RNZ: Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan

Jesse is joined by The Panel host Wallace Chapman and producer Jose Barbosa to preview this evening's show.

With just one breath, New Zealand freediver Ant Williams set a new world record, swimming 182 meters underwater and under ice. That's the length of nearly two full rugby fields. He takes us all along for the ride with a documentary called Ice Dive, part of the Adventure series on Apple Vision Pro. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Williams says he wants to show us all just how far we can go by pushing fear and doubt and comfort aside in our lives.

Time to check what's happening in Australia and today Brad Foster focuses on a new report from the Australian Climate Service, the banks coming under fire and a John Farnham Musical!

Catherine Robertson joins Jesse to talk about her reading recommendations. Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes (Atria/Simon and Schuster) The Lost Saint by Rachael Craw (Allen and Unwin) Murder on Milverton Square by G.B. Ralph (Amazon worldwide)

It's Tuesday which means we get an insight into the issues bubbling away in the tech world ... Tim Batt is here to share the latest and today he's looking at Nintendo and a patent legal challenge.

How New Zealand media covered Covid-19 made the pandemic seem like a competition or a war the country was winning. That's according to a University of Otago study. Bioethics researchers analysed more than a thousand news articles .. and the result is fascinating. Lead author and PHD candidate Emma Anderson talks to Jesse.

Mark Campbell has won this year's National James Dyson Award and taken home $11,000 NZD in prize money.

A shortage of registered pharmacists means the sector is under an immense amount of pressure. 

Loneliness isn't the urgent crisis we've been led to believe. It's not a new problem. It's not an emergency and it's not beyond our control says psychiatrist and Professor at Trinity College Dublin Brendan Kelly. Almost everyone goes through times when we feel lonely. It's an unchanging part of human life. And while it can be a challenge for many people, Dr Kelly argues that mislabelling loneliness as an epidemic and medicalizing normal human experiences can distract us from long-term solutions. Professor Kelly joins us from Dublin.

Time for our expert feature. Today we're looking at energy. That is electricity, petrol, oil and all the fuels that make the modern word run. The expert we'll be putting talking to is Geoff Bertram. He's an economist and writer with decades of experience looking at the energy sector.

Time now for me to make a cold call, which always adds some spontaneity to my, and hopefully your, Monday. Will they answer? Will they be happy to chat? Today Jesse chances his luck with the Marlborough Citizens Advice Bureau.

This week our tv critic Philippa Rennie reviews Task (Neon) and the latest investigation by John Campbell, Under His Command - Season 2. (TVNZ)

Internationally acclaimed architect, educator, and the 2022 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize Francis Kéré is currently in the country delivering a series of public lectures in Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington as part of the 2025 Futuna Lecture Series Francis first gained international recognition with the very first building he designed - a primary school in his home village of Gando, Burkina Faso. Since then, he has gone on to design acclaimed buildings across the globe. He is known for involving community at the heart of his projects drawing inspiration from the natural landscape and using local materials in his projects Francis Kére spoke to Jesse.

As anyone who has ever been to a wedding .. funeral .. or work function knows .. being able to speak eloquently and confidently in front of a crowd, takes talent. Whether really good ... or really bad .. speeches are memorable. Oracy is the ability to express oneself fluently in speech and our next guest is worried that our children are falling behind with their oracy skills. Karena Shannon is from Oracy Aotearoa New Zealand.

There have been a raft of proposed changes to school curriculums announced in the last week .. including agribusiness, agriculture and horticulture science being removed as stand alone subjects and only being taught as a vocational hands-on pathway from 2028. Kerry Allen, is the curriculum director of AgriBusiness in Schools, she joins Jesse to explain why she thinks this is a poor decision.

The critter for this week is rytinotus squamulosus, the debris cloaking bark beetle! 

Today, we're discussing knitting.

Gretchen Lowe talks Emile through this delicious sounding recipe from her new book My Weekend Table. Gretchen says this salad goes well with her quick roast chicken recipe; that's also in the book.

Kate Rodger joins Emile to discuss two new films, Downton Abbey and Bad Guys 2.

Reach for your comfort blanket now because its Freaky Friday time! The time of the week where we speak to you, the Afternoons listeners, about your strangest and spookiest experiences. Get in touch if you have a goosebump-inducing story of your own to share, either on text 2101 or email afternoons@rnz.co.nz

A group of women will be trying their hand at stand-up this weekend, as part of a new initiative aimed at getting more Pasifika women into comedy.

