Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

Friendships, workmates, love, whatever the status relationships are tricky. Navigating the highs and the lows can be challenging especially when it involves having tricky conversations. That's why we've got a new segment every fortnight that focuses on relationships. To help us navigate these difficult discussions I'm joined by Professor Kirsty Ross from Massey University's School of Psychology. Today we're focusing on chore allocation, office friendships and friend politics.

The 2025 Wilding Pines conference is currently taking place in Twizel The aim of the conference is to share knowledge, boost morale and hopefully attract new funding to the problem Funding which - according to MPI returns $34 of economic value for every dollar spent. Dr Thomas Carlin is part of the Bioeconomy Science Institutes "Viva La Resistance" project.

Several of our universities have given up running student essays through AI detection software. Because for the most part, they say it didn't really work. But at a time when essays and written projects can be generated in seconds, how to grade work is a serious question. It's one that Auckland Uni Teaching Fellow Patrick Dodd has been grappling with for the last couple of years, now he believes he's got a solution.

GrabOne - the website which offered discounted deals on experiences, products, and travel has gone into liquidation. It was once one of New Zealand's largest daily deals websites and used to be high value - it was sold by NZME to Global Marketplace New Zealand in 20-21 for $17.5 million. The company announced this morning that there would be no refunds for customers with unredeemed vouchers. RNZ's Money Correspondent Susan Edmunds chats to Jesse about consumer rights.

Dr Claire Concannon of Our Changing World chats to Jesse about the Australasian Crested Grebe and the Lake Wanaka grebe project.

A quiet family lunch ends with three dead, one barely alive, and the world taunted by the question: did Erin Patterson serve up death cap mushrooms in the Beef Wellington lunch on purpose? That question was more than a matter of idle speculation for members of the jury in the Patterson Trial. The Australian writer behind Underbelly and Pine Gap has produced one of the first deep dives into the case that had the world riveted in not a whodunit, but a how did she do it. Greg Haddrick lays out the case from the perspective of a juror in his new book is The Mushroom Murders: A Family Lunch. Three Deaths. What Really Happened?

It's Wednesday which means time to talk Easy Eats; a recipe that isn't too taxing on your time but still delivers on taste. Our regular Easy Eats contributor Kelly Gibney is away so we've got the talented Olivia Galletly also known as The Hungry Cook, joining us. Her recipe for eggplant, shallot and yellow coconut curry is here.

Time for our weekly travel adjacent segment - Heading Off. The longer we've run this, the more it's become your feature with loads of you getting in touch with the adventures you'd like to share. Including today's guest Afternoons listener Stephen Draaijer. Between 2004 and 2009 Stephen spent 15 months travelling and photographing the Silk Road. One of his portraits is up on the Afternoons section of the RNZ website now, and you can see the rest in his book "30 Silverglyphics: A Journey Along the Silk Road"

After being closed for three years, next month will see Auckland's Point Chevalier library reopen. And opening day will be more than a ribbon cutting- it's going to have its own soundtrack. Musicians Dave Khan & David Ward, who have composed music for films like "Power of the dog" & worked with Marlon Williams, Reb Fountain & Dave Dobbin, are behind the project called 'Music to Read By'. To explain what that is Dave and Dave join Jesse with guitars in tow. The opening celebration will take place on Saturday 8 November from 11am to 1pm.

For centuries durum wheat has been recognised as the gold standard of wheats for making great pasta and bread. Much like the rest of our wheat supplies, almost all of it is imported. But, thanks to four families in the Wairarapa, that's beginning to change. Mick Williams from the Wairarapa Grain Collective talks to Jesse.

Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee has announced he is cracking down on Parliamentary behaviour, and one of the issues he's keen to look at is standard of dress. When asked about it on Morning Report today, Minister of Health Simeon Brown said since the removal of ties, standards of behaviour has dropped. Which got us thinking, not about ties specifically, but if what you wear affects the way people view you? Does it make you more or less professional? Doris de Pont, Founder of NZ Fashion Museum and NZ Fashion Curator is here to help.

Jesse is joined by The Panel host Wallace Chapman and producer Tessa Guest to preview this evening's show.

We've got a new segment called 'You're the Judge' where we present an issue that's been sent in by one of our listeners, and you, our audience, decide what the right course of action is. We've been asking for the problems that have you stumped and have been sent lots of your dilemmas, if you have one to add to the pile email jesse@afternoons.co.nz Today's issue is gift etiquette - what do you do if you don't like a present?

For years, Dr Jean Twenge warned about the links between declining mental health and the rising use of smartphones and other devices. She was one of the first to raise the alarm, now she wants to offer parents some solutions. Dr Twenge says parents are up against tech companies that do everything they can to encourage young people to spend as much time as possible on their phones and laptops and having conversations with them about that are not going to cut it. Teenagers need rules. She writes not just as a renowned researcher, but as a parent of 3 teenage daughters. Her latest book is called 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: How Parents Can Stop Smartphones, Social Media, and Gaming from Taking Over Their Children's Lives.

Time to find out what's hitting the headlines in Australia, our usual guy Brad Foster is on a well-deserved holiday, so we're pleased to have TVNZ's One News' Australia correspondent Jacob Johnson joining us. Jacob is going to chat about a superannuation tax change, YouTube's appearance before a Senate Committee, Victoria's crime problem and that Bathurst win.

We're going to chat books now and a new collection coming out in November is celebrating Auckland and some of the reasons people choose to live there. To share the details Anna Rankin joins Jesse, she is currently in New York completing a Masters of Arts in Journalism with a Politics Concentration at Columbia University thanks to a Fulbright award.

Tim shares details of a massive deal announced last week whereby AMD is giving OpenAI 10% of the company. It's caused a lot of chat about the incredibly strange financial arrangements between three huge tech companies (AMD, Nvidia, OpenAI).

The ice cream brand Tip Top turns 90 years old this month. From a small Wellington milk bar to a huge Auckland factory - the story of this company is a remarkable one. The ubiquitous summer treats are now also available across the Pacific, Australia and Southeast Asia. We all have our favourites, be that the boysenberry trumpet, Jelly Tip, Choc Bar or an old school ice cream in a cone. To mark the milestone, Jesse is joined by Chief Executive Ben Schurr and longtime employee Ross Jenkins.

Love Actually is one of the most popular Christmas films of all time. And according to Wikipedia it's the 9th highest grossing Christmas film ever, just below Batman Returns, so take from that what you will. This year it's coming to NZ, with a twist. Love Actually in Concert features a live orchestra playing the score. MC and mega fan Chelsea Plumley joins us now.

New Zealanders are leaving the country in record numbers, the latest figures from Stats NZ show overall migrant arrivals dropped 16% to 138,600, while departures increased 13% to 127,900. Nearly 48 thousand kiwi citizens left this year. Continuing the trend that we've seen over the past two years - with large numbers of New Zealand citizens leaving and fewer migrants arriving. So is this the new normal or just a reflection of current tough times? Sociologist and emeritus professor at Massey University Paul Spoonley joins Jesse.