Afternoons

We announce the finalists and the winner of our poetry day competition. Challenge was to send us a six line poem using the words Nugget / Long / Swelter / Seaside / Engine / Beginning.

Nicola Toki chats to Emile this week's critter of the week - the deepwater burrfish. The deepwater burrfish (Allomycterus pilatus), or kopuwaitotara, is an unusual deep-sea porcupinefish found in New Zealand and Australian waters. Covered in short spines and equipped with large eyes for life in dim depths, it can inflate its body to several times its normal size when threatened, making it difficult for predators to swallow. Despite being regularly washed up on beaches, relatively little is known about its population, biology or conservation status.

Kara Rickard host of Music 101 here on RNZ talks about what's happening on her show and the music scene over the weekend.

Martin Bosley joins Emile to share his recipe for chicken and rice congee. He says it is the ultimate restorative dish, with its nourishing, porridge-like consistency and its flavours of ginger and soy. Click HERE for the recipe.

Afternoons critic Dominic Corry joins Emile to share what he's been watching - Mutiny and The Dog Stars (both in cinemas now)

This is our home for your tales of the unexpected. We're talking ghosts, premonitions, the spooky, and the unexplainable. If you have a story to tell then get in touch on 2101 or [email protected]. Today Emile is chatting to Maureen.

The Government has announced plans to reverse planned bans on hard-to-recycle PVC and polystyrene. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is cling film commonly used to wrap meat, produce and deli goods. Meat and dairy sectors argue that banning these plastics would be catastrophic for the economy. Greenpeace NZ's Russel Norman said the decision was disappointing and concerning because of the environmental and health risks associated with the plastics. Johan Verbeek is the director of the 'Centre of Advanced Materials Manufacturing and Design' at the University of Auckland. He joins Emile.

It has been a week of big and quite heavy news ... so we want to bring some joy into your Friday afternoon. In a rare occurrence, Muffin - a Texel sheep in Geraldine - has given birth to quadruplets .. but it's not her first multi lamb experience. Their human-mum Karen Sorenson is with Emile.

Today is National Poetry Day .. which means two things .. the first being that across the country bookshops, libraries & schools are hosting readings, workshops and performances. The second, it means the return of the Afternoons Poetry Competition. We give you 6 words, and you've got until 2 pm to come up with a 6 line poem that includes all of the words.

The words are: Nugget Long Swelter Seaside Engine Beginning

The winner will take home a copy of the 2026 Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook. And making a return to judging this year is poet Johanna Emeney.

The search for survivors is continuing in Nepal and Tibet after the devastating flash flood that ripped through the Himalayan border region. An already hard job has been made even harder with reports of secondary flood warnings. Dr Jitendra Bothara is a Nepal-born disaster recovery expert who has worked in major disaster zones around the world, including the 2022 floods in Pakistan.