RNZ: Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan

It's that time of the year when your KiwiSaver annual statement comes out. Mary Holm explains why you should read it!

In today's installment of A-Z of Aotearoa, we're talking about the humble New Zealand dairy.

Culture 101's Perlina Lau and Afternoons Senior Producer Olivia Wilson explain the blank face response some Gen Z's use and why it is infuriating some older people.

Hungerball is a new game that sees players in an inflatable arena try to score and defend their goal.

The music video for Lorde's latest single, 'Hammer', has racked up three-quraters-of-a-million views on YouTube.

A new study from the University of Canterbury has shown that seaweed could potentially avert a significant number of deaths from starvation in the future.

Humans have periods of great success followed by decline and eventual collapse. It's what we do. Golden Ages lose their shine. We are living in the greatest Golden Age of all time and what happens next for us isn't fate, it's a choice says Swedish historian, lecturer and commentator Johan Norberg. He mines lessons from golden ages of the past to help keep our present one going longer in his new book, Peak Human, What We Can Learn from the Rise and Fall of Golden Ages.

Milly Mitchell-Anyon is a rising voice in Aotearoa's arts scene - she's held exhibitions at Sarjeant Gallery, Puke Ariki, and Dunedin Public Art Gallery. She's just launched 'Flaming Star' a genre-bending show which reimagines the Wild West through queer and Indigenous lenses. She shares her book, music, film and podcast picks with Jesse.

Kelly Gibney talks through her divine sounding meatball recipe. She says the meatballs stay incredibly moist and tender with the addition of grated carrot. Chickpeas are an economical addition to the smoky tomato sauce, that brings texture and added nutrition. Traditionally this dish might be served with crusty bread, roast potatoes or a green salad but rice also works really well.

Critic Matthew Crawley shares his top tunes, Waste Away by Void Waves and For Each Familiar Scene by Damien Jurado.

Meredith Quick has been on an 'Uncharted Expedition' that took her from Kazakhstan to Mongolia, and today she tells Jesse all about the mysterious excursion. 

The ferry SS Toroa turns 100 this year and passionate volunteers are asking for help to get her restoration complete, and see the steam boat back on the Waitemata.

Rakiura / Stuart Island is home to 105 Pukunui. It's the only place in the world they can be found Doc class them as 'Threatened - Nationally Critical'. Just one step away from extinction.

Researchers from the University of Canterbury have successfully developed chainsaw drones with the goal of improving worker safety.

Sir Peter Jackson got everyone talking with his plans to bring back the moa (in in partnership with the Ngai Tahu Research Centre at Canterbury University and Canterbury Museum). But he's not the first to want to resurrect the past, earlier this year Texas company Colossal Biosciences announced it had successfully brought back 3 dire wolf cubs after 10 thousand years of extinction. Jesse talks to a member of the Colossal team, Dr Andrew Pask.

It's the kind of story you can imagine becoming a Hollywood feature film, a German backpacker found alive and well after two weeks lost in the Western Australian outback. Brad Foster shares the latest on the story with Jesse.

Catherine Ross, the Director of Library at Auckland Grammar School, shares her picks for the tweens and teens in your life. For ages 11+, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. For ages 13+, Ordinary Monsters (Book 1 in Trilogy) by J.M. Miro. For ages 14+, Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor; Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid, The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. Click here for more information.

With 18 million downloads, "The Worst Idea of all Time" is one of our most successful podcasts. Ali Ventura shares why she thinks it is so good, plus she looks at podcasts Redhanded and Good Hangs.

New Zealand farmers use well over 3,000 tonnes of pesticide annually. But a new genomic study has discovered a way to potentially cut that by 80%. Using DNA sequencing technology, Lincoln University scientists believe it's possible to stop mass applications and instead switch to a targeted approach. Currently the project - led by Lincoln University Associate Professor Dr Chris Winefield - is focusing on vineyards

While some rugby players choose to wear headgear, those thin, foam caps don't prevent concussions, so many choose not to. But now, research has found isotropic materials may offer more comfort and protection for players. Nick Draper, Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Canterbury chats to Jesse.

As you've seen across the news, the Nelson and Tasman Districts have been hammered with adverse weather. Homes flooded, properties ruined, and livelihoods turned upside down. There have been lots of stories about the terrible weather events, but according to Bernard Hickey, none of them mentioned climate change. Bernard Hickey asks why not.

Why is it such a battle to get kids to put on warm clothing? In the middle of winter? We talk to the Parenting Place to find out if it's actually okay to let them go out without a coat on.

Violence in movies and video games normalizes a culture of cruelty says Dr. Henry Giroux, a leading voice on education, media, and democracy. He says modern entertainment packages violence as a product, turning brutality into something exciting, routine, and even justified. Dr Giroux explains how the normalization of violence doesn't just dull us to suffering, it weakens democratic values and discourages us from thinking critically about the world around us.

Dr Chaey Leem is an obesity doctor, so he knows all about the challenges of losing weight. He joins us to answer listener's questions about weight loss drugs.

Each week Jesse cold calls an information centre, today the spotlight is on Auckland!

This week Caitlin Cherry is looking at the new show The Waterfront on Netflix and discusses the growing Slow TV movement on YouTube.

Kerikeri couple Sophia and Bob Warren have become the first over-70s world champions in the sport of Hyrox. The competition combines running and strength activities. What makes this story even more remarkable is that the couple only got into the sport six months ago.

The Black Sox have been named runners up at the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup. 

2025 Junior NZ Golden Guitar awards winner Cleo Fitzgerald performed live in-studio.

This week's star critter is called a scorpion fly and yet it isn't actually a scorpion or a fly. Stumped? Us too... Fortunately, Nicola Toki is with to explain what it is.

Our DIY expert Stan Scott answers your DIY questions.

Bastille Day is day's away, so we thought we'd celebrate French cuisine with today's recipe. Julie Le Clerc is with us to share her Buckwheat Flour Galette recipe.

Afternoons' reviewer Dom Corry joins Jesse to talk about these new releases.

Freaky tales from the state of Queensland.

Esther Hone from Water Safety NZ's "Water Skills for Life Programme' joined Jesse.

Australian researcher Dr Eline Schotsman spoke to Jesse.

The initiative by the charity Lifewise was to raise money for its homelessness initiatives and awareness of the issue.

The word "Tory" is thrown around quite a lot, most publicly and recently by Chris Hipkins making a reference to media company NZME's "Tory owners". So, what is a Tory, and why is it being used here in New Zealand? To explain the history behind the word Jesse was joined by Dr Grant Morris.

We're going to solve some of the world's problems now, and today we're looking at the news, specifically claims of trouble with trust and bias and the resulting fall in audience numbers. Ali Jones knows a thing or two about what makes news great, having worked in the industry and been part of successful shows, and she thinks she might have found a solution.

When it comes to sport and to broadcasting, there isn't much Ric Salizzo hasn't done. 

The Salt Path is a best-selling book, and now film of the same name, that tells the story of a couple who find their lives in ruin and decide to walk Britain's one thousand kilometre South West Coast Path. There has been almost universal praise for the story until now. An investigation by The Observer says much of the story is not true, but does it matter?

Off the back of Jesse's chat with American psychiatric nurse practitioner Allison Sweet Grant about lying to kids about pain, we speak to an expert here about how she deals with children and pain.