Afternoons

It's time for New Zealand Sporting history and today we're looking back at some of the great Bledisloe clashes The All Blacks will put their Eden park record on the line when they take on the wallabies this saturday We haven't been beaten at Eden Park since 1994 - and it's been 40 years since Australia last beat us there Tony Johnson will be calling the game for Sky Sport, he joins Jesse to discuss.

We've got a segment on Afternoons we like to call Roadie Songs ..we want to know the songs you love to turn up loud when you're on a road trip. If you have a song and a story you'd like to share, send your suggestion to 2101 along with your phone number. We love chatting to you .. cold calls are always an adventure .. take a listen to this chat with John

Okay it is time to talk relationships now .. Jesse is joined by Professor Kirsty Ross from Massey University's School of Psychology to discuss some thorny issues. If you have a relationship pickle you need some advice on please get in touch .. on 2101 or drop us an email at afternoons@rnz.co.nz

Later this month The Decult conference is happening in Christchurch. The first such event was held in 2024 and it successfully brought together people with lived experiences of cults .. including Gloriavale and Destiny Church. Some of them telling their stories on stage for the first time. One of the people taking part this year is Ganesh Cherian, a former bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ganesh is with Jesse.

The impact of humans on New Zealand's forests has been dramatic .. and now a new book by artist and social historian Richard Wolfe reveals in pictures just how dramatic. The Passing of the Forest features more than 50 colour reproductions from New Zealand and Australian artists showing the effect of deforestation but also explores ways to replace what's been lost. Richard Wolfe is with Jesse to discuss.

An opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald by Steve Maharey caught our eye and we wanted to know more. Steve writes that Kiwis have champagne taste but a beer budget ... and it's not working for us. This election is being described as a cost of living battle .. and the word tax is frequent on the campaign trail .. but what seems to be less discussed is vision for the future .. and how we generate more cash so we can pay for the champagne lifestyle we all enjoy. Steve Maharey is a former minister in Helen Clark's Labour-led Government, former lecturer and Vice-Chancellor of Massey University, and now an independent director ... he's with Jesse to share his ideas.

Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan star in the shortest show on radio, where they show they really can make something out of nothing, join them to be part of their delight, or to simply despair. Wallace will also preview what's on The Panel tonight.

It's one of the defining debates about childhood today, the role smartphones and social media play in the youth mental health crisis. Some researchers point to them as a major source of anxiety, depression and lost childhood. Governments, including our own, have responded with proposed social media bans. But psychologist Dr Peter Gray argues we need to look at the bigger change that happened before smartphones. Children have lost independence, unsupervised play and the chance to work things out for themselves. In his new book, he argues that social media may be more a symptom than cause, and that restricting screens alone won't restore what children have lost. The book is called Restoring Childhood: How to Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety.

We've got a segment on Afternoons we like to call Roadie Songs ..we want to know the songs you love to turn up loud when you're on a road trip. If you have a song and a story you'd like to share, send your suggestion to 2101 along with your phone number. We love hearing your picks and why.

Sarah Tuck from Dish magazine joins Jesse to share a recipe and talk about the new cookbook - Dish Chook Book. The recipe is HERE!

It's time for Heading Off.. where we hear all about your travel adventures, think of it as a 2026 version of a slideshow. If you have an interesting story to tell.. please get in touch on 2101 or email me at jesse@rnz.co.nz Last month marked 50 years since my next guest Maggie set off on an adventure of a lifetime ... travelling overland from London to Cape Town in a former British Army snub-nosed Bedford.

Our Changing World's Ayana Piper-Healion joins Jesse to talk about the Bird of the Year, the Karure, Chatham Island Black Robin.

Political commentator Dr Claire Robinson joins Jesse to reflect on last night's Leaders' Debate and discuss what both leaders might do differently next time.

A new space has opened just north of Auckland in Whangaparaoa for neurodivergent people and their whanau. It's called Whare Wairua, and it's the latest project from Xabilities, a neurodivergent-led organisation founded by Tamara Grant. To tell us more about it, Tamara was with Jesse in the Auckland Studio.

Ahead of the hotly anticipated Indian tour of New Zealand .. it seems all is not well behind the scenes at NZ Cricket One of the sport's most famous names, Sir Richard Hadlee, has come out against the organisation - citing concerns around loss of staff, poor morale and a lack of transparency when it comes to a Deloitte report about the future of the sport. And he's not alone .. Former player and NZC president Lesley Murdoch has also raised concerns. So what exactly is going on with New Zealand Cricket? Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the New Zealand Herald and he joins Jesse to discuss.

Dr Jamie Beaton has turned earning university degrees into something of an endurance sport. He has 12 university qualifications that make the education section on his CV look like a catalogue of some of the world's most prestigious universities including Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Oxford. And he's not done yet. The New York Times recently featured Dr Beaton's many academic achievements. He's also the co-founder Crimson Education, the multi million dollar company that helps students get into top universities around the world. But Beaton's story is about more than collecting qualifications. It's about an almost relentless appetite to learn and what happens when education becomes a lifelong pursuit.

