RNZ: Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan

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.

Afternoons' chance to discuss the political issues of the week. Comedian and commentator Tim Batt, Free Speech advocate and screenwriter Dane Giraud and political scientist Natalia Albert chat to Jesse.

Personal finance whizz Mary Holm talks to Jesse about how to pick great shares.

We have another episode of Crimes NZ... a segment where I chat with people connected with New Zealand's most talked about crimes. Now a head's up before you listen, this conversation deals with some serious and distressing issues. So please take care about who might be listening with you. And if anything in this episode brings something up for you, there is free, confidential support available from trained counsellors on 1737. You can call or text 1737. In this episode, we're looking at the case of Yanfei Bao, the 44-year-old real estate agent who went missing in 2023. RNZ's Award winning National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood covered the Yanfei Bao case closely and joins Jesse to discuss it.

We're not the first to look around us and think the world is a mess. Just look at what Odysseus had to contend with in The Odyssey ..based in the distant past sure, but many of his problems are actually a lot like ours today, which goes to show monsters and distractions have always been a problem. Author Ryan Holiday says stoicism could be the answer, that the ancient stoics believed we can't always control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond. Holiday's successful books, and podcast The Daily Stoic, try to offer guidance in an uncertain world. Now he's bringing those insights to Auckland next month with a live tour.

What if faster and more regular earthquakes warnings also meant more false alarms? Lives would likely be saved, but just how many is too many warnings? Is natural hazard warning alert fatigue a real thing? These are some of the seismic questions Ben Kennedy, a Professor at the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Canterbury, and his team have been considering. He joins Jesse to discuss.

At the end of September over 200 guinea pigs and their owners will descend on Taupo for the 2026 NZ National Guinea Pig Show. They'll be graded by an international judging panel flying in from England and the Czech Republic. Andy Lawrie, President of the New Zealand Cavy Council, who is also entering 21 of his own guinea pigs, joins Jesse to tell us more about the event.

While the showdown between the All Blacks and the Springboks has led to lots of great sporting moments .. it's also created a whole lot of chat about fly overs. Last weekend two jets flew over Cape Town's Stadium ahead of the match, and many thought they were way too low. Now South Africa's aviation regulator is analyzing black box data from the planes .. and the planned flyover for this weekend's game has been binned. Vaughn Davis is a former Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot as well as an experienced commercial and display pilot, is with Jesse to discuss.

We're starting today's show looking at a new apartment development in the Auckland suburb of Morningside. Nothing new about apartments in Auckland you might think .. but this will have 332 apartments and 78 carparks available for residents. So is this a step towards a car free city with strong, reliable public transport .. or a show of hubris by developers Simplicity Living? To find out, Simplicity Living managing director Shane Brealey joins Jesse.

Afternoons Group Chat is our chance to talk about the topics that might not be in the news but could be all over your chats and feeds. Joining Jesse in Auckland studio are Culture 101's Perlina Lau, Kate Rodger and Afternoons' senior producer Olivia Wilson.

Afternoons critic Bill Hastings joins Jesse to discuss what he's been reading - Radical Duke: How One Aristocrat-and the American Revolution-Transformed Britain by Danielle Allen, The Language-Lover's Lexipedia by Joshua Blackburn.

Wednesday means a chance to talk food here on Afternoons .. we call it Easy Eats .. and each week Kelly Gibney joins me to share a recipe. This week it's Mexican-inspired beef and black bean burgers. Click HERE for the recipe.

Time for our weekly travel feature, Heading Off, where we hear all about your travel tales. If you have a story that's worth telling, we'd love to hear from you - 2101 on text or Jesse@rnz.co.nz via email. Today we're joined by Peter Coldicott who sailed a small yacht across the notorious Drake Passage, which is nearly 1000 kilometre of open sea reknown for its rough conditions, to make it to Antartica.

The biggest kakapo breeding season on record has come to an end which means it's time to find out how many chicks made it to the milestone of 150 days old - and whether the kakapo population has managed to increase to more than 300. Alison Ballance host of the podcast the Kakapo Files shares the latest.

Penrhyn - a remote atoll in the Cook Islands - is set to get a brand new deep sea port, thanks to a collaboration between us and the USA. The US State Department will put 84 million NZ Dollars into the development, another 17.5 million NZ dollars will come from New Zealand. The commitment was announced yesterday by Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, Winston Peters and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau It comes as the Pacific is seeing China and the USA increasingly compete for influence in the region.  RNZ pacific journalist Kaya Selby chats to Jesse.  ity Associate Professor Anna Powles specialises in geopolitical dynamics in the Pacific. She joins Jesse.

A lot of the advice about sleep focuses on our "body clock", and making sure you get up at the same time every morning. But if you don't have kids' sport to get to, there is nothing better than a cheeky weekend lie in. And in good news, at a recent conference for the European Society of Cardiology, new research was presented that suggests a solid sleep-in could actually be beneficial. To offer her perspective Jesse is joined by Associate Professor Dr Karyn O'Keeffe from Massey University's Sleep/Wake Research Centre, who has over 25 years of experience in sleep research.

Earlier this week, Steve Braunais, Newsroom's literary editor, got in touch to tell me that a poem by Whanganui author Airini Beautrais' is going off on the Newsroom website. So of course, we wanted to know more. The five thousand word poem is called Cancer Moon:Poet Life and is from Airini's latest poetry collection Salt Quilt. Airini joins Jesse now to share some of the poem and talk about why it's resonating.

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.

We live in a digital world, so it seems sensible that classrooms should reflect that. But more and more research is suggesting that screen time at school with educational technology can come at the expense of concentration, memory and deep thinking. Dr Jared Cooney Horvath is a former teacher turned neuroscientist who wants us to reconsider how much technology we put between children and learning. His updated book takes aim at the billion-dollar EdTech industry and makes the case for putting learning rather than technology at the centre of the classroom. It's called The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning and How to Help Them Thrive Again.

