Afternoons

There's been some talk this election cycle about the desire to electrify as much transport as possible in Aotearoa ... but the cost of electrifying rail isn't cheap. One Kiwi company Mackwell believes the answer could lie in a modern take on steam. Traditional steam engines are notorious for being dangerous and dirty. but Mackwell says it's developed a combustion system that isn't either of those things. Joining Jesse to explain how is founder and Chief Engineer Sam Mackwell.

We've all heard it's a cost of living election ... it's a cost of living crisis .. it's a cost of living tunnel .. but we wondered what those words actually mean? This morning on Morning Report, the parents of seven kids said extra bills means sometimes the kids can't go to school because they don't have food for lunch. Dave Letele is the founder of Brown Butterbean Motivation Community Kitchen and Foodshare, we invited him on the show to tell us what he is seeing first hand.

Let's talk about what's got your group chats lighting up now .. Jesse is joined by this weekend's Saturday morning host Kate Rodger, Sunday's culture 101 host Perlina Lau and Afternoons' senior producer Olivia Wilson .. to talk about the stories that are perfect water cooler fodder. This week they chat about Superbowl half time shows, Junior MasterChef and Meghan Markle, plus advice on how to respond to the "Gen Z stare."

Kelly Gibney is with Jesse to share a delicious recipe. This week is asparagus, courgette, bacon and walnut galette.

Time for Heading Off, our weekly travel segment where you share your adventures .. and inspire others to do the same! Today we're heading off to Maui in Hawaii with travel writer Megan Singleton, who has just returned from the island and put together what she calls a perfect 10-hour day trip.

It's time for Our Changing World - and this week we're heading out in the field with producer Liz Garton - to learn more about tara-iti, the New Zealand fairy tern. The Kakapo, as our kind of poster child for rare birds, has a population of more than 300 now, while the tara-iti population sits at fewer than 50 birds. But a lot of work is going into changing that!

Ai generated music is flooding streaming platforms everywhere .. but many music fans would have no idea of knowing if the content they're listening to was made by AI Last year the EU announced they were introducing rules to tag AI generated tracks ... but there are currently no laws in place here A couple of local Kiwi music professionals have launched Original Machine ... which checks submissions for Ai Authorship... and gives out badges once the work is identified as Human Made. To tell us all about it Jesse is joined by Original Machine co-founder Te Matera Smith.

COP 17 is about to wrap up in Armenia where the spotlight has been on our progress with '30 by 30' ... that's the collective goal to protect 30% of land and freshwater by 2030 in an attempt to halt and even reverse biodiversity loss. We're now at the half way point, and spoiler alert - we're not on track to make the goal. To talk about happens now, Jesse is joined by Dr Jonathan Tonkin, a Quantitative Ecologist at the University of Canterbury.

Lots of policies and promises have been bandied around this campaign season - but there's one idea that seems to have support right across the political spectrum. And that is a future generations law - a legal requirement that Governments consider the impact of their decisions on future generations. In a new poll by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, more than 80% of Greens, ACT, NZ First, Labour and National voters backed the idea, with Te Pati Maori voters the notable exception. So what would a Future Generations Act actually look like, and how would it change the way governments make decisions? To discuss, Wellbeing Economy Alliance director Gareth Hughes chats to Jesse.

Protecting our kids from technology is a struggle for everyone, including extended members of the British royal family. Sophie Winkleman, known as Lady Frederick Windsor, is an actor whose credits include Peep Show and Two and a Half Men. She's also an education campaigner, warning that a new flank has opened up in the struggle with technology and our kids and it's happening in the classroom. She says evidence is mounting that screens at school can come at the expense of concentration, imagination, reading and human connection. Alongside Hugh Grant, she's a patron of Close Screens, Open Minds Sophie Winkleman, also known as Lady Frederick Windsor, joins me now.