Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

We've got a newish 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. If you've got an irk you'd like resolved, please do email me jesse@afternoons.co.nz

It was a bargain with the devil they couldn't refuse. A group of women prisoners in Auschwitz were offered a slim chance at survival in exchange for playing music. They played as inmates got off the trains. They played as prisoners marched for roll call. They played as ash from the crematoriums rained down on them. Historian and biographer Anne Sebba tells the story of the only female orchestra in the camps, exploring not only the moral dilemmas they faced, but the impact their music had on other prisoners. Anne Sebba is on tour around New Zealand to talk about her new book, The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A story of survival. She joins Jesse in our Auckland studio.

It's Melbourne Cup day! We talk to Brad about the issues that have got Australians talking. Today we're looking at a new public register of child sex abusers, head knocks in the NRL, abandoning Australia's emissions reduction target of net zero and of course Melbourne Cup.

Author Catherine Robertson joins Jesse to chat about books she thinks are worth reading: The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume 3 by Philip Pullman (David Fickling Books) 1985 by Dominic Hoey (Penguin) James by Percival Everett (Mantle)

Evie Ashton is here to talk podcasts, and she's got two pretty different offerings this week, one based on history, while the other is more about feminism - and not strictly speaking a podcast. Noble Blood - wherever you get your podcasts Lily Allen - West End Girl

Despite having the technology to connect to friends and family 24/7 - social isolation and loneliness are issues that are becoming more prominent .. not just for the elderly - but also for young people. So Melinda Wong has come up with a solution.. friend making events .. hosted get togethers where strangers can meet and get to know one another in a safe environment. Melinda runs Time & Place .. organising private dinners and public picnics in an effort to help people connect.

The conversation around phone screen time - and how much is too much - usually centres around children and teens. But new research has highlighted the impact of phone use by another group - new mums. Any tired parent will tell you that screen time can be a welcome source of distraction, but it turns out it can also interfere with parent/child bonding and a baby's development. Dr Miriam McCaleb from the University of Canterbury is lead researcher on the study, she talks to Jesse.

From today, Wellington City Council will start to remove the temporary fencing around the waterfront. The fencing was put up in 2023, after a death in the harbour.. that was the seventh drowning since 2006. A coroner's report in March called for urgent action in high risk areas of the waterfront .. but in August, Wellington council voted against a proposal to put up permanent fences. For more on this Wellington Mayor Andrew Little speaks to Jesse.

The owners of a well-known Hamilton shoe shop are hanging up their boots after 43 years. Ann and Grant Collins have been running Collins Footwear since 1982... serving generations of customers. They'll be finishing up at the shop - that has a big orange boot on top of its shopfront - next month.

Every family has its own way of talking. They share weird phrases, inside jokes, and made-up words that no one else would understand. Georgetown linguistics professor Cynthia Gordon has spent over 20 years studying how families actually talk to each other. She asked them to record ordinary moments, dinner conversations, car rides, chores and found something she calls "familylect": the secret language that makes a family feel like a family. Share your own familylect by texting 2101 or emailing us at afternoons@rnz.co.nz

The Pre Panel for 3 November 2025

Today in our expert feature we're talking to Master Builders. We'll cover choosing a builder, going through the process, what happens if you're not happy afterwards and anything else you want to know. So, get your questions into 2101. Even if it's one of those questions that's "more of a comment" we want to hear from you. To answer them - Jesse is joined by Ankit Sharma from Master Builders.

Let's talk about what's good to watch on the small screen now, TV critic Dominic Corry is with me and has two very different shows to recommend: I Love LA - Sky/Neon The Last Frontier - Apple TV+

You know you've done well with a school project when one of the country's major local sports clubs takes notice. Dhriti Girish was 13 years old when she came up with the idea for her 'Young Leaders' initiative. It's designed to support girls in cricket, encouraging them in the sport and helping develop their leadership potential. What began as a year-10 student project was later adopted as a fully-fledged programme by Cricket Wellington, and then it won the prize for Best Female Engagement Strategy at the ANZ National New Zealand Cricket Awards. Dhriti is now in her second year of university and the 'Young Leaders' programme is still going strong. She chats to Jesse.

Ten migrants are finishing up a ten-week bilingual course in te reo Maori and English that is believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand. The pilot programme, based in Rotorua, has helped them build confidence in speaking, presenting and connecting through both languages. It's a collaboration between Speech New Zealand, Te Tatau o Te Arawa and the Rotorua Multicultural Council with funding covered by Immigration New Zealand. Paz Coloma, who is from Chile, has completed the course and joins Jesse.

Since June, Biosecurity New Zealand has confirmed five yellow-legged hornets have been detected in Auckland, and they're asking locals to be on the lookout. But what do you do if you come across one and what does it mean for our honey and wild bee populations? Ruud Kleinpaste, better known as 'The Bug Man' talks to Jesse.

If you're stuck for a Halloween costume, this week's critter could be a source of inspiration… or not! Meet the bird-dropping spiders (Celaenia species) Extra extra! Join Forest & Bird CEO Nicola Toki and RNZ’s Jesse Mulligan for a special live event marking ten years (and more than 300 Critters!) of storytelling, laughter, and love for nature. The event will be held at Pocket Bar, Auckland, on Tuesday 11 November, from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Limited in person tickets.  Livestream tickets are available for those who can’t be there in person. tickets on sale from today! Go here for tickets or https://events.humanitix.com/critter if link doesn't work! [picture id="4JYOCTZ_Critter_event_banner_4_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

Mitre 10's Stan Smith joins Jesse to answer all your DIY questions.

Spring might be a challenging season in terms of the weather, but how good is it for fruit and veges?! Asparagus is back on the shelves which makes us feel like summer is getting ever closer. Here to share a recipe that makes asparagus sing is Gretchen Lowe.

Kate Rodger joins Jesse to review Pike River and Good Fortune. Both in cinemas now.