Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

Angie shares a spooky tale about a ghost in Palmerston North.

RNZ executive editor Jeremy Rees reads and reviews every book shortlisted. He spoke to Jesse.

 Our guest Heatha Edwards bought a category two listed historic homestead in Hawkes Bay.

Ruminant BioTech's Commercial Director George Reeves spoke to Jesse.

Why it's best to choose low-fee funds over high-performing funds.

From the 40-hour working week and Daylight Savings time, Jet Boats, and the whistle, all the way through to splitting the atom and creating the virtual cow fence... The history of inventing runs deep here in Aotearoa New Zealand. So deep that we even have a name for it - The Number 8 Wire mentality. To learn more about our inventive history David Downs joined Jesse. David is the author of two books on Kiwi inventions - Number 8 Re-wired, and Number 8 Re-charged.

Culture 101's Perlina Lau and Afternoons Senior Producer Olivia Wilson joins Jesse to discuss Jimmy Kimmel's return, pop stars calling out "mediocre men" and whether The Rock really has a chance of winning an Oscar.

Gender identity and racial inequality, to drug reform and the future of contact sports. That's some of the topics set to be discussed in a new podcast series released today which aims to tackle the taboo issues we are sometimes too afraid to discuss. The Elephant video series hosts Miriama Kamo and Mark Crysell joined Jesse.

Parking tickets - they can really ruin your day. While sometimes you have to take one on the chin, some recent media reports have highlighted more predatory behaviour. So, what are our rights when it comes to parking?

Over 20 years ago a major construction project was launched in Wellington to enhance the most popular local beaches. It involved the transport of more than 16,000 cubic metres of sand from Golden Bay in Wainui to three beaches in Oriental Bay in the capital. Well next week a new replenishment project will kick off to maintain the man-made beaches. Project manager Joel De Boer spoke to Jesse.

Ellen Rykers finds out what data a satellite uncovered about methane emissions, before it was lost in space.

Self-care used to mean face masks, spa days and meditation apps. Now self-care is drifting into hyper-individualism that champions strict boundaries to 'protect your peace' says New York Times writer Emma Goldberg. People-pleasing is out, but in the rush to look after ourselves, Goldberg wonders if self-help is slipping into isolation even selfishness. Her piece called Is Today's Self-Help Teaching Everyone to Be a Jerk?"

Kelly Gibney shares her twist on fish cakes.

Today for Heading Off, Stephen Hassan shared some tales from his father & daughter trip to Vietnam and Morocco.

We often hear about the negative effects of social media, but our next story looks its transformative impact for kaupapa Maori. Its power in connecting with Maori communities was highlighted in the recent Tamaki Makaurau by-election. Te Pati Maori which resoundingly won the seat, ran its campaign almost entirely online. However Labour relied on traditional methods like door-knocking and mainstream media. Auckland University Masters graduate Mia-Mae Taitimu-Stevens has examined this issue.

A report set to be released by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority has connected hundreds of annual deaths with pollution from gas stoves. Dr Lucy Telfar-Barnard, senior research fellow at Otago University's Housing and Health Research Programme spoke to Jesse.

Five albums in six years. 75 million records sold. Then, just like that, The Police walked away leaving us with songs everyone still knows: "Message in a Bottle," "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "Every Breath You Take." You know there are plenty of stories to tell and drummer and founding member of The Police Stewart Copeland is ready to tell them. Dubbed the "accidental archivist," he spent the years of the rise of The Police jotting down the secrets and surprises of the trio he formed with Sting and Andy Summers. Now, after 18 years away, he's coming back to New Zealand with a spoken world tour called Have I Said Too Much? It's an evening that dives into the wild ride of rock superstardom, the creative sparks and disasters fans never knew about, and the twists that took Copeland from punk-reggae anthems to orchestras and operas. The tour lands here in January. Stewart Copeland spoke to Jesse.

Time to check what's happening in Australia with our correspondent Brad Foster.

Book reviewer Claire Mabey reviews Omnibird by Giselle Clarkson, Secret Art Powers by Jo Randerson, The Last Living Cannibal by Airana Ngawera.

Podcast critic Ximena Smith reviews Noble and Context.