Afternoons

This week host Claire Concannon joins Jesse to discuss whether GLP1-RA weight loss drugs are worth the hype.

Have authors of children's picture books gone too far in trying to please parents? Our next guest thinks so. LA journalist Jacob Savage recently wrote a piece, How Grown-Ups Ruined Picture Books in which he says, increasingly adults are becoming the target audience for kids' books. To discuss whether we've lost sight of why we read to our kids in the first place Jacob Savage joins Jesse.

Yesterday on the show we chatted to a Christchurch company doing exciting things in the battery world .. today we're keen to talk about another Christchurch based firm .. this one's developed an AI equipped drone. SPS Automation is behind the BFD 70. BFD stands for "Big Friendly Drone", which makes sense, because it is 4.5 metres long. To find out what its going to be used for Jesse is joined by S...

The 2026 Rugby League World Cup kicks off tomorrow evening in Sydney The first match reignites one of sports great rivalries when New Zealand takes on Australia. The Aussies are defending men's and women's champions, having won every tournament since 2008, but the Kiwis and the Kiwi Ferns look strong and there are some good looking challengers from the Pacific nations. With Jesse to explain everyt...

This morning Earth Sciences New Zealand published the 2026/27 Tropical Cyclone outlook. It predicts that the Southwest Pacific could experience at least four category 3 tropical cyclones this season. That's in addition to a number of smaller storms New Zealand is expected to see the greatest risk in late summer and autumn. To find out what that looks like and why, Earth Sciences NZ's chief Scienti...

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 going to take a revolution to fix our biggest problems and create a sustainable future. A boring revolution says Indy Johar, an architect, Member of the Order of the British Empire and co-founder of Dark Matter Labs. He says we need to transform the systems we barely notice, but shape almost everything about our lives like bureaucracy, governance and the principles of democracy. Johar believe...

Tuesdays are when we play You're the Judge - you send us a dilemma, and we try to help resolve it. We love getting your reckons on what the right, or wrong, course of action is. This week the focus is on whether you should tell a friend their partner is cheating on them. Text 2101 or email afternoons@rnz.co.nz

Every fortnight we like to chat podcasts with our wonderful reviewers .. and we're thrilled that RNZ's Senior Podcast Producer Justine Murray is joining us to share what she's enjoying. Justine is responsible for some of RNZ's top rating podcasts so knows a good thing when she hears it. This week she's reviewing - Your Mama's Kitchen and The Book Review (by the New York Times)

Let's chat books now .. critic Bill Hastings is with Jesse to discuss what he's been reading .. which includes Dame Silvia Cartwright's memoir. That Woman: A Memoir by Silvia Cartwright (Allen & Unwin, 2026) Nigh Night Fawn by Jordy Rosenberg (Penguin, 2026)

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 a stunning part of the country, the Mackenzie District, where you'll find Aoraki Mount Cook, Lake Tekapo and Pukaki and Mayor Scott Aronsen!

One of New Zealand's quirkiest literary awards is back! It's the Surrey Hotel Writers Residency Award - now in its tenth year - but this year it's a little different, writer Steve Braunias is here to explain.

Many of you might be familiar with having an empty nest ... your children have grown up and left the family home .. but new data suggests the nest is getting harder to leave for good. Record numbers of young adult New Zealanders are moving back in with their parents. Census data suggests that 247,000 people in New Zealand aged 18 to 29 live with their parents - a growth of almost 25 per cent since...

Three Westport teenagers set themselves a pretty ambitous challenge over the school holidays. The plan? Tackle four big New Zealand routes - the Heaphy Track, the Paparoa Track, the Old Ghost Road and the Kawatiri Coastal Trail. That's over 250 kilometres, on bikes, with lots of hills and challenges along the way. Teenager Lily Rossiter chats to Jesse about why.

We're going to start today's show focusing on a New Zealand company doing great things on the world stage. You might remember in 2024 here on Afternoons, we spoke to Christchurch company ArcActive about the development of a battery system for affordable home storage. At the time, it was preparing to take its lead-acid battery technology into commerical production. Well, fast forward two years and...

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.

Humans have always looked for explanations for the things we can't understand. Across history, we've turned to religion, mythology and the supernatural to explain what seems to defy explanation. Dr Diana Walsh Pasulka is a professor of religious studies and has spent years talking to people who believe they've encountered UFO's or something beyond ordinary human experience. She says there are stri...

Afternoons critic Dominic Corry is with Jesse in the Auckland studio to share what he's been watching. This week he reviews War (Hayu) Carrie (Prime Video)

It's time for our expert feature, where we invite an expert in their field on the show to answer all your questions. Today we're talking about cryptocurrency ... which seems as divisive as marmite .. some people swear by it, while others think the whole thing is a scam. It's important to note that we're not here promote it or recommend it as an investment .. what we want to know is how it all work...

This is our regular feature where Jesse checks out one of the many amazing clubs around the country, we call it Jesse Goes Clubbing. 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. Ron Vereen joins Jesse.

Every Monday we like to catch up with Brad Foster and find out what people are talking about over in Australia. This week Brad will tell us about Sydney's heatwave, credit card fees, Powderfinger making a return and of course the Bledisloe Cup.

An old colonial era brew from America is making a comeback. Here Now host Kadambari Raghukumar visited Nelson to visit the makers of Elsewhen, to learn about how raw pioneering spirit gave way to a smooth cocktail staple.

We want to talk supermarkets because on Friday independent grocery retailer Paddock to Pantry announced they're taking on the duopoly of Woolworths and Foodstuffs. The online supermarket - which already operates two stores in South Auckland - plans to open 20 more over the next 5 years. The first of the new stores is due to open in Kinloch, near Taupo, in December. Paddock to Pantry business manag...

Later this month people around Taranaki will opening up their homes, gardens, and farms to showcase the ways they try to live a little more sustainably. Taranaki Sustainable Trails runs for 17 days from the 30th of October, with more than 30 events and 34 properties to visit. One of this year's trail hosts is Jane Bowden-Dobson, who's showing off her Ahu Ahu property. She joins Jesse.

The so-called Cornell 7 case has sparked international attention .. and each day it seems more evidence emerges publicly. Last month a woman, known publicly as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell University and seven Chi Phi fraternity members over an alleged sexual assault that took place in 2024. According to reports, one aspect of the case centres on a snapchat group involving more...