Each week we get your help to solve a dilemma. This week we're looking at cafe etiquette and whether a couple ordering and grabbing a table is fair to single diners. We love getting your reckons so do listen and chime in on 2101.

We're going to talk podcasts now .. we're stoked to have The Panel producer Tessa Guest with Jesse to share what she's been listening to: The Retrievals Season Two and Big Little Interests

It's time for Mayoral Minutes .. where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing, how they're working to solve them and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to the Tasman District, which is situated at the top of the South Island, you'll find the stunning Golden Bay there, Mayor Tim King joins Jesse from there.

This week Katy Gosset is looking at the property maintenance we can do ourselves and save some money along the way.

So many of us have been struck down with winter illnesses but if you're a parent to toddlers, it might feel like you're more nurse than parent right now. Which got us thinking about early child daycare .. and whether the endless bugs that often come from there help or hinder kids .. does being exposed to more germs build immunity ahead of school or is that an urban myth parents cling to? Peter McIntyre is a professor in the University of Otago's Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, he's with Jesse for some myth busting.

In Northland a trial is underway to see if dogs can be trained to locate inanga - or whitebait - eggs. Lilli, a 2-year-old Pembroke Corgi and Cino, short for Cappuccino, an 11-year-old Border Collie heading dog cross are part of a University of Waikato research project to protect and restore spawning habitats. University of Waikato freshwater ecology professor Nick Ling is with Jesse to explain.

As we hurtle towards Election Day on November 7th, it's becoming abundantly clear tax is going to be a big issue. And for good reason too - as the saying goes nothing is certain in life except death and taxes. The major parties are ping ponging what they will and won't tax us on should they be elected, and we're keen to look at that, but first we want to find out how our tax system actually works .. and why. Geof Nightingale is an independent tax consultant who has served on both the 2010 and 2018 government tax working groups. He joins Jesse.

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.

Think of six people you know. Chances are, one of them is a narcissist. Narcissism seems to be a topic on everyone's lips right now. Clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula is one of the world's leading experts on narcissism. Her work has struck a chord with people trying to make sense of relationships with someone who craves attention and admiration and puts themselves at the centre of everything. It's a subject so widely experienced that Dr. Ramani is going on tour, with a live show coming to Auckland in April at the Bruce Mason Center.

Afternoons TV critic Claire Chitham shares what she's been watching - Furious (Disney +) and Lioness (Prime)

Spring is almost here which means it's time to get busy in the garden! Lynda Hallinan joins Jesse to answer your questions about spring planting. Send in any questions to 2101 or email us afternoons@rnz.co.nz

Every Monday Jesse hits the clubs - what better time is there than after 2 on a Monday after all?! If you have a club or society you'd like him to visit - let us know at jesse@rnz.co.nz

Brad Foster joins Jesse to discuss the latest news out of Australia.

The Heretaunga Women's Centre in Hastings is the oldest purpose built facility for women and children in Australasia. And like so many shelters and food banks right now, it's doing it really tough, with an overwhelming number of women needing help and not enough money or resources at hand. Plus many in the community are still recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle. Joining Jesse to discuss what they're seeing on the ground is Heretaunga Women's Centre Marketing Coordinator Jacqui Earle and Centre Manager, Deidré Venter.

We're thrilled to be speaking to illustrator Giselle Clarkson. Giselle, who's also responsible for the amazing drawings on critter of the week merchandise, is back with another book. It's called 'The Pocket Observology' and it's designed for taking outdoors and observing nature.

Could this actually be the Warriors year? We take you through everything you need to know as we get to the pointy end of the season. They are on top of the NRL table .. and if they stay there it means all their finals matches will be held at home, at Go Media Stadium in Auckland, before the grand final in Sydney. To make sure you can join the bandwagon informed, Jesse is joined now by Rugby League journalist and author of 'The Warriors Life' Substack Will Evans

The arrival of a cruise ship in Auckland marks the start of the cruise season .. an estimated 200,000 passengers are expected to visit between now and June next year. It's expected the cruise sector will contribute more than two hundred million to the local economy over that time. From 2028 Princess Cruises plans to expand its port visits to include Tauranga, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, Picton, Napier and Timaru. We know many of you feel passionately about the environmental impact of cruising .. but we also wanted to know how people in port towns feel. Professor Maree Thyne from the University of Otago has looked into that and joins Jesse to discuss what she found.

Wallace Chapman and Emile Donovan 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.

Nicola Toki chats to Emile this week's critter of the week - the deepwater burrfish. The deepwater burrfish (Allomycterus pilatus), or kopuwaitotara, is an unusual deep-sea porcupinefish found in New Zealand and Australian waters. Covered in short spines and equipped with large eyes for life in dim depths, it can inflate its body to several times its normal size when threatened, making it difficult for predators to swallow. Despite being regularly washed up on beaches, relatively little is known about its population, biology or conservation status.

We announce the finalists and the winner of our poetry day competition. Challenge was to send us a six line poem using the words Nugget / Long / Swelter / Seaside / Engine / Beginning.

Kara Rickard host of Music 101 here on RNZ talks about what's happening on her show and the music scene over the weekend.

Martin Bosley joins Emile to share his recipe for chicken and rice congee. He says it is the ultimate restorative dish, with its nourishing, porridge-like consistency and its flavours of ginger and soy. Click HERE for the recipe.

Afternoons critic Dominic Corry joins Emile to share what he's been watching - Mutiny and The Dog Stars (both in cinemas now)