95bFM: The Wire

Today, Professor Allan Blackman joins Sara and Jasmine in the studio to commemorate Dame Jane Goodall, reveal the hidden treasures of Bearded Vulture nests, and discuss new developments in discovering 'Planet Y'.

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

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

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.

Love all things trams? LIVE Day: Trams is on at MOTAT next 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!

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. 

On Wednesday, the government announced new energy reforms in its Energy Package.

This follows a review into the sector being undertaken by Frontier Economics. Despite this, the government has decided not to follow a significant amount of recommendations within the review.

For our weekly catchup with the ACT Party’s Simon Court, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Court about this package, and some of the backlash the government has received from the sector regarding it.

They also discussed Samuel Leason, Rana Hamida, and Youssef Sammour, being detained in Israel by attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.

The interception of these vessels is illegal under international law, as the interceptions took place in the Mediterranean Sea between 70-80 nautical miles off of the Gazan coast.

This comes a month after over a hundred humanitarian groups have signed an open letter calling for Israel to allow essential aid into the besieged Gaza Strip. They say they are “not authorised” to deliver aid, unless they comply with tough Israeli measures.

Joel also spoke to Court about the three New Zealand detainees, and what the government is doing to get them home.

But first, they discussed energy reforms.

Recently, the University of Auckland, Massey University, and the Victoria University of Wellington, have announced they will not be using software to check over student’s work for AI plagiarism. 

This has left concerns over what the future of checking for AI will mean in these universities, and whether other universities, and tertiary institutions as a whole, will follow suit.

On Friday, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the National President of the Tertiary Education Union, or TEU, Julie Douglas, about this announcement and the union’s thoughts on it.

Following on from my chat with Douglas, Joel spoke to Shahper Richter, a Senior Marketing Lecturer at the University of Auckland about using “interactive oral assessments” or IOA’s, as a way to combat AI in testing students.

She has been testing IOA’s over the past couple of years. In a piece on the Conversation which she co-authors with the University of Auckland’s Patrick Dodd, she says this method of testing is “one of the most effective and authentic ways to see what students really know in the age of AI.”

Joel spoke to her about this method of testing, and what it entails.

Over the last few months, concerns have been raised over the hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Particularly, concerns over human rights in the country, VISA worries, and accusations of sportswashing have been increasingly levied towards the country.

The relative lack of coverage of these concerns, comparatively to concerns over the previous tournament in Qatar, or those in the future in countries like Saudi Arabia, complicate the history that Football and FIFA have with questionable regimes and funding. Despite Trump Administration Policies that seem to threaten the tournament, there continues to be a lack of noise around whether or not the Three host countries should be reduced to two, removing the US.

Monday Wire Producer Alex spoke to a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Auckland, Luke Bird, about this Sportwashing, its background, and why the US and countries like Qatar are treated differently.

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 recent energy reforms, and about the three New Zealanders aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla who have been intercepted by Israel.

Producer Alex spoke to Doctoral Candidate at the University of Auckland Luke Bird about concerns around Sportwashing with the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States in the midst of human rights concerns under the Trump Administration.

Joel spoke to the National President of the Tertiary Education Union or TEU, Julie Douglas, about the University of Auckland, Massey University, and the Victoria University of Wellington, all announcing they will not be using software to detect AI in student’s work, and what this means heading forward.

Following their chat with Douglas, Joel also spoke to Shahper Richter, a Senior Marketing Lecturer at the University of Auckland, about using “interactive oral assessments” or IOA’s, as a way to combat AI in testing students.

Whakarongo mai!

The Israeli military has intercepted the Freedom Flotilla, which is trying to break Israel’s aid blockade by delivering food and medicine to Gaza.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Acacia O’Connor, actor and on-the-ground spokesperson for the Global Movement to Gaza, about Israel's interception of the flotilla, and what we know about the whereabouts of the New Zealanders on board.

Update: All three New Zealanders who are part of the Freedom Flotilla are confirmed to be taken by the Israeli Military. There will be a snap action taking place in Te Komititanga from 3pm today to protest what has happened.

While speaking at the Eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly over the weekend, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced that New Zealand would not be recognising a Palestinian state at this point in time.

Peters’ rationale was that Hamas’s leadership in Gaza would make recognising Palestine an unwise move for New Zealand to make at this point, additionally stating that it could trigger a reaction from Israel that would lead to more aggressive policies in both Gaza and the West Bank, subsequently threatening the two state solution.

Aotearoa for Palestine, the organisers behind the march for humanity, have condemned Winston Peters’ announcement, saying it was indicative of the government’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and that the upcoming march across the Auckland harbour bridge will be held in opposition to the announcement, as well as to call for sanctions on Israel.

Oto spoke with Heba Mortaja from Aotearoa for Palestine to discuss Winston Peters' UN Address and his refusal to recognise Palestinian statehood.