Afternoons

Dr Sonja Lyubomirsky is a world renowned expert in happiness and after more than three decades of research, she says she sees a connection between happiness and not just being loved, but feeling loved. That's not just romantically, but with friends and family too. Dr Lyubomirsky says we can help create the love we are hoping for with simple things like curiosity and listening. She's co-written a new book called How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most.

Dish Magazine Editor and CEO Sarah Tuck joins Jesse to share a recipe hack her team discovered on TikTok.

Today we're heading off to Palau. Palau is an island nation that's part of the Micronesia subregion. Lonely Planet destination editor Jessica Lockhart joins us to share her travel tales.

Our weekly catch up with Our Changing World's Claire Concannon and this week she's looking into marine plastic pollution. But first she can share an update on the Kakapo breeding season.

We've been having lots of conversations about energy recently, and one area many of you have told us we should be talking about is geothermal. Geothermal Energy provides around 18% of our total electricity supply currently, but should we be looking to tap into this source more and boost that figure? Here to discuss, is Associate Professor John O'Sullivan from Auckland University's 'Geothermal Institute'.'

Awkwardly it seems many parts of the world have yet to catch up on their goodness, but that's about to change, well in South Korea at least. Kristine Kim has relocated from New Zealand to Seoul and that's where she's set up the Auckland Pie Garage.

NASA has begun the countdown to its first crewed mission to the Moon in 53 years! The historic mission, called Artemis II, is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday morning, NZ time, carrying four astronauts on board on a ten-day voyage around the moon Here to tell us more about the mission is Sam Lawler, Associate Professor of Astronomy at the University of Regina in Canada.

There could be a major shake-up to our alcohol laws later today A bill going before Parliament would allow bars, pubs, and clubs to open on religious holidays, including Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day, and Anzac Day morning. Currently, bars and restaurants can only sell alcohol if customers are "residing or lodging" on the premises, or if they are there to dine. Critics say the law is confusing. While patrons are generally expected to order a "substantial meal" to be served alcohol, there's no clear legal definition of what that means, and no requirement that the food actually be eaten. These laws have been in place since the late 19th century, and we wondered what these potential changes might reveal about our relationship with religion. Religious studies expert and Massey University Professor Emeritus of History Peter Lineham chats to Jesse.

Teenage hackers are reaching into online systems that run governments, corporations, and everyday life. The face of cybercrime isn't always an awkward, tech genius, it's often teens working with friends to shut down networks and extort millions. Joe Tidy is the BBC's cyber correspondent, and for the past decade he's been tracking a new generation of young hackers. His new book explores that underground world, and what the rest of us can do to protect ourselves. It's called Ctrl + Alt + Chaos: How Teenage Hackers Hijack the Internet.

Tuesdays mean You're the Judge; that's our weekly segment where we get your judgement on an irk, an issue, or a situation you need guidance on. It can be big issues like repairing friendships or separating couples into different retirement home, or smaller ones like whether it's okay to kiss your pet then kiss your partner. Today we're looking at if you should tell the truth at any cost. We love getting your reckons on 2101.

Time to talk about what's happening in the world of technology, Tim Batt joins me and we're going to start by looking at the new White House ballroom and what might lie beneath. Tim and Jesse also discuss the case of Meta and YouTube being sued by a young woman.

There's a long history of Kiwi musicians writing songs to support a good cause. Audioculture Te Iwi Waiata's Gareth Shute has been investigating the songs and the stories behind them. He chats to Jesse.

Book critic Lisa Glass joins Jesse to discuss three books that are ''speculative light'; novels with an element of sci fi for people who don't like sci fi. The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey - Penguin Books New Zealand The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley - Hodder & Stoughton Kings of This World - Elizabeth Knox - Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand

We're going to talk bunkers now, because a company that builds them says it's seen inquiries from New Zealanders double since the start of the Iran war. So how much space do you need to put in a bunker, what do they even look like, and how do you go about designing and building them? Here to help answer those questions is Louis Clarke, principal of Hardened Protective Technologies.

A fragment of a jawbone found in a cave in Somerset, UK, has revealed that dogs became man's best buddy 15,000 years ago. DNA analysis shows the jaw belonged to one of the earliest known domesticated dogs which suggest the friendship between the very first dogs and stone age humans was there almost from the very start. Originally from Kaikoura, Dr Lachie Scarsbrook is an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Oxford's Research Laboratory for Archaeology. He chats to Jesse.

