Afternoons

Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan prove they really can make something out of nothing; Wallace also previews what's on The Panel this evening.

Welcome to the politics group chat, a chance for interesting people to say what they're thinking out loud on topics that have been in the news in the last week. Tim Batt, Dane Giraud and Natalia Albert are our guests and today we're looking a range of issues from heckling politicians, taking away character references in sentencing sex offenders, and why some New Zealanders still hate Dame Jacinda Ardern to the Government updating its official branding to give greater prominence to English over te reo Maori.

The University of Waikato is facing opposition to its new medical school. Dr Grant Morris looks back in history to see if we are seeing a repeat of the challenges faced by the University of Waikato's law school in the early 1990s.

Writer Verity Johnson joins Jesse to look at whether we are too polite and what that can mean for our emotional development, she'll also dive into why under 35-year-olds aren't engaged in voting.

It's time now for the A-Z of Aotearoa! We've been making our way through the alphabet, choosing something iconically Kiwi for each letter. This week we've arrived at 'U', and our subject is a place shrouded in geographic beauty and indigenous knowledge, Te Urewera. It's the home of the Tuhoe iwi, and it lies in the wide, mountainous space between Rotorua and Gisborne. For 60 years much of Te Urewera was designated a National Park, then in 2014 - following a Waitangi Tribunal settlement - the land was granted environmental personhood. In October 2007, Te Urewera was also the grounds for one of New Zealand's darkest days, poet and activist Ati Teepa talks to Jesse about his experience in the police raids. We also want to focus on the environment and geography of Te Urewera, and for that, Jesse is joined by Hinewai McManus Hinewai is of Tuhoe descent, and she's a former DOC ranger who also guided treks in Ngaputahi near Ruatahuna for many years.

This is our chance to discuss the stories that won't make the news headlines but might fill up your social media feed. Film critic Kate Rodger, Culture 101 host Perlina Lau and Afternoons Senior Producer Olivia Wilson join Jesse to discuss what's taking up space in their group chats. Today it's audience etiquette, celebrity dress codes, and being publicly shameless - is it now okay?

This week on Afternoons we've been celebrating New Zealanders doing extraordinary things in science by speaking with all the finalists for the 'Lifetime Achievement award' at the 'Science New Zealand Awards' So far we've heard from volcanologist Brad Scott, and marine ecologist Dr Rob Murdoch Today Jesse is joined by Dr Peter Johnston, a mycologist who has spent 50 years discovering and naming fungi. His research has helped protect New Zealand's wine and avocado industries, and even in retirement he's still at it, working his way through boxes of unnamed specimens collected over the past five decades.

For a number of years, we've heard about a decline in students' reading and writing ability. It's one thing to address this academically, but whatever happened to the joy of reading? Well, a new national study has taken a look in New Zealand children's enjoyment of reading, and in some cases there's been a significant drop. We wanted to talk to somebody about how to help kids find the joy in reading, and see reaching for a book as something fun, not a chore. And who better than New Zealand's local "Fun-brarian"! Claudine Crabtree is the library manager at Baradene College in Remuera, and an advocate for the 'Schools Need Libraries' campaign.

But a new report from the think tank The New Zealand Initiative argues that might not be the right approach. Its' report 'Beyond Targets' suggests housing targets and long-term forecasts can actually make planning less flexible and less responsive to real demand. Dr Benno Blaschke is a senior fellow at The New Zealand Initiative and author of the new report.

The show within a show, the little show that could, call it what you will, Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan will attempt to make you smile as they preview tonight's edition of The Panel.