Afternoons

Naenae based social enterprise Free Ride is all about making cycling more equitable for all. Last Christmas, the trust gave 35 bikes away to the community. This coming Saturday 14 November, Free Ride is calling for volunteers to join for something called the Big Bike Fix Up. It's when this year's giveaway bikes will be fixed up and ready to hand out. Lily Chalmers is the founder and chairperson of Free Ride, she spoke to Jesse. [picture id="4JFQQ97_Free_Ride_1080x675_webp" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

While we are in full pre-election mode here in New Zealand - in the US it's all eyes on the mid-term elections Americans have been out in force casting their votes in an election which is being seen as s nationwide referendum on Donald Trump's Presidency Polls have indicated that the Democrats could win big and take control of both the House and the Senate, which could lead to major constraints on President Trump's powers. Jesse spoke with Feature Story News US reporter Ira Spitzer. [picture id="4JFPGSI_AFP__20261103__D6AP2ZJ__v2__MidRes__TopshotUsVoteMaine_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

People generally fall into two camps; messy or tidy. We all know that person who can't relax until everything is in its place. And then there are the friends who can live quite happily amid piles of laundry, cluttered benches and cupboards they'd rather not open. The big question is, can a messy person become a tidy one and can a tidy person learn to live with a little mess? Dr Trevor Mazzucchelli is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at Curtin University and specializes in behaviour change and wellbeing. He says being a messy person is not a moral failing and it's not destiny. Nor is being obsessively tidy. He shares his advice for coping with each camp and making changes we want to see.

We're playing You're the Judge today, this is a segment where we get your reckons on a dilemma and how it can be resolved, this week's comes from Gigi. [picture id="4JG6U7B_collage_sundaycampaigning_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

Tim Batt joins Jesse to discuss what's caught his eye from the world of tech - this week he's looking at whether the AI bubble is bursting and the biggest heist in history when over USD$6billion in crypto assets stolen from Binance (a crypto exchange). [picture id="4L7MVKS_075_kokovlis_notitle230605_npG9v_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

Let's talk books! Afternoons Critic Lisa Glass is with Jesse to discuss three books that consider whether people should be more selective about the information and knowledge they choose to absorb. Naomi Alderman: Don't Burn Anyone at the Stake Today Juliet Gerrard: Front Row Seat A. C. Grayling: The Challenge of the Future. [picture id="4JIKKCJ_201_Book_01_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

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 Waipa District in the Waikato region - where you'll find the towns of Te Awamutu and Cambridge and Mayor Mike Pettit. He joins Jesse to chat. [picture id="4JFQX8K_Mike_Pettit_Oct_2025_png" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

If you've been following the US midterms you'll know there have been some astonishing attack ads doing the rounds, reaching some pretty new lows. Back here, the election campaign has also seen some pretty intense advertising, many of which are driven by lobby groups on both sides of the political spectrum. It got us wondering about attack ads and whether they achieve what they set out to or conversely, turn voters off. Monique Turner is Professor of Communication at Michigan State University, she studies the emotional impacts of advertising campaigns. [picture id="4JG93JA_PD251026BILLBOARDS6_JPG" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

The West Coast township of Franz Josef is only one flood away from disaster, says one leading expert. Franz Josef, located on the Waiho River, continues to rise at around 20 centimetres per year and is changing its natural course years ahead of forecasts. Ian Fuller is spokesperson for the Waiho Technical Advisory Group - which is providing independent advice for West Coast Regional Council on the Waiho River at Franz Josef. He is also professor in Physical Geography at Massey University and is Principal Fluvial Geomorphologist and Technical Director at Tonkin + Taylor. He joins Jesse. [picture id="4JK4KO8_franz_josef_glacier_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

We often hear about the benefits of solar when it comes to saving power but turns out there could be similar savings to be made through hot water. In New Zealand, around 1.4 to 1.8 million homes have a hot water cylinder, with hot water making up about 30 percent of a household's costs, these savings could affect many of you. RNZ Money Correspondent, Susan Edmonds wrote a piece about it this morning and we were keen to know more. Josh Ellerson is Head of Research at independent energy think tank Rewiring Aotearoa, he joins Jesse now to crunch some numbers. [picture id="4OWEKXO_106562289_l_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

