Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

Taste of Art will challenge chefs from some of New Zealand's top restaurants to transform everyday ingredients into jaw-dropping edible masterpieces The teams will be judged not only on flavour, but also on artistic design Dessert Masters host and former MasterChef Australia judge Melissa Leong hosts the show alongside Vaughan Mabee, executive chef of Queenstown's Amisfield restaurant Melissa joins Jesse.

Jordan Watson of How to Dad fame is about to find out. A new six part web series called 'Out of My League' sees Jordan pitted against former Olympians. A link to the series is here.

We need to talk about the state of our water infrastructure, this week some Christchurch residents have to boil water, last week Wellington's Moa Point wastewater treatment plant flooded, Aucklanders can't swim in some local beaches after heavy rain - and that's just this summer! So why doesn't our water infrastructure seem up to scratch and what can be done to future proof it? Dr Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer Architecture and Planning from the University of Auckland chats to Jesse.

These speedy little flyers are found all over the country and are also shared with some parts of Australia. They resemble the red admiral butterfly, except for the bright yellow patches on the upper wings. The caterpillars depend on nettle to survive, and the dwindling host plants, as well as impacts from introduced predators is having an effect on their population numbers. As such, the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust launched the Big Butterfly Count last year to find out more information on numbers of butterfly populations around the country. It is happening right now from the 9-20 February.

Mitre 10's Stan Scott is with us to answer any DIY questions you might have, and to talk us through creating a path and paving in general.

We take a whirl through some of the events on in the main centres this weekend!

Kara Rickard host of Music 101 here on RNZ each Saturday afternoon from 1pm talks about what's happening on the music scene over the weekend, what's coming up on her show tomorrow and because Friday is new music day - she'll pick us a track to play.

Friday means food here on Afternoons and today The Kitchen Project's Connie Clarkson joins us with a divine dish to celebrate Chinese New Year, crayfish e fu noodles.

Time for NZ Live, the moment in the week when we bring you a special, live performance from some of our top musical talent. Today we are joined by Alayna, we had her on a couple of years ago when she released her debut album 'Self-portrait of a Woman Unravelling" Today she releases album number two, 'Set Her Free'

Film critic Kate Rodger joins Jesse to review "Wuthering Heights" and Mārama​.

Roadie songs for road trips.

Usually for Freaky Friday we ask for your spooky experiences, but today it felt more appropriate to settle into a ghost story. So, joining Jesse is the community engagement co-ordinator of the PumpHouse Theatre in Takapuna, Mags Delaney-Moffatt.

It's that time of year where students around the country are gearing up for their first year at university. But alongside o-week fun and new found freedom, this life transition can be daunting. A 2025 report found that around 1 in 5 students will leave their original university within three semesters of starting - with some leaving study behind all together. So, what do students need to know to survive and thrive as a first year at uni? Dr Sophia Waters has some of the answers, she joins Jesse from The University of New England in Australia ...

Here on Afternoons, we like to focus on solutions and happy news stories, so with that in mind, we're heading to Wellington now for a rare bit of good small business news. Today Wheel Works - a designer and manufacturer of bespoke bicycle wheels celebrates its 20th anniversary. Founder Tristan Thomas joins Jesse.

We're starting today's show with a discussion on retirement age and would as always, love to hear your thoughts. The issue is back in the news thanks to the Chief Executive of Milford Investments saying New Zealanders will have to work into their 70s if the country wants to afford superannuation. The comments came as part of a wider debate being held at the New Zealand Economic Forum at Waikato University this week. Treasury has previously signaled that it's on track to become unaffordable unless the retirement age rises to around 72. But would any Government be up to changing the official retirement age? To discuss, I'm joined by author of The Kaka substack - Bernard Hickey

This week the Government announced plans to build a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal in Taranaki. The facility - estimated to cost "north of $2bn" - will enable us to import gas from the rest of the world. Although according to the Electricity Authority that will come at a significant premium to domestically produced renewable energy and natural gas. The facility will be paid for by a levy on electricity users of $2 - $4 per megawatt hour. Author of the New Zealand Energy Substack Larry Blair chats to Jesse about it.

Dr Grant Morris joins Jesse to take a closer look at the cases that come out of The Employment Relations Authority and why they are often headline news stories.

Holly Bennett, the founder of Awhi Group, joins Jesse to talk about small businesses and why they become front and centre in an election year.

Time for sporting history and our guest this week has had a lifelong association with the sport of rowing, as a competitor, an elite coach and a high-performance leader. Judith Hamilton is currently Rowing New Zealand's General Manager of Performance, and there have been many highlights along the way - which we will soon find out about. Her contribution to rowing was also recognised in the New Year Honours, where she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rowing.

It's time for group chat, our chance to talk about the fodder that might be filling up your chats, distracting you from chores or helping fill the silence in a lift. Film Critic Kate Rodger, Culture 101's Perlina Lau and Afternoons' Senior Producer Olivia Wilson chat to Jesse.