Afternoons
Jesse Mulligan hosts a lively mix of curious and compelling content, covering daily stories and big questions. The show features interviews, music, and segments that engage listeners with a wide range of topics.
Episodes
Kiwi Cover Contest - The Runners Up
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.
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Food: Lime and Coconut Mussel Hot Pot
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.
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NZ Live: JessB
Former professional netballer turned successful musician JessB joins us in Studio 5 to celebrate the release of her second album 'Matters Of The Heart".
Film Review
Dom Corry reviews 'Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant', 'Fall 2: Deadpoint', & 'The Whisper Man'.
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Freaky Friday: Sarah in Epsom
Freaky Friday is the place for your spooky stories and terrifying tales. Please get in touch if you have your own tale to tell, you can text 2101 or email afternoons@rnz.co.nz. Today we hear from Sarah in Epsom
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Perfectly Themselves: Running with wild horses
Abby Leterri's new book ' 'Perfectly Themselves' looks examines our relationship with horses. To write the book - which was completed as a PhD thesis at the International Institute of Modern Letters - Abby visited Iceland, Mongolia and the Outer Hebrides.
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Mama Talanoa: A community for Pacific mums
For some, motherhood can be a lonely journey, something Mercedes Swann knows well. After the birth of her child she suffered from a sense of isolation. Now she advocates for better support for new mothers 'Mama Talanoa' is an online safe space for Pacific mothers. A place they can openly share the highs and lows of parenthood without fear of judgement.
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25 years on from the September 11th attacks
Caroline Andrews is a New Zealander living in New York City. On September 11 2001, at 9:03am, Caroline witnessed the second hijacked plane hit World Trade Centre's south tower. Three-thousand people died at the attacks on the World Trade Centre in Manhattan and Pentagon in Washington DC. Caroline then witnessed a changing America as the US mourned and responded with its war on terror. 25 year
Is this the Warriors year?
We're all aboard the Warriors bandwagon here on Afternoons, as the Wahs chase their first premiership in the club's 31-year history. But first, they've got to get past the Dolphins at Go Media Stadium. A win would send the Warriors straight through to the Grand Final in Sydney. Rugby league journalist and author of The Warriors Life Substack, Will Evans, joins Jesse to break it all down.
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The pre-Panel: Your daily dose of stuff and nonsense
Wallace and Susanna 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.
Giant Heart - How Jonah Lomu Became a Rugby Legend
No. 11 Jonah Lomu - was the youngest to ever wear the black jersey when he took to the field as an All Black at the Rugby World Cup in 1995. There's a documentary out now 'Lomu' by directors Vea Mafile'o and Gavin Fitzgerald premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival after a massive outdoor screening in Tonga. And now there's a stunning children's book 'Giant Heart - How Jonah L
History with Dr Grant Morris
Electoral Commission figures show enrolment among younger voters has steadily declined over the past decade. At the moment 43% of eligible 18-24-year-olds are unenrolled to vote in the upcoming general election. Approximately 187,000 young people are missing from the roll. Is there a historical precedent for this and what is the history of young Kiwis voting (or not voting)?
Solving The World's Problems
Every second Thursday we try to wrong some rights and solve some of the world's problems. Journalist Simon Wilson joined Susanna to discuss perimeter housing?
NZ Sporting History
Time for NZ Sporting History, where we dig into the great names and moments in Kiwi sport. Today though, we're keeping it contemporary, because New Zealand athletics is having a moment right now. At the recent Commonwealth Games our track and field team came away with medals across sprints, jumps and throws, while a new generation of athletes is rewriting national records and making themselve
Relationships
Susana Lei'ataua is joined by Professor Kirsty Ross from Massey University's School of Psychology.
Who should pay for the upkeep of NZ's cultural institutions?
Several galleries at The Auckland War Memorial Museum are set to remain closed until 2029 The immediate issue is asbestos - 1000s of taonga have to receive specialist cleaning. The museum is also using the opportunity to upgrade its ageing infrastructure. But there is a bigger issue sitting underneath the surface. Who pays for the upkeep of New Zealand's cultural institutions? And how? Like o
Former PM's Chief Science Advisor
Dame Juliet Gerrard was New Zealand's Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor for six years from 2018. She served during the Christchurch Mosque attacks, Whakaari/White Island eruption, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In her new book, she assesses the big policy decisions made during that period. Dame Juliet looks at science communication, in an age of growing misinformation and scepticism. The boo
The Auckland Secondary School Winter Series is in full swing!