It began with a mother of nine. When she was around 41, her youngest daughter Barb noticed a change in the woman she'd always known as loving and attentive. Her mother descended into alcoholism and depression. Then, one by one, Barb's siblings began to change too. Eventually five of her eight siblings withdrew from their families, their jobs and their lives. Barb suspected this wasn't simply a family curse, but something written into their genes. She was right. It was a rare form of dementia that steals far more than memories. In his new book writer Robert Kolker tells the story of a family haunted by a genetic disorder that each child has a 50-50 chance of inheriting and how their genes may help researchers learn more about treating dementia. The book is called The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia. Jesse chats to Robert.

Philippa Rennie joins Afternoons to share what she's been enjoying. Youth - HBO Max. Happiness (Season Two) TV3/Sky.

It's time for our expert feature now, and today we're talking ties. How they're made, how to wear them, and frankly, why we wear them. Please send your tie-related questions through to 2101 and I'll put them to our expert John Crompton. John is the fourth generation of his family to run Parisian, an Auckland business that has been making ties for more than a century. [picture id="4JJYN11_rhii_photography_Xy6FpnFyVjo_unsplash_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

Monday afternoons are when Jesse hits the clubs!! If you are a member of a club that you think we should know about please get in touch. 2101 on the text of Jesse@rnz.co.nz via email. We love weird niches - lawnmower racing, coffin making, knitting, cosplay - whatever it is, if you fancy a chat let us know. Today we're going to meet Robyn Janes. [picture id="4JUCJCT_afternoons_clubbing_thumbnail_png" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

Our guy on the ground in Australia is Brad Foster and each week he joins Jesse to share what's happening across the Tasman. This week Brad discusses the latest in the Erin Patterson case, heightened police presence in Sydney a year on from the Bondi terror attacks. [picture id="4JFYFV1_AFP__20260819__C4YP9ZR__v2__HighRes__AustraliaCrimeCourtMushroomsAppeal_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

We love celebrating success here on Afternoons, so we're thrilled to be talking to our next guest. Last month, Skye Duncan was named on the TIME100 Next 2026 list, recognising the world's most influential rising stars. Skye and her team at the Global Designing Cities Initiative are on a mission to make our streets safer for everyone. Their Global Street Design Guide has now been translated into nine languages and endorsed by more than 130 cities, regions and organisations around the world. Skye Duncan joins Jesse from New York. [picture id="4N2NL2G_copyright_image_215017" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

This year marks half a century of the sport of orienteering in Wellington. To celebrate, volunteer group Orienteering Wellington is hosting a birthday party later this month - an orienteering event where anyone can take place. Lachlan McKenzie joined Orienteering Wellington about 10 years ago and currently serve as secretary. He chats to Jesse. [picture id="4JFSTKH_808564730_1420924186808367_756759258425361120_n_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

A new research paper has identified strengths and vulnerabilities across every transport mode, whether road, rail or sea, it seems all our networks are fragile. The paper has been produced by engineering and professional services consulting firm WSP and the Helen Clark Foundation, and it is calling for a rethink on how we approach transport networks and what alternatives exist should they fail. Kali Mercier is WSP Fellow and Deputy Director Helen Clark Foundation and author of Rethinking Regional Connectivity and she joins Jesse in our Wellington studio. [picture id="4NSJ5LV_copyright_image_156341" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

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.

Jesse chats to passionate conservationist Nicola Toki about a critter she thinks deserves a moment in the spotlight. This week it's native gecko mites (Geckobia species). While many mites are temporary visitors, Geckobia scale mites are lifelong, permanent residents. They spend every single stage of their life cycle-eggs, larvae, nymphs, and adults-clinging tightly directly onto the skin of a gecko. They are living proof of deep evolutionary history in Aotearoa, having branched alongside our ancient native geckos millions of years before human arrival.

Mitre 10's Stan Scott is with Jesse and is very happy to answer any questions you've got about small or large building projects you've got on the go!

