RNZ: Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan

Time now to catch up with Our Changing World's Claire Concannon, she's been talking to an Auckland-based team of chemists that have developed a new way to help oil and water mix.

Wednesday means we're halfway through the week, which is often when all cooking inspiration, or indeed motivation, goes out the window, But don't worry, we've got you! Kelly Gibney is with Jesse to share a perfect mid-week recipe.

Time for our weekly travel segment Heading Off. On this segment last week we focussed on slow travel - and we continue that theme this week. "Welcome to my Garden" is a network of free guest accommodation across the world where travellers can camp for free in a host's garden. The only proviso? You must be a slow traveller. Brigitte Masse and her partner have just returned from six months of slow travel around the world and say using "Welcome to my Garden" was one the highlights of their time away

A landmark trans-Tasman dance collaboration will honour Douglas Wright, one of New Zealand's most revered choreographers. The restaging of his iconic work Gloria is being presented by The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) and Co3 Contemporary Dance Australia, for next year's Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts New Zealander Raewyn Hill is Founding Artistic Director of Co3 Contemporary Dance - and she joins Jesse from our Wellington studio.

This morning - New Zealand time - the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly - 427 to1- in favour of the Epstein Files Transparency ACT. That means the US Justice Department has to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein. And while that all might feel a long way away from New Zealand, this is a story that seems to have gripped the world, so we wanted to know more. Washington DC correspondent Mitch McCann joins Jesse to discuss.

Ultra-processed foods are becoming so dominant in our diets, they are causing a surge in diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and depression, that's according to research that has just been released this afternoon. The findings are in three papers by a group of scientists from around the world, including one from New Zealand and published in the medical journal, The Lancet. It's estimated that consumption of ultra processed food here in New Zealand is around 50-60 percent of our diet. The New Zealander who co-authored one of The Lancet papers is Auckland University Professor Boyd Swinburn. He talks to Jesse.

This week Thrift is looking into decorating your home, without breaking the bank. In this second episode with an op shopping expert, Katy Gosset looks at home design on a budget and tags along on a thrift shop mission.

Our weekly segment where we ask the audience to help with irks or pickles that listeners have sent in. Today - should grandparents be paid to help care for their grandchildren?

When John Fugelsang was growing up, his parents and his church taught him that Christianity was about kindness, forgiveness, and helping your neighbor. But he says somewhere along the way between the televangelists, the politicians, and the endless culture wars, Christianity got hijacked. He says he's watching in disbelief as people use Jesus as a campaign slogan while promoting laws that seem more judgmental than Christian. A comedian, radio host, and actor who was in the film Coyote Ugly, Fugelsang challenges Christian nationalism and the politicians and influencers who he says promote the wrong answer to the question; What Would Jesus Do? His new book, Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds.

Jesse catches up with Brad Foster about the news across the Tasman. Today he'll chat about The Liberal Party's decision to abandon net zero by 2050 climate target; where Australia is at with the play sand recall and the latest in sport.

Catherine Ross, the Director of Library at Auckland Grammar School and creator of the blog 'The School Book Wizard' joins me with some recommendations that would make good Christmas presents. For Ages 10-12+ The Grimmelings by Rachael King (Aotearoa Author) Published in 2024 Wolf Road (#1 in series) by Alice Roberts Published in 2023 For Ages 13/14+ Best of all Worlds by Kenneth Oppel Published in 2025 For everyone and anyone (over the age of 11/12 depending on their reading maturity!) Alanna: The First Adventure (Book 1 in the Song of the Lioness Quartet) By Tamora Pierce Anniversary Edition published 2025

It feels like every day there is something new to be across when it comes to artificial intelligence and keeping across the hype and the fear is rather daunting. Fortunately like most things now, there's a podcast that has you covered! It's called The Last Invention and our podcast critic Ximena Smith tell Jesse whether it's good or not.

A Taranaki programme which provides training and pathways into work has won an environmental award. Tupu a Nuku is delivered by local iwi Ngati Maru and helps rangatahi develop conservation skills. The programme has won the Taranaki Regional Council's Environmental Action in the Community award for 2025. The judges said Tupu a Nuku exemplifies excellence in hands-on, culturally grounded conservation education and the programme's work will have inter-generational impacts. Jayden Waiwiri from the Tupu a Nuku team joins Jesse.

