95bFM: The Wire

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, spoke to her about the Winston Peters meeting with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, the recent Ipsos Issues Monitor Survey findings, and the recent developments in Israel’s war on Gaza.

For our weekly catch up Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about the ACT party entering candidates into local elections, ACT MP Mark Cameron criticising National’s approach to rural communities, as well as David Seymour failing to inform the Education Minister that a key school lunch provider was going into liquidation.

Evie also spoke to Geopolitical Analyst at the University of Otago, Geoffrey Miller about Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters recent trip to the US, and what outcomes this achieved for US New Zealand relations.

Joel spoke to the Political Marketing Expert from the University of Auckland Edward Elder about the most recent Ipsos Issues Monitor Survey, which recorded the government as having the lowest score since the survey started collecting data in mid-2017.

And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio today to discuss the new tv series ‘Adolescence’, and how this relates to creativity and innovation.

Whakarongo mai!

Finance Minister Nicola Willis is encouraging international supermarket companies to enter Aotearoa.

However, researchers on retail and marketing say it will take too long for an international player to make a difference in the New Zealand market and problems with the duopoly need to be addressed first.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to one of these researchers, Lisa Asher from the University of Sydney, about this topic.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden speaks to Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni about a potential trade deal with India spearheaded by the Prime Minister, the liquidation of school lunch provider Libelle, and the Labour-led Wage Theft Bill passing its third reading in Parliament.

For International Desk, they speak to Tania Sawicki Mead, Director of Communications at UNICEF Aotearoa, about the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire.

And they speak to Lisa Asher from the University of Sydney about the best ways to disrupt the supermarket duopoly in Aotearoa.

For City Counselling, Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about a letter from Aucklands local boards to Mayor Wayne Brown concerning the seventeen point six million dollar budget shortfall, as well as Auckland Council’s new dog shelter in response to an increase in roaming dogs

She also spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, about their latest annual Price Shocks Report, and what the New Zealand government should be doing to address global food insecurity.

Military violence in Gaza has resumed after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel collapsed.

Israeli ground troops have advanced into Gaza, and earlier this week Israeli airstrikes killed more than 400 people, including 183 children.

Wire host Caeden spoke to UNICEF Aotearoa Communications Director Tania Sawicki Mead about the situation in Gaza, particularly the impact on children.

World Vision has just released their annual Price Shocks Report for 2025, examining food price inflation around the world.

They found that while New-Zealand and other wealthier countries saw an improvement in food affordability, many poorer nations reported significantly worsened price to wage ratios. 

While the report highlights a clear need for adequate funding for global humanitarian aid, in 2024 only 47% of required humanitarian food assistance was funded, leaving millions without support.

As conflict, climate change and other global crises exacerbate conditions in the worst-off regions, World Vision is calling for the New Zealand government, among other wealthy nations, to contribute more to assist populations suffering from food insecurity.

Producer Sara spoke with World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong about this report and World Vision’s call to action for the government. Here is that interview.

The recent tariffs and protectionist policies brought by US President Donald Trump under his new administration have shaken up multilateral agreements and America’s relationship with their traditional allies.

Trump’s recent policy decisions are part of a growing movement of countries adopting protectionist domestic policies in opposition to international Tax agreements.

Craig Elliffe’, a professor of law at the University of Auckland, has referred to Trump’s new policies as being part of a “quiet revolution” reshaping international tax law.

Oto talked to Craig about his research paper detailing international tax laws and how Trump’s policies are shaping them

As of yesterday, New Zealand Immigration have implemented stricter health screening requirements for the dependent children of temporary visa holders.

Under the new regulations, migrant children with significant cognitive or developmental disabilities requiring substantial support will no longer be eligible for student or visitor visas.

In that same week, Volunteer firefighters across the motu launched a petition calling for legislation change that would give volunteer firefighters the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts.

And, ACT party leader David Seymour announced that he wants local councillor candidates to be able to run under the party’s banner in the upcoming October elections.

For their weekly catch up, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March for the green party’s take on all of these issues.

Recently, Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, met with India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in Delhi to discuss a variety of different topics. Notably, Modi alleged there has been ‘anti-India activities by some illegal elements’ in Aotearoa.

Many believe Modi’s statements refer to the Khalistan movement in Aotearoa; a movement aiming to establish an independent homeland for Sikhs in India.

More specifically, many believe Modi is referring to the Khalistan ‘referendum’ in Auckland in November last year.

News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to an activist with the Aotearoa Alliance of Progressive Indians, Sapna Samant, about these allegations by Modi and how she believes his criticisms are more to do with the anti-Hindutva, or anti-Hindu-nationalism, movement in Aotearoa.

They started off by asking her about the Khalistan movement in New Zealand.

Auckland Council's Community Committee has recently reported a 53% rise in rough sleeping over four months, with the data showing the number of people known to be living in cars, parks, or on the streets has risen from 426 in September 2024 to 653 in January 2025.

Kickback, a youth development and social justice community responding to youth homelessness, is calling for an urgent review of The Ministry of Social Development's approach to homelessness.

Producer Amani spoke with General Manager Aaron Hendry about why it is calling for a review and which suggestions it has for the public service department.

A breakthrough in understanding chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to repeated head blows, has been made at the University of Auckland.

Neuroscientists at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research examined brain tissue, primarily from former rugby players, with the research shedding new light on how specific cells respond to damage from repeated head knocks.

Producer Amani spoke with Senior Author of the research Dr Helen Murray about how the findings open the way for a deeper understanding of the causes of CTE and about what the research process involved.