Afternoons for Wednesday 19 March 2025

1:10 Good news for GoodNature

At midnight last night a kiwi company got some big news.

Newtown, Wellington based Pest control company Goodnature were listed in the Fast Company list of 2025's most innovative companies: ranking 6th in the household goods company.

Not only is this a big achievement but is shows how far the company has come in its 20 years, creating tools for DOC to being a consumer-focused pest control success.

Jesse talks to Chief Exec Dave Shoemack.

1:15 High performance rugby for under 18s 

Last week New Zealand Rugby announced they are introducing an under 18s team to the "National High Performance" programme. The inaugural team will be selected in September ahead of a match against Australia.

Currently the U18s scene is dominated by the NZ Secondary Schools, Barbarians and Māori teams.

Teams which are likely to supply the players, but not everyone in the rugby community is pleased, with some raising concerns teenagers shouldn't be thrown into such a high-pressure environment

Māori U18s coach Kahu Carey discusses the nature and mission of the team with Jesse. 

1:25 All the 'tea' on farming organic native tea

An old airstrip in Whakatane has become home to rows and rows of native herbs which eventually get turned into tea.

That's the work of Laureen and Dan Andrews, who left their lives in Rotorua behind nearly ten years ago to pursue a life growing native plants.

Jesse talks to Dan about the ins and outs of growing organic tea.

1:35 Behind the scenes at the Freemasons 

The Freemasons are a society known for mystery and secrecy.

But the organisation is actively working to free itself of that reputation, encouraging members to be open about their participation and the work they do. So ... what is it that they do?

New Zealand Freemasons Grand Master Jim Watt opens the lid on what they're up to.

1:45 Heading Off: The Kawatiri Trail

We all have ideas in the pub or while idly thinking at home, but very few of us actually follow through.

But one man who did take it further is Richard Niederer. His idea was to build a coastal trail between Westport and Charleston.

The 40Km route opens on Saturday after a decade of work. He talks to Jesse about the project and how it came to pass.

2.12 Music Critic: new music from Tom Lark and Preacher

Rachel Ashby has some music for your Wednesday that you may not be aware of, and she thinks should be added to your daily playlist. Fuselage by Tom Lusk and Day Dreamer by Preacher.

2:20 Easy Eats: Roasted Gochujang Salmon with Cucumber Salad

Kelly Gibney's latest recipe uses gochujang which is a fermented Korean chilli paste that you'll find in most supermarkets, or at an Asian grocer. The cucumber salad is light and fresh, making it the perfect partner for the rich salmon. Get the recipe here. 

2:30 Bookmarks with Darian Woods 

When you're on the radio people often recognise your voice, but don't know your name or face.

Would you recognise Lisa Owen, Ingrid Hipkiss or Todd Zaner in the grocery queue, but when they open their mouths, people click. That's probably the same for New Zealander Darian Woods who has made a career in the US explaining complex financial concepts in plain English. 

He's the host of NPR podcast The Indicator by Planet Money, NPR's financial team. It's one of the most listened to podcasts in the world.

Darian joins Jesse for Bookmarks.

3:10 Feature interview: the tech that could wean us off fossil fuels

Turning sunlight and air into fuel sounds impossible. But Australian scientist Dr Casey Handmer has found a way to pull carbon from the air and hydrogen from water to create synthetic natural gas that he hopes may one day will be cheap enough to replace fossil fuels.

3:35 Stories from Our Changing World

Coming up, the next episode of Voice of the Sea Ice. Claire Concannon learns about the life within the ice, and how that might be changing as the sea ice cycle changes.