Shared Kitchen's Julie Biuso is with Jesse to share her latest recipe. Spoiler alert = Scrumptious! Maybe it's the tomatoes, the colours, or the bright, fresh flavours. Whatever it is, the crunchy, juicy, sweet tang with a creamy ball of burrata, or with baby spongy balls of mozzarella, is extraordinary. And there is something undeniably summery or festive about it. Just make it. Link to the recipe is HERE!

Afternoons film critic Kate Rodger is with Jesse in the Auckland studio to talk to us about what's on at the movies. This week Kate reviews Prime Time and Pressure (both on in cinemas)

As regular listeners will know just before 2pm each Friday we like to get our spook on ...we call it Freaky Friday... and it's when we dive into the unexplained .. the unusual .. and the downright odd! If you have a strange story we'd love to hear from you, text 2101 or email afternoons@rnz.co.nz Today Jesse is speaking with Susan, an archaeologist whose story takes us to the Middle East in the 1980s.

Auckland is full of colour right now as the Rugby League World Cup heats up and fans make their allegiances known by proudly flying flags from cars and houses. Sunday night sees fierce rivals Samoa and Tonga go head-to-head in what's been billed as one of the biggest international rugby league clashes in decades .... with a place in the semi-finals potentially up for grabs! The game's taking place in Sydney, but you just know Auckland is going to be rocking, Samoan league fan Albert Scott chats to Jesse.

We all know the iconic Kiwi soft drink Lemon and Paeroa or L&P if you prefer, but did you know there's a rival lemon fizzy drink from the same region? Lemon and Te Aroha or L&T first hit the shelves back in 1887... using water from the Mount Te Aroha spring ... the drink disappeared in the 1970s but now it's making a comeback .. Lemon and Te Aroha director Richard Revell joins Jesse to discuss.

Two Pak'nSave supermarkets have been fined a combined $580,500 for misleading customers over their pricing. The stores, in Silverdale and Hamilton, were found to have breached the Fair Trading Act, including making misleading claims about discounts and special prices. It's not the first time a supermarket has been caught doing this. You might remember the outrage in 2022 when the Commerce Commission's market study into the retail grocery sector found the major retailers were earning excess profits of around one millon dollars a day. Which got us wondering .. do fines actually work as a deterrent? To discuss Jesse is joined by Consumer NZ's Head of Research and Advocacy Gemma Rasmussen

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.

It's time for our weekly Political Group Chat - a space for good faith debate and friendly disagreement. Joining Jesse this week, and every week from now on, are Victoria University political scientist Dr Lara Greaves, comedian and political commentator Tim Batt, and screenwriter and Free Speech Union member Dane Giraud.

Let's get into some money matters, personal finance whizz Mary Holm is with Jesse to run through the KiwiSaver changes being proposed by the different political parties.

It's time to return to the A-Z of Aotearoa. We had so much fun the first time round that we've gone back to the beginning of the alphabet, and we've arrived at 'B' today so we're heading to Wellington to visit the Beehive. Jesse will speak to Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero about what goes on inside and what we can discover on a visit. But we'll start with the building itself, and for that Jesse is joined by architectural historian Dr Jessica Halliday. Jessica wrote her PhD on the design and construction of the Beehive so perhaps there's no one better placed to talk us through it.

When Frances Haugen blew the whistle on Facebook in 2021, she exposed how Meta put engagement and profits ahead of the safety and the wellbeing of users. Her story is the subject of The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin's follow-up film to The Social Network. Now she's concerned those problems could return on a much bigger scale as Artificial Intelligence creeps into our lives. Haugen is starting an initiative with fellow whistleblower Brittany Kaiser who exposed Cambridge Analytica's misuse of Facebook data during elections. They want to help tech employees who see wrongdoing understand how they can safely blow the whistle just as they did. Frances Haugen joins Jesse

It's Halloween on Saturday and for many of you that will mean kids roaming the streets looking for lollies. Constable Bryan Ward is with Jesse to share some tips on making the 31st fun rather than genuinely frightening for the children in your life.

Much of the conversation around screen time focuses on the risks social media poses to teenagers, but what about our younger children? Research shows screen use in under-twos can cause delays in language development and social skills, as well as problems with sleep and eating ... and almost two -thirds of babies and toddlers in New Zealand exceed recommended screen use So if we know the potential risks, why are we still putting screens in front of our babies and toddlers? University of Auckland's Dr Samantha Marsh joins Jesse to discuss.

