Afternoons

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 Seliutin...

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 act...

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 Maori Battalion and many more If you'd like to listen to any of our previous episodes you can find them on our...

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 se...

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.

At just 10 years old, Hastings Central School student Renee Kundu is already a national speech champion after winning the Year 5 and Year 6 category of this year's GreatTalk National Speech Competition. She is with Jesse to tell him all about it.

As AI has grown more and more sophisticated, schools and universities have had to rethink what a student assessment should actually prove. This is what's led University of Auckland engineering lecturer Dr Thomas Loho to try something new. He joins Jesse to discuss.

Celebrations are underway across the country this week as loads of university students graduate. But many of them say excitement is muted because it is so hard to find a job in New Zealand. One telling RNZ that "no-one's even sending rejections, they're just leaving you empty". According to employment website Seek, advertisements for graduate jobs made up just over 2 percent of the overall share o...

It's time for Bookmarks where we invite an interesting person on the show to discuss some of their favourite books...films .. music and more. Today we're joined by outgoing National MP and former Minister Chris Penk. Chris has spent the past 9 years as an MP representing Auckland's Helensville. In August he made headlines when he was stripped of his ministerial portfolios over a failed leadership...

Every Wednesday we like to share a recipe that is light on time and heavy on flavour, it's a segment we call Easy Eats. This week we're stoked to have The Burnt Butter Table director Emilie Pullar with us. Recipe link is HERE!

It's time for Heading Off where we hear all about your travel adventures .. we love getting the real experience not the glossy travel brochure version! If you have an interesting story to tell.. please get in touch on 2101 or email me at jesse@rnz.co.nz. Today we're off to Ypres and Mesen in Belgium and our tour guide is Jan Patterson.

To climate news now and while our politicians deal with claims that we've broken our climate change promises in the EU free trade agreement, many scientists are focused on another issue. A major new study has found that an area previously thought of as relatively stable, might be anything but. Climate scientists are calling for urgent research on East Antarctica and in particular Wilkes Subglacial...

In the Auckland studio with Jesse is Ali Ventura, head of content at RNZ, Kate Rodger friend of the show, and Senior Afternoons producer Olivia Wilson - they're there to discuss the topics that might not make the news headlines but will be filling up your group chats.

Our next guest was a city slicker before she got an opportunity to get into farming .. twenty years on she's still in the industry, living and working on a large-scale North Canterbury dairy farm. Anthea Rolfe says she had a lot to learn about farming, but one thing she wasn't expecting was the isolation of farm life, especially for women.

New Zealand, we have a problem. It's one we must fix. During yesterday's Treasury announcement Iain Rennie made it clear we're in a tenuous financial position thanks to our ageing population and ballooning superannuation costs. So what can we do about it? Dr Claire Matthews is the Head of the School of Accountancy and Finance at Massey Business School, she joins Jesse to share some solutions.

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.

Seven minutes and 40 seconds. That's all it took for a father and son to commit Australia's most devastating terror attack. It took place at the Jewish Chanukah Festival of lights celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach 9 months ago. 55 people were shot, 15 were killed. Alongside the horror were extraordinary acts of courage with strangers helping strangers, people confronting the attackers and first...

We're playing You're the Judge today and it's a really interesting dilemma we're asking you to weigh in on. Should your wishes be respected after death? Mary* has sent us a conundrum she has and wants your feedback. Message us on 2101 or email us afternoons@rnz.co.nz

A good podcast is like good radio .. you can't stop listening! Joining Jesse to share what she's been listening to is our Podcast Critic Jemima Huston. This week she's looking at: Where is Austin Tice? by Josh Baker (BBC and NPR) and All in the Mind with Sana Qadar (ABC)