Afternoons for Tuesday 10 February 2026

 

1:10 The Epstein Files: Will anything actually happen next?

The fallout from the release of the Epstein files continues to dominate headlines around the world.

In the last few hours, jailed associate of Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell appeared before US lawmakers and as predicted ...she pled the fifth amendment, refusing to answer questions about her relationship with Epstein.

King Charles and The Prince and Princess of Wales have also spoken out publicly this morning in relation to Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor's role in the ongoing scandal.

To discuss all that and more Jesse is joined by Feature Story News US reporter Ira Spitzer.

1:20 Why learning about the landscape is vital for future planning

He says building knowledge about how landscapes behave, means people can make more informed decisions about how to interact with them. 

He chats to Jesse.

1:30 Explainer: What is cultural appropriation?

The issue of cultural appropriation has been back in the news recently after an Australian brand called itself Aroha.

That got us thinking about the process of naming your business.

In the case of the activewear company called Aroha, the founder has admitted her research was "surface level" and since the backlash is now weighing up whether to keep using the word. 

The Hoka shoe brand is another high profile example of using te reo Māori words as a brand name. Hoka roughly translates from te reo Māori as "to fly".

So we asked Johnson McKay from Māori owned consultancy Ira to join us to discuss. 

1:45 Wellington makes a bid for culinary capital!

Could Wellington become New Zealand's culinary capital?

It certainly seems the Government hopes so, after Minister Louise Upston announced the latest funding from the 'major events and tourism" package will include a plan to help re-establish Wellington as more than the home of politics and water woes. 

But how will do you actually make that happen?
To discuss, we're joined now by veteran Welly restaurant reviewer David Burton. 

2:10 Mayoral Minutes: Central Hawke's Bay District

It's time for Mayoral minutes, our new segment where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they’re facing, how they’re working to solve them and what makes their community special.

Today we're heading to the Central Hawke's Bay District, from where Mayor Will Foley joins Jesse.

2:20 Books with Pip Adam

Novelist Pip Adam joins Jesse to talk satire - and some good examples of it:

A Few More Slices of Heaven (2025) Daniel Vernon
Night Night Fawn by Jordy Rosenberg (One World | Penguin Random House, 3 March 2026)
Universality by Natasha Brown (Faber & Faber, 2025)

2:30 Music feature: Peter Gabriel's "So"

It's time for our Tuesday Music feature and today we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of Peter Gabriel's seminal 1986 album, 'So'. 

After leaving his band Genesis, Peter Gabriel struggled to truly cut through as a solo artist. 

By 1986 he had released four self-titled solo albums, but despite a few charting singles, he was not what you'd call a "pop star".  

However, that all changed with the 1986 release of 'So', and music journalist Simon Sweetman is here to tell us why. 
 

3:10 Podcast: What happens if you try to sail over the Niagara Falls?

Evie Ashton joins Jesse with her podcast picks:

The Interesting Nuggets Podcast

The Asian Madness Podcast 

Available wherever you get your podcasts!

3:25 You're the Judge 

Tuesdays means one thing here on Afternoons our regular segment called 'You're the Judge' where we read out a problem and get the Afternoons' audience to decide how to resolve it. This is a chance to chime into someone else's pickle. Today we're looking at whether our correspondent should keep highlighting her parents' inclusion of someone's ethnicity when they tell a story. 

3:30 Feature Interview: What is the "Free Birth" movement?

Women around the world are choosing to give birth without doctors or midwives, guided instead by influencer stories that celebