Afternoons

'Tears On The Field' is a new locally produced documentary that hit's cinemas tomorrow. Set in Taranaki it follows the story of women's grass roots rugby. Two of the film's stars, rugby players Kate Thomson & Mereana Anderson, chat to Jesse.

The NZ transport agency Waka Kotahi has started public consultation over a new road in Northland, and already some of you are fuming. The proposed new stretch of motorway is between Warkworth and Te Hana, it'll be the first section of the Northland Corridor and is considered a Road of National Significance. And to make it happen - it might need to be a toll road. Currently there are three toll roads in New Zealand, the Northern Gateway Toll Road north of Auckland, and in Tauranga the Eastern Link Toll Road and the Takitimu Drive Toll Road. To explain what roads qualify for tolls and how the price is decided, Jesse is joined by NZTA National Manager of System Design Jess Andrew.

Food prices are up, petrol prices are up and bills, well for most of us, they're up too. It feels like this cost of living crisis isn't going anywhere fast, so we thought it would be a good chance to get some tips and tricks on where you can save money. To help with that Jesse is joined by independent financial journalist and host of the 'Making Cents' podcast Frances Cook.

Amanda Knox did not go looking to spend two years diving into the case of Lucy Letby. She says Lucy Letby found her. Letby is the British neonatal nurse convicted for the murders of 7 babies and attempted murder of seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Knox was convicted of the murder of her roommate in Italy and spent years in prison before the Italian Supreme court threw out the verdict. Since then, she's worked to explain how narrative about a suspect can shape public opinion and even how the police investigate crimes. Knox takes on the case of the woman branded the UK's worst serial killer in a podcast that doesn't try to determine guilt or innocence, but looks instead at how evidence is interpreted, how narratives harden, and why questioning assumptions can be essential to pursuing justice. The podcast is called Doubt: The Case of Lucy Letby.

Each week we ask for your help with an irk, a tricky situation or a problem. It's called You're the Judge. This week we're discussing whether a freelancer should continue with a planned gig even if he thinks he could have covid. Text 2101 or email [email protected] with your reckons and we might even call you!

Our tech expert Tim Batt joins Jesse to talk about Polymarket and prediction markets and the new MacBook Neo.

Robbie Williams has set the record for the most number one albums for a solo artist in the UK, the most BRIT Awards, and the biggest solo show in British history. How did he do it? That's what music industry commentator Marty Jones joins Jesse to explain.

Afternoons book critic Judge Bill Hastings joins Jesse to share what he's been reading: Liza Minelli, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! (Hodder and Stoughton, 2026) Naomi Arnold, North Bound (Harper Collins, 2025)

It's time for Mayoral minutes, our new segment 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. This week we're heading to the Clutha District from where Mayor Jock Martin joins Jesse.

King Country Rugby Referees are celebrating a century of whistleblowing. Yes, for one hundred years, committed referees have been strapping on their boots to support rugby across their small towns. King Country rugby referee Kieran Smith chats to Jess

When times are tight financially, every outgoing cost gets examined and for many of you that includes insurance payments. In February, it was revealed that the Government's going to do a review into insurance - that's after Treasury said that home insurance premiums had grown at three times the rate of the consumer price index since 2011 and been a 40 percent rise in the past two years. That's a lot of money spent hoping the worst doesn't happen. Here to talk insurance is Consumer NZ's expert on the topic, Rebecca Styles

Last week we spoke to clothing brand Kowtow about turning their clothes into organic biochar. That prompted many of you to ask about the science behind the process and any carbon cost, so we thought we'd find out! Matt Welton is fast becoming the go to person for all things biochar, he talks to Jesse.

Once touted as a future icon of Auckland's cityscape, the Seascape Tower may now be New Zealand's first "ghost tower". Construction on the 187-metre, $300 million dollar luxury skyscraper halted in August 2024, and the owner and developer Shundi Customs has gone into receivership. So for now, the tower stands incomplete, with no future date set for completion. So what happens now? Does the tower stay there empty forever? New Zealand Herald property editor Anne Gibson has been following the developments since 2024, and she joins Jesse.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is seeking legal advice after his ex wife posted some explosive allegations about him on social media. The claims - which do not relate to any alleged criminal conduct - are currently unsubstantiated and Hipkins has vehemently denied them. But it got us thinking about how a politician's private life can spill over into their public one. With Jesse to discuss this is political commentator Bryce Edwards.

