Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

It's Tuesday the 27th of January and for many of you, the school holidays are still going. Some of you might in fact be wondering if they will ever actually end. Lots of you are back in the office and now juggling parenting, work, weather woes and children. But we are here to help! To give us some ideas on surviving the final couple of weeks Jesse is joined by Parenting Place's Dayna Galloway.

Whether it's a story idea, interview request or a correction, we love hearing from you. Briana emailed us over the break with an issue she was hoping we could put to Ruud "The Bug Man" Kleinpaste. Because we're happy to help where we can, Ruud joins me now to hopefully solve Briana's problem and take any other questions you might have. Do text us 2101.

Did you set a New Year's Resolution? And more importantly, have you stuck to it? Global data and research shows that weight loss and health related goals are consistently people's number one New Year's Resolution, but experts are concerned that meeting such resolutions might see people choosing the likes of Ozempic or Wegovy as an easier solution. While a lot has been said and written about going on Ozempic; what happens after you've been on it for a while, or try to go off it? Registered dietitian and co-founder of The Food Tree website Rachael Wilson chats to Jesse.

Over the last few months there has been consistently heated debate around the tactics, and indeed presence of, immigration agents in the United States. That debate has reached fever pitch after the death of nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. This isn't the first fatal incident involving ICE agents, Alex Pretti is the second US citizen killed in Minneapolis this month. So what is going on? And why does it seem that wherever you look there is a different narrative surrounding what took place and who is to blame? Washington DC correspondent Simon Marks joins Jesse.

"This is Donald Trump's world and we're all just living in it", so begins the annual issue of The Economist magazine's "The World Ahead in 2026" edition. Every year, we kick off the new year talking to Tom Standage, Deputy Editor of The Economist and Editor of the special issue that gives us a cheat sheet for what we might expect to see in world events. 2026 will continue to be a year of Trump shaking things up and the world trying to adjust. Standage and his team also say 2026 will also be the year of cheaper GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, peak wine consumption and possibly the end of the Commonwealth Games.

TV Critic, actor, and writer Michelle Langstone joins Jesse to discuss what's worth watching - or not - on the telly. The Pitt - Season Two (Neon) Frauds - TVNZ+

Time now for our expert feature - this is your chance to pick the brains of someone who knows their stuff on anything from wedding planning, space, cosmetic dentistry to dinosaurs. Today's subject is part science part philosophy ... we're looking at perception and how our brains work. Do you have an inner voice? Do we all see colours the same? How do optical illusions work? Whatever your question is, text us on 2101 or afternoons@rnz.co.nz on the email. Cognitive Neuroscientist and Auckland Uni Professor, Paul Corballis tries to answer them.

After two on a Monday means it's time to hit the clubs! Jesse has chatted to the Hawkes Bay Racing Lawnmower Club ... the Christchurch Quilters... Manawatu Cactus and Succulent Society among others. If you have a club you'd like Jesse to join for the day, please get in touch .. we'd love to hear from you on afternoons@rnz.co.nz Today, we're talking to Warren Harris from Ham Radio Club.

It's an anniversary day for many in the North Island, but today also marks Australia Day so to find out what's happening in OZ to mark it, we're joined by our man on the ground Brad Foster. Brad shares this year's Australian of the Year, update on the recent spate of shark attacks and some sport!

Mustering the energy to walk the Te Araroa trail is one thing, carrying an extra load while you do it, is another feat entirely. But that's exactly what one British hiker has done. Katie Evans has been on the trail since November, she was deep in the woods near the Lake Sumner stretch when she came across a little black kitten. Katie joins us from our Christchurch studio to tell us what happens next.

Conversations about AI seem to be everywhere, the pros, the cons, the what ifs, the why nots, the list goes on. On Afternoons we've spent time discussing how AI can affect learning. On one hand it's wonderful that you can type a question into your device and get an immediate answer, on the other hand, it takes away the chance to research, to consider, some might say to actually think critically. Are we doing ourselves, and younger people, a disservice by letting AI give us all the answers? To discuss, Professor Deborah Brown, director of Queensland Universities 'Critical Thinking Project', joins Jesse.

Right we're off to Mosgiel to talk to retired farmer Geoff Neilson. You see, Geoff and his wife Ailsa are the recipients of a new award from six major Welsh farming organisations. Since the 1970s Geoff and Ailsa have hosted over a hundred young Welsh famers on their Southern sheep farm ... that effort has now been recognised with the "International Relations Award"

We're starting our first show of 2026 looking at the tragic events at Mt Maunganui. While lots of locals are still in a state of shock and sadness over the deadly landslide, for some that's turned to anger. A few officials have described the event as "unprecedented", but others are saying we should've seen it coming. Bryce Edwards, director of The Democracy Project, joins Jesse to discuss.