There's been some talk this election cycle about the desire to electrify as much transport as possible in Aotearoa ... but the cost of electrifying rail isn't cheap. One Kiwi company Mackwell believes the answer could lie in a modern take on steam. Traditional steam engines are notorious for being dangerous and dirty. but Mackwell says it's developed a combustion system that isn't either of those things. Joining Jesse to explain how is founder and Chief Engineer Sam Mackwell.

We've all heard it's a cost of living election ... it's a cost of living crisis .. it's a cost of living tunnel .. but we wondered what those words actually mean? This morning on Morning Report, the parents of seven kids said extra bills means sometimes the kids can't go to school because they don't have food for lunch. Dave Letele is the founder of Brown Butterbean Motivation Community Kitchen and Foodshare, we invited him on the show to tell us what he is seeing first hand.

Let's talk about what's got your group chats lighting up now .. Jesse is joined by this weekend's Saturday morning host Kate Rodger, Sunday's culture 101 host Perlina Lau and Afternoons' senior producer Olivia Wilson .. to talk about the stories that are perfect water cooler fodder. This week they chat about Superbowl half time shows, Junior MasterChef and Meghan Markle, plus advice on how to respond to the "Gen Z stare."

Kelly Gibney is with Jesse to share a delicious recipe. This week is asparagus, courgette, bacon and walnut galette.

Time for Heading Off, our weekly travel segment where you share your adventures .. and inspire others to do the same! Today we're heading off to Maui in Hawaii with travel writer Megan Singleton, who has just returned from the island and put together what she calls a perfect 10-hour day trip.

It's time for Our Changing World - and this week we're heading out in the field with producer Liz Garton - to learn more about tara-iti, the New Zealand fairy tern. The Kakapo, as our kind of poster child for rare birds, has a population of more than 300 now, while the tara-iti population sits at fewer than 50 birds. But a lot of work is going into changing that!

Ai generated music is flooding streaming platforms everywhere .. but many music fans would have no idea of knowing if the content they're listening to was made by AI Last year the EU announced they were introducing rules to tag AI generated tracks ... but there are currently no laws in place here A couple of local Kiwi music professionals have launched Original Machine ... which checks submissions for Ai Authorship... and gives out badges once the work is identified as Human Made. To tell us all about it Jesse is joined by Original Machine co-founder Te Matera Smith.

COP 17 is about to wrap up in Armenia where the spotlight has been on our progress with '30 by 30' ... that's the collective goal to protect 30% of land and freshwater by 2030 in an attempt to halt and even reverse biodiversity loss. We're now at the half way point, and spoiler alert - we're not on track to make the goal. To talk about happens now, Jesse is joined by Dr Jonathan Tonkin, a Quantitative Ecologist at the University of Canterbury.

Lots of policies and promises have been bandied around this campaign season - but there's one idea that seems to have support right across the political spectrum. And that is a future generations law - a legal requirement that Governments consider the impact of their decisions on future generations. In a new poll by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, more than 80% of Greens, ACT, NZ First, Labour and National voters backed the idea, with Te Pati Maori voters the notable exception. So what would a Future Generations Act actually look like, and how would it change the way governments make decisions? To discuss, Wellbeing Economy Alliance director Gareth Hughes chats to Jesse.

Protecting our kids from technology is a struggle for everyone, including extended members of the British royal family. Sophie Winkleman, known as Lady Frederick Windsor, is an actor whose credits include Peep Show and Two and a Half Men. She's also an education campaigner, warning that a new flank has opened up in the struggle with technology and our kids and it's happening in the classroom. She says evidence is mounting that screens at school can come at the expense of concentration, imagination, reading and human connection. Alongside Hugh Grant, she's a patron of Close Screens, Open Minds Sophie Winkleman, also known as Lady Frederick Windsor, joins me now.

On Tuesdays we play You're the Judge here on Afternoons .. we read out a dilemma, and you get to weigh in on who is right and who isn't. This week we're looking at past actions and whether trying to apologise for them years later is right, or wrong. To chime in text 2101!