It's not always easy to tell if our pets are experiencing pain and discomfort so it's essential for owners to look for clues that our furry friends might be in pain. While acute pain can be obvious... chronic pain can be more subtle.. and we might mistake these changes in behaviour as "getting old" or "slowing down" So what are the signs to look out for? Natalie Lloyd is the Secretary of the Companion Animal Veterinarians Branch of the New Zealand Veterinary Association and an experienced vet.

It feels like the world is watching as American authorities try to find the person responsible for the killing of Charlie Kirk. 

t's time to talk money with Mary Holm, and today she has got some tips on buying a house or an apartment.

Here on Afternoons we've been making our way through the A-Z of Aotearoa. Today we focus on Sir Edmund Hillary.

Kate Rodger and Afternoons Senior Producer Olivia Wilson talk about musicians leaving Spotify and a celebrity interview with Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri.

Eric Beecher, who was once hired by Rupert Murdoch as editor of The Herald in Melbourne, offers his unique perspective. 

A very special book Silent Witnesses was launched this week at the Elmwood Rest Home in Auckland's Manurewa.

Will we see Kiwis living on Mars anytime soon? 

Time now for Our Changing World, we're catching up with host Claire Concannon who has been learning about one very kitted-out electric van, and what it might be able to tell us about our carbon emissions.

Perfect is the enemy of good. It's also the enemy of joy, creativity, relationships and even our health. We are living in the age of perfectionism says acclaimed author and contributing writer for The New Yorker, Leslie Jamison. Perfectionism used to be considered a "respectable flaw" you can confess to in a job interview. But now, with easy access to weight loss drugs and filtering apps, the illusion of perfect is everywhere. Her latest article explains the flaws that lie within flawless. Her piece is called The Pain of Perfectionism.

It's time for Bookmarks now and today I'm joined by one of the most recognisable faces of stage and screen in this country, Mark Hadlow. Tickets are on sale now for the sequel to one of New Zealand's most successful plays, 'MAMIL' aka Middle-Aged Men in Lycra. Mark has reunited with writer-director Gregory Cooper for the follow-up. It's called 'GOMIL' aka Grumpy Old Men in Lycra. It's touring venues all over the country between the 18th of September and the 17th of October. Mark joins Jesse to tell us about the show along with some of his favourite things.

A cosy dish that tastes of warmer weather thanks to Kelly Gibney. Tinned cherry tomatoes are such a brilliant way to get that bright taste of summer all year round. Here they are the star of a simple risotto, along with melting chunks of fresh mozzarella and a splash of balsamic vinegar. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil is the lovely way to garnish each bowl.

Jesse is joined by Jeremy Parkinson, the Executive Producer of RNZ's First Up.

Zero Waste Aotearoa held its annual hui this week, marking 25 years since the movement first began here in New Zealand The core principle of zero waste is to minimise waste production as much as possible... and then to compost, reuse, or recycle what's left Gerry Gillespie has over 30 years of experience designing organic recovery systems - and he's been involved with the zero-waste movement since the very beginning.

Graham Lowther has been documenting the damage vehicles are doing to Muriwai Beach. 

Waikato District Council is considering blocking a rocky coastal area in an effort to prevent drownings.

Night sweats, insomnia, brain fog and unexplainable rage; these symptoms came out of nowhere for science writer Amy Alkon. And when she sought help, she was shocked by how little her doctor had to offer. So, Amy went looking for the answers herself. She found that women's health is routinely misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated. She discovered tools to help women make better choices, like this cancer risk assessment calculator. Her book is called 'Going Menopostal: What You (and Your Doctor) Need to Know About the Real Science of Menopause and Perimenopause.

Huge news out of Australia today that a resolution has been reached by the Murdoch family, after a long running legal battle for control of Rupert Murdoch's companies, News Cory and Fox Corporation. Here to share more details is our friend from across the Tasman, Brad Foster.

Bill Hastings joins Jesse to chat about what he's been reading. 

Evie Ashton shares her top listens: What's My Age Again? Katherine Ryan Maori Made Easy - Scotty Morrison

t's no secret that New Zealand's music and arts scene is under pressure and local Wellington radio station RadioActive.FM is no exception.