Afternoons

Interesting people make interesting music. Warren Ellis is in a class of his own. He's a composer, multi-instrumentalist and longtime creative partner of gothic rock poet laureate Nick Cave. For more than 40 years Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have challenged us with narrative-driven music that touches on love, death, and religion. Ellis is also the co-founder of Ellis Park, a sanctuary for wounded animals in Sumatra. He saves the animals, and he says, they saved him. The spirit of transformation runs through the band's latest album, Wild God. Ellis will be back in New Zealand with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds for the first time since 2017 with The Wild God Tour as part of the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. They'll be performing two shows in Wellington at the TSB Arena February 5th and 6th.

Brad Foster joins Jesse to talk about the latest news from Australia. Today he is talking about Meta reacting to the social media ban for under 16-year-olds; Pauline Hansen's latest stunt in Parliament and a teenager who has been charged with murdering another teen.

Book critic Bill Hastings reviews: Lea Ypi, Indignity: A Life Reimagined (Allen Lane Penguin, 2025), Daniel Kalderimis, Zest: Climbing from Depression to Philosophy (Ugly Hill Press, 2024).

Could we do better when it comes to how we manage our prison populations? That's what a Canterbury University political science researcher has been looking into as part of her studies into justice policy and its intergenerational impacts. Dr Lin Mussell's work on this issue has won her an award, ahead of her publishing a book on it early next year.

New Zealand artist Fred Graham is recognised as a pioneer in the contemporary Maori art movement. Now two exhibitions at Pataka Art and Museum in Wellington will pay tribute to his work, after his death this year at the age of 96. His son Brett Graham is a prominent artist in his own right and chats to Jesse about his father's legacy.

A new report has found a large increase in the number of university students receiving A grades. The think-tank 'The New Zealand Initiative' has analysed grade data from New Zealand's eight universities and found a 64 percent increase in the number of students earning 'A's' in 2024 compared to 2006. Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association Academic Vice-President Ethan Rogacion chats to Jesse.

Our tech guy Tim Batt shares the latest goings on in the world of technology, and today he's looking into X, formerly known as Twitter, introducing a tool to aid transparency only to then remove it when it revealed a little too much. Plus his tech tip is that it might actually be a good idea to buy a computer or console during Black Friday sales.

The days of regional councils could soon be over. It's understood the Government will announce a proposal for a local government shake-up later this afternoon. It comes after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon hinted on Sunday that a major reform is coming. Earlier this year, regional development minister and New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones told a forum there was "less and less of a justifiable purpose" for keeping regional government once the RMA reforms went through. Which got us thinking about regional councils and their purpose... To help explain that and what today's announcement could be, political reporter Russell Palmer joins me.

Bee Trudgeon currently writes for Audioculture Iwi Waiata and Muzic NZ. She was working for 'RipItUp' magazine back in 1995 when Post came out and interviewed Bjork for this album. Bee chats to Jesse.

Real men read books. For Dr. Shilo Brooks books, not barbells at the gym or bros on social media, shaped the kind of man he wanted to be. After a rough childhood, his second stepfather showed him that great literature can build strength, depth, and character. Now a former Princeton professor and the President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, he argues that the drop in boys' mental health mirrors the drop in boys reading. His new podcast, Old School, invites well-known men to share the books that shaped them, and encourages everyone to read.