95bFM: The Wire

This weekend at MOTAT is the STEM fair, celebrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. There’s plenty of exhibitions and activities to get engaged in, and to discuss the fair Wire host Castor spoke to MOTAT’s Te Puawānanga coordinator, Phoebe Drayton.

You can find more information about the STEM fair and book tickets here. 

Approximately 14 million children are likely to experience disruptions in nutrition support and services due to recent and anticipated global funding reductions, according to analyses by UNICEF.

The funding shortfall arises amid children worldwide grappling with record displacement, ongoing and newly emerging conflicts, disease outbreaks, and the devastating effects of climate change - all of which are threatening their access to sufficient nutrition.

Producer Amani spoke with Director of Communications for UNICEF Aotearoa Tania Sawick Mead to find out more about what further cuts to global aid funding could lead to.

Archives New Zealand and the National Library announced last week plans to cut 30 roles within the organisations. The two organisations are responsible for the preservation and retrieval of both historical and legal records in Aotearoa. The National Library also assists libraries and schools across the country in initiatives to boost children’s engagement with literacy and reading. 

To discuss the impact of the layoffs and what they say about the government’s broader approach to the situation Wire host Castor spoke to national secretary of the public service association, Fleur Fitzsimons.

Changes to how the supermarket duopoly in the country have been put forward by Finance Minister, Nicola Willis.

Currently there are only two major supermarket chains in the country: Woolworths and Foodstuffs, with this move aiming to establish alternative options to how these companies operate.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Chief Executive of Consumer NZ, Jon Duffy, about these developments, and how the organisation are feeling about them.

They started off by asking him how much of a concern the current duopoly is.

Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, is studio to continue their discussion into the Netflix TV series, 'adolescence,' fandoms, and 'soft-power'! 

US President, Donald Trump, has cancelled over $400 million US dollars, or roughly $697 million New Zealand dollars, worth of research grants and contracts at Columbia University, as leaders at the university move to alter campus and academic policies to align with what the Trump Administration are demanding.

Many believe this is the Trump Administration ‘overreaching,’ their power into universities in the country and how they choose to operate.

On Friday, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to a Senior Politics and International Relations Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Tim Fadgen, about Trump’s moves, and if we could see something similar here in Aotearoa.

They started off by asking what the Trump Administration is wanting to change about how Columbia University operates.

Recently, Green MP, Tamatha Paul’s comments have made headlines across mainstream New Zealand political coverage.

At a panel with the University of Canterbury Greens and Peace Action Ōtautahi, Paul said Pōneke did not want to see police officers everywhere, as “for a lot of people it makes them feel unsafe,” as well as accusing police of “waiting for homeless people to leave their spot and throwing out their belongings” which she sez is a comment she received from a local MP from the Downtown Community Ministry and Salvation Army.

Paul has received backlash from some politicians, including Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, and Opposition Leader, Chris Hipkins.

However, many believe that what Paul said has been sensationalised.

On Friday, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Press Spokesperson for People Against Prisons Aotearoa and Criminology Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Dr Emmy Rākete, about Paul’s comments, and how she is viewing this whole situation.

They started off by asking her how she is feeling about the reception of Paul's comments.

This week on the Monday Wire:

For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, speaks to her about Finance Minister, Nicola Willis’ plans to combat Aotearoa’s supermarket duopoly, Green MP, Tamatha Paul’s comments about police, and Te Pāti Māori’s recent calls for mandatory police body cameras.

For our weekly catch up with The ACT Party’s Simon Court, Joel speaks to him about the Resource Management Act, or RMA reforms and concerns about the country’s health and police system, following an 11-year old being misidentified as a 20-year old by police, and administered antipsychotic drugs.

On Friday, they spoke to the spokesperson for People Against Prisons Aotearoa and Criminology Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Dr Emmy Rākete, about Tamatha Paul’s comments about police practices in the country, the reaction they have received, and whether the reaction has been justified.

They speak to the Chief Executive Officer of Consumer NZ, Jon Duffy, about Nicola Willis’ plans to combat the supermarket duopoly and how the organisation are feeling about these developments.

On Friday, they also spoke to a Senior Politics and International Relations Lecturer at the University of Auckland, Tim Fadgen, about US President Donald Trump’s ‘overreach’ in American universities, and if we should expect similar occurrences at New Zealand universities.

And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins Joel in studio to continue our discussion around the Netflix series ‘Adolescence,’  fandoms, and exploring the role of soft power.

Whakarongo mai

Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal group chat with top United States security officials who were discussing military plans for strikes on Yemen.

The group chat discussed operational details, and officials, including the Vice President JD Vance, seemed unaware of Goldberg’s presence. 

Jeffrey Goldberg initially left out some of these sensitive details in his article on the group chat but has released more specific information after the Trump administration downplayed the situation and said no classified information was shared.

For International Desk, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Andre Fa’aoso from the Yale Daily News about this issue.

New findings have shown that vaping has not lowered smoking habits in young people in Aotearoa.

The study, published in The Lancet, looked at the daily smoking rates of 14 to 15 year olds, from 1999 to 2023, and shows that the introduction of vaping and subsequent popularity of the smoking device has not helped in lower daily smoking rates in Aotearoa.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Chief Executive of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand, Letitia Harding, about this study, and how the organisation hopes the government will react to these findings.

They started off by asking if the findings in the study were surprising to her.