Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

It's time for Heading Of, our chance to travel to places from the comfort of our homes. This week we are off to the United States with Nick Robinson, who late last year did a road trip around the South, covering 7 states in 2 weeks.

Most of us have been back at work for a couple of weeks now and some of you might be realising your job is no longer sparking joy. In fact, according to our next guest, three quarters of us would change careers if we felt we could. It's easy to come up with reasons not to take the plunge - but what about reasons to just do it? Career coach and head of the Career Development Association Jennie Miller joins Jesse to discuss.

Over the weekend a brand-new theater opened on Hamilton's Victoria street, it kicked off with an opening show from Teeks on Friday and spent the weekend hosting Dave Dobbyn. The Waikato Regional Theatre is the long-anticipated replacement to Founders Theater, which closed almost a decade ago. But unlike Founders Theatre, it is right in the CBD. Graeme Ward was the project lead on the new theater and has been involved from the start. He speaks to Jesse.

There's Verian, Reid Research, Ipsos, Curia, all of which survey Kiwis to - theoretically - give a sense of how we're feeling about the parties and politicians. But, how much do we really know about these polls? How are they conducted, are they trustworthy, and are they really indicative of how New Zealanders feel about their political options? Dr Nicole Satherley is a senior researcher at iNZight Analytics, and in 2023 she co-authored the paper 'Understanding Public Opinion Polling in Aotearoa New Zealand'.

Wallace Chapman and producer Tessa Guest preview tonight's instalment of The Panel.

For a healthy 2026, ignore most of what you hear from the multi-billion-dollar wellness industry and just eat the ice cream.

Elliot Childs with his pick of podcasts: Talk Easy and In the Dark Season 2: Blood Relatives (The New Yorker)

With a week or so left of school holidays for some, it's a great chance to get kids in front of books not screens .. Catherine Ross is the Director of Library at Auckland Grammar School and joins me now with recommendations for younger readers. For Ages 10+ Serafina and the Black Cloak Robert Beatty Spark Hunter (Aotearoa Book) Sonya Wilson For Ages 11-12+ Small Spaces By Katherine Arden For Ages 13+ The Raven Boys By Maggie Stiefvater

We're introducing a new segment where we speak with a local mayor about what's happening in their area... the challenges they're facing... how they're working to solve them... and what makes their community special. First up is Tararua District Mayor Scott Gilmore

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.