Podcast
Afternoons
Hosted by RNZ · EN
Jesse Mulligan presents an upbeat mix of the curious and the compelling, ranging from the stories of the day to the great questions of our time.
222episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The pre-Panel Your daily dose of stuff and nonsense
Yesterday00:07:03Tap to summarizeWallace Chapman and Emile Donovan 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.
Transcribe →What it's like getting an ADHD diagnosis as an adult
Yesterday00:25:53Tap to summarizeMost libraries lend out books. The Human Library lends out people. Founded in Denmark, the global initiative gives people the chance to sit down with a "human book" and have a candid conversation that challenges assumptions and stereotypes through lived experience. One of those human books is Sean Kemball from Whangarei. Diagnosed with ADHD later in life, he spent years wondering why he experienced the world differently from those around him. Receiving a diagnosis helped him make sense of challenges that had followed him since childhood and gave him a new understanding of himself. Through conversations in the Human Library, he shares what it's like to live with ADHD and what changed once he finally had answers.
Transcribe →You're the Judge
Yesterday00:06:38Tap to summarizeEach Tuesday we play You're the Judge - we share a problem with you, our audience, and get your help solving it. This week's deals with a challenging father n law when dining out in restaurants. 2101 to chime in or email us afternoons@rnz.co.nz.
Transcribe →Tech Tuesday with Tim Batt
Yesterday00:07:35Tap to summarizeTim Batt joins Emile to share the latest from the world of tech. This week he's focusing on the latest announcement from Steam Machine. That's a small scale but high powered gaming PC that's designed for your living room but comes with a whopping price tag.
Transcribe →Book Critic: Books about sociopaths
2d ago00:07:15Tap to summarizeOur book critic Lisa Glass delves into the theme of sociopaths - picking three very different books about them. Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne. Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight by M. E. Thomas. The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout.
Transcribe →Kiwi Cover Song Contest: Green Light performed by Fiona McMartin from Fiona & the Glow
2d ago00:04:22Tap to summarizeOur Kiwi Cover Song Contest is back for 2026! Yes, we want the best versions of a Kiwi song. So tell all your musician and singer friends. The winner the band or person who records the best cover song gets to perform it on Afternoons and you will also get to release the mastered version of it on whatever platform you like. This competition is open to anyone - professional or amateur. All the details are on our website rnz.co.nz/afternoons or text COVER to 2101 and you'll get the link. You have until the 2nd of August to get the song to us. The competition is now open and we will be playing you the entries as they come in. Here is Lorde's Green Light performed by Fiona McMartin from Fiona & the Glow.
Transcribe →Mayoral Minutes with Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer
2d ago00:06:53Tap to summarizeIt'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 Western Bay of Plenty in the North Island - where you'll find Waihi Beach, Katikati, and Te Puke and from where Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer joins Emile.
Transcribe →Explainer: Can anyone just "bags" a planet?
2d ago00:08:47Tap to summarizeSpace it seems, is no longer the final frontier, in fact it's rapidly becoming an adventure holiday option for billionaires. As we saw with Space X's IPO launch, people are very interested in the idea of setting up a base on Mars and even what asteroid mining could look like. But how does that actually all work? In a place where the laws here on earth don't apply - is space just finders' keepers, first to plant the flag gets the land? To help answer those questions and more. Aotearoa's premier space law expert Anna Marie Brennan chats to Emile.
Transcribe →How a community took on stoats and won
2d ago00:09:29Tap to summarizeA new short documentary, Stoat's Last Stand, tells the story of Waiheke Island's ambitious community-led effort to eradicate stoats from the island. Seven years into the project - the group is seeing incredible success with native species returning - and their mahi is attracting attention from conservation groups around New Zealand and the world. Aaron Cluka was inspired to tell their story after learning of the damage stoats do to wildlife while tramping the Routeburn track. Stoat's last stand will be screening at the Doc Edge Festival 2026 which opens tomorrow in Auckland and then moves to Wellington next month. Aaron Cluka joins Emile.
Transcribe →Seventh PM in ten years? What on earth is going on in the UK?
2d ago00:12:44Tap to summarizeFollowing the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's resignation last night, the UK is set to get its seventh Prime Minister in ten years. Seven different leaders in a decade reflects one of the country's most politically turbulent periods in modern history. As one BBC commentator said, if you go back 40 years it would be unthinkable to have such a high turnover of Prime Ministers in such a short timeframe. Currently it looks the next leader will be Andy Burnham, former Mayor of Greater Manchester, and front runner to claim the top job. Whoever becomes the next leader of the UK, they will have to move fast to stabilise the country. Marcus Ganley is a public law specialist with firm Franks Ogilvie but was previously a ministerial adviser to the Clark government and held senior roles in Australian federal politics. He joins Emile.
Transcribe →