The problem with artificial intelligence in education comes down to two problems. Somehow, educators need to encourage using AI creatively while discouraging taking lazy shortcuts. This is what Clay Shirky thinks, and he's the vice provost for A.I. and technology in education at New York University. The shortcuts that really concern Shirky aren't just using ChatGPT to write term papers, or cheat on an exam. He sees students skipping the struggle that comes with navigating emotional situations and relationships. Young people lean on ChatGPT for conversation starters and break up texts and writing letters to apologize for cheating with ChatGPT. Shirky sees too may students using AI to skip out on the messy work of becoming an adult.

Actor and Afternoons TV critic Michelle Langstone joins Jesse to review: Valdimir - Netflix Scarpetta - Prime Video

Each Monday we invite an expert in their field to answer all your questions - today we're looking at concussion. Every year in New Zealand there are around 36 thousand cases of concussion -which is a mild traumatic brain injury that affects brain function. And it's not just rugby players suffering. Professor Alice Theadom is a professor of brain health and co-director of the Brain Health Research Institute at AUT, she joins Jesse. If you have a question for her, do text us 2101 or email [email protected]

Every week Jesse joins a club and finds out what makes them tick! If you're a member of a club that you would like me to join for a day, please text 2101 on text of [email protected] via email. Today Helen Flockton joins us.

Brad Foster joins us from Sydney to give us the latest update on what's hitting the headlines across the Tasman.

Since coming to NZ from a small town in Punjab about 20 years ago, Rajni Kumar learnt to navigate both land and language, transforming her property into a thriving business - thanks to her green thumb. Here's Kadambari Raghukumar with the Here Now podcast.

A Wairarapa man's love for the art of chocolate has won his brand 14 medals at an international competition. Johnty Tatham from Lucid Chocolatier scooped the medals at the Academy of Chocolate Awards. It's been a real journey for the bean-to-chocolate maker who started off in the kitchen of his family farm. Johnty is with Jesse.

A high court case against Minister for Climate Change Simon Watts kicked off today The case is brought by Lawyers for Climate Action & The Environmental Law Initiative. They're arguing that the government broke the law when it scrapped - or changed - hundreds of climate change policies in the wake of the 2023 election They claim there wasn't proper consultation, and the new plans rely too heavily on offsets rather than reducing emissions. Jesse is joined by University of Canterbury professor and Director of The Sustainability, Citizenship and Civic Imagination Research group, Bronwyn Hayward.

We're starting the show talking about petrol because right now Finance Minister Nicola Willis is holding a press conference to discuss the latest petrol stocks and what the Government will do should this pain at the pump continue. Petrol price monitoring app Gaspy says the average price of 91 petrol is now above $3 and has risen 20 percent since the start of the month. We get reaction to Nicola Willis words from Bernard Hickey, author of the Substack column 'The Kaka'.

The only bear in New Zealand lives at Wellington Zoo. Her name is Sasa and she's not a panda, brown, or polar bear, but the smallest of the eight bear species: a Sun Bear.

Let's talk about gardening now, our green thumbed guru Lynda Hallinan is with me to share some seasonal tips and tricks.

Let's talk food now because Connie Clarkson, the manager of Auckland Council's The Kitchen Project is with me, with a great sounding duck breast recipe.

Afternoons film critic Kate Rodger joins Jesse to review Ryan Gosling's latest offering Project Hail Mary and to preview the Oscars.

One of our favourite comedians Chris Parker has just announced his latest tour, "Take a Good Hard Look at Me" Jesse gets the inside word about what to expect.

It's time for Freaky Friday, your home for spooky stories and eerie coincidences, if you have an experience to share or maybe you have a scary campfire story that you tell so well it belongs on the radio get in touch on 2101 or email me at [email protected] and one of the Afternoons team might give you a call. Today we're speaking to Jack about a couple of his ghostly encounters.

Tomorrow is a big day for the capital, with the grand opening of the new Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Central Library. The central library was one of Wellington's most beloved public spaces until structural concerns forced its closure in 2019.

Earlier this week we saw a headline that piqued our interest, it said New Zealand is losing faith in the internet. The Newsroom article is based on a survey by InternetNZ which showed that one in five of us don't see the internet as a "net positive" for society. Here to talk us through what's driving those statistics and what else the survey revealed, Newsroom reporter Fox Myer joins me.

Animaia Payne has won major squash titles including the Oceania Junior Championships, the New Zealand Juniors, and a gold medal at the Aims Games.

Last night SYOS Aerospace won Business of The Year at the Tauranga Business awards, recognised for its "rapid growth and global relevance".

