Afternoons for Tuesday 14 October 2025

 

1:10 Record numbers of NZers are leaving: Is this the new normal?

New Zealanders are leaving the country in record numbers, the latest figures from Stats NZ show overall migrant arrivals dropped 16% to 138,600, while departures increased 13% to 127,900.

Nearly 48 thousand kiwi citizens left this year.

Continuing the trend that we've seen over the past two years - with large numbers of New Zealand citizens leaving and fewer migrants arriving.

So is this the new normal or just a reflection of current tough times?

Sociologist and emeritus professor at Massey University Paul Spoonley joins Jesse.

1:20 'Love Actually' with a twist

Love Actually is one of the most popular Christmas films of all time.

And according to Wikipedia it's the 9th highest grossing Christmas film ever, just below Batman Returns, so take from that what you will. 

This year it's coming to NZ, with a twist. Love Actually in Concert features a live orchestra playing the score. MC and mega fan Chelsea Plumley joins us now.

1:35 How Tip Top went from a Wellington milk bar to a huge commercial success story

The ice cream brand Tip Top turns 90 years old this month.

From a small Wellington milk bar to a huge Auckland factory - the story of this company is a remarkable one. 

The ubiquitous summer treats are now also available across the Pacific, Australia and Southeast Asia

We all have our favourites, be that the boysenberry trumpet, Jelly Tip, Choc Bar or an old school ice cream in a cone. 

To mark the milestone, Jesse is joined by Chief Executive Ben Schurr and longtime employee Ross Jenkin

1:45 Tech Tuesday with Tim Batt - The HUGE deal between AMD and OpenAI

Tim shares details of a massive deal announced last week whereby AMD is giving OpenAI 10% of the company. It's caused a lot of chat about the incredibly strange financial arrangements between three huge tech companies (AMD, Nvidia, OpenAI).

2:10 Book Critic: Anna Rankin live from New York

We're going to chat books now and a new collection coming out in November is celebrating Auckland and some of the reasons people choose to live there.

To share the details Anna Rankin joins Jesse, she is currently in New York completing a Masters of Arts in Journalism with a Politics Concentration at Columbia University thanks to a Fulbright award.

2:20 Update on Oz with Jacob Johnson

Time to find out what's hitting the headlines in Australia, our usual guy Brad Foster is on a well-deserved holiday, so we're pleased to have TVNZ's One News' Australia correspondent Jacob Johnson joining us. 

Jacob is going to chat about a superannuation tax change, YouTube's appearance before a Senate Committee, Victoria's crime problem and that Bathurst win. 

2:30 Music feature: "Unfit for air play"? Not any longer!

It's time for our music feature and today we're playing some of the songs found in a mysterious old leather-bound ledger labelled 'Banned records' in the RNZ offices.

Started sometime in the 1950s, the book contains a list of the songs Radio New Zealand deemed 'unfit for air play' on the public broadcaster.

Music journalist Nick Bollinger is working on a new series investigating why these songs were banned and what it says about our history.

3:10 Feature: Finding solutions for parents worried about tech harm

For years, Dr Jean Twenge warned about the links between declining mental health and the rising use of smartphones and other devices. She was one of the first to raise the alarm, now she wants to offer parents some solutions. Dr Twenge says parents are up against tech companies that do everything they can to encourage young people to spend as much time as possible on their phones and laptops and   having   conversations with them about that are not going to cut it. Teenagers need rules. She writes not just as a renowned researcher, but as a parent of 3 teenage daughters. Her latest book is called 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: How Parents Can Stop Smartphones, Social Media, and Gaming from Taking Over Their Children’s Lives.   

3:30 You're the Judge!

We've got a new segment called 'You're the Judge' where we present an issue that's been sent in by one of our listeners, and you, our audience, decide what the right course of action is. 

We've been asking for the problems that have you stumped and have been sent lots of your dilemmas, if you have one to add to the pile email jesse@afternoons.co.nz

Today's issue is gift etiquette - what do you do if you don't like a present?

3:45 The pre-Panel

Wallace Chapman previews tonight's instalment of The Panel.