Rnz: Afternoons With Jesse Mulligan

Australian officials are describing the deadly attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach as a targeted, antisemitic terror attack. Police say the two people behind the shooting were father and son. The father has died, the son is in critical condition in hospital. Vigils are being held around the world to pay tribute to the victims, who range in age from 10 to 87. Friend of the show Brad Foster lives in Sydney, he chats to Jesse about how locals are reacting.

Jesse and Forest and Bird's Nicola Toki discuss this week's critter of the week is the beautiful and emblematic Turbott's Weevil. These large, flightless and nocturnal weevils were likely once widespread throughout mainland New Zealand but are now confined to predator-free islands like Aorangi Poor Knights Islands. Not much is known about their biology, and their small population means they are considered 'At Risk' in the New Zealand Threat Classification system. They are also one of a handful on invertebrates listed as protected under the Wildlife Act.

It is such a busy time of year; we're well into the festive season; kids are finishing school; there are visitors aplenty and that's before we even get to Christmas Day! So how do you keep your home clean, and fly free, with so much going on? Rachael Quin from The Housekeeper NZ is here to help

Shared Kitchen's Julie Biuso joins Jesse and has a great summery recipe to share, Turkey burgers!

Best of 2025: One Battle After Another; Sinners; Tina What to see next: Avatar; Not Only Fred Dagg; Song Sung Blue; My Brothers Band

Time to get your freak on! Please send us your terrifying tales! It could be something that sounds spooky, a taste of the occult or a bizarre co-incidence. 2101 or afternoons@rnz.co.nz Today we're joined by Erica Hodgson in Auckland.

What do fish and chips, pen and six all have in common? Answer? They're some of the words we New Zealanders get mocked the most for. Some find our accent a delight, others a disaster but how did we come to sound like we do? 

'Lea Tupu'anga/Mother Tongue' is a short film directed by Vea Mafile'o. It stars Lucianne Buchanan in the lead role, who also wrote the script. The film has been shown at 20 international film festivals around the world, and now Buchanan's former co-star Jason Momoa is backing its bid for Oscar glory. Actress Luciane Buchanan joins Jesse from Los Angeles

One of New Zealand's major apple growers, Hawke's Bay's "Yummy Fruit", has stopped shipping to the U-S as a result to President Trump's tariffs. The 15 percent tariff essentially cancelled out their margins, so some growers are shifting their focus to the Asia market ahead of a what's looking like a bumper harvest. Jesse is joined by Danielle Adsett the Market access manager from New Zealand Apples and Pears.

Ardie Savea took out Player of the Year at the NZ Rugby Awards last night, but another big award went to someone who spends 80 minutes trying not to be the centre of attention. Maggie Cogger-Orr was named Referee of the Year, recognised for a career-best season that includes the Women's Rugby World Cup semifinal between England and France.

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.