Afternoons

RNZ Radio

Jesse Mulligan presents an upbeat mix of the curious and the compelling, ranging from the stories of the day to the great questions of our time.

  1. 18 HR AGO

    Feature: How does power and prestige really work?

    Long before we know what social status is, we know how it works. There's always a popular crowd from the playground to the office and everyone knows who's in and who is out. Toby Stuart is a Professor of Business Administration at University of California, Berkeley. He argues that instinct about social status never leaves us. It becomes the invisible architecture of adult life directing attention, opportunity, and reward in ways that have little to do with fairness or talent. It shapes what we admire, what we buy, even what we believe is good. But as algorithms increasingly rank, rate, and recommend on our behalf, the old status ladders may be wobbling. His latest book explores how power and prestige really work and what happens when the system starts to shift. It's called Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World,

    25 min

  2. 18 HR AGO

    TV Critic: Local Comedy 'Small Town Scandal'

    Afternoons TV Critic Dominic Corry reviews: Small Town Scandal - Sky/NEON The Beauty - Disney+

    9 min

  3. 19 HR AGO

    Expert Feature: What happens to all that space junk?

    But is the space in space infinite? What happens when satellites stop working? As the saying goes, what goes up, must come down, so will we see more space junk landing on earth? Here to help answer those questions and more, Jesse is joined by Dr Samantha Lawler, professor of astronomy at the University of Regina in Canada, and Erskine Fellow for the University of Canterbury.

    26 min

  4. 19 HR AGO

    OZ Update: What's happening in Australia?

    Brad Foster joins Jesse to talk about what's going on across the Tasman. Today he's looking at the news that State of Origin is coming to Auckland plus other stories of interest.

    7 min

  5. 20 HR AGO

    Can food be a work of art?

    Taste of Art will challenge chefs from some of New Zealand's top restaurants to transform everyday ingredients into jaw-dropping edible masterpieces The teams will be judged not only on flavour, but also on artistic design Dessert Masters host and former MasterChef Australia judge Melissa Leong hosts the show alongside Vaughan Mabee, executive chef of Queenstown's Amisfield restaurant Melissa joins Jesse.

    4 min

  6. 20 HR AGO

    Taking on Olympians: "How to Dad" star gets sporty

    Jordan Watson of How to Dad fame is about to find out. A new six part web series called 'Out of My League' sees Jordan pitted against former Olympians. A link to the series is here.

    11 min

  7. 20 HR AGO

    What's going on with our water infrastructure?

    We need to talk about the state of our water infrastructure, this week some Christchurch residents have to boil water, last week Wellington's Moa Point wastewater treatment plant flooded, Aucklanders can't swim in some local beaches after heavy rain - and that's just this summer! So why doesn't our water infrastructure seem up to scratch and what can be done to future proof it? Dr Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer Architecture and Planning from the University of Auckland chats to Jesse.

    6 min

  8. 3 DAYS AGO

    Critter of the Week: The kahukowhai or yellow admiral butterfly

    These speedy little flyers are found all over the country and are also shared with some parts of Australia. They resemble the red admiral butterfly, except for the bright yellow patches on the upper wings. The caterpillars depend on nettle to survive, and the dwindling host plants, as well as impacts from introduced predators is having an effect on their population numbers. As such, the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust launched the Big Butterfly Count last year to find out more information on numbers of butterfly populations around the country. It is happening right now from the 9-20 February.

    16 min
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Ratings & Reviews

About

Jesse Mulligan presents an upbeat mix of the curious and the compelling, ranging from the stories of the day to the great questions of our time.

Information

  • Channel
    RNZ Radio
  • Creator
    RNZ
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    171
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) Radio New Zealand 2026
  • Show Website
    Afternoons

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