Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

Samoan comedy legend Tofiga Fepulea'i has been named the New Zealand Comedy Trust's prestigious Topp Prize recipient for 2025 Tofiga has been entertaining audiences for over 20 years. He first rose to stardom as one half of The Laughing Samoans before going on to tour solo both here and overseas, delighting audiences with tales from his old-school Samoan upbringing and life as a Pacific Islander in New Zealand. He joins Jesse.

The concept of 'Last One Standing' or 'Backyard Ultra' events is simple but some might say, brutal. Participants run a 6.71km loop once an hour starting on the hour and they must complete the loop within an hour. This goes on hour after hour, day after day, until one runner is left standing. The West Coast is the latest region to host a 'Backyard Ultra' event, organiser Maggi Forsyth joins Jesse.

This is the last week of work for many of you, which might mean your attention turns to a summer camping trip. We are very fortunate to have 325 Department of Conservation campsites around the country and lots of them are about to experience their busy season. Manaia Armstrong is a DoC ranger in Mimiwhangata, Northland, part of his job is to look after the Waikahoa Bay Camping site. He joins Jesse to share tips and tricks to make camping better, and easier, for all.

Currently the Department of Conservation gives out permission after a process that includes filling out paper forms and supplying maps with trapping areas marked. In comparison, hunting permits can be obtained by completing an online form on the DoC website, and approval is almost automatic. After criticism from hunters, the permits to trap feral cats could be replaced by a similar online system. Victor Tindale, a hunter trying to tackle feral cats first-hand chats to Jesse. A link to RNZ journalist Farah Hancock's investigative series Feral is here.

This week Katy Gosset looks at the property market, and meets two friends who have pooled resources in order to make owning a home a reality.

The Danes have hygge, a cultural inclination to try to make things cosy. In Finland, they have a very different cultural trait called sisu, a quiet, inner strength drawn from surviving hardship. Dr. Elisabet Lahti has spent years studying this Finnish concept, and in 2018 she put it to the test, running 2,400 kilometers across New Zealand to research sisu and promote nonviolence. She's the founder of the Sisu Lab and says anyone from any country can learn to have courage in the face of adversity.

As vigils for victims are held and more information about the alleged gunmen of the Bondi Beach attacks is revealed, Sydney residents are still reeling from the event. Brad Foster joins Jesse to offer a local perspective.

The Critter of the Week merchandise that some of you lovely people have purchased has raised more than four thousand dollars for conservation charities. So we asked you to send us an email with why your community organisation should get some of the funding .. we've had lots of lovely messages, including one from an organisation called Haehaeata Natural Heritage Trust.

The Panel producer Tessa Guest is with Jesse to chat about what podcasts she's enjoying and is keen to share with us. Tape Notes, hosted by John Kennedy Deep Water, hosted by Lydia Gard

An 81-year-old Gisborne great grandmother has joined the DJ line-up for this years' Rhythm & Vines festival Molly Pardoe aka DJ SuperGran will debut with a ten minute set.

If the Gold Coast theme parks are a little too spendy for you right now .. and you can't face the crowds at Rainbow's End .. fear not .. an Auckland dad might have the solution for you. Bjorn Burton, has listed his designer playhouse for sale - with the standard features... a sandpit, slide, climbing ramp - but wait for it, it also has a twenty-metre roller coaster, something he designed and made himself. Bjorn chats to Jesse.

Hundreds of Papamoa residents are fighting back against a council proposal that they help pay for their own road repairs. Seven streets are set for roadworks in January, but because the streets are considered "low-volume", Tauranga City Council has opted for chipsealing, rather than asphalt. After locals voiced their opposition to that idea, the Council came back with an offer: You want asphalt, you can pay the difference. Dr Daniel van der Walt, senior lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Canterbury and Phillip Brown is the Chair of the Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers Association talk to Jesse.

It's official .. the foreign buyers ban, which has always seemed to attract commentary - both good and bad - is changing. Policy changes to the foreign buyers ban were suggested in September and on Friday, at 11pm in Parliament, those changes became permanent under the Overseas Investment Act. We noticed the new law hadn't got much media attention so we wanted to spend a few minutes working out what it means for NZ. Cotality NZ chief property economist Kelvin Davidson is with Jesse.

Here Now is an RNZ podcast hosted by Kadambari Raghukumar, it focuses on the journeys people make to New Zealand, their identities and perspectives, and how that shapes their lives here. In this week's edition, Kadambari reflects on some of Here Now's best conversations in 2025.

For years, it was easy to dismiss talk of UAPs, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, formerly known as UFOs. But director and producer Dan Farah argues that moment is over. In his new documentary, The Age of Disclosure, he speaks with 34 high-level figures from the U.S. government, military, and intelligence world who say non-human intelligent life has already made contact, and a global race is underway to reverse engineer the technology involved. The film makes clear this isn't the age of fringe speculation anymore; it's a turning point. The Age of Disclosure is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

Vigils are being held around the world to pay tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach attack - who range in age from 10 to 87. 15 people were killed after two gunmen opened fire at an event to mark the start of Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday. One of the alleged gunman was also killed, while the other alleged gunman is in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Australian officials are describing it as a targeted, antisemitic terror attack. Australian Darren Isenberg, a director, self-described positive influencer and a member of the Jewish community, joins Jesse.

Our telly critic Dominic Corry is here with me to share his picks: Pluribus - Apple TV Malice - Prime Video

From multivitamin gummies to creatine and collagen powders... it can feel like we're being bombarded with products that promise more energy, better sleep, and glowing skin But are these supplements actually worth taking or are they a waste of money? We've asked Dr Prabani Wood, Medical Director at The Royal NZ College of General Practitioners and Hamilton GP to break it down for us.

Marine scientists say New Zealanders want to engage with ocean issues but doing that is getting harder. Knowing what information to trust online is getting more difficult, and that's why Veronica Rotman has established NZ Ocean News. Veronica is a marine scientist and PhDcanidate at the Univeristy of Auckland; she joins Jesse to explain what NZ ocean News is and how you can access it.

There is remarkable video footage of an Australian man tackling one of the Bondi shooters you can watch it on rnz.co.nz His act of bravery is being lauded right across the world and quite rightly. People who risk their lives to help others are a special breed. Over the weekend, 10 such New Zealanders received Bravery Awards for their acts of heroism. One of them was 23-year-old Hamiltonian Hayden Paul Cornwall, he joins me now.