Afternoons

Mary Holm is with Jesse to talk money matters and today she's focusing on KiwiSaver: ACT's KiwiSaver idea and the two KiwiSaver changes Mary would most like to see.

We're working our way through the alphabet to highlight people, places or events that make New Zealand, New Zealand. This week we're at T and have chosen T for Tangiwai - New Zealand's worst railway accident occurred at Tangiwai in the central North Island on 24 December 1953.

Professor Kirsty Ross from Massey University's School of Psychology joins Jesse to discuss issues and how to solve them. Please get in touch if there are any topics you would like us to cover at [email protected]

New research shows that homeowners, and aspiring homeowners, are less concerned about beautification of their homes and more focused on the practicalities like storage. Jesse chats through the findings and what they mean with Kristy Howlett.

This weekend marks the start of the New Zealand Comedy Festival, and gosh couldn't we all use some laughter right now? Tony Lyall is one of the comedians performing, his show is called "Crowd Work Comedy Kia Carnival", he joins Jesse to talk about crowd participation.

Research by some Auckland scientists has been labelled one of the big science breakthroughs of 2025 by Quanta magazine - a renowned US publication that focuses on science and maths news. University of Auckland's Dr Peter Wills joins Jesse to share what he helped discover and why it is being heralded by many.

For many school leavers, university seems to be the default option, and doing an apprenticeship or going into the workforce is often seen as a second-best choice. But why? Michael Johnston is a senior fellow at The New Zealand Initiative, and he thinks that the changes in school qualifications could be the opportunity to change that thinking. That's because what will replace the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) will include industry-led subjects. Michael discusses the issue with Jesse.

We've all seen the child who eats three foods on repeat, refuses anything green, and can't abide by food touching other food. But social historian Dr. Helen Zoe Veit says picky eating isn't some timeless childhood phase, and it's not simply hardwired biology. She argues it's something modern culture helped create, driven by a century of shifting family life, anxious parenting advice, and a food industry built around ultra-processed convenience. And that's the good news. Veit says if pickiness is shaped by the world kids grow up in, it's not permanent. With the right approach, children can learn to eat differently. Her new book is Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History.

Kelly Gibney comes up with the dishes every week and joins Jesse to share today's one.

This week we're off to sunny Vanuatu with Alice Berry.