Afternoons

Let's talk about what's good to watch on the small screen. Claire Chitham tells Jesse about the new seasons of The Diplomat and The Twelve.

Next time you're tucking into a pāua fritter, spare a thought for those who are doing everything they can to help replenish our depleted pāua populations. An aquafarming family in the Marlborough Sounds has been doing just that for almost 25 years. They have been repopulating parts of the country's coastline by growing tiny pāua in tanks. Mike Radon from Arapawa Blue Pearls joins Jesse to tell him all about it.

This Wednesday, pipers will pay homage to AC/DC when they descend on Fed Square in Melbourne to smash the record for the largest ever bagpipe ensemble. They're hoping for around 350 players to show up. The music video for "It's a Long Way to the Top" was filmed in the same spot in 1976, and one of the original pipers was Les Kenfield. He joins Jesse for a chat.

While Gaza continues to capture the world's attention, the West Bank has also experienced a dramatic escalation of violence. Aid agencies are reporting that it's suffering near economic collapse, widespread hunger and schools and people living in fear. Christchurch man Cole Martin spent six months there in a refugee camp and has just returned home. He tells Jesse about his experience.

Jesse chats to Forest and Bird Chief Executive about this week's critter. Huberia striata belongs to the only fully New Zealand endemic genus of ant. Widespread throughout Aotearoa, they nest underground in native bush. Like other ant species, they are known to farm plant hoppers and scale insects by keeping them safe in their nest and then milking them for their sweet honeydew secretions. Their name comes from the fact that their body is covered in long thin lines (striations), making them look wrinkly!

It's time to chat about what you get up to in the weekend, today Jesse is joined by talented garden designer Tony Murrell from Murrell Gardens.

Auckland Council's The Kitchen Project manager Connie Clarkson joins Jesse to chat food. Today her recipe is gado gado with peanut sauce. Gado Gado means "mix mix" in Indonesian Gado-gado is a traditional Indonesian salad made of a medley of cooked or raw vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, fried tofu, all brought together with a rich peanut sauce. The name literally translates to "mix-mix," So versatile: use any combination of vegetables - waxy potatoes, kumara, beans, asparagus, - great for leftovers.

Film critic Kate Rodger joins us to share her film recommendations. Predator Badlands - in cinemas TOITU: Visual Sovereignty - go here to see venues

Time for Freaky Friday. Our home for your spooky stories, terrifying tales and eerie encounters If you have a story to share, be that a ghost, a UFO, or something else unexplained we want to hear from you. Send us a brief outline of your tale to 2101 and we'll add it to the list. After last week's Halloween special, we're taking a step away from ghosts and going for something a bit different this week. And for that Margaret from Makorori joins Jesse.

A new six-part video series that dives into the world of perfumery in Aotearoa kicks off on Monday. Journey of Scent is billed as a sensory adventure that takes us into a world that we rarely get to see. It stars Nathan Taare and Whitney Steel who join me now.