Afternoons

It's currently half time at the SoFi stadium in Los Angeles where the All Whites are taking on Iran. Joining Jesse in the Auckland studio is one of RNZ's biggest football fans .. producer Malorie Carey .. she's there to chat about how the game is going.

'Wellness is coming' That's the message printed on a piece of A4 paper taped to an upstairs window of a shuttered Auckland pub. Edinburgh Castle sits on Symonds Street in central Auckland .. it's been there for 160 years, and it's fair to say has a somewhat checkered history. But its future could be brighter with Kiwi music legend Neil Finn buying the place, with plans to set up an inner city wellness retreat. Steve Kilgallon has covered the pub's history for Stuff and joins Jesse to discuss it.

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Is there anything better than a good hamburger? Or anything more disappointing than a bad one? Here to share some tips on making the best burger you can, we're joined by George Motz, an American TV host who has been called 'the foremost authority on hamburgers" by the New York Times. George Motz will be in New Zealand in August where he's a judge at the Wellington On a Plate Festival.

Bottom trawling is back in the news as Parliament's currently considering an overhaul of our fishing rules. Around 70% of our fish is harvested via bottom trawling, but the technique is considered controversial because of the damage it does to the sea floor. Critics argue the Fisheries Amendment bill weakens environmental protections, but Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones says those critics are out of touch. Newly released research from the World Wildlife Fund reveals that 70 percent of us are concerned about the health of the ocean. Caitlin Owers from the WWF joins Jesse.

Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan star in the shortest show on radio, where they show they really can make something out of nothing, join them to be part of their delight, or to simply despair. Wallace will also preview what's on The Panel tonight.

International trade used to be a subject reserved for farmers and exporters. Most of us rarely thought about it as long as the cars kept coming and the shelves were stocked at the supermarket. The system seemed to work. But recent years have shown how quickly tariffs, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions can affect prices, jobs, KiwiSaver balances and economic security. Dr Chad Bown, former chief economist at the U.S. State Department under President Biden, says trade is no longer just about imports and exports, it's about who gets to shape the future. Together with Financial Times columnist Soumaya Keynes, he's co-written a book in layman's terms about modern trade called How to Win a Trade War: An Optimistic Guide to an Anxious Global Economy.

Afternoons TV Critic Claire Chitham reviews what's good on the smaller screen. This week she looks at: Rivals - Season 2 - Disney+ Under Salt Marsh - TVNZ+

Our Australia correspondent Brad Foster joins Jesse to share the latest on the shark attack that took place over the weekend at Sydney's Coogee Beach.

This Sunday, the 21st of June, is the shortest day of 2026. And this year, Eat New Zealand is encouraging Kiwis to mark it with what they're calling "The Shortest Meal" The challenge - which on the face of it sounds simple -is to eat one meal made entirely from New Zealand grown ingredients. Eat NZ Chief Executive Angela Clifford joins Jesse to tell us more about it.

Nauru the world's smallest republic - is located in the Pacific, just over four thousand kilometres northeast of Auckland - and it could soon have a new name. Last month the island's Parliament unanimously backed a name change proposal and soon locals will get a chance to have their say in a national referendum. Here to tell us more about it is Steven Ratuva, the Pro-Vice Chancellor Pacific and Director of the MacMillan Brown Center for Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury.