% by 2050, compared to 2017 levels, as opposed to the previous target was between 24 and 47%.  Agriculture and Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay says the decision is in alignment with evidence, as well as the practicality for farmers — but the decision goes against the Climate Change Commission recommendations to increase the targets, and has been called a “step back” for our climate targets.  Wire Host Sara spoke with National MP Carl Bates about all of these topics, starting with the Policing Act amendment. She started by asking about the expected benefits of the change

The government’s Animal Welfare bill has passed its first reading, and has already sparked outrage among animal rights activists. The bill would amend the Animal Welfare Act 1999 to permit the ongoing use of farrowing crates and mating stalls for pigs. One of the bill’s main opponents is SAFE (Save Animals from Exploitation). Producer Faith spoke to SAFE ceo Debra Ashton about the bill.

A new report from the NZ Drug Foundation has highlighted the need for safer drug laws, to focus on harm reduction. Experts from the foundation believe that stronger action needs to be taken in order to combat the growing statistics of overdoses, substance abuse, and drug-related deaths. Producer Faith spoke to the foundation’s policy director Dr. Jacek Kolodziej about how the law needs to change, and how drug addiction should be addressed

Last week, the government passed a New Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection act. The Act includes a new organisation of marine protected areas, and new rules for fishing, in the hopes that they will address environmental issues in the gulf. Concerns, however, remain over the wellbeing of marine life, both now and going forward, and particularly that of larger marine life like whales and dolphins. Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to Professor of Marine Ecology and Conservation Biology at the University of Auckland, Rochelle Constantine, about the welfare of these larger marine animals, how this bill will help them, and what work there remains to be done.

Following my chat with Simon, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke more about the amendments to the Policing Act with Gehan Gunasekara - the Convenor of the Surveillance Group within the Privacy Foundation and an Associate Commercial Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about concerns these changes will create a “surveillance state”. Here is that interview.

The government has recently announced that 18-to-19-year-olds whose parents earn $65,528 annually will no longer be eligible for Jobseeker Support. The Government estimates that 4300 young people would become ineligible under this new policy. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says these changes to Jobseeker Support eligibility are “tough love” and that he did not want the government to “send a message to young people” that 18-to-19-year-olds could “just drift into welfare and that's it”. For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to him about this topic. They also discussed the government saying they would amend the Policing Act to guarantee police have the power to collect intelligence through means of photographing and videoing potential perpetrators. But first, they discussed the changes to the Jobseeker benefit.

This week on the Monday Wire: For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to MP Simon Court about the government’s Jobseeker Support changes for 18-to-19-year-olds, and the government’s amendments to the Policing Act. Following Joel's chat with Simon, they spoke more about the amendments to the Policing Act with Gehan Gunasekara - the Convenor of the Surveillance Group within the Privacy Foundation and an Associate Commerical Law Professor at the University of Auckland, about concerns these changes will create a “surveillance state”. Producer Alex spoke to a Professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland, Rochelle Constantine about what the new Hauraki Gulf Protections Act means for our larger wildlife. On Thursday, 95bFM Intern Zanoor spoke to Dr Lucy Hardie, a Health Research Fellow at the University of Auckland, about research showing global vaping companies are using tactics to target young people. And Alex to an Associate French Professor at the University of Auckland, Deborah Walker-Morrison, about the ongoing political crisis in France, and what the instability means for President Emmanuel Macron and his party going forward. Whakarongo mai.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke with Shanan Halbert about benefits changes for 18 and 19-year-olds, the Reserve Bank cutting the official cash rate, and the recent protests outside Winston Peters home.  For International Desk, they spoke to Acacia O’Connor from the Global Movement to Gaza about the experiences of activists detained by Israel. And they speak to 95bFM reporter Castor Chacko who is on the ground at the protest against RocketLab outside the University of Auckland engineering building.  On City Counselling this week, Producer Sanat spoke to Councilor Julie Fairey about Auckland’s voter turnout and the importance of casting your vote by the 11th of October  He also spoke to the Executive Officer for the Child Poverty Action Group Sarita Divis about changes to the JobSeeker Benefit for 18-19 year olds.

Recently the Government announced a new policy that would means test the Jobseeker benefit for 18-19 year olds.  This new means testing would disqualify those 18-19 year olds who have a combined parental income above $65,000.  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaking directly to those young people receiving a benefit said that “I make no apologies, if you want a job, you go to where jobs are”  The official unemployment rate is 5.2% with 158,000 people unemployed. In June, young people from 15-24 years olds had an unemployment rate of 12.9% with Maori and Pasifika young people more acutely affected.  According to experts there are very few pathways left that actively support young people to get employment in our current job market. Current cost of living payments from Studylink amount to $9.50 per hour of full time study.  Aaron Hendry, founder of youth organisation Kick Back says that this change would increase the risk of homelessness for young people and put some of our most vulnerable young people in potentially dangerous situations. Furthermore hundreds of teenagers with disabilities and chronic health issues, who currently live in a state of poverty, would be disqualified from accessing this benefit as well.  Thursday Wire Producer Sanat spoke to Sarita Divis, Executive Officer at the Child Poverty Action Group, about the implications of these changes.

With 2 days to go before voting closes, the voter turnout throughout Tamaki Makarau still remains low, with around 20 percent of eligible voters having cast their vote throughout the city.  According to these statistics, voter turnout is tracking to be lower than 2022’s local elections which had a final turnout of 35.4 percent.  Thursday Wire Producer Sanat talked to Julie Fairey today to give our listeners (and prospective voters) a final elevator pitch as to why they should vote in their local elections.  They also talked about why it is that the design and structure of these elections are not conducive to higher voter participation and the change necessary to make civic participation cool again. 

