Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

We first brought you the story of the Okarito Gorsebusters six years ago. That's when the call out went out for volunteers to help clear gorse along a lagoon in the area, in return for their help they would get a six-day kayaking adventure, free food and accommodation. Fast forward to 2026 and now the event has grown from a small working bee with mates, into a major event, in fact this year, organisers had to turn people away Okarito Gorsebusters organiser Baz Hughes chats to Jesse.

We need to talk about the cars on our roads or more specifically the utes. Utes are brilliant vehicles for the farm, for tradespeople and for people who actually need the space - but more and more they seem to be the vehicle of choice for people who live in a city. In fact new research shows 66 percent of trips by double-cab utes are made in urban areas. So what's the appeal and how can we convince people to move to vehicles more fitting to their needs? University of Auckland Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Alistair Woodward joins Jesse.

Auckland has signed a landmark deal with the Government promising infrastructure investment, housing, transport and economic development. There is even talk of the bed tax that Mayor Wayne Brown has long been calling for. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Mayor Brown are both calling this a major win that will mean greater co-operation. Joining Jesse with his reaction to the deal is Karl Budge, former Chief Executive of the ASB Classic and newly appointed Chief Executive of the Blues.

Recently we spoke to playwright Fiona Samuel about her new work 'Helen Clark in 6 Outfits' which opened this week at the Auckland Theatre Company. When we asked Fiona if the Right Honourable Helen Clark would be going to the play, she said she and the cast didn't want to know. Well, on Tuesday night the Former Prime Minister did go to the play, and Jesse got to talk to her about it afterwards.

This week on Artemis II humans have gone further into space than ever before, the last time we even came close was more than 50 years ago when we landed on the moon during "the golden age of space exploration." Here to tell us about those years and the effect they had on New Zealand is historian Dr Grant Morris.

Thursday afternoons are when we solve some of the world's problems and this week Steve Wyn-Harris is turning his attention to what happens to the farmers, growers, land and machinery when Heinz Watties shuts up shop.

Time for sporting history and today Jesse is joined by Brett Fairweather You'll might know Brett as the founder and face of Jump Jam, but he is also one of the world's most successful competitive aerobics performers. He won the inaugural World Aerobics Championship in 1990 and defended that title the following year!

Kate Rodger and Afternoons Senior Producer Olivia Wilson join Jesse to discuss the stories that might not make the news but usually make your social media feeds.

The second-hand fashion market is booming - from op shops to clothes swaps to resale apps - buying pre-loved clothing is increasingly being embraced by the younger generation. Yet despite its growing popularity, New Zealanders are still throwing away an alarming amount of clothing. Around 180,000 tonnes of textile waste are sent to landfill each year - that's roughly 34 kilograms per person Upcycling expert Bea Lorimer and founder of Heke Design joins Jesse to explain why and has some tips on how to upcycle successfully.

Most people achieve their masters degrees by going to university, studying long and hard hours but a few select people are gifted them through making exceptional contributions to their field. That's the case with our next guest. Unitec have awarded an honorary master's degree in applied science to Tamsin Orr-Walker MNZM, co-founder of Kea Conservation Trust

It might feel like the days of Covid are well behind most of us, but six years on from the initial outbreak, around 200 thousand New Zealanders are still dealing with it because they have Long Covid. So should more be done for those suffering the symptoms? We discuss that with Amanda Kvalsvig, Research Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago. But first Jesse talks to Esther, a Wellington-based freelance journalist who can share what it's like to have Long Covid.

Autism rates are soaring around the world. It's a trend that troubles Dame Uta Frith who has been studying the disorder for more than six decades. She says the idea of autism on a spectrum has expanded so much it's starting to lose any meaning at all. More and more, the diagnosis is being used to describe people with all kinds of social challenges or sensory issues. She worries that some people are self-identifying as autistic, even glamourizing it, fueled by social media instead of a specific clinical diagnosis. Dame Frith is an Emeritus Professor at University College London and says questions need to be asked to ensure autism research is robust and support is given appropriately.

Kelly Gibney shares a delicious sounding recipe. Click here for the recipe

Today we Head Off to South America for a tour of coffee, cacao and pre-colonial history. And to guide us we're joined by Fraser Alexander.

Against all odds, a New Zealand shoestring budget film is about to tour 21 theatres around the country. The Weed Eaters debuted at the NZ International Film Festival last year to high praise, and has gone on to win big at international film festivals - winning best feature at SXSW Sydney. It's a comedy-horror with the unforgettable premise of a strain of weed that turning friends into accidental cannibals. Writer and actor in Weed Eaters, Annabel Kean joins Jesse.

We're starting today's show talking about the US and Iran. President Donald Trump has agreed to suspend bombing and attacks on Iran for two weeks, subject to the Strait of Hormuz opening. An Iranian foreign ministry official says safe transit through the Strait will be possible for two weeks. Global oil prices have plunged as a result of the news - falling about 16 percent to around US$92 a barrel. Iran's Supreme National Security Council is claiming victory, saying they "forced" the United States to accept their 10-point plan. For his reaction to the latest developments, former Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff chats to Jesse.

For a lot of couples, the bedroom used to be the one place where the outside world went away. Now it's often lit by the glow of a screen. Smartphones have slipped into the most private part of our lives, turning quiet moments into scroll time and intimacy into interruption. Relationship therapist Baya Voce argues that the phone has become an uninvited third presence in many partnerships. And it's not usually dramatic blowups that cause the damage in a relationship, it's the constant little withdrawals of attention from one more email, one more notification, one more Instagram check.Voce writes about this modern relationship shift in her essay for AfterBabel, Your Marriage Has a Third: What Phone-Based Adulthood Is Doing to Love and Sex.

Our weekly segment where we get the audiences' help on a problem. This is your chance to weigh in, give your two cents with reckless abandon! This week a bill that's caused a fall out between cousins. One of them crashed the other's car, only to find it's uninsured - who should foot the bill? Should it be shared?! We love getting your thoughts on 2101.

Afternoons podcast critic Elliot Childs shares what he's been listening to: Fela Kuti, Fear No Man - An eight episode documentary about Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer and political activist Fela Kuti. The Idiot - Produced by Serial productions (who made Serial and S town)

Afternoons' book critic Catherine Robertson is here to share what she's been reading: Hood's Landing by Laura Vincent (Aporo Press) The Island Retreat by Cathy Kelly (Harper Collins) Seed by Elisabeth Easther (Penguin)