The Critter of the Week merchandise raised more than four thousand dollars for conservation charities. So we asked our listeners to send us an email with why your community organisation should get some of the funding .. we've had lots of lovely replies. Jesse calls CUE Haven to let them know they've been successful.

New Zealand is the most beautiful country in the world ... that's a phrase that gets used an awful lot ... and whether it is true or not, doesn't seem all that relevant. But how did this ambitious claim come about?

Simon Wilson joins Jesse to right some wrongs - today he looks at an example of democracy in action - because he says he's "seen the future of democracy and it works".

Time for sporting history and today Jesse talks to rugby league legend Mark Graham. Mark started out playing for Otahuhu, then from 1977 to 1988 he played 29 tests for the Kiwis and was captain for 18 of them. He also played in the Australian Rugby League premiership and in the UK as captain of Wakefield Trinity.

Okay it is time to talk relationships; Jesse is joined by Professor Kirsty Ross from Massey University's School of Psychology.

First we needed to worry about cigarettes .. then vapes .. and now nicotine pouches. Nicotine pouches are pretty much what they sound like - a sachet filled with nicotine - either from tobacco or synthetic nicotine. You can't buy them in New Zealand legally, but you can import them for personal use. Experts are now trying to get ahead of the trend, because they say the pouches are really addictive and really appealing to young people. Janet Hoek is a Professor in Public Health at the University of Otago, she chats to Jesse.

An Auckland community is disputing the development of housing on the site of the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Gardens. The gardens are based on the old Unitec campus site in Mount Albert and have existed for 26 years as a community hub and education tool. In October the Government approved development of hundreds of homes via the fast-track bill, which garden members say flies in the face of the agreement made when the land was purchased by The Crown in 2018. Rohan MacMahon, a representative for the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Gardens community talks to Jesse.

The process to get into the United States could be changing. Visitors from New Zealand, and other countries like Australia and Europe, have to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation or ESTA ...currently that asks for your contact details and emergency contacts. But soon it could also ask for your social media accounts.

Biosecurity NZ has now doubled its surveillance zone for the insect on Auckland's North Shore Biosecurity teams will now monitor an 11 km radius across Glenfield and Birkdale as they work to limit the impact the predatory hornet could have on New Zealand's honey-bee populations.

As the school holidays approach along with the idea of having to entertain kids during the break, Dr Camilo Oritz has one piece of advice. Relax. The secret to parenting, he says, is to do less. Dr Ortiz is a leading voice in child psychology and mental health. He's developed what he calls Independence Therapy, an approach that helps kids become braver, stronger, and more resilient by doing things for themselves and encouraging kids to face the situations that make them anxious instead of steering around them. It also comes with a challenge for parents because sometimes, he says, the best way to support your child is to step back, not step in.