Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

Optimism can feel like a radical act these days. For Kevin Kelly, a positive outlook is not optional. The co-founder and senior maverick at tech magazine Wired has long argued that our capacity to fix our problems is greater than we imagine. He makes the case for evidence-based optimism, not wishful thinking, but informed possibility, in a new podcast called Best Case Scenario. Kelly teams up with best selling psychology and behavior author Daniel Pink to ask experts to give their best possible good news scenario in the next 25 years on the topics like transportation, energy and human health.

Afternoons podcast critic Ximena Smith joins Jesse to review 'Ransom Man' and 'The Walkers: The Real Salt Path'

Afternoons book critic Anna Rankin joins Jesse to talk about The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch. It came out in 2011, but the film version is about to be released so we're taking this opportunity to discuss the memoir.

It's time for Mayoral minutes, our new segment 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. This week we're heading to the Waikato District and Mayor Aksel Bech.

"Meno-divorce" is a term that is trending on the internet right now. It's used to describe a divorce that coincides with women experiencing menopause. But how did it come about and is it really fair? Author of multiple books on menopause, Niki Bezzant, chats to Jesse.

There's a movement happening in the hunting community that sees surplus wild venison turned into meals for families who need some help. The West Coast initiative is called Game 2 Give, and it was launched last year by the Hokitika-based food bank Kai Puku. It's fair to say that since then it's really caught on - several local organisations have jumped on board to help out, and now even the Department of Conservation. Kai Puku lead co-ordinator Christine Barton joins Jesse.

Nowadays it seems it's far more common for young people to stay at home long past the age of 18. This could be due to the cost of living, the cost of tuition, or lack of job opportunities. But then the question becomes how long is too long, and is it fair to charge them rent? Sheridan Eketone is a coach at The Parenting Place and she joins Jesse to chat through the do's and don'ts.

New Zealand Parliament announced late last week that it will no longer post updates on the social media platform X - formerly known as Twitter. The move comes amid growing international backlash against the Elon Musk owned platform, after thousands of sexualised deepfake images mainly of women and children, were generated using the social media site's AI chatbot 'Grok' Foreign Minister Winston Peters has since criticised the decision, writing on X that "This is how freedoms are lost - by unilateral decision-making being made by moral virtue signalling - where someone seeks to do one thing but causes damage to other freedoms." So is he right? To discuss the issue, Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jillaine Heather joins Jesse now.

Hearing a bird sing, a dog bark, an orca squeal has led so many of us to wonder if might be possible to talk to animals. Aza Raskin wants to listen to them. He's the co-founder and CEO of the Earth Species Project, which uses artificial intelligence to decode the sounds and signals of other species. The aim isn't just translation; it's understanding. Early breakthroughs from studying highly intelligent crows to other vocal animals suggest we're beginning to hear patterns that were once invisible to us. Raskin believes that learning to truly listen to animals could transform how we see and treat each other and the rest of life on Earth.

Caitlin Cherry reviews: Younger (Netflix) The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 (Netflix)

Today we're exploring the world of Birding - otherwise known as Birdwatching - with Rick Szabo. Rick has been birding for more than 14 years and observed over 1600 different species. He also guides tours for fellow bird enthusiasts in Texas, California, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Costa Rica.

Monday means Jesse hits the clubs. If you've got a club you'd like him to visit, please text us 2101 or email us afternoons@rnz.co.nz. Today Jesse is chatting to Daryl Purdie from Auckland's Pinball Club.

Brad Foster joins Jesse to discuss the latest developments across the Tasman. Today, he's talking about the return of the so-called ISIS brides, who are seeking to come back to Australia from Syria.

In 2024, the Ministry of Education released guidelines for the use of AI tools in the classroom. The guidance stated that generative AI should be used to "improve teaching and learning, supporting knowledgeable and skilled teachers." However, many of the most widely used AI tools, such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, are developed and based in the United States. That raises an important question, how well do these tools understand our national curriculum? And if their knowledge is limited, how effective can they really be in a New Zealand classroom? Australian education technology company CurricuLLM has been looking into this. Founder Dan Hart spoke to Jesse.

Dr Jess Robertson, National Manager of Advanced Technology at Earth Sciences New Zealand joined Jesse to speak about New Zealand's most impressive supercomputer.

The government has announced it will give police new powers to issue so called move-on orders - as a way to legally get disruptive individuals out of a particular area like the CBD. It's expected to impact the way they police homelessness in particular, in Auckland and across the country. But once you move on someone who doesn't have a home, where do they go? Director of the Methodist Mission in Christchurch Jill Hawkey spoke to Jesse.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has just delivered his State of the Nation speech. But with no new policies announced is this really going to get him over the line in an election year? Bryce Edwards joined Jesse.

The critter of the week is the newly crowned Bug of the Year 2026, the Avatar moth! This beautiful day-flying moth is only found on the Denniston Plateau, from 640 to 850m. They eat alpine marshwort found in ephemeral wetlands and enjoy basking in the sun to help regulate their body temperature. Males find females through pheromones and use their furry comb-like antenna to locate them. This year, they came first in the 2026 Bug of the Year competition, with an overwhelming 5192 votes! The Avatar moth is "Nationally Critical" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.

We all know how important a good night's sleep is, there is a whole industry promoting it! But have you ever considered what the environment you're sleeping in is like? Rachael Quin, from thehousekeeper.co.nz, is here to share tips on making sure your bedroom is sleep friendly.

Shared Kitchen's Julie Biuso joins me to talk us through this delicious twist on avocado and toast. Get the recipe here.