RNZ: Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan

This week for Our Changing World, we're doing things a little differently and we catch up with Claire Concannon in person! Claire has been out and about in the central North Island learning about a community conservation project.

Puberty starts earlier, social media is everywhere, and the rise in adolescent mental health challenges is real. It's hard to be a teenager in 2025. The way we parent and teach our teens is shaped by the myths we inherit, what we did when we were teenagers and the science of brain development says Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Matt Richtel. His new book draws on research and personal stories, offering insights into what drives teen behavior and the rising mental health crisis. Spoiler alert: it's not just the phones. The book is called How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence. He spoke to Jesse.

Lamb neck chops are an inexpensive and absolutely delicious cut of meat. They are rich and tender when slow cooked. Using the slow cooker means this meal can come together while you're at work. A quick blast in the oven at the end will give you the lovely caramelisation that oven cooking yields. Serve with kumara mash and some sautéed winter greens. Here is the recipe.

Christina Persico is the bulletin editor for our sister station RNZ Pacific which broadcasts into the region. She is also a fan of cruising - Disney cruising in particular. She has no kids but last summer went on a five-night Disney cruise and is doing another one this Christmas.

A few years ago Oscar and Palme d'Or-winning Kiwi filmmaker Dame Jane Campion announced a pop-up film school called 'A Wave in the Ocean'. The project was supported by Netflix and ran as a 12-month intensive mentorship programme for creatives with significant film experience. Well now the course is reaping results - one of the short films that emerged from it has now been selected to compete at the Venice International Film Festival. 'Lion Rock' was co-directed by Prisca Bouchet, she spoke to Jesse.

It's still winter for a couple more weeks and it's still pretty cold but if you're in Hastings you can Turn Up the Heat at your local library. Now in its ninth year, this adult only reading challenge is all about encouraging adults in the local community not only to read but to step outside their comfort zone and - perhaps most importantly of all - to connect. Kristen Clothier is the Learning & Discovery Team Leader for Hastings District Libraries and she joined Jesse.

A major new study published in a British medical journal has found that verbal abuse in childhood can leave mental health scars as deep and long-lasting as those caused by physical abuse Researchers pooled data from seven relevant studies, involving over 20,000 adults from England and Wales While childhood physical abuse has halved in recent decades, reports of verbal abuse are on the rise the study found that roughly 20% of those born after 1969 reported childhood verbal abuse, compared to under 12% of those born before 1950. Professor Kirsty Ross, from the School of Psychology at Massey University chats to Jesse.

It's time for Thrift and today we've got part two of our savvy students series. Katy Gosset visits an award-winning student flat garden that might just be the best in Dunedin.

Adding to the trans-Tasman rivalry, two New Zealanders won at Australia's TV Awards, the Logies. Sam Neill and Guy Montgomery were winners on the night.

Book critic Bill Hastings gives his latest recommendations; Julia Alvarez, The Cemetery of Untold Stories (Little Brown, 2025) and Josephine Baker, Fearless and Free - A Memoir (Penguin Random House, 2025) trans. Anam Zafar and Sophie Lewis.

Tech giant Google is taking action to verify how old YouTube users are. It says it will use AI to estimate the age of users and then show them age appropriate content. The move comes after Australia confirmed it would ban children under 16 from using YouTube. Tim shares details with Emile.

Imagine being lucky enough to not only buy a property with an established avocado tree but to discover that it was a little bit ... well ... special. 

For surfwear designer Gemma Wagstaff, this New Zealand Fashion Week will be particularly meaningful. 

How do you make Disney magic even more magical? You put it on ice, of course.

Male friendships are reportedly in a recession, so it seems many men are leaning heavily on their partners for emotional support. Dr Angelica Ferrara coined a term for that, Mankeeping. It explains how women often take on the roll of managing men's social lives, from checking on their friendships to being their sole emotional sounding board. Dr. Ferrara is a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and her research explains why "Mankeeping" impacts not just men themselves, but everyone around them, especially women. She spoke to Emile.

Time for our expert feature, the moment in the show where we put your questions to our expert. Specifically - what are they? how do they work? And are there any ways to manipulate them into giving us better deals, or less addictive content? Emile is joined by Automated Programming PhD and Comedian Henry Hickman.

Matakohe is a village in the Kaipara district, about 45 kilometres south of Dargaville. It's famous for the Kauri Museum so we decided to give the museum a cold call to find out what visitors can expect to find.

The Survivors is a six-part adaptation of Jane Harper's bestselling Australian crime novel of the same name. The drama stars our very own Robyn Malcolm. Our TV critic Caitlin Cherry reviews The Survivors (Netflix) and finds out what all the fuss is about with Andor (Disney Plus), the show that is part of the Star Wars franchise.

This week is World Breastfeeding Week - the goal is to the highlight the importance of breastfeeding and to encourage families, health professionals and communities to all work together to promote it Plunket's Chief Nurse Zoe Tipa & Plunket line's Clinical Lead and lactation consultant Hannah Cook spoke to Emile.