Almost three years ago, we entered a summer of devastating floods that have altered the landscape of our neighbourhoods and the demands placed upon our government, both local and national. To track the dangers of a changing environment, the Ministry for the Environment releases its Our Environment report every three years, which accumulates and analyses environmental monitoring done around the country. Producer Manny spoke to Craig Stevens, Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Auckland, on the report and its implications for all of us.

Bowel cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Aotearoa New Zealand, with more than 1,200 people dying from the disease each year, making it second only to lung cancer.  Free government screening is one of our key policies aimed at combating the disease. Earlier this year, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced changes to the eligibility for screening. These included lowering the starting age from 60 to 58 years old while scrapping a pilot scheme that gave Pacifika and Māori earlier access from 50. These changes have sparked criticism about the inadequacy of the policy. Producer Manny spoke with Associate Professor of Oncology at the University of Auckland, George Laking, about his views on these changes and whether we are doing enough to tackle bowel cancer.

For our weekly catchup w/ The Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez March about the government’s initiatives aimed at moving young people out of benefit dependency, Associate Education Minister David Seymour’s announcement of changes to how the government contracts school attendance services, The Green Party interviewing the families of the three New Zealanders detained as part of the Sumud flotilla, as well as Foreign Minister Winston Peters' action to blame the “radical left” for the vandalisation of his Auckland home. Max also spoke with Paul Taillon, a Senior Lecturer from the Faculty of History, Arts and Education at The University of Auckland, to discuss the recent actions by United States President Donald Trump, to deploy the National Guard in democratic states and what this means for American democracy. Producer Manny spoke with Associate Professor George Laking the government's announced changes to bowel Cancer screening. Producer Manny also spoke with Craig Stevens, a Professor in the department of Physics, on the recently released Our Environment 2025 Report by the Ministry for the Environment.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has moved to send federal troops into American cities — a decision many legal experts and political leaders argue is unconstitutional. Earlier this week, an Oregon judge blocked the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops into Portland, ruling that the move overstepped presidential authority. The judge was originally appointed by President Trump, who now said the judge had “lost their way”. It’s the latest pushback against federal forces being deployed into U.S. cities. The ruling by U.S district judge Karen Immergut, was made on the basis that the President’s actions were unconstitutional and that Trump did not have a valid reason for deploying the National Guard. Paul Taillon is a Chicago, Illinois, native and currently a Senior Lecturer in The Faculty of History, Arts and Education at the University of Auckland. Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to Paul to ask whether there had been any similar situations to this in American history, and what the implications of these actions could mean for the future of American democracy.

The government announced two new initiatives aimed at moving young people out of benefit dependency, and are looking to motivate them to stay in work by providing a $1000 incentive if they are able to keep stable work for more than 12 months. In the same announcement, they stated that young adults, aged 18 and 19, will no longer be eligible for Jobseeker payments if their parents can support them, for which they set the bar as an annual household income of just over $65,000. In addition to this, The Green Party conducted a public interview on Monday, with the families of the three New Zealanders who were detained by Israel aboard the Sumud flotilla. The goal of the flotilla was to break through Israel’s illegal blockade that has existed since 2007, and provide aid to those suffering in Gaza. As a result of rising tensions towards the Government’s stance on Gaza, Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ Auckland home was vandalised on Tuesday, the day after the press conference where Chloe Swarbrick urged the Government to act against Israel. Peters then quickly blamed the vandilisation – where a protestor broke his window and left a note saying “welcome to the real world” – on what he described as the “radical left”. For our weekly catchup with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Wednesday Wire Host Max speaks to him about the vandalisation of Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ Auckland home, what the Green Party is asking of the government as a next step in Aotearoa’s stance on Gaza. As well as the Government’s initiatives aimed at moving young adults towards independence. We also spoke about Associate Education Minister David Seymour’s announcing a change to how the government contracts school attendance services.

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Professor Allan Blackman about Dame Jane Goodall, discoveries in Bearded Vulture’s nests and fresh clues of a new planet.   For our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire Host Sara spoke to MP Carl Bates about the government’s Electricity Plan, the Defence Industry strategy and the Freedom Flotilla activists Sara also attended a press conference yesterday on the NewZealand activists detained by Israeli forces while attempting to deliver aid into Gaza. On this topic, she spoke to two experts on international humanitarian law on New Zealand and the international community’s obligations to respond to the Israel-Palestine conflict.  For Green World, Producer Jasmine spoke with Fiona McCormack, Associate Professor in Marine Anthropology at the University of Waikato, about the incoming Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill

Following the arrest of Freedom Flotilla activists last week including New Zealanders Rana Hamida, Youssef Sammour and Sam Leason, the families of these activists alongside the Green Party coleaders held a press conference yesterday where they called for the New Zealand government to fulfil its obligations to international humanitarian law and answered questions from the media. First, Wire Host Sara shares some recordings from the press conference.  As political leaders appear conflicted in their response to the situation in Gaza, especially in light of the attempts of citizens to put pressure on politicians as well as by-pass blockades themselves with the Freedom Flotilla, I was interested in the legal frameworks that exist for responding to this conflict. To discuss this topic, Sara spoke with both Victoria University of Wellington legal professor Marnie Lloydd and University of Waikato law expert Alexander Gillespie about the obligations of other nations including New Zealand to act.  Her first interview was with Marnie Lloydd. Then, further to this topic international law expert Alexander Gillespie speaks to New Zealand’s capacity to respond to the Israel/Palestine conflict.