Afternoons

For years self-driving cars felt like a technology that was always just over the horizon. Now they're here. In parts of the United States and China, fully autonomous vehicles are already carrying passengers without anyone behind the wheel. Dr Andrew Miller writes about the future of mobility in his newsletter Changing Lanes. He says we're approaching a major turning point in transport, one that could make roads safer and cities more liveable. But the biggest questions are no longer technological. They're about how we choose to use driverless cars and what role we want them to play in our communities.

Wednesday means Easy Eats here on Afternoons; a chance to share a recipe that is light on time but heavy on flavour. Kelly Gibney is away but we're thrilled to have Emilie Pullar here, a pasta expert who's behind The Burnt Butter Table website and Burnt Butter Pasta Instagram page.

It's time for our weekly travel segment 'Heading Off' where we explore the world via your adventures and all without having to leave the house. Today we're off to Medellin, Colombia's second largest city. Louise Amey lived in the city for 5 months, and joins Jesse to tell us all about it

This week's episode is about the Pest Free Purerua-Mataroa peninsula project. At the northern end of the Bay of Islands, this peninsula is home to a large population of northland brown kiwi. Claire takes a tour with project leader Andy Mentor to learn about their work. First stop is on a slight rise that looks out over the narrow peninsula neck - an important area for the team.

Covering more than 300 thousand hectares of the Southern Alps region, the Te Manahuna Aoraki Project is one of our most ambitious pest control projects yet. The aim is to create New Zealand's first ever pest free national park. And to help achieve that goal, the team involved is wide ranging and diverse, from existing conservation groups to the Defence Force. Oh and it's making the most of AI technology too. Here to explain how it is all coming together is Simone Smits, the manager of Te Manahuna Aoraki. Hi Simone!

According to Health NZ data, more than a quarter of couples in New Zealand will inexperience infertility ... and one in eight will require medical assistance to achieve pregnancy. But of course, treatments like IVF, or in vitro fertilization, can be costly, and there are no guarantees. That's why two years ago Jaimee Lupton founded Gingernut's Angels to help provide financial support to couples struggling with pregnancy.

It's not a stretch to say the last few years have been a really tough time to be a sheep farmer .. some farmers were earning so little from wool that it barely covered the cost of shearing. But things could be looking up. Last week's PGG Wrightson National Wool auction saw prices climb to their highest level in 15 years. So what's behind the turnaround, and is it here to stay? Rachel Shearer from PGG Wrightson Wool joins Jesse.

Have we got a great story to brighten your Wednesday. Over the weekend an event called 'La La Land in Concert' was on in Sydney; that's where an audience watches the Oscar award winning film La La Land with a live orchestra and jazz band performing the soundtrack, all conducted by the film's Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz. Except this performance didn't go to plan. Here to explain what happened next is audience member Sterling Nasa.

Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan 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.

The job description for fathers has changed. Once upon a time, dads were expected to provide a paycheck, lay down the rules, and keep the garden tidy. Today, many men want more. Men want to be present, emotionally connected, and deeply involved in their children's lives. Kevin Maguire has spent years writing honestly about what happens when ambition, career success and old expectations collide with modern fatherhood. For his new book, he draws on his popular Substack and newsletter, exploring the challenges facing today's dads, the old scripts many are trying to rewrite, and why fatherhood may change men as much as it changes their children. The book is called The New Fatherhood: Why Everything They Told You About Being a Dad Is Wrong and How Embracing It Will Transform Your Life. Book website is HERE Quiz is HERE