Afternoons

To a success story now, Belfast Reserve is located in the Auckland suburb of Hillsborough and it has had a challenging time of late. The reserve was shut in 2019 after damage caused by heavy rain, and then again in 2023 after the Anniversary Weekend storm. That could have been the end of the reserve, but locals came together to bring it back to life. Janet Vaughan is the founder of Friends of Belfast Reserve and speaks to Jesse.

All eyes will be on Parliament this afternoon as Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers the Budget. At 2pm we'll pass the mic to Guyon Espiner for RNZ's one-hour Budget Special. But before then we wanted to look at where today's announcement sits in the history of Government Budgets. Historian Dr Grant Morris is with Jesse.

On Tuesday, new legislation came into effect to make stalking and harassment a crime ... punishable by up to five years in prison. Yesterday, the day after it was signed into law, an Auckland man was arrested and charged with stalking and harassing a woman. University of Auckland Associate Professor of Law Carrie Leonetti co-authored the original draft of this legislation for Government, she joins Jesse to explain what it is and why we need it.

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.

Most of us know what it feels like to be ghosted. A text or email goes unanswered, a date suddenly disappears, or a recruiter stops responding halfway through the process. Ghosting has become a familiar part of modern life in a world where so much communication happens through screens. It's easy to dismiss the behavior as rude or inconsiderate, but Lakshmi Rengarajan says there's more to it. A former executive at Match.com, the company behind Tinder and Hinge, and founder of How to Date Humans, she believes ghosting reflects a broader struggle with communication, discomfort, and conflict.

Wednesday means Easy Eats - a chance for Kelly Gibney to share a recipe that is heavy on flavour but light on prep time. This week it's Honey and cumin roasted vegetables with flatbreads and garlic yoghurt. Click HERE for the recipe.

Time for Heading Off, our regular segment where we learn about your adventures. If you've got a trip you'd like to share with us, email us at [email protected] Today were heading to the Lycian Way. It's a hiking trail that follows the Southwestern coast of Turkey for almost 800km Dale Furbish traveled it using a combination of hiking and a traditional sailing boat called a Gulet.

Claire Concannon is the host of the RNZ podcast Our Changing World, each week she joins Jesse to share what she's been up to. This week she chats to him about white hydrogen.

Tuhura Otago Museum has been named a top five finalist at the prestigious Museums and Heritage Awards in London, often referred to as the 'Oscars of the global museum sector'. It's the only museum in the Southern Hemisphere to make the list. To find out what makes them stand out from the rest, Jesse is joined by Design and Exhibitions Manager, Shanaya Cunningham.

Chris Desmond is a physiotherapist and the founder of Tradie Physio, and he believes that a 40-hour week in the construction industry is comparable to the output and movement of athletes. But while warming up is commonplace for athletes, it's not always the case for people in trades, despite the demanding physical nature of the work. Chris chats to Jesse.