Afternoons

If you have kids that love to play video games but you're worried about them withdrawing or disappearing behind a screen and headset - you're not alone. In fact, our next guest had similar concerns - but things began to change when instead of asking his son to log-off, he decided to log on with him. Author, teacher educator, and dad to a teenage son, Dr Phill Simpson chats to Jesse.

Turning to health issues now, and some experts are calling for additional vaccine funding to protect older New Zealanders from shingles. Currently the shingles vaccine is funded for the 12 months after a person's 65th birthday, but many clinicians say that isn't long enough. University of Auckland Associate Professor and Vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris is with Jesse to discuss.

Time is running out to eradicate the Yellow Legged Hornet; that's according to an expert who spoke to Morning Report today. Yellow legged hornets go after honey bees, but they also threaten our butterfly population. And as we spoke about last week, monarch butterfly numbers are in sharp decline globally, populations in the United States dropping by as much as 96 percent. Fortunately, here in New Zealand there are some amazing people stepping up to help. Jacqui Knight, founding trustee and secretary of the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust is with Jesse.

We might squabble with Australia over who invented the pavlova and whether Crowded House is a Kiwi or Aussie band, but we are definitely claiming our next guest. University of Queensland's Associate Professor Roma Forbes has just been named the Australian University Teacher of the Year for 2025 and she's from New Zealand! Roma joins Jesse now from Queensland.

Last year, the law of the jungle ruled the world. 2026 marks a tipping point says Ian Bremmer, president of a leading global research and advisory firm, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media. Each year, Ian Bremmer puts together a list of the greatest risks we will face in the year ahead. He says the United States was the country that wrote the rules for global order but now operates with what seems like no rules at all. He shares his thoughts about President Trump, tariffs and technology and the risks the world faces in 2026.

Time for Bookmarks, that's our weekly feature where we spend some time chatting to interesting people about what interests them. Today Cass Avery is going to share what she likes to listen to, watch and read. Cass is a film and TV producer of more that 25 years; specialising in documentary projects, Cass was behind the 2016 Richie McCaw documentary 'Chasing Great' and the recently released Prime Minister - charting Jacinda Ardern's tenure as PM. Cass Avery is nominated for the South Pacific Pictures Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film at the Women in Film and Television New Zealand Awards. The winners will be announced on 12 March.

Today's recipe is chicken summer tray bake with courgettes, cherry tomatoes and chickpeas. Click here for the recipe.

Time for Heading Off, our segment where listeners share their travel adventures. This week we are visiting Paris, with Gregor Thompson. Gregor's love affair with the country started when he was 19, he ended up living in Paris, doing a master's degree there and working for one of the country's top news channels. We'd love to hear from you if you have a travel experience to share, text us 2101 or email us [email protected]

Intermittent fasting has become a bit of a health trend, with many people using it as a way to lose weight or improve their wellbeing. But new research suggests an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule, might not be all it's cracked up to be. Registered dietician Rachael Wilson chats to Jesse.

Wellington has had a tough ten days, the capital got hit with one of its strongest storms in decades, causing damage and power outages. And then there was the sewage leak at Moa Point which made the city's southern beaches un-usable. Some good news there though as about an hour ago, Wellington Mayor Andrew Little announced the coast is open and swimmers are welcome to go back in the water, but at their own risk. Back on land, one of the places still dealing with the fallout from the storm is Zealandia, the 225 hectare ecosanctuary in Karori. Staff and volunteers are busy at work to bring the place back to its former glory, Jesse is joined by Dr Daniella Shanahan, the Chief Executive at Zealandia.