A couple of months ago, one of you got in touch to ask about the welfare of animals on farms, and whether their wellbeing in heat, cold or rain was considered. We know that rising temperatures and heat stress are growing issues for humans - but what about the animals many of us rely on for our food? We called in a farmer to give us his perspective - joining us now from a dairy farm southwest of Te Awamutu, it's Pete Morgan.

President Trump has threatened to "obliterate" Iran's oil export hub of Kharg Island, oil wells and power plants if it does not soon agree to a deal to end the war even as he claimed talks were going well. But a spokesperson for Iran has once again denied any negotiations with US officials. Here to try and help us make sense of it all, Jesse is joined by Retired Major General John Howard. He is a former New Zealand Chief of Defence Intelligence and also a former Deputy Director at the US Defence Intelligence Agency in Washington DC.

When you recover from cancer, everyone celebrates. When you're dying, they grieve. But when you're managing to stay alive with terminal cancer that cannot be cured, the world doesn't quite know what to do. This is where broadcaster Joanna Paul-Robie finds herself. In the middle. Four years ago, she was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer at stage 4. Constant chemo and drug therapy is keeping her alive. A recent piece in The Guardian newspaper articulated this middle ground in a way Joanna had found difficult to convey to friends and family. She's sharing her story to help others understand the stamina and constant calculations needed to work out how to spend the time and energy the long middle requires.

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (Disney+) How Are You It's Alan (Partridge) (Neon) Season two of apocalyptic drama Paradise (Disney+)

It's time to dive deep with our Monday Expert feature, and today we're talking fossils. More specifically we'll get into what it takes to become a great amateur fossil hunter, so if you have any questions for our expert, send them to 2101. Morne Mamlambo's an amateur fossil hunter living in the South Island who has amassed a huge online following. You can find him on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, just look up "Mamlambo Fossils".

Grab your dancing shoes, or maybe your Ham radio, knitting machine, or lawnmower race car because it's time for us to go clubbing. Every Monday we hit the clubs; we've been members at gardening clubs, pinball clubs, pigeon racing clubs but we know there are more out there. If you think we should cover your club get in touch 2101 or [email protected], the quirkier, the better. This week we're talking to John Ayto from the NZ Historical Arms Association.

We catch up with Brad Foster, our man on the ground in Australia. He tells us about the news hitting the headlines across the Tasman.

With the unemployment rate sitting at the highest it's been in a decade, 5.4 percent, hunting for a new job can feel like the ultimate up-hill battle. We're hearing stories of unprecedented number of applicants of people being declined almost as soon as they've sent their CV, while others tell us they never hear back at all. Add in rising costs and all this chat about AI, it can be hard to know where to even start. So to share some insights into job hunting in this tough market is Gabrielle Cutfield, founder of Emerging Engines.

A young Aucklander is starting early with his commitment to protecting our native animals. At just seven, Jaxton is a regular pest trapping volunteer in his community of Franklin, and is now a Trap Master at a local reserve. The school holidays are coming up which means Jaxton will have more time for his hobby, but it also means other children have a chance to get involved thanks to EcoFest - that's a series of events that get the whole family involved in protecting our native taonga. To learn more about trapping, conservation and EcoFest, Jaxton and Community Coordinator Carrie Harman are with Jesse.

Breaking up the four major electricity companies once sounded like a fringe idea, but it's a concept that keeps being floated so is it worth properly considering? Winston Peters has announced NZ First will campaign on it, high-profile business leaders have long been calling for government intervention, so could this actually happen? And what would it mean for household electricity bills? Political commentator Bryce Edwards joins Jesse to discuss the issue.

Iolanthe cicadas are one of our smallest cicada species, found in the North Island from the Coromandel Peninsula to Wellington. This species has become extremely rare in the wild and there are very few modern sightings or recordings. Males have a very high-pitched song used for calling females. Because of the high frequency of the song, some adults may not be able to hear the call at all. Due to its lack of sightings, its threat status is unknown. However, its rarity is worrying, especially with no information on their ecology and population density. Nicola Toki chats all things critters with Jesse.