Last Friday on the show, Jesse was discussing New Zealand fashion trends with Fashion Quarterly's Editor in Chief and unsurprisingly our national love affair with the colour black came up. One of our listeners got in touch, Doris de Pont curated the 'Black in Fashion' exhibition at the New Zealand Fashion Museum back in 2011 The exhibition explored why we loved this dark and colourless hue ... and more than a decade later...it seems not much has changed Doris De Pont joins Emile.

This morning the Government proposed big changes to secondary school qualifications, namely, scrapping NCEA. They said the new system would still retain standards-based assessments and be underpinned by a new national curriculum. We wanted to ask a student how they're feeling about this, Kapiti College Head of Kura, Aroa Al Masri spoke to Emile.

This week's critter of the week is the moko piriakau, also known as the forest gecko. They are renowned for their ability to easily camouflage to their surroundings and their incredible climbing skills. Nicola Toki joins Jesse to rate this endangered critter.

Emma Sage joins Jesse Mulligan to get down and dirty on living mulch.

How good would a slice of sticky date cake with coffee buttercream be right now? Well, it can be yours, all you have to do is make it! Gretchen Lowe shares the recipe with Jesse. It's from her new book My Weekend Table.

The New Zealand International Film Festival opened in Auckland last night, and that means busy days and nights for film fans and film critics. Like Kate Rodger! She joins Jesse to talk about her top picks this week; Blue Moon, It Was Just an Accident and The Life of Chuck.

This time each week we turn to Freaky Friday, the space for all your weird, spooky, and strange experiences. If you have one you'd like to share please reach out via text - 2101 - or you can email us, afternoons@rnz.co.nz. This week, Jesse is joined by Pleasance from Riverton at the bottom of the South Island.

Hidden among the bustle of modern day of Tauranga lies one of Aotearoa's most significant heritage sites, The Elms Te Papa Tauranga The site has borne witness to more than 600 years of our often-turbulent history. A new book 'The Spirit of a Place' traces this legacy starting with the arrival of the first Polynesian voyaging canoes, the arrival of Pakeha, to the complex interactions that followed. Author Sarah Ell joins Jesse in studio.

Director Simon Ogston joins Jesse to talk about his film 'Kaikohe Blood & Fire'. On the surface it looks like a film about fighting and mixed martial arts but look a little deeper and it's actually about characters, community and personal growth.

The best of New Zealand fashion was celebrated last night at a glamorous black-tie affair, as the FQ Fashion Awards returned following a successful debut in 2024 Claudia Li was named Designer of the Year, while Kate Sylvester was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Sarah Murray, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of FQ joins Jesse in the Auckland studio.

oday Mary's going to talk about insurance and whether we are insuring the right things. New Zealanders are twice as likely to have car insurance as they are life or health insurance - does that make sense?

Today we continue our way through the A-Z of Aotearoa with the letter E. 

Today on The Lowdown, Perlina Lau and Afternoon's Senior Producer Olivia Wilson discuss the content that is filling up your group chats. 

Ara Education Trust is based in the Auckland suburb of Mangere. Its mission is to help give students on the tools experience and provide a pathway to successful careers. Ara Education Trust Head Tutor William Malakai spoke to Jesse.

Guy Sebastian has over 1.3 billion streams and he's had dozens of top-ten singles in the Australian charts. 

In May this year, flooding left half of the Untamed Earth Organic Farm, near Halswell, under water. 

Wallace Chapman previews tonight's instalment of The Panel.

The battle between US President Donald Trump and media mogul Rupert Murdoch is getting personal. NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik has reported on Trump and Murdoch and how they've shaped the media landscape for a very long time. Folkenflik is also the author of a book called Murdoch's World: The Last of the Old Media Empires. He discussed this clash of the titans with Jesse.

Time for Bookmarks, when we sit down with a notable Kiwi and learn about their life and some of their favourite things. Paolo Bertolin is a writer, producer, film critic and programmer, who since last year has served as artistic director for the Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival. The festival officially opens in Auckland tomorrow.

Kelly Gibney joins Jesse to share her mushroom and cashew curry recipe. She says mushrooms are a nutrition powerhouse and super versatile in the kitchen They take on flavour brilliantly and cook fast. For an extra protein boost, you could add some sliced tofu, along with the mushrooms in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve with a dollop of plain yoghurt, steamed rice and warmed flatbreads.

We love it when you get in touch with us with your stories and today's guest Kevin Searle did just that. He sent through an abridged story of his Kayak trip down the Yukon, and we needed to know more!

Everybody Eats is a social restaurant concept. It's three course meals are open to all: Lawyers, students, hospitality staff, the homeless, whomever. And all on a "pay what you can" basis. Since starting in 2017 it's grown from a pop up to three restaurants, serving hundreds of people five nights a week. Amidst declining revenues, they've launched a new project to help pay the bills - Meals That Matter.

The Okarito plant project, a business -led initiative in South Westland is becoming a national example of regenerative tourism in action. Tourism operators, visitors, landowners, and volunteers are working together to restore native ecosystems by supplying plants native species for local landowners at no cost. Chair of the project Aaron Smith spoke to Jesse.