Thousands of young athletes. Nine different sports. And six weeks of competition right across Auckland. The Auckland Secondary School Winter Series is in full swing ... an event that's grown from a single week into a six-week sporting showcase Over the series, children will be competing in hockey, basketball, wrestling, karate, skateboarding, cycling, weightlifting, duathlon and rugby league.
The pre-Panel: Your daily dose of stuff and nonsense
Wallace Chapman and Susana 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.
The social media trend of "Quiet quitting" your marriage
"Quiet quitting" started as a workplace trend on social media, describing how people stopped going above and beyond at work and started doing just enough to avoid getting fired. Now social media is talking about people who are "quiet quitting" their marriages, staying together while emotionally checking out. The conversations disappear, intimacy goes, and the relationship becomes more like a
Easy Eats: Minestrone soup
Kelly Gibney shares her cosy Minestrone soup. Click here for the recipe
Heading Off: Papua New Guinea
Time for our weekly travel segment Heading Off, your chance to hear about some amazing adventures without leaving the comfort of your home. Although, with today's destination, comfort isn't necessarily the number one priority. We're off to Papua New Guinea with one of our listeners Frank Bollen, who's been living in New Ireland while volunteering with VSA. He's also had the chance to explore
Stories from Our Changing World
Time now to catch up with Our Changing World's Claire Concannon. And across a two-part deep dive the show has been investigating the controversial plans to de-extinct the moa.
New book takes readers on a galloping journey
To write It Gets in Your Blood: Lives of a Racecourse, Marty Smith spent 10 years documenting life at Hastings Racecourse. The book is part memoir, part portrait of a changing industry. Along the way, readers meet the trainers, jockeys, horses and the other characters at the centre of our horse racing industry. Author Marty Smith spoke with Susanna.
Books are flying off the shelves
Scorpio Books' owners have decided that now is the time to expand - and works are underway at a new location in the city. The shop is also celebrating its 50th birthday this year. To talk bookshops, reading trends and how Christchurch is faring, Scorpio head buyer Bel Monypenny chatted to Susanna.
An update on the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine & Russia
Things are heating back up in the middle east. After a period of relative calm, Iran and the US have resumed exchanging fire. This morning - NZ Time - the US Military announced it has destroyed 5 Iranian oil tankers, in retaliation for attempted Iranian attacks on a US Navy Warship. In Europe, the war in Ukraine grinds on, while Germany has accused Russia of being behind an attempted drone at
Feature Interview: Why aren't people having babies anymore?
All over the world, people just aren't having babies anymore. Journalist and author Anna Louie Sussman says years of society putting economic growth and individual success ahead of shared wellbeing has made it harder for young people to imagine a future where they want to have kids. Anna has been reporting on population decline and reproductive issues for more than a decade and choosing not t
You're the Judge: To swaddle or not to swaddle?
Each week we get your help to solve a dilemma. This week we're looking at whether a daughter in law should insist on requiring her mother-in-law to swaddle their baby when she babysits.
Tech Tuesday with Tim Batt
Tim Batt joins Susana to discuss what's hitting headlines in the world of technology. This week he'll look at whether our LG TVs are spying on us, The OpenAI Hugging Face hack and chatbots.
Book Critic: 'Green Sea: Lost in the New Zealand Bush', 'Hide', & 'The Taming of the Cat'
Claire Maybe reviews Green Sea: Lost in the New Zealand Bush by John Summers, Hide by Rebecca Hawkes, and The Taming of the Cat by Helen Cooper.
Mayoral Minutes: Bernie Wanden
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 Horowhenua Mayor District. Susana spoke to Mayor Bernie Wanden.
