Afternoons for Wednesday 11 September 2024

Announcing Critter of the Week T Shirts 2024!

Preorders are now open! Head on over here to claim your sweet T! 

Forest and Bird's CEO, Nicola Toki, Joyya, and Jesse Mulligan team up to bring you Critter of the Week – an awe-inspiring tribute to the lesser-known native critters and plants of Aotearoa. Illustrated by the incredible Giselle Clarkson and guided by science consultant Mike Dickison, each item showcases New Zealand's unique biodiversity our local conservation experts are striving to protect. 

With $5 from every product going directly to Aotearoa-based conservation efforts, your purchase supports heroes on the ground protecting our natural treasures. Together we've raised over $31,686! Join us in celebrating the wild beauty of Aotearoa while giving back – now that's something to be proud of!

Crafted from premium organic cotton, ethically manufactured by our World Fair Trade Organisation certified production facility in India – showcasing Joyya's commitment to sparking good in places of extreme poverty and modern slavery.

1:15 Documentary hopes to build strong communities for people with dementia 

This month the Doc Edge Film Festival is screening "Human Forever".

The film follows 24-year-old activist Teun Toeves as he strives to improve the lives of people with dementia. His journey spans three years and 11 countries.

The filmmaker Jonathan De Jong is currently in Samoa working on a follow up, but he's made time to speak with Jesse today. 

1:25 The rise of 'meatfluencers' 

Cutting out fruit and veg from your diet doesn't sound like the best health advice, but "meatfluencers" - those who promote a carnivore diet - have reported impressive weight loss results.

Some have even made claims that the diet has helped cure diabetes and arthritis. 

The diet craze is gaining popularity, with carnivore-friendly products and businesses reporting a surge in customers.

So, what do health professionals think? Today Jesse asks dietician Lily Henderson.

1:35 Turning bread waste into award-winning gin

Dunedin Craft Distillers' has been transforming bread waste into award-winning gin since 2020.

Now the company is looking to speed up production with the goal of processing up to a third of Dunedin's total bakery waste each year.

To do this they'll need a bigger mash kettle. 

Dunedin Craft Distillers co-founder Jenny McDonald joins Jesse to chat about the process and their fundraising efforts. 

1:45 Heading Off: Visiting Torquay with Basil Faulty 

Today Jesse heads to the Devonshire seaside town of Torquay, which local hotelier Basil Faulty says is well worth the visit.

Basil is currently in New Zealand running a series of informational evenings about the area and some of the upmarket accommodation options he has available.

2.12 Podcast Critic: 'The Rest is...'

Podcast critic Jemima Huston reviews two installments of the 'The Rest Is...' series by Goalhanger: 'The Rest is Money' and 'The Rest is Politics'. 

2:20 Easy Eats with Sam Parish: Mongolian Lamb Noodles

Sam offers this delightful dish that is ready in 30 minutes: includes 'velveting'! Get the full recipe here. 

2:30 Bookmarks with Neil Pardington

If you don't know Neil Pardington by name, we can almost guarantee you've seen his work. 

Neil is a Wellington-based artist, photographer and designer with works held by major institutions here and overseas, including Te Papa and the National Gallery of Victoria. 

His exhibitions have received consistent acclaim, as has his creative work in advertising, branding, and book design.

3:10 Feature interview: The American stories we miss  

Zaid Jilani is something that feels very unusual in the United States right now. He's a journalist who doesn't want to tell stories that fit into narratives on the left or the right. Fiercely independent and frustrated with a media environment that rewards extremes on either side of the political divide, he started his own website and Substack to tell stories and challenge thinking for everyone. It's called The American Saga. One of his recent pieces is about some research out of Oxford University, mostly ignored by mainstream media, that found race and gender does not put American voters off candidates. Zaid Jilani What other stories might we be missing? 

3:35 Stories from Our Changing World

At the Australian synchrotron New Zealand researchers are using light to investigate new materials that could help us capture carbon and develop clean energy solutions. 

Claire Concannon learns more.

3:45 The pre-Panel