Afternoons

Episodi

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  The pre-Panel: Your daily dose of stuff and nonsense 15.09.2026 8min

  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.
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  You're the Judge! 15.09.2026 5min

  Each Tuesday here on Afternoons we play You're the Judge where you, our audience, get to chime into someone else's dilemma. This week Billy wants our advice on what to do if he and his new girlfriend are politically opposed - he votes NZ First and she is Greens voter! Send us your thoughts on 2101 or email [email protected] [picture id="4K06BN3_getty_images_f84knUj__Q_unsplash_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  Why our toughest moments can also be our best 15.09.2026 25min

  If you had one last meal, what would you choose? This is a question that begins every episode of a podcast called Last Meal with Tom Nash. But food is just the entree into much bigger conversations. Tom Nash has a life story that feeds the idea that the hardest moments in our lives can sometimes become our greatest source of strength. As a teenager in Sydney, he contracted meningococcal septicemia and was given little chance of surviving. He did but lost all four limbs. He eventually learned to walk with prosthetic legs and chose metal hook prostheses for his arms. Now he's a speaker and an advocate for antifragility who believes adversity isn't necessarily trying to teach us a lesson. Sometimes life simply serves you something you didn't ask for, and you have to take it as it comes. Click here to learn more about Tom's podcast. [picture id="4JI9L2J_Tom_Nash_png" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  Podcast Critic: The Poisoned Wife and Black Box: The Chatbots 15.09.2026 7min

  A good podcast is like good radio, you can't stop listening, but with so many podcasts on offer it's hard to know what to commit to - fortunately our podcast critic Ximena Smith is here to help. She shares her thoughts on The Poisoned Wife and Black Box: The Chatbots. [picture id="4JI9L0Q_the_poisoned_wife_podcast_jfif" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  Book Critic: Theme of Invisible Women 15.09.2026 6min

  This week Afternoon's book critic Lisa Glass looks into the theme of invisible women via these books: Sophie, Standing There - Meg Mason Boring Asian Female - Canwen Xu People Hacker - Confessions of a Burglar for Hire - Jenny Radcliffe [picture id="4JJUL2T_mm_webp" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  Mayoral Minutes: Masterton Mayor Bex Johnson 15.09.2026 13min

  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 Masterton ... that's in the Wairarapa District in the southeast of the North Island and that's where Mayor Bex Johnson is when she chats to Jesse. [picture id="4JPGAC8_Milky_Way_over_Lake_Wairarapa_1K2A3437__1_JPG" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  Why does it take so long to get a MS diagnosis? 15.09.2026 9min

  Multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, is a life long neurological condition that affects five thousand New Zealanders. Symptoms often start for people between the ages of 20 to 50, but being such a complex condition, how it presents is also complicated .. with no two people experiencing MS in the same way. Which also means it can take time to be diagnosed with MS .. some people waiting up to ten years for an official diagnosis after symptoms start. Jesse talks to Shania Mathers about her story getting a MS diagnosis, but first MSNZ General Manager Amanda Rose joins Jesse to discuss why more needs to be done. [picture id="4JI9GK6_Amanda_Rose_1_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  Putting regenerative farming to the test 15.09.2026 8min

  To help build a picture of what regenerative farming practices might look like here in New Zealand, Te Whare Wanaka o Aoraki Lincoln University PhD student Kaitlin Watson compared a regenerative pasture-based system with a conventional one. She chats to Jesse about what she discovered. [picture id="4JI9H27_Kaitlin_Watson_jfif" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  Explainer: Can we actually trust political polls? 15.09.2026 13min

  We're going to start today's show by talking about political polls and whether they're reliable. This election is looking really close - and polls are consistently showing both National and Labour below the 30 percent mark. That means polls could take on an added importance .. helping shape narratives .. but how do we know we can trust them? Our next guest has concerns about who gets polled, how the numbers are calculated and who pays for the research. Ben Gray is an Associate Professor at University of Otago - for the past twenty years he has convened a course that covers appraisal of evidence, research ethics, cultural competence and health law. [picture id="4JPVS66_reid_poll_1_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
• 
  The pre-Panel: Your daily dose of stuff and nonsense 14.09.2026 8min