Pairing local artists with people living with Alzheimer's
A Tauranga group is using art as way for people to connect and challenge the stigma around dementia Artful Mind pairs local artists with people living with Alzheimer's and dementia - to see what they create together The works are then shown and sold at Dementia Tauranga's annual awareness exhibition. Dr. Bronwyn Copeland is a Tauranga based geriatric psychiatrist and artist, she spoke with Su
South Auckland Community Safety Patrol
Papatoetoe's night patrol volunteers are calling for more funding and better equipment as they try to plug the gap left by stretched Police resources The Counties Manukau Community Safety Patrol Trust says its volunteers are patrolling into the early hours ... observing incidents and reporting concerns to Police and other agencies. Patrol team leader Bella Tamotu spoke to Susana.
Radiohead skips New Zealand
Following in the footsteps of Taylor Swift ... another one of the world's biggest acts has decided to park up in Australia.... and skip NZ entirely Radiohead announced its 2027 tour overnight, with 18 shows across Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, plus five dates in Japan. But there's not a single show here in Aotearoa. For Kiwi music fans, international artists bypassing New Zealand is becoming a
How bad is this flu season?
Winter can feel like one long game of pass the parcel when it comes to sickness. One person gets a cough, then someone else gets the flu, the kids are off school, a colleague calls in sick, before you know it, everyone seems to be unwell This flu feels particularity bad - with reports of people waiting 20+ hours to be seen in hospitals, while octors becoming increasingly disillusioned by the
The pre-Panel: Your daily dose of stuff and nonsense
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.
Josh Tyrangiel on why AI might not be so bad after all
The AI debate usually sounds like a choice between the camp that thinks artificial intelligence will solve our biggest problems, and the other camp, certain it will create entirely new ones. But there's a lot of territory between utopia and apocalypse. That's where longtime journalist Josh Tyrangiel is looking. Rather than asking what AI might do in theory, he looks at what happens when peopl
Roadie Song - Rolling in the Deep
We've got a segment on Afternoons we like to call Roadie Songs ..we want to know the songs you love to turn up loud when you're on a road trip. If you have a song and a story you'd like to share, send your suggestion to 2101 along with your phone number. Aileen shared her song with us today.
TV Critic: 'Alone Australia' & 'Trying'
Caitlin Cherry reviews 'Alone Australia' (available on TVNZ+) and 'Trying' (Apple TV)
Jesse Goes Clubbing: Pania Plodders Hash House Harriers
Jesse calls the Hannah Purdie from the Pania Plodders Hash House Harriers.
OZ Update: What's happening in Australia?
Brad Foster joins us to discuss the NSW Governments plan to combat organised crime, tougher enforcement of the U16s social media ban, and the NRL finals.
Expert Feature: Freediving with William Trubridge
Every Monday we invite an expert to take your questions on their subject. You can send them to 2101 or Afternoons@rnz.co.nz. Today we're discussing freediving. Freediving is diving underwater on a single breath of air. There's no tanks. No breathing apparatus. No bubbles. Just complete silence New Zealander William Trubridge is a freediving world champion, and the first person to dive deeper
Why more women carry the mental load
Who does most of the thinking, planning, and scheduling involved in the running of your household? New research has confirmed what many of us might already know - that it's women who cop most of the burden. And it's not just cleaning, cooking, and laundry - there's a cognitive load including remembering appointments, organising activities and planning meals. Dr Sarah Coundouris is a Research
International doctors call for better treatment in New Zealand
A group overseas-trained doctors calling for better working conditions in New Zealand for doctors who trained in less affluent countries. The group, of almost 400 doctors from places like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and South Africa, want more support on the job. Having navigated and paid their way through our qualification pathways - they often feel isolated and unsupported once they'
KiwiMart: A plan to shake up grocery competition
Foodstuffs and Woolworths would be forced to sell 120 stores and two distribution centres into public ownership under the Greens' plan - with a 2.8 billion dollar price tag. 2degrees founder Tex Edwards runs pro-competition think-tank Monopoly Watch... and has previously attempted to get a third supermarket chain off the ground. He joins Jesse in the Auckland studio.
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Critter of the Week: Matuhituhi - Stead’s bush wren
A tiny (extinct) bush wren and a cautionary tale as the Bird of the Year kicks off today. The Stead's bush wren is a symbol of how vulnerable our small ground dwelling birds are, and how crucial island biosecurity and predator control continue to be in NZ. The story of this wee wren helped shape our modern conservation practice and is a poignant reminder of what's at stake for our wildlife.