Last night at Parliament the Prime Minister's Space Prizes were presented. These prizes were established to recognise the talented people working in space and aviation and also to inspire younger people to get into the industry. And it seems like it's working, Sophie Ineson, a Year 12 student from Southland Girls' High School won the prize for Student Endeavour, for her project to design better wound care for astronauts. Sophie's prize is NZ$50,000 for tertiary study; she tells Jesse what she plans to do with it!

The Hawke's Bay East Coast Branch Construction Awards celebrates outstanding infrastructure achievements... and we reckon infrastructure in Hawkes Bay, post cyclone Gabrielle, is something we should all be excited about. Jesse talks to one of the judges Greg Lumsden.

A new report by Netsafe and the global anti scam alliance shows that New Zealand lost a record $3 billion to scams this year, which is up 30 percent from the prior year. In response the Government says it is taking action with a planned law change that it says will see potentially fraudulent ads being taken offline quicker. But is that enough? Jesse talks to former scam victim turned scam rescue adviser Glenn Baker.

It's time for our expert feature and today we're talking about navigating divorce & separation Alongside the death of a loved one, separation and divorce can be one of the most painful and difficult periods of someone's life. Divorce and separation coach Kimberlee Sweeney joins Jesse for the next 30 minutes to answer all your questions

You know it when you see it. An email from a co-worker or marketing pitch from a company that lands in your inbox, but you know it was written by artificial intelligence. AI promised to make work faster, smarter, and more efficient, but sometimes those emails take time to unpick and fix. There's a word for that, "workslop". It's content that masquerades as meaningful but requires others to interpret. Dr. Kate Niederhoffer is a social psychologist and vice president of BetterUp Labs. She co-authored a new study and says workslop is becoming a growing source of frustration in the workplace. Link to the survey here!

We're trying something new here on Afternoons, we've decided Monday is club day, a chance for Jesse to hit the clubs. If you have a club you'd like Jesse to join for the day please get in touch at afternoons@rnz.co.nz Today, we're starting Jesse's clubbing adventure with Barbara Preston from Auckland based choir Stimmung.

Let's talk what to watch on the box now and who better to tell us what's good right now, than actor Michelle Langstone. Film Club (Three Now) Educators - Season Four (TVNZ)

Mimiro is an ancient Maori building technique that sees wooden supports fastened together using joints similar to tongue and groove and then the whole structure is fastened to the ground with rope. It's an example of building techniques that architect and academic Professor Anthony Hoete says could and should be used more in construction. He speaks to Jesse.

Last week we spotted an invitation to an event in Hamilton that had us intrigued; it was a conversation about how artificial intelligence can help identify the birds singing around us. We hear so much about how terrible AI is, we wanted to learn about how it could be used for good. Dr Andrew Lensen certainly thinks it can be, he's a computer scientist leading MBIE-funded "AI for good" work, including using computer vision to recognise individual kaka and related projects on kiwi call recognition.

Concern is sweeping the country admid a possible asbestos contamination of coloured play sands, with 120 schools and early play centers having contacted the Ministry of Education on this issue. Asbestos expert and co-director of the Environmental Innovation Centre Professor Terri-Ann Berry spoke with Jesse Mulligan on just how worried the public should be.

We all know the climate is in strife, and something needs to change. We've talked at length on Afternoons about Government, council and individual action and how it can make a difference, but what about our diets? In his Climate Matters Substack, Lindsay Wood posed the question: "would we all be better off eating horse instead of beef or lamb?" He joins Jesse to discuss.

On Tuesday night we held a Critter of the Week live event to celebrate ten years of talking endangered species. Nicola Toki Forest and Bird's Chief Executive and I chatted in front of a live audience, but we didn't want you to miss out - so we're playing some of the conversation for you today. We've heard about the grossest critters which were like something out of a horror film, so to cleanse our palettes, Jesse also asked Forest and Bird CEO Nicola Toki about the most beautiful ones.

Earlier this week we held a special event in Auckland celebrating a decade of Critter of the Week. Forest and Bird Chief Executive Nicola Toki and Jesse sat in front of a live audience to chat about critters and conservation. We so appreciate the people who took part - in person or watching via the livestream - and it was such a terrific evening we thought we should share it with our radio audience too.

Julie Biuso has just got back from Greece and she's brought with her some summer food inspiration for us all. Julie shares what makes a Greek salad sing - what should, and what shouldn't, be in one?! Keep ingredients in chunks or thick slices - this is not meant to be a dainty salad. Don't toss and mess it up. Keep the feta whole and break it apart with a fork and spoon as you serve the salad. Do not use fresh oregano in place of dried. For a bright note, replace half a tablespoon of vinegar with a few squirts of lemon juice.