  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.
• 
  Feature Interview: Is the world getting uglier? 14.09.2026 17min

  Ugly is having a moment. Cars are getting bigger, buildings louder and fashion more deliberately outrageous, some might even say deliberately ugly. It's a way to get noticed says designer Debbie Millman. She's an author, educator and host of a podcast that's been going strong for 20 years called Design Matters. She argues that in a world where being noticed has become a form of currency, taking up more space has its own value. In an essay for TIME magazine, she asks whether the world is actually getting uglier or whether ugly is being deployed as a very effective way to make us look.
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  TV Critic: The Westies and Lanterns 14.09.2026 8min

  Let's find out what's good to watch on the television, our critic Dominic Corry is with Jesse in the Auckland studio to share his picks: Lanterns (HBO Max) and The Westies (Neon).
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  Expert Feature: The Brain 14.09.2026 27min

  Today we're going to focus on the brain. We'll be talking about brain development, how it controls or bodies and our senses, and what happens when it isn't functioning as it should. Our expert today is Professor Maurice Curtis. Maurice is Professor of Neuroscience and Director of Human Anatomy at the University of Auckland, as well as Co-Director of the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank. If you have any questions for Maurice, send them through to 2101.
• 
  Jesse Goes Clubbing 14.09.2026 14min

  Every Monday afternoon we hit the clubs. We've been to lots of amazing places this year, but we're always keen for more so if you have a club or society you'd like me to visit do get in touch .. 2101 on the text or email [email protected] Today Jesse is joined by Cherie Hames. [picture id="4KH74W7_farnham_jfif" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  OZ Update: What's happening in Australia? 14.09.2026 6min

  Afternoons contributor Brad Foster joins Jesse to tell him what's hitting the headlines in Australia. [picture id="4KH74W7_farnham_jfif" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  We're speaking fewer words each day - why? 14.09.2026 9min

  Do you find yourself speaking less than you used to? We're asking because a new study has revealed that daily conversations are shrinking, with some people speaking 300 fewer words each day. To find out more we're joined by one of the lead researchers, Dr Valeria Pfeifer, she is an assistant professor at the University of Missouri Kansas City.
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  The friends putting their te reo Māori to the test 14.09.2026 10min

  This week is te wiki o te reo Māori, and to mark it, journalists Eugene Bingham and Adam Dudding have released a new podcast called Reo Journeys: Te Pou Herenga Tai. Along with musician James Dansey, the three hosts take their reo Māori learning from the classroom to the cycleway. Across five episodes, they meet with kaumatua, historians and artists in Northland communities and discuss the revival of te reo Māori throughout Te Tai Tokerau. Eugene and Adam join Jesse in the Auckland studio.
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  Celebrating great sportsmanship at AIMS Games 14.09.2026 7min

  We want to start with some positive news, because it's been a big week for Tikipunga High School at the AIMS Games. For the first time in more than a decade, the small Whangarei school sent their netball team .. and while they didn't stand out for their on court skills .. finishing 127th out of 132 .. their off court behaviour did get them noticed. They are the winners of the coveted Ripple Effect Award, given to a team which embodied the spirit and sportsmanship of AIMS in the best manner possible. Tikipunga High School netball team coach Bethany Badger and player Pheobe Theodore join Jesse. [picture id="4JIBCEA_tikipunga_avif" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  Kiwi Cover Contest - The Runners Up 11.09.2026 17min

  Music 101 producer Tony Stamp joins us to reveal the runners up in the 2026 Kiwi Cover Song Contest. The winning song will be revealed on Monday's show. [picture id="4JIGYJF_canterbury_spotted_skink_hero_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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  Food: Lime and Coconut Mussel Hot Pot 11.09.2026 8min

  Connie Clarkson joins Jesse to share her recipe for Lime and Coconut Mussel Hot Pot. A 'Little bit Country little bit Rock and Roll" moment. Savory coconut and aromatics - garlic, onions, ginger, celery, peppers then hit with an uplifting bolt of limes wrapping around that taste of the sea from Green Lip Mussels. Finished off with a whiff of curry leaves. [picture id="4JIGZRV_Lime_and_coconut_mussels_2_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]