Weekend Stuff: Keeping your home clean when you have pets
As most people will know, adopting a greyhound has been making a lot of news of late. Rachael Quin is once again a pet owner - Stevie our greyhound has been with her for 3 weeks Pets bring into the house quite a bit of dust and dander. And fleas and worms and mud and maybe critters too. Not to mention the hair!! The Housekeeper's Rachael Quin talks to Jesse about how to keep your home hygieni
Country Life: What's on the show this weekend
Anisha Satya from Country Life joins Jesse to let us know about their show this weekend. Country Life is the RNZ show that puts the spotlight on rural New Zealand and shares the stories from rural New Zealanders. It's on air tonight at 7pm and again tomorrow morning at 7am and of course always on rnz.co.nz.
Food: Lemon & Almond Shortbread Slice
Olivia Galletly, also known as The Hungry Cook, joins Jesse to share a yummy sounding slice. With an abundance of lemons growing in gardens at this time of year, and this slice is a delicious way to use a few up. The almonds add a lovely rich, nutty flavour to the shortbread, which pairs fantastically with the zingy lemon top. It's great for school lunchboxes or alongside a cup of tea but add
Film Review: Lomu and Breaking Badly
Afternoons critic Kate Rodger is with Jesse to share what she's been watching - Lomu (in cinemas) and Untold: Raygun Breaking Badly (Netflix)
Freaky Friday
This is your chance to share those stories that can't quite be explained. We're talking ghosts .. premonitions, the spooky .. the weird.
Breaking the silence on Motherhood Regret
For some women, motherhood can be very different to what they expected. Many say that there is an expectation life will be fulfilled with the arrival of a new baby, but for a lot of mothers, the reality is very different. Ella Reed, sociologist at Monash University researches maternal regret. She says social media hasn't helped - and lots of content promotes woman as goddess types who can giv
What El Niño conditions could mean for tropical fruit growers
The imminent El Niño weather system could be the strongest in decades, the UN has warned today.
It's likely to mean drier, hotter and windier spring conditions for much of New Zealand.
Conditions which our next guest says could result in a ripe time for tropical fruit growers.
Aaron Millar owns Tallyman Bananas - a Banana and pineapple wholesaler - based in Northland.
Stopping Cheating: How teachers are trying to keep up with technology
We're starting the show talking about cheating and technology, that's after a University of Auckland student has been caught wearing smart glasses in a test. The glasses feature a camera, and the ability to connect with the internet. For teachers and professors, this presents a whole new battleground in the war on cheating. Friend of the show and Associate Professor of Law at Victoria Univers
The pre-Panel for Thursday 3 September
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.
Political Group Chat
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.
Your Money with Mary Holm
Personal finance whizz Mary Holm talks to Jesse about how to pick great shares.
Crimes NZ: Yanfei Bao
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 availabl
Is stoicism the answer to an uncertain world?
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
Disaster warnings - how many are too many?
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 t
Everything you want to know about the National Guinea Pig Show
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.
Flyovers - how low is too low?
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 week
Would rent an apartment without a carpark?
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, Simp
Group Chat: What's filling up your feed?
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.
Book Critic: The Language Lovers Lexipedia
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.
Easy Eats: Mexican-inspired beef and black bean burgers
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.
Heading Off to Antartica!
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
Kakapo Files - Was this season a success?
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.
Explainer: The race for influence in the Pacific
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
Could a cheeky weekend sleep-in be good for you?
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 offe
The poem that's got lots of people talking
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
The pre-Panel Your daily dose of stuff and nonsense
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: Does technology belong in the classroom?
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 lear
You're the Judge
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.
Podcast Critic: The Retrievals & Big Little Interests
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
Mayoral Minutes: Tasman District Mayor Tim King
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.
RNZ Podcast: Thrift
This week Katy Gosset is looking at the property maintenance we can do ourselves and save some money along the way.
Explainer: Do daycare germs help build immunity?
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? Pete
Move over truffles - meet the dogs sniffing out whitebait!
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 expla
Politics: Let's talk about tax
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 w