Every Tuesday we put a dilemma to you and get your thoughts on how to solve it. This week we're looking at whether a party planner is too tough on late cancellations. Send your thoughts to 2101 or email us afternoons@rnz.co.nz

Tim Batt joins Jesse to discuss the latest news from the world of tech. This week he is looking into Samsung Fridges software update fail, consumer purchasable Exo-skeletons, PS5 games on your PC and a new set of laptops from Google called Googlebooks!

It's time for Mayoral minutes where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing, how they're working to solve them and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to the Whanganui District, which is located on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island .. from there Mayor Andrew Tripe joins Jesse.

School holidays are the perfect time to get the younger people in your life reading .. here to help with suggestions is the Director of Library at Auckland Grammar School .. Catherine Ross. For Ages 10+ The Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White For Ages 13+ Hatchet Girls by Diana Wallach It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass For All Ages (Non-Fiction) Witches - James I and the English Witch Hunts by Tracy Borman

President Vladimir Putin has been at the centre of power in Russia for more than 25 years. To get a better understanding of who he is, ABC News journalist Riley Stuart pulled together interviews with people who've met, investigated, and studied Putin for an article on the leader. Riley chats to Jesse.

The Pasifika population in the Nelson Tasman region is steadily growing .. so it makes sense the region will play host to an inaugural Pasifika Festival. The festival is happening on Saturday the 17th of October, festival director Nikita Takai is here to tell us all about it.

Tonight we'll see the first leaders debate between National leader Christopher Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins .. it's on TVNZ1 at 7pm and you can also listen to it right here on RNZ .. Jack Tame is the moderator. To get an insider's view on what it's like to be at the podium for these big political events, Paddy Gower is with us. Paddy moderated the Newshub leaders' debates in the 2017, 2020 and 2023 election cycles .. this year he will be back behind the podium when the two Chrises go head to head for the Stuff Leaders' Debate on October 20th. He's also be presenting election night coverage on TV3 on November 7th. Paddy chats to Jesse.

The latest RNZ Reid Research poll once again shows support for the major political parties dropping, and the minor parties becoming increasingly relevant. That got us wondering about whether this is the end of an era for party politics as we know it ... indeed if this is the last election when there will even be major and minor parties and therefore MMP properly and fully realised. Marcus Ganley is a public law specialist with firm Franks Ogilvie but was previously a ministerial adviser to the Clark government and held senior roles in Australian federal politics, he did his thesis on the first MMP election back in 1998. He joins Jesse.

Today we're starting off with the story that's captured international atttention .. the United States says it's keeping a close eye on the death of an employee at a Russian laboratory. According to some media reports, the researcher died from pneumonia of an unknown origin .. others have alleged that a test tube containing a pneumonic-plague-causing-patheogen was broken .. and was the cause. We wanted to get some straight answers .. so who better to ask than Epidemiologist and University of Otago professor Michael Baker.

Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan star in the shortest show on radio, where they show they really can make something out of nothing, join them to be part of their delight, or to simply despair. Wallace will also preview what's on The Panel tonight.

How often have you said to yourself "I know I should do it, but I keep putting it off." And as much as we'd like to blame distraction sending it off course, generally it's more likely procrastination. Dr Itamar Shatz is a procrastination researcher and lecturer at Cambridge University and a procrastinator himself. He says we put things off because that's just the way our brains are wired. We were built to choose what feels good right now over long-term goals. He argues that sometimes the strategies we use to get ourselves moving can actually make things worse. His book is Solving Procrastination: The Science of Why We Put Things Off and How to (Finally!) Stop.

We've got a segment on Afternoons we like to call Roadie Songs ..we want to know the songs you love to turn up loud when you're on a road trip. If you have a song and a story you'd like to share, send your suggestion to 2101 along with your phone number. We love hearing your picks and why.

Afternoons TV critic Caitlin Cherry joins Jesse to share her thoughts on A Remarkable Place to Die (Season 2) TVNZ and The Chase TVNZ.

It's time for our expert feature... where we invite an expert on the show to answer all your questions and today we're looking at soil. Soil is one of the most biodiverse habitats on earth, home to an incredible and often unseen ecosystem Dr Frank Ashwood is a soil biologist at University of Canterbury and the author of 'The World Beneath Our Feet' If you have a question for Frank please text us on 2101 or email me at jesse@afternoons.co.nz

Is there anything better than being surrounded by like minded people doing something you love? Well, that's what clubbing is all about here on Afternoons. If you have a club or society you'd like Jesse to visit you can get in touch on 2101 or email him at jesse@rnz.co.nz. This week we're chatting to Suzie Pentelow - Ulysses Club President.

News' Jacob Johnson joins Jesse to discuss what's making the headlines in Australia. This week Jacob discusses the rugby league grand final, an update on the crash that saw ten Newcastle Knights fans injured and some wild weather in New South Wales.

A few weeks ago we got an email from a listener asking why vinyl records cost so much. We decided to find out, and who better to chat to then Ben Wallace from Holiday Records - co-founder of New Zealand's only vinyl pressing plant Holiday Records.

