Afternoons for Thursday 23 February 2023

1:15 Lifesavers leap into action during floods saving a number of lives

Surf living training and skills were a massive help during the recent flooding events all over Aotearoa.

In Puketapu, Hawkes' Bay two brothers rescued stranded locals on knee-boards in at least 2.5m high water.

John Calinicos has been a surf livesafer for 10 years, he's us to share how they and others in the area rescued people trapped by rising waters.

1:25 Wairarapa farmers holding fundraiser for flood affected farms in Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti

Federated Farmers in Wairarapa are asking for donations of fencing supplies to help flood affected farms in Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti get back on their feet.

The Wairarapa federated farmers meat and wool chair Mike Butterick talks to Jesse about what they're doing to help flood affected farms get back to repair their properties.

1:35 Transistor radios making a come back following Cyclone Gabrielle

Old-fashioned transistor radios have been flying off the shelves in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Listeners to RNZ National of course already know that broadcast radio is clearly superior to any other media, but for many the cyclone has been a wake-up call.

But for some, the cyclone has been a wakeup call.

Damage from heavy rain, flooding and high winds have toppled powerlines, cut fiber optic cables and shut down cellphone towers.

 For the first few days after the cyclone a transistor radio was the only source of information for thousands of people.

Jim Mayo is the owner of the Mayo Group, which supplies audio visual equipment to stores all across New Zealand. He speaks to Jesse.

1:45 Boomers looking for help with cricket tickets!

There was an urgent listing in the Dominion Post, reading:"Four Boomers Need Help".

It went on to say "We have 5 nights accommodation in Wellington all sorted. And just like we have done for the past 25 years we were planning on waddling down to the Basin Reserve this Friday and getting a 5-day pass each.

BUT NOT SO SORTED?!"

Behind the ad is Bryan Cadogan, aka Sprout . He's also the mayor of Balclutha - we check in to see if the ad has worked!

1:50 Great album: Food for Worms

Today's great album is from the English band, Shame. Their latest album, Food For Worms is being released tomorrow. Today's link 3 winner will receive a vinyl copy of the album.

2:10 Music Critic: Jana Te Nahu Owen

Today Music 101 producer Jana Te Nahu Owen talks to Jesse about music from Caroline Polachek and English indie folk trio Daughter.

2:25 NZ Sporting History: Wayne Smith

For today's NZ Sporting history we're speaking to someone who has won three Rugby World Cups in 2011, 2015, and 2021.

To add to that collection, last week he also won Coach of the year at the 2023 Halberg Awards.

The legendary Wayne Smith joins Jesse to talk about his career and his incredible achievements.

3:10 Link 3

3:15 Solving the World's Problems with Simon Wilson 

Today Simon Wilson's been thinking about the climate-crisis debate over adaptation versus mitigation.

He talks about the argument for both.

3:20 History with Dr Grant Morris

Today Dr Grant Morris looks at the history of flooding on the East Coast.

Cyclone Gabrielle has had a devastating impact on the east coast of the North Island. 

NZ has a long history of flood disasters, particularly in the east coast area. 

Learning about this history can help us understand the present disaster and also plan for the future.

3:35 Spoken Feature BBC Witness

On 27 February 1996, gamers were first introduced to characters when the first Pokémon games were released in Japan.

Known as Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green, the games were released simultaneously on the Nintendo Game Boy hand-held console.

In a matter of years the franchise would make the leap from an ageing games console to television animation and beyond, making it a worldwide pop culture powerhouse.

Kurt Brookes speaks to the games developer about the development, release, and success of the game series.

3:45 The Panel with Alexia Russell and Simon Pound