The Running Man Now You See Me: Now You Don't Keeper All in cinemas now.

Time for Freaky Friday, our home for your spooky stories, terrifying tales and eerie encounters If you have a story to share, we want to hear from you. Send us a brief outline of your tale to 2101 and we'll add it to the list. Mark joins Jesse to talk about his brush with death on Mount Everest.

There are over 7000 bus drivers across the country - and this Sunday is a day all about them. To show our appreciation, Jesse chats to kinetic bus driver Peter Smith from Wellington.

The Coromandel is growing in reputation as a centre for adventure, thanks in a large part to Andy Reid. Andy co-founded Adventure Racing Coromandel with his mate Keith Stephenson, creating lots of events including the K2 bike race and the Kauri Run. Now Andy has written a book taking us behind the scenes of 20 years of Adventure Races. It's called 'Are You Trying to Kill Us?' He talks to Jesse.

December will see police beginning roadside drug driving testing in Wellington before rolling it out to the rest of the country. According to Transport Minister Chris Bishop "around 30% of all road deaths now involve an impairing drug". We wanted to know what the testing will look like ... how it works and how reliable it will be. Here to share his thoughts is Hayden Eastmond-Mein from the Drug Foundation.

We're going to start today's show talking about the Regulatory Standards Bill -which has now passed its third reading in Parliament. Despite more than 98% of public submissions opposing the bill, it sailed through with the backing of all three coalition parties. That means it's now set to be signed in to law by the Governor-General. But what actually is the regulatory standards bill? It feels like there has been a lot of commentary from people for and against the bill .. but we wondered how many of you actually know what it will do? RNZ Political Reporter Russell Palmer joins Jesse.

Wallace Chapman and producer José Barbosa preview tonight's instalment of The Panel.

Health15, a new workplace initiative developed by some of the country's leading health charities, will provide thousands of workers with 15-minute on-site workplace health and wellbeing checks The programme hopes to help those who put off vital health checks while also helping employers reduce the costs of absenteeism. Project Director, Stroke Aotearoa NZ Board Member Jamie Summers joins Jesse.

Dr Grant Morris is here to talk all things history, and this week he's turning his attention to languages, specifically the history of official languages in New Zealand.

Time to solve the world's problems now and who better to do that than Ali Jones, and today her focus is on driving electric vehicles in the South Island.

Time for the latest installment of our A-Z of Aotearoa and today it is L for Lamb. From humble beginnings as a new immigrant in the 1800's, at one point there were more than 20 per capita! Robert Peden spent 25 years as a shepherd, before completing a PhD in history at the University of Otago He's also the author of "Making Sheep Country", he chats to Jesse. From their peak at over 70 million in 1982, ewe numbers are now down to around 25 million...but thanks to advances in technology and genetic improvements the yield per sheep has almost tripled. Matt Holden is a sheep and lamb farmer in Central Hawkes Bay and partner in Kelso genetics, he also chats to Jesse.

It's time for our relationships segment - Professor Kirsty Ross from Massey University's School of Psychology joins us fortnightly to share her advice on how to navigate some of life's trickier moments. Today we look at rebuilding trust after it's been badly broken, navigating a friend group after a divorce and the psychology of relationships.

The Wilson family has been part of Abel Tasman National Park since 1841. That's when some their ancestors arrived as part of some of the first British settlers to Nelson. Forty years ago John Wilson set up a tour operating company called Wilsons Abel Tasman. And now, his granddaughter Amy, has returned to the park to join the family business. She chats to Jesse.

There's a call for our councils to be more proactive and strategic when it comes to creating cemetery space. It follows concerns that burial spaces are running out - particularly in our urban areas. The Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective says councils must act now to secure land for their communities. Chair Daniel Chrisp is with me now.

From 2026 prescriptions are changing from three months to twelve months. The rule change means that patients on some long-term medications won't have to return to the GP every 12 weeks as they do currently. While patients will still have to pay the $5 prescription charge every 3 months, it's estimated some could save up to $105 in doctors' fees annually. This all sounds pretty good really but this morning a GP got in touch with us to say it isn't that simple. Here to share why some doctors are concerned is Christchurch GP and chair of the General Practice Owners Association Dr Angus Chambers.