Landscape designer Tony Murrell is with Jesse to discuss what you should plant if you're looking to pay tribute to or remember somebody special to you. His suggestions are: Jacaranda mimosifolia flowering late spring early summer. Prunus mountain haze or awanui good for small gardens soft pink flowers. Metrosiderous excelsa , moon maiden [yellow flower] or scarlett pimpernel [ smaller growing coastal sport form red flowering late December through January] and Mistral upright Rata Sport named after the French wind. Ficus nitida – well behaved tidy evergreen tree with a large dense canopy of verdant green. Acer Palmatum – Japanese maple , sculptural form beautiful dappled shade. Quercus suber – Cork oak – majestic and rustic evergreen cork bark oak. Olea europea Olive – sculptural spiritual Trees , fruiting in summer. Cedrus atlantica glauca or Lebanii – ‘The bearing of the Cedars’ Pinus thumbergii – Japanese black pines. Knightea excelsa – NZ Native honeysuckle. Liquidamber gumball – 3/3 m mound shaped. Cunnonia capensis South African butter knife bush evergreen flowering interesting foliage. Vitex lucens – NZ Native Puriri. Cercis forest Pansy. Lagerstromia indica , flowering in pink , red ,white and mauve. Podocarpus totara matapouri blue – NZ Native blue totara – can be purchased in cloud pruned shapes fabulous sculptural forms that can work amongst grass gardens and more formal designs. Cussonia spicata – African cabbage Tree – ELEPHANTS favorite dinner. Erythrina christa Gallii – Coral flower Tree.

Julie Biuso from Shared Kitchen shares her recipe for Hummingbird cake. One story behind this cake goes that it is sweet enough to attract and delight a hummingbird. It's easier to make a two-tiered cake rather than the usual three, and most home cooks are unlikely to own three matching cake tins. The sponges are oil-based and have a light texture. It's one of those lovely cake batters that doesn't call for butter, sugar, and eggs to be creamed, but like muffin batters, don't beat it - just mix the ingredients gently together.

Afternoons critic Kate Rodger is here to share what's on at the cinema: No Tears on the Field If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

It's the home for your spooky stories and eerie coincidences. If you have an experience to share get in touch on 2101 or email me at [email protected] and one of our producers might give you a call. Today we're speaking to Christine, who listens to the show from New Jersey in the USA.

Emma Watkins, is one of Australia - and New Zealand's - most beloved children's entertainers. Known for her time as the iconic 'Yellow Wiggle' she's continued to captivate kids of all ages with her character, Emma Memma. She's back in New Zealand and joins Jesse to explain why.

Depending on the conditions he swims two six-hour stints a day, five days in a row, before taking a rest day. He's attempting to break the world record for the longest unassisted staged swim, all to raise awareness for ocean health and call for an end to bottom trawling, one of the most destructive fishing practices still allowed in New Zealand waters He's teamed up with Peter Burling and Blair Tuke's marine conservation charity, Live Ocean, to deliver a petition to Parliament and is now just 111 kilometres from Wellington.

Humans may have more in common with animals than we thought, especially when it comes to attraction. New research suggests we're drawn to the same mating calls as other species supporting Darwin's observation that animals share our "taste for the beautiful." Dr Sam Mehr from the University of Auckland and Yale University is the senior author of this new study, he joins Jesse.

'Project Hail Mary' - the new Hollywood blockbuster starting Ryan Gosling, has a New Zealand connection. One of the film's most pivotal scenes includes a recording of the classic Waiata 'Po Atarau'. The version in the film was recorded in 1976 by the Turakina Girls' College choir Ex-student, and former principal of the school - which closed in 2015 - Terehia Channings is with Jesse.a

Data from Stats NZ shows that trust in our public health system has been falling for well over a decade. 35 percent of New Zealand adults invest in health insurance, many of you citing long waits and unreliability of the public system as the reason why. In a new paper published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, Dr Erik Monasterio examines whether we are rapidly moving towards the privatisation of health care. He discusses with Jesse.

Even in an enchanted tree where fairies and men with faces like the moon live, someone has to do the laundry. And in a film adaptation of the classic Enid Blyton book, The Magic Faraway Tree, that job falls to actress Jessica Gunning. She is Dame Washalot who, does a lot of laundry, carelessly tossing buckets of sudsy water down the tree, sometimes drenching children who discover the magic world in the branches. Jessica Gunning captured acting magic in 2024, staring in the hit series Baby Reindeer and wining just about every award going. She joins a stellar cast including Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy. The Magic Faraway Tree is in theaters now.

