Synopsis
Jesse hosts an upbeat mix of the curious and the compelling, ranging from the stories of the day to the great questions of our time.
Episodes
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You're the Judge: To swaddle or not to swaddle?
08/09/2026 Duration: 03minEach week we get your help to solve a dilemma. This week we're looking at whether a daughter in law should insist on requiring her mother-in-law to swaddle their baby when she babysits.
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Tech Tuesday with Tim Batt
08/09/2026 Duration: 12minTim Batt joins Susana to discuss what's hitting headlines in the world of technology. This week he'll look at whether our LG TVs are spying on us, The OpenAI Hugging Face hack and chatbots.
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Book Critic: 'Green Sea: Lost in the New Zealand Bush', 'Hide', & 'The Taming of the Cat'
08/09/2026 Duration: 10minClaire Maybe reviews Green Sea: Lost in the New Zealand Bush by John Summers, Hide by Rebecca Hawkes, and The Taming of the Cat by Helen Cooper.
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Mayoral Minutes: Bernie Wanden
08/09/2026 Duration: 13minIt's time for Mayoral minutes, where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing, how they're working to solve them and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to the Horowhenua Mayor District. Susana spoke to Mayor Bernie Wanden.
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Pairing local artists with people living with Alzheimer's
08/09/2026 Duration: 06minA Tauranga group is using art as way for people to connect and challenge the stigma around dementia Artful Mind pairs local artists with people living with Alzheimer's and dementia - to see what they create together The works are then shown and sold at Dementia Tauranga's annual awareness exhibition. Dr. Bronwyn Copeland is a Tauranga based geriatric psychiatrist and artist, she spoke with Susana.
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South Auckland Community Safety Patrol
08/09/2026 Duration: 07minPapatoetoe's night patrol volunteers are calling for more funding and better equipment as they try to plug the gap left by stretched Police resources The Counties Manukau Community Safety Patrol Trust says its volunteers are patrolling into the early hours ... observing incidents and reporting concerns to Police and other agencies. Patrol team leader Bella Tamotu spoke to Susana.
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Radiohead skips New Zealand
08/09/2026 Duration: 07minFollowing in the footsteps of Taylor Swift ... another one of the world's biggest acts has decided to park up in Australia.... and skip NZ entirely Radiohead announced its 2027 tour overnight, with 18 shows across Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, plus five dates in Japan. But there's not a single show here in Aotearoa. For Kiwi music fans, international artists bypassing New Zealand is becoming an increasingly worrying trend. Susane spoke with music journalist - and author of the Boiler Room substack - Chris Shulz
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How bad is this flu season?
08/09/2026 Duration: 09minWinter can feel like one long game of pass the parcel when it comes to sickness. One person gets a cough, then someone else gets the flu, the kids are off school, a colleague calls in sick, before you know it, everyone seems to be unwell This flu feels particularity bad - with reports of people waiting 20+ hours to be seen in hospitals, while octors becoming increasingly disillusioned by the health system But just how bad is it? Are more people actually getting sick, or are we just hearing more about it? Dr Luke Bradford spoke to Susana Leiataua.
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The pre-Panel: Your daily dose of stuff and nonsense
07/09/2026 Duration: 08minWallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan star in the shortest show on radio, where they show they really can make something out of nothing, join them to be part of their delight, or to simply despair. Wallace will also preview what's on The Panel tonight.
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Josh Tyrangiel on why AI might not be so bad after all
07/09/2026 Duration: 26minThe AI debate usually sounds like a choice between the camp that thinks artificial intelligence will solve our biggest problems, and the other camp, certain it will create entirely new ones. But there's a lot of territory between utopia and apocalypse. That's where longtime journalist Josh Tyrangiel is looking. Rather than asking what AI might do in theory, he looks at what happens when people put it to work deliberately using the technology alongside human judgement to tackle genuine problems in the world today. His book is called AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter.