Along with taxes, education and health, energy is proving to be a big talking point in the run up to the election .. which is now 33 days away. All the political parties have released some energy policies .. and while they're quite varied in their approaches .. the main focus seems to be bringing down the cost of electricity for us consumers. Our first guest would like electric transport to also be part of the conversation .. he's calling for a 'great EV comeback' and has some ideas about how to make it happen. Mike Casey, Rewiring Aotearoa Chief Executive joins Jesse.

Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan star in the shortest show on radio, where they show they really can make something out of nothing, join them to be part of their delight, or to simply despair. Wallace will also preview what's on The Panel tonight.

Time to chat critter of the week .. it's a segment Nicola Toki and Jesse have been doing for eleven years now . and there are still new creatures to learn about. Before they get into it .. reminder that critter of the week merch is able to be pre ordered .. but you need to be in quickly .. they close on midnight Sunday. The link is HERE

Stan Scott joins Jesse to answer all your DIY and building questions - send them in on 2101 or email us afternoons@rnz.co.nz

Country Life is the RNZ show that puts the spotlight on rural New Zealand and shares the stories from rural New Zealanders. It's on air tonight at 7pm and again tomorrow morning at 7am .. and of course always on rnz.co.nz Here to tell us what you can expect from the show this weekend is Country Life's

The head chef Auckland's Ada Restaurant, Kia Kanuta champions Maori ingredients and innovative hangi techniques. He chats to Jesse.

Afternoons critic Kate Rodger joins Jesse to discuss Digger and Verity - both out in cinemas now and both getting very mixed reviews!!

Every week we delve into the mysterious .. the unexplained .. the stories that send a shiver down your spine .. If you've got a Freaky Friday story you'd like to share - text us on 2101 or Jesse@rnz.co.nz Today we're joined by Steve.

To mark the 40th birthday of New Zealand's first animated feature, Footrot Flats, a newly remastered print will coming back to cinemas in January. The brand-new trailer for the film dropped today, one of the original producer's Pat Cox chats to Jesse.

When it comes to distinctly New Zealand things ... pounamu would have to be right up there with the Kiwi and the koru. But from a geology perspective, it turns out there's a lot we don't know about it. Nephrite jade, as it's known scientifically, is one of the toughest natural materials on Earth, and a University of Otago researcher is trying to work out why. Geology PhD candidate Natalia Seliutina chats to Jesse.

Along with health, education and energy .. AI is a talking point this election .. but it can be hard to know where the political parties stand on the issue. And our next guest says that's concerning. The University of Otago's Dr Michael Daubs has written an opinion piece for Newsroom outlining what he thinks should be considered for any AI election policies. He joins Jesse to discuss.

There's less than a month left to enrol to vote and the number of 18 to 24 year olds signed up is pretty dismal at just under 61 percent. It's an issue that we discussed in our Politics Group Chat yesterday .. you can find that conversation on the Afternoons website if you want to take a listen .. and led to a lot of feedback from many of you. So we thought it would be worth talking to someone actually in that age bracket to find out what can be done to lift the number of young voters. Caeden Tipler is a student activist, journalist and was the previous co-director of the organisation Make it 16 - they join Jesse to discuss.

Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan star in the shortest show on radio, where they show they really can make something out of nothing, join them to be part of their delight, or to simply despair. Wallace will also preview what's on The Panel tonight.

Personal finance whizz Mary Holm is in the Auckland studio with Jesse to chat about health insurance. She looks at whether you should have health insurance and how to keep costs down if you do.

It's time for A- Z of Aotearoa ... We've been making our way through the alphabet covering the iconic people, places and moments that make up this beautiful country of ours ....and we've made it all the way to Z! We've covered Aviation, Fish and Chips, Charles Upham, The Great Walks, The Māori Battalion and many more If you'd like to listen to any of our previous episodes you can find them on our Afternoons page at rnz.co.nz Today for Z.. we'll be discussing the world's first fully fenced ecosanctuary today ... Zealandia Te Mara a Tane! Located just 2.5 kilometres from Wellington's central business district, Time magazine named it one of the 100 greatest places in the world The Zealandia team have reintroduced 23 native species into the region, some of which were absent from mainland Aotearoa New Zealand for more than 100 years. To discuss this incredible place .. we'll be chatting to one of Zealandia's dedicated volunteers shortly .. but first we welcome Dr Danielle Shanahan the Chief Executive of Zealandia…

No one likes to be criticized. Nobody likes to be rejected. For some people, criticism doesn't just sting, it can set off a whole chain reaction of embarrassment, self-doubt, overthinking and even physical pain. Psychiatrist and ADHD expert Dr Sasha Hamdani says that may have less to do with how thick your skin is and more to do with how your brain is wired. She knows it firsthand. She's highly sensitive herself. In her new book Hamdani argues that sensitivity isn't a flaw that needs fixing. It can shape the way you experience the world bringing challenges, but also some unexpected strengths. The book is called Too Sensitive: How to Stop Overthinking, Overreacting, and Getting Hurt.

Thursdays are when we have our politics group chat .. our chance to discuss some of the issues that have hit the headlines over the past week. Jesse is joined by comedian and commentator Tim Batt, screenwriter and FSU member Dane Giraud and former TOP candidate and author of the Substack Less Certain Natalia Albert.