The world can be a scary place for kids, especially when it comes to recent global events. Sometimes it feels like watching the news should almost come with a warning. So as parents and caregivers, should we be trying to shield our kids from following these events or is it important they do know what's going on? For advice on this, Jesse is joined by neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis.

As British Prime Minister Harold Wilson once said, a week is a long time in politics, and that's a sentiment that will no doubt be resonating with Prime Minster Christopher Luxon right now. Whether he will, or won't, stay on until the election in November might be up for debate, but the history of changing leaders in midterm is not, Dr Grant Morris joins Jesse with his insights.

This is our regular segment where we like to solve some problems, this week Dave Armstrong joins Jesse to discuss some Wellington woes.

Time for A-Z of Aotearoa, and we've finally made it to the tricky end of the alphabet! Today we're taking on Q for Queenstown. Queenstown - known for its dramatic alpine scenery - sits nestles on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. It hosts a population of around 50,000 permanent residents, supplemented with - literally - millions of tourists It's one of New Zealand's luxury destinations, but it hasn't always been that way. We chat to locals and historians.

It's time for group chat with Kate Rodger, Culture 101's Perlina Lau and Afternoons' Senior Producer Olivia Wilson. This is our regular segment where we discuss the stories that won't lead news bulletins but will fill up your social media feed.

When a natural disaster strikes and the relevant council deems a building unsafe, those buildings often sit dormant for a long time, and in many cases, later get completely demolished. But is that the best use of these structures? Auckland University's Architecture department decided to investigate and has been looking into turning houses wrecked by cyclones into a sustainable resource. Associate Professor of Architecture Mike Davis chats to Jesse.

It's a landmark day at Auckland University, and "landmark" is a fitting word as they're celebrating the centenary of their iconic ClockTower. The tower is now registered as a Category 1 historic place. It's been the backdrop for all the balls, graduations, cap-tossings, and now its history is featured in an exhibition. It's called 'Standing tall: a century of the ClockTower', and it's running now at the university library until late June. William Hamill is Team Leader of He Mara Mahara Cultural Collections at the University of Auckland.

Women in Film and Television New Zealand - also known as WIFT- is a not-for-profit organisation that now has over 1300 members. Its purpose is to celebrate and support women working in film and television in New Zealand. Tonight the WIFT NZ Awards are taking place, here to talk us through the finalists is the chair of the judging panel Jill McNab.

With no end in sight for the Middle East conflict, more and more conversations are turning to oil supplies. While our leaders have been quick to reassure New Zealanders that there is no need to worry about supplies running out, surely it would be prudent to consider what steps can be taken should we need to? As many of you will remember carless days were in a thing in the late 1970s but what else can we do to make sure we keep the country running? Dr Matt Boyd is an independent researcher in global catastrophic risk and one of the brains behind the Aotearoa New Zealand Catastrophe Resilience Project.

Dopamine is known as the brain's "happiness chemical". It's what we blame when we eat a whole bag of chips, a block of chocolate or doomscroll on social media, but that's not quite right

This week author Josie Shapiro joins Jesse. Her bestselling and much-loved debut novel 'Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts' won the inaugural Allen & Unwin Commercial Fiction Prize, she followed it up with her novel 'Good Things Come and Go' last November which has had fans and critics raving. Josie will be taking part in two events at the Auckland Writers Festival in May.

Kelly Gibney shares some Easy Eats with us, this week it is hoisin beef with broccoli sesame rice. Beef mince is a crowd-pleasing, economical protein and it becomes a very tasty and quick weeknight meal here.

Time for Heading Off, this is our chance to share in your travel adventures without leaving the house. Today we join Tess Woolcock on her trip to Mexico.

There's been plenty of commentary around a Bill that's before Parliament which seeks to make English an official language of New Zealand. It's part of a coalition deal with National and New Zealand First, putting English alongside Maori and Sign Language. That got us thinking about "official" languages and how they get such status, for more on this Dr Andreea Calude joins Jesse.

The programme for the 2026 Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tamaki has just dropped, and it's looking to be a star-studded line-up for book lovers. The programme is compiled by artistic director Lyndsey Fineran, who joins Jesse.

You might recall that this time last year we spoke to someone from Wellington's South Coast whose house had been inundated by 100s of Portuguese millipedes; in the bathtub, climbing the walls, even in bed! To give us the latest we're joined by Victoria University pest control expert Professor Phil Lester.

How much petrol, diesel and jet fuel we have in the country depends on who you talk to it seems and whether it includes so called "stock on the water" which are supplies that have been shipped but haven't arrived yet. To try to answer that question Jesse is joined by Richard Edwards, a motoring journalist and managing editor of EVs & Beyond.