Happy Thursday e hoa mā! Today on Breakfast, Rosetta and Milly catch up with David Slack for Political Commentary, and Lucky Lance is up in the studio to chat about the forthcoming Team Dynamite gig this Friday at Double Whammy! Plus news, weather, surf, prizes, and pleeeenty of tunes. Whakarongo mai nei!

Steve joins Sof and Elle in the studio to share his top picks of the week! 

David Slack phones in to catch up with Milly and Rosetta about all things politics - this week we chat about The Treasury Report, the debate on recognition of a Palestinian State, and Chlöe Swarbrick getting kicked out of the house. Whakarongo mai nei!

Last week, several politicians including the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Auckland attended Auckland's City Rail Link test run. As the project nears completion, the CRL team is busy running tests to ensure this new upgraded rail system is ready for use on the day it launches on an unspecified date in 2026.

Several political leaders were invited to a test last week where they went through the three new stations that are a part of New Zealand’s first underground rail system. 

This comes at a time where Central Government is becoming increasingly stand-off ish with Local Governments across the country with rhetoric aimed at focusing councils on “Roads, Rubbish and Rates” 

This has come to a head with a recent move to introduce a rates cap which threatens to put a hard ceiling on what Local Councils can spend on in their communities. 

The CRL has been under construction for nearly a decade and costs more than $5.5 billion dollars with the project going over budget and over schedule on multiple occasions, drawing criticism from those who believe we are spending too much money on ineffective infrastructure projects. 

Producer Sanat talked to Councilor Julie Fairey today about the value that CRL will give to the city and why we have such a hard time nationally building ambitious infrastructure projects.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about former Prime Minister Helen Clark’s comments on Israel obstructing aid to Gaza, the recent Taxpayers Union-Curia poll and changes to electorate boundaries and names for the next election. 

For International Desk, they spoke to Assistant Professor in Journalism at Mount Royal University, Gabriela Perdomo Páez, about Israel’s targeted attacks on Palestinian journalists.

For City Counselling this week, Producer Sanat spoke with Councillor Julie Fairey about the CRL and building infrastructure in Auckland.

He also talked to Dental For All campaigner Hana about their new national roadshow.

And he had a conversation with Dr Gabriell McDonald from the University of Otago about the new GP funding formula and how it neglects ethnicity data.

Earlier this week, Israel killed four Al Jazeera journalists, as well as two freelance journalists, in a targeted strike.

In total, nearly 270 journalists in Gaza have been killed by Israel since the war began in October 2023. This makes Israel’s war on Gaza the deadliest conflict ever for journalists. 

More journalists have been killed in Gaza than in both world wars, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the United States' war in Afghanistan combined, according to a report published by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. 

For International Desk, I spoke to Assistant Professor in Journalism at Mount Royal University, Gabriela Perdomo Páez, about the danger facing Palestinian journalists on the ground, including from before the current war.

Dreamy tracks from Fazerdaze, Bjork, Hanbee and Ethel Cain. Today Emma's joined by Zoe Walker Ahwa, editor and co-founder of Ensemble (which is celebrating its fifth birthday) and the two chat about the magic of indie media in Aotearoa.

The legendary Lucky Lance is up in the bFM studio for a kōrero with Milly and Rosetta about Team Dynamite's forthcoming gig at Double Whammy this Friday! They've also just reissued their debut album Shepherd's Delight on vinyl - available at all good record stores from Friday August 22. Whakarongo mai nei!

Satin Sheets joins the bFM Breakfast team to chat about thier new album S.WORLD! You can check the album out HERE!