Dr Grant Morris chats to Jesse about carless days, CNG and lower speed limits - driving in NZ in 1979 - truths vs myths. The 2026 Iran War has resulted in surging fuel prices. Many Kiwis of a certain age remember the carless days of 1979 but this is only one example of the many measures used at the time.

Every second Thursday we like to try to solve some of the world's problems, today we're turning our attention to trees or more specifically why they're disappearing from the city of Auckland. Landscape Architect Mark Lockhart is passionate about trees and joins Jesse to explain why we should be trying to protect them.

Time for NZ Sporting History, where we reminisce about the great sporting events and moments of the past. Today though we're leaving the field and heading to the commentator's box with Grant Nisbett. In his 40-year career Grant's called over 350 All Blacks test matches, and he's still going strong. Hence his nickname, 'the voice of rugby'. Grant's with Jesse now to look at some highlights from his incredible career.

Thursdays means it's time for group chat where we talk about the news that doesn't make the bulletins but might be all over your social media feeds. Joining Jesse is Kate Rodger, Culture 101's Perlina Lau and Afternoons' Senior Producer Olivia Wilson.

Our next story is especially pertinent today as much of the country gets lashed by wild weather. Researchers warn New Zealand is stuck in what they call "disaster inertia" - failing to learn lessons from repeated extreme weather events To discuss Jesse is joined by Judy Lawrence, Adjunct Professor at the Victoria University School of School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences

Quantum physics - it's a heavy topic for a Thursday afternoon, but stay with us, because what if quantum physics could help you charge your mobile phone or other devices in super quickly? Using quantum physics, our next guest has just helped develop the world's first quantum battery prototype. Dr James Quach is a Science Leader at Australia's national science agency, where he leads the Quantum Batteries Team.

As the conflict in the Middle East continues, so does our pain at the pump. Earlier this week the government announced a fuel relief package, giving an extra $50 per week for New Zealanders who qualify. But is subsidising private cars and fossil fuels the smartest approach? And are there other levers we could be pulling? Dr Timothy Welch, an urban planning researcher at the University of Auckland chats to Jesse.

PayWave and card surcharges are back in the news today. Those are the fees you pay when you choose not to put your card into the EFTPOS terminal. Today the ACT party said that the Government's proposed ban on surcharges is dead, however Commerce & Consumer Affairs Minister, National's Scott Simpson, has said he's hopeful the ban will be in place by May. So here to help us work out what's going on, and how the surcharges actually work, Jesse is joined by Professor Claire Matthews. Claire is the head of Massey University's School of Accountancy, Economics & Finance.

It's Wednesday which means a chance to talk food. Kelly Gibney is away but we're stoked to have Dish Magazine's Chief Executive and Editor Sarah Tuck with Jesse and she's going to share a recipe that evokes comfort.

Time for heading off now! Our weekly travel segment where we jet around the world gathering tips and tricks for your future holidays. Let us know if you've been on an interesting journey recently and would like to tell New Zealand about it - 2101 is the text number. Joining us is Graham Mackenzie who is taking us to the Bugaboo Mountains, Canada.

Louis Theroux's recent documentary, 'Inside the Manosphere' put the spotlight on some really concerning content and content makers circulating online. These influencers are widely popular despite seemingly spreading messages of hate - so are they resonating with our boys and if so, what can we do to combat it? Here to give us her perspective is Dr Samantha Keene, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and a gender-based violence researcher at Victoria University.

If you've noticed one too many leaves starting to change colour and you're doing everything you can to hold onto those summer vibes, this conversation might be exactly what you need. From the 26th - 29th of March in Christchurch's Sumner, it's The Single Fin Mingle. Founder, Ambrose McNeill spoke to Jesse.

All this talk of supply chain issues has led to a resurgence of interest in self-sufficiency, to find out how you can live off the land we're joined now by Author of 'The Good Live: A self-sufficiency and modern homesteading guide" Gillian Swinton.

New Zealand vegetable growers have been dealt another blow with McCain announcing it is closing its Hastings vegetable processing plant by January 2027. That news comes as Watties proposes to stop all production of frozen vegetable lines in New Zealand, affecting 220 growers in Canterbury. These announcements got us thinking about our food systems: what we produce versus what we import, how much we pay for food and how it is all worked out. And unlike more than 100 other countries, New Zealand doesn't have a national food security plan So if we see disruptions to global food supply chains - similar to what we're seeing with oil right now - well.... then what? Jesse chats to Katy Bluett from Future Food Aotearoa