Afternoons

1:10 Should the fences be coming down around Wellington harbour?

From today, Wellington City Council will start to remove the temporary fencing around the waterfront.

The fencing was put up in 2023, after a death in the harbour.. that was the seventh drowning since 2006.

A coroner's report in March called for urgent action in high risk areas of the waterfront .. but in August, Wellington council voted against a proposal to put up permanent fences. 

For more on this Wellington Mayor Andrew Little speaks to Jesse. 

1:15 New concerns around new mums and mobile phone use

The conversation around phone screen time - and how much is too much - usually centres around children and teens.

But new research has highlighted the impact of phone use by another group - new mums.

Any tired parent will tell you that screen time can be a welcome source of distraction, but it turns out it can also interfere with parent/child bonding and a baby’s development.  

Dr Miriam McCaleb from the University of Canterbury is lead researcher on the study, she talks to Jesse.

1:20 Having trouble making friends? Look no further!

Despite having the technology to connect to friends and family 24/7 - social isolation and loneliness are issues that are becoming more prominent .. not just for the elderly - but also for young people.

So Melinda Wong has come up with a solution..  friend making events .. hosted get togethers where strangers can meet and get to know one another in a safe environment.

Melinda runs Time & Place .. organising private dinners and public picnics in an effort to help people connect. 

1:35 The Hamilton shoe shop hanging up their boots

The owners of a well-known Hamilton shoe shop are hanging up their boots after 43 years.

Ann and Grant Collins have been running Collins Footwear since 1982... serving generations of customers.

They'll be finishing up at the shop - that has a big orange boot on top of its shopfront - next month.

1:45 Podcasts: The first king of England and a new queen of music?

Evie Ashton is here to talk podcasts, and she's got two pretty different offerings this week, one based on history, while the other is more about feminism - and not strictly speaking a podcast.

Noble Blood - wherever you get your podcasts
Lily Allen - West End Girl

2:10 Book Critic with author Catherine Robertson

Author Catherine Robertson joins Jesse to chat about books she thinks are worth reading: 

The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume 3 by Philip Pullman (David Fickling Books)
1985 by Dominic Hoey (Penguin)
James by Percival Everett (Mantle)
 

2:20 Update on Oz with Brad Foster

It's Melbourne Cup day! We talk to Brad about the issues that have got Australians talking.

Today we're looking at a new public register of child sex abusers, head knocks in the NRL, abandoning Australia's emissions reduction target of net zero and of course Melbourne Cup. 

2:30 Music feature: Patti Smith in the spotlight

In just under a week Patti Smith's seminal debut album 'Horses" celebrates it's 50th anniversary

Recorded at Electric Lady Studio's and released on November 10th, 1975, it was met by near universal acclaim and considered by many to be the first Punk Rock album.

It's been cited as an influence by artists like R.E.M, The Smiths, and friend of the show Vera Ellen, who even has a Patti Smith tattoo.

3:10 Feature interview: The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz

It was a bargain with the devil they couldn’t refuse.
A group of women prisoners in Auschwitz   were offered a slim chance at survival in exchange for playing music. They played as inmates got off the trains. They played as prisoners marched for roll call. They played as ash from the crematoriums rained down on them. Historian and biographer Anne Sebba tells the story of the only female orchestra in the camps, exploring not only the moral dilemmas they faced, but the impact their music had on other prisoners. 

Anne Sebba is on tour around New Zealand to talk about her new book, The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A story of survival.  She joins Jesse in our Auckland studio.

Go here for lecture dates and locations

3:30 You're the Judge: Is honesty always the best policy?

We've got a newish segment called 'You're the Judge' where we present an issue that's been sent in by one of our listeners, and you, our audience, decide what the right course of action is. 

If you've got an irk you'd like resolved, please do email me jesse@afternoons.co.nz
 

3:45 The pre-Panel Wallace Chapman previews tonight's instalment of The Panel.