Afternoons for Thursday 24 March 2022

1:20 Bumper Kākāpō breeding season at an end

The last Kākāpō egg of the season has hatched.

To find out how the breeding season has gone, we've invited conservation biologist for endangered birds Dr Andrew Digby to join us.

Dr Digby is a Kākāpō and takahe scientist for the Department of Conservation and he's currently on Anchor Island. He talks to Jesse about their bumper breeding season.

1:30 Concerns about other winter viruses post lockdown era

Asthmatics are being urged to make sure they get the flu vaccination this year.

That comes amid fears that those with asthma have NOT been exposed to many flu or viral illnesses in the past two years and are more vulnerable.

One of those concerned is doctor Bryan Betty, who's the Medical Director of the Royal College of General Practitioners. He talks to Jesse about what his main concern is for this winter.

1:40 Mission to collect as many houseplants as possible

Moira West is a wedding photographer by trade, but at home she's a green fingered goddess on a mission to collect as many houseplants as she can.

She's also been the runner up in NZ Gardener's Houseplant Heroes of 2021.

Moira talks to Jesse about her plant passion and where she manages to put them all!

1:45 Link 3 album: Love Boredom Bicycles by Bakers Eddy

Today's album to be won in link 3 is from Bakes Eddy, a New Zealand band currently based in Melbourne. Their debut album is released tomorrow and called Love Boredom Bicycles. We speak to their lead singer, Ciarann Babbington about the band forming when they were 12 years old and the opportunities they've had since moving to Australia.

2:10 Music Critic: Dianne Swann

Today Dianne talks to Jesse about music from Carson McHone. She's just released her third album, Still Life on Merge Records. We play two tracks from the album, which was largely recorded in her lounge during the pandemic lockdowns.

2:25 NZ Sporting History: Dame Valerie Adams 

For today's sporting history segment we're charting the career of shot put legend Dame Valerie Adams.

We'll talk about her first Olympic gold medal in 2008 Beijing, the drama of her second in 2012 London, and why her future as a retired athlete looks so bright.

Joining Jesse is sports journalist and broadcaster Phil Gifford, who helped Dame Valerie write her 2012 autobiography Valerie. 

3:10 Link 3

3:15 Your Money with Mary Holm 

Today financial journalist and author Mary Holm talks about what to do about the 2 big investment worries - inflation and wobbly sharemarkets. She asks what's likely to be happening in the short term with inflation at more than 7% and Kiwisaver balances falling. 

3:35 Spoken Feature BBC Witness

Following the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine inherited the Soviet-era atomic weapons on its soil and became -  briefly - the world's third biggest third nuclear power. After months of tense diplomacy, the newly independent Ukraine agreed to give up the weapons in return for what were termed "assurances" about its future security and territorial integrity. These "assurances" were agreed by Russia, the USA and Britain in the Budapest Memorandum, signed in December 1994.  Louise Hidalgo talks to Steven Pifer, a senior American diplomat involved in the talks.

3:45 The Panel with Lynda Hallinan and Fryderyk Leszek Kublikowski