95bFM: The Wire

Recent months have seen some anti-immigration narratives cast into the spotlight in Aotearoa, with policies such as stop-search announced by the government and others such as voting rights restrictions proposed by New Zealand First.

One of the big catalyst points for the issue has been the India Free Trade Agreement, which NZ First have raised some commotion over, claiming it will cause a major influx of Indian immigrants. While the rest of the government disagrees, the claims have led to some protests and derogatory language used by officials. 

While these debates are not too common in Aotearoa, they’re fairly frequent in some of our overseas counterparts, particularly the United States and United Kingdom. To discuss the politics behind anti-immigrant sentiments and how they’ve developed here, News Director Castor spoke to Professor of Sociology, Francis Collins.

Last month, the H5N1 strain of bird flu reached Australia. The government has now confirmed seven cases of the deadly disease, which mainly affects birds, but can jump to mammals too.

Experts here in New Zealand now believe that the arrival of the deadly virus on our shores is now a matter of “when” rather than “if.” Our goal should be to prepare the best that we can for the inevitable introduction, which poses a threat to native wildlife and livestock alike.

To discuss the threats posed by the H5N1 strain of bird flu, producer Toby spoke to Dr. Dianne Brunton, an expert in ecology at the University of Auckland.

Survivors of historic abuse in care seeking redress and accountability have faced a long battle, often against the State as it repeatedly delayed action and attempted to deny responsibility.

Although a system of redress is in place, survivors have often been left in the dark by confusing processes, including whether they are eligible for redress, alongside inconsistent experiences and offers of settlement with the system.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Social Development was found by the High Court to not have been following its own assessment policy when unlawfully denying survivors seeking to register claims. 

However, a new piece of legislation that passed its third reading late last month, and will come into effect on the 1st of August, may make things even more difficult for survivors seeking redress.

The Redress System for Abuse in Care Act 2026 will establish the legal presumption that survivors who have been convicted of serious violent and sexual offences will not be eligible for financial redress. It will also mean that apologies given to a survivor of abuse in care cannot be used as evidence for fault or liability for that abuse.

To understand the implications of this legislation, and the possible motivations behind it, Producer Theo spoke to the University of Auckland’s Associate Professor of Social Sciences, Stephen Winter.

This week the Green Party released their Drinking, Swimming, and  Fishing policy that aims to improve Aotearoa's aquatic environment and resources, such as rivers swimmability, fish stocks, and drinking water.

Among the proposals that they lay out to achieve this are strengthening rules controlling wastewater discharge, reforming marine-protected area legislation, increasing iwi-led management, and setting lower limits for nitrate.

Environmental group ‘Greenpeace’ has come out in support of the policy, advocating for Labour to pick it up themselves, however, farmers advocacy group ‘Federated farmers’ has expressed their dismay over the proposal to phase out synthetic nitrogen fertilisers.

They say that evidence shows that such a move would be economic suicide, drastically increasing food prices, and cutting our agricultural output which accounts for 60% of New Zealand's exports.

So for this week’s catch-up with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March, Wire Host Manny asked about their water policy.

This week on the Wednesday Wire...

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Wire host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green Party's drinking, swimming and fishing policy released this week.

News Director Castor spoke to Professor of Sociology Francis Collins about the politics behind anti-immigrant sentiment. 

Producer Toby spoke to the ecologist Dr. Dianne Brunton about the threat that a particularly virulent strain of avian influenza poses to New Zealand’s birds.

And Producer Theo spoke to the University of Auckland’s Associate Professor Stephen Winter, on the implications of the recent passing of the Redress System for Abuse in Care Act.

In 1996, after 20 years of debate and pushback from oil lobbyists, New Zealand banned the use of leaded gasoline in cars. An exception, however, remained, with leaded petrol still permitted for use in light aircraft, helicopters and motor racing. Lead, even in small doses, has been linked to negative health effects including neurodevelopmental disorders. 

I spoke with Dr John Horrocks, an independent researcher who, in collaboration with University of Otago Public Health Professor Nick Wilson, published a briefing on the continued use of lead in New Zealand. We discussed why leaded petrol is still being used, what health effects it might have, and what we can do to phase its use out.

This week on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science this week, we’re doing things a little differently, with two new experts, Professor Sebastian Leuzinger and Associate Professor Armagan Sabetian, chat with us about Octopus brains and fast-aging fish.

Host Alex speaks with Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago, Andrew Geddis, about New Zealand First’s promise to restrict voting rights for non-citizens.

Producer Liam chats with Associate Professor Jennifer Frost from the University of Auckland about America’s 250th Anniversary, how people have engaged with it, and how President Donald Trump is increasingly modelling himself as a king and distancing himself from the principals that founded the United States. 

Liam also speaks to Dr John Horrocks, an independent researcher, about the continued use of leaded petrol in New Zealand for light aircraft and motor racing, the possible health consequences of the use of leaded petrol, and what this country can do to phase it out completely. 

On Sunday, New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters pledged that NZ First would bar non-citizens from voting, emphasising ideals about what citizenship means as a requirement to vote. A promise that Peters has made before, the pledge has been questioned over whether there’s actually any problem with the current system, how this will harm permanent residents in New Zealand, and what NZ First's goal is with the pledge against the background of their anti-immigration stances.

Host Alex spoke with Andrew Geddis, Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago, about this promise, and what it could mean for non-citizens.

This week on the Monday Wire... 

For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party, News Director Castor spoke to MP Simon Court about proposals to reduce the number of government ministries and about what the ACT Party has for Auckland. 

They also spoke to Associate Professor of Law, Vernon Rive, about iwi leader and climate activist Mike Smith’s new case against the New Zealand government.

And Producer Jude spoke to distinguished scholar and scientist, Dr. Kevin Trenberth, about the heatwave in Europe and the eastern half of the United States.

Europe and the eastern half of the United States are currently experiencing an intense heatwave. 

This heatwave is caused by a strong high-pressure weather pattern, or otherwise known as an anticyclone or a "heat dome”. This traps a large amount of hot air, which then sinks to the ground. It brings with it dry and sunny days. 

The current anticyclone has been stuck in place for roughly two weeks. With the trapped air absorbing more heat on the daily. 

Heatwaves are considered the most dangerous type of weather event, with an approximated TWENTY THOUSAND heat related deaths in Europe alone. 

The eastern half of the United States has also seen some extreme consequences from the heat, with at least TWENTY FIVE deaths confirmed over this weekend. The extreme heat has also coincided with Independence Day celebrations, prompting warnings that such hot and dry conditions could increase the risk of wildfires in some places.

Heatwaves to this extent aren’t caused purely by weather but are driven by global warming and climate change.

To learn more about this heatwave, its causes and what we can do about it. Producer Jude spoke to distinguished scholar and scientist, Dr Kevin Trenberth.