Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

Each week on a Wednesday Kelly Gibney shares a recipe that is delicious and nutritious without being too demanding on time. Today's salad celebrates all the summer produce favourites.

Our chance to travel to places others have explored - this week we are off to China.

A few years ago, plans to regenerate and restore Wynyard Quarter on Tamaki Makaurau's waterfront were announced. But one of the issues in turning it into an open public space is the soil, which is contaminated. Now, University of Auckland graduate Marissa Porteous has come up with a clever solution that's even won her an award.

Time now for our regular catch up with Claire Concannon for Our Changing World. And this week, she's got a story from RNZ journalist Veronika Meduna, about restoration efforts in Porirua Harbour.

This year it's gone to Mark Taylor. Mark has contributed to the Navy for more than 35 years as both a uniformed official and as a civilian. He joins Jesse to tell us more about his life and work.

A power struggle looks to be brewing at NZ Cricket over the future of the domestic game. NZ Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink is understood to be taking a break from his day-to-day duties, ahead of talks about his future in the role. But cricket isn't the only national sport where rumours are swirling, Netball NZ also seems to be in disarray. Publisher of the Bounce Substack newsletter, Dylan Cleaver joins Jesse to discuss.

We're going to start the show with some good news because the latest visitor stats are out and it's looking positive for Kiwi tourist operators. Stats NZ says overseas visitor arrivals were 3.45 million in the October 2025 year, that's an increase of 205,000 from a year before. To discuss what's driving this growth, Jesse is joined by Tourism Industry Aotearoa's Rebecca Ingram.

When filmmaker Dana Conroy's doctor suggested laser eye surgery, or LASIK, to correct her nearsightedness, it seemed like a good idea. With success rates touted near 99% and millions of people getting it done, she expected to throw away her glasses for good. Instead, she found herself battling constant pain, crushing headaches, unrelenting dryness, and eyesight that only got worse. Trying to understand what happened, she put herself behind and in front of the camera, tracking down specialists and others who say they were harmed by a procedure sold as simple and safe. Along the way she met ophthalmologist Dr. Cynthia MacKay, who's been pushing back against LASIK for decades. Dana Conroy's documentary is called Broken Eyes, and a link to it is here

Let's find out what's happening in Australia, our man on the ground there is Brad Foster and he joins Jesse. Today he'll talk about the bushfires, why Communications Minister and Minister for Sport Anika Wells is getting some heat, plus new shark detecting technology.

Our critic Catherine Robertson has got some cracking recommendations for you Clown Town by Mick Herron (Baskerville) It's Been Six Weeks Since My Last Confession by Peta Mathias (PM Books) The Last Living Cannibal by Airana Ngarewa (Moa Press)

What do you get when you combine three huge companies, billionaires and the US President? The fascinating story of the attempts to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery. Netflix has made a huge bid for the entertainment company - announcing that it had agreed to buy the studios and streaming operations, but not its tv assets. But now, Paramount Skydance, run by David Ellison - son of Oracle's Larry Ellison, one of the world's richest people and an ally of President Trump - has launched a hostile bid for WBD, offering more money to take the entire company. Tech expert Tim Batt joins Jesse to discuss.

But we've gone from being in the top seven, to 36th in GDP ranking, with countries like Czech Republic, Lithuania and Slovenia surpassing us. So what does this mean in reality? Do we need to adjust our thinking on where we actually sit in the world? Dr Greg Clydesdale is an author who has written several books on this subject, including 'Waves of Prosperity'.

One small request led to dozens and dozens of emails, so it seems that a bad meal sticks in your memory much like a bad smell. We've invited Steve Braunias in today to talk to Jesse about what he uncovered.

Now we don't know about you, but the words Resource Management Act, are quite hard to get enthused about. But we want to be enthused, because we know it is important. Especially given the Government has just announced pretty big changes to it. The RMA will be replaced with be replaced by two new pieces of legislation, one focused on planning and the other focused on protecting the environment. So, to find out what this means, and to get a better understanding of the RMA and what it was meant to achieve, Lauren Wallace chats to Jesse. Lauren Wallace is a partner at Govett Quilliam and leads the firm's Environment and Planning Team She has more than 15 years' experience specialising in resource management, environmental and local government law.

These days it feels like there have never been more wrong ways to eat right. Everywhere you turn there's a new rule, a new label, or some flashy food trend trying to get your attention and your money. Dr. Marion Nestle is the OG of cutting through the trends, calling out an industry that's built to boost profits, not necessarily our health. Twenty years after she wrote the original guide to surviving the supermarket, she's back. And at 89, she's taking on everything from ultra-processed foods to grocery delivery apps in an updated edition of her classic: What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters.

Today we're delving into the great unknown, space, the final frontier. So, if there's anything you've always wanted to know about outer space, rockets, space travel, now's the time. Text us on 2101. Today's expert is Dr Ben Taylor, senior research fellow at the Space Institute and co-founder of Frond Space Systems.

Monday is club day here at Afternoons because my team is determined that I go clubbing. So if you have a club you'd like me to join for the day please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you at afternoons@rnz.co.nz Manawatu Cactus and Succulent Society's Anastasia Carlson chats to Jesse.

Time to talk about what's good to watch on the small screen now - our critic Philippa Rennie joins me to share her top picks. Dead Ahead (TVNZ) Boots (Netflix)

Over the years, Christine Fernyhough has built an extraordinary private collection of New Zealand objects, spanning everything from the 1860s through to the 1970s. Now, in her new book The Albino Kiwi & Other Rarities, she's selected 75 remarkable pieces to showcase. Among the highlights are a rare albino kiwi specimen, cherished Maori artefacts, quirky vintage collectibles, a 10-million-year-old crab and "Molly," the stout-legged moa Writer and collector Christine Fernyhough joins Jesse.

Last week some of the world's most influential economists gathered for the University of Auckland's inaugural International Economics Workshop. Much was discussed, but the key question on the table was, in a time of geopolitical tension, where is globalisation heading? University of Auckland economics lecturer Chanelle Duley was a co-organiser behind the workshop, and she joins Jesse to discuss.