Afternoons

Time to talk money matters now, personal financial whizz Mary Holm is with Jesse and today she's looking at mortgages and whether it is better to pay them down or invest.

It's time for A-Z of Aotearoa, where we take you through a subject that plays a huge role in New Zealand life. We're working our way down the Alphabet from A for Aviation to Z. This week we officially cross the halfway point with the 14th letter of the alphabet - N We considered Nuclear Free, The Nikau Pine, and the NZX, but we landed on N for Northland or Te Reo Maori Te Tai Tokerau. Home to just over 200,000 of us, or 16 people per square kilometer, as well as places like Ninety Mile Beach, Kai Iwi Lakes, Bay of Islands, and our tallest tree Tane Mahuta. Sometimes referred to as the Birthplace of the nation, its history stretches all the way back to the 13th century. Ralph Johnson and Peter De Graaf chat to Jesse.

It's time to talk about the topics clogging up your group chats, the conversations offering respite from Christmas chaos. It's our last chat of 2025 so we've got the whole gang together, Culture 101's Perlina Lau, film critic Kate Rodger and Afternoons Senior Producer Olivia Wilson. Today they talk about: the BBC versus President Donald Trump, voice messages and highlights of 2025.

The country's first on-site 3D-printed home has been built in South Auckland's Waiuku While a small number of 3D-printed concrete houses have already been built in New Zealand, this is the first one to be constructed entirely on-site. The four-bedroom house was built layer by layer using a computer-controlled concrete pour. The result is being billed as an energy-efficient, durable home constructed in a fraction of the time and with minimal waste. Amcrete director and experienced Master Builder Kirill Ilin talks to Jesse.

As diagnoses of autism and ADHD rise, more people are thinking about how their homes can better support neurodivergent needs The aim of neurodivergent-friendly design is to help reduce stress and improve mood and focus. Eddie Page is an Australian architect and co-founder of firm Maxwell & Page. He speaks to Jesse.

A huge study has been underway to find prime locations for underwater turbines, which are powered by the tides - something known as Tidal Stream Energy. As it turns out, the Cook Strait might be the perfect place, and researchers estimate that Aotearoa could produce up to 93 percent of the electricity it currently using methods like underwater turbines. To give us his reaction, Craig Stevens, Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland chats to Jesse.

Today marks an important anniversary in New Zealand's aviation history. 75 years ago today, the ribbon was cut on Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand's first international airport. President of the Aviation Historical Society of New Zealand Reverand Dr Richard Waugh joins Jesse for a bit of a history lesson.

Our Changing World's Claire Concannon joins Jesse to share some exciting news about the Kakapo Files.

Bear Grylls has done some really hard things; fighting off a boa constrictor in a flooded ravine, drinking liquid from elephant dung in the dry Savannah, climbing Mount Everest. But the world-famous adventurer, survival expert, and former British Special Forces soldier says the hardest thing he's ever done is writing a book about the life of Jesus. He takes the Bible's story of Jesus and, without altering the facts, reimagines it as a modern thriller. It's written in the first person from the perspectives of five people who knew Christ best. The book is called, The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account, Bear Grylls

Kelly Gibney joins me to chat all things food and share a recipe. You can find the recipe here