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Roadie Song - Rolling in the Deep
07/09/2026 Duration: 06minWe've got a segment on Afternoons we like to call Roadie Songs ..we want to know the songs you love to turn up loud when you're on a road trip. If you have a song and a story you'd like to share, send your suggestion to 2101 along with your phone number. Aileen shared her song with us today.
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TV Critic: 'Alone Australia' & 'Trying'
07/09/2026 Duration: 07minCaitlin Cherry reviews 'Alone Australia' (available on TVNZ+) and 'Trying' (Apple TV)
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Jesse Goes Clubbing: Pania Plodders Hash House Harriers
07/09/2026 Duration: 12minJesse calls the Hannah Purdie from the Pania Plodders Hash House Harriers.
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OZ Update: What's happening in Australia?
07/09/2026 Duration: 08minBrad Foster joins us to discuss the NSW Governments plan to combat organised crime, tougher enforcement of the U16s social media ban, and the NRL finals.
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Why more women carry the mental load
07/09/2026 Duration: 10minWho does most of the thinking, planning, and scheduling involved in the running of your household? New research has confirmed what many of us might already know - that it's women who cop most of the burden. And it's not just cleaning, cooking, and laundry - there's a cognitive load including remembering appointments, organising activities and planning meals. Dr Sarah Coundouris is a Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. Dr Sarah Coundouris is a Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. [picture id="4L29LWX_045_IS098YY9V_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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Expert Feature: Freediving with William Trubridge
07/09/2026 Duration: 27minEvery Monday we invite an expert to take your questions on their subject. You can send them to 2101 or Afternoons@rnz.co.nz. Today we're discussing freediving. Freediving is diving underwater on a single breath of air. There's no tanks. No breathing apparatus. No bubbles. Just complete silence New Zealander William Trubridge is a freediving world champion, and the first person to dive deeper than 100 metres without changing his weighting or using fins. He joins Jesse to take your questions.
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International doctors call for better treatment in New Zealand
07/09/2026 Duration: 13minA group overseas-trained doctors calling for better working conditions in New Zealand for doctors who trained in less affluent countries. The group, of almost 400 doctors from places like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and South Africa, want more support on the job. Having navigated and paid their way through our qualification pathways - they often feel isolated and unsupported once they're in work. Jacqui de Smidt is a doctor from South Africa representing this group, and Johanna Thomas-Maude completed her PHD research on the subject of overseas doctors at Massey University. They join Jesse. [picture id="4JN20OC_etactics_inc_JkWMM8x1sLo_unsplash_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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KiwiMart: A plan to shake up grocery competition
07/09/2026 Duration: 09minFoodstuffs and Woolworths would be forced to sell 120 stores and two distribution centres into public ownership under the Greens' plan - with a 2.8 billion dollar price tag. 2degrees founder Tex Edwards runs pro-competition think-tank Monopoly Watch... and has previously attempted to get a third supermarket chain off the ground. He joins Jesse in the Auckland studio. [picture id="4JIQ7MV_greens_kiwimart_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
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Critter of the Week: Matuhituhi - Stead’s bush wren
04/09/2026 Duration: 17minA tiny (extinct) bush wren and a cautionary tale as the Bird of the Year kicks off today. The Stead's bush wren is a symbol of how vulnerable our small ground dwelling birds are, and how crucial island biosecurity and predator control continue to be in NZ. The story of this wee wren helped shape our modern conservation practice and is a poignant reminder of what's at stake for our wildlife.
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Weekend Stuff: Keeping your home clean when you have pets
04/09/2026 Duration: 08minAs most people will know, adopting a greyhound has been making a lot of news of late. Rachael Quin is once again a pet owner - Stevie our greyhound has been with her for 3 weeks Pets bring into the house quite a bit of dust and dander. And fleas and worms and mud and maybe critters too. Not to mention the hair!! The Housekeeper's Rachael Quin talks to Jesse about how to keep your home hygienic and not too smelly if you have a pet or several pets.