Afternoons for Tuesday 11 July 2023

1:10 Bunny Reid on competing at Word Performing Arts Competition

Christchurch singer Bunny Reid is about to head to L.A to take part in a massive performing competition.

She's entered the World Performing Arts Competition which will be held in Anaheim later this month.

She talks to Jesse about her entry and gives us a taste of her talent.

1:15 Joining the party you support is as important as your vote!

It's less than one hundred days till the election. Signs are up, people are knocking on doors and maybe things are heating up around your dinner table.

This year Volunteering New Zealand reported a "worrying decrease" in volunteering. Something that political commentator, barrister and solicitor Liam Hehir is also worried about.

Liam believes you should join the political party you tend to vote for because it's important for democracy.

1:25 National Walking Plan, is it a good idea?

New Zealand's first National Walking Plan will be released later this month. We'll know more about that soon.

In the meantime we wanted to know how easy is it to walk around a city? And what are the benefits?

Landscape ecologist Dr Colin Meurk is passionate about walking. He's presenting at this year's annual Walking Summit in Christchurch. He talks to Jesse.

1:35 Is a road in Taranaki the best in Aotearoa?

Aotearoa has some breathtaking landscapes. Where do you like to go to experience the sublime?

Photographer Jono Kraettli is on a mission to highlight hidden gems, and recently captured what, he says, could be New Zealand's most beautiful road, Kent Road in Taranaki.

Jono talks to Jesse.

2:10 Book Critic: Catherine Robertson

Today Catherine Robertson talks to Jesse about This is ADHD by Chanelle Moriah, There is a Cure for This by Dr Emma Espiner, The Other Brother by Jax Calder and On Animals by Susan Orlean.

2:20 Update on Oz with Brad Foster

Brad Foster reports on the fundraising efforts of Australians to assist the families of victims of the Hunter Valley bus crash, including the auction of a car bonnet by local rookie racer Ryan Gilroy and Newcastle artist Jordan Lucky. He also talks recycling in Australia's major supermarkets, rugby, football and the White Island trial. 

2:30 Music feature: Motown drums

We're all familiar with the likes of The Temptations and Stevie Wonder, but these stars weren't the only ones responsible for pioneering the Motown sound.

Many great but somewhat underappreciated musicians helped these headlining soul performers reach the heights they did in the 1960s.

We're giving them some attention today with Mike Enoka, a Wellington-based drummer and a huge fan of Motown, and he's going to talk to us about the great drummers of Motown.

3:10 The Facebook Whistleblower's story

We know what  Frances Haugen did. She's the Facebook whistleblower who smuggled 22-thousand documents out of the tech giant's Silicon Valley headquarters that reveal the social network knew from its own research that its' platforms were damaging teenage mental health, amplifying hate and ethnic violence as well as  undermining democracy. Now we know why she risked everything to share the "Facebook Files" with the world. Her new  memoir lays the small steps and perseverance over the course of  her life that led to her taking the giant step of going public.  She shares her personal story as well as her continued call for transparency and accountability in Big Tech in her new book, The Power of One: How I Found the Strength to Tell the Truth and Why I Blew the Whistle on Facebook.

3:30 Spoken Feature: BBC Witness

The tale of an extraordinary night at a legendary British gay pub. Princess Diana, disguised as a man, along with star broadcaster Kenny Everett and Queen singer Freddie Mercury enjoyed a drink in London's Royal Vauxhall Tavern one night at the height of their fame in 1988. The veracity of the event has been questioned, but Cleo Rocos, who co-starred with Kenny in his hit TV show, described the celebrity night out in her in her book The Power of Positive Drinking. Cleo tells her story.

3:45 The Panel with Heather Roy and Peter Fa'afiu