Afternoons

It's the home for all of your terrifying tales, occult occurrences, and spooky stories. So if you've got a haunting, a UFO, or maybe a seance gone wrong we want to hear from you. Text 2010 or email Jesse@ afternoons.co.nz Today we join Pip in Featherstone.

We first brought you the story of the Okarito Gorsebusters six years ago. That's when the call out went out for volunteers to help clear gorse along a lagoon in the area, in return for their help they would get a six-day kayaking adventure, free food and accommodation. Fast forward to 2026 and now the event has grown from a small working bee with mates, into a major event, in fact this year, organisers had to turn people away Okarito Gorsebusters organiser Baz Hughes chats to Jesse.

We need to talk about the cars on our roads or more specifically the utes. Utes are brilliant vehicles for the farm, for tradespeople and for people who actually need the space - but more and more they seem to be the vehicle of choice for people who live in a city. In fact new research shows 66 percent of trips by double-cab utes are made in urban areas. So what's the appeal and how can we convince people to move to vehicles more fitting to their needs? University of Auckland Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Alistair Woodward joins Jesse.

Auckland has signed a landmark deal with the Government promising infrastructure investment, housing, transport and economic development. There is even talk of the bed tax that Mayor Wayne Brown has long been calling for. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Mayor Brown are both calling this a major win that will mean greater co-operation. Joining Jesse with his reaction to the deal is Karl Budge, former Chief Executive of the ASB Classic and newly appointed Chief Executive of the Blues.

Recently we spoke to playwright Fiona Samuel about her new work 'Helen Clark in 6 Outfits' which opened this week at the Auckland Theatre Company. When we asked Fiona if the Right Honourable Helen Clark would be going to the play, she said she and the cast didn't want to know. Well, on Tuesday night the Former Prime Minister did go to the play, and Jesse got to talk to her about it afterwards.

This week on Artemis II humans have gone further into space than ever before, the last time we even came close was more than 50 years ago when we landed on the moon during "the golden age of space exploration." Here to tell us about those years and the effect they had on New Zealand is historian Dr Grant Morris.

Thursday afternoons are when we solve some of the world's problems and this week Steve Wyn-Harris is turning his attention to what happens to the farmers, growers, land and machinery when Heinz Watties shuts up shop.

Time for sporting history and today Jesse is joined by Brett Fairweather You'll might know Brett as the founder and face of Jump Jam, but he is also one of the world's most successful competitive aerobics performers. He won the inaugural World Aerobics Championship in 1990 and defended that title the following year!

Kate Rodger and Afternoons Senior Producer Olivia Wilson join Jesse to discuss the stories that might not make the news but usually make your social media feeds.

The second-hand fashion market is booming - from op shops to clothes swaps to resale apps - buying pre-loved clothing is increasingly being embraced by the younger generation. Yet despite its growing popularity, New Zealanders are still throwing away an alarming amount of clothing. Around 180,000 tonnes of textile waste are sent to landfill each year - that's roughly 34 kilograms per person Upcycling expert Bea Lorimer and founder of Heke Design joins Jesse to explain why and has some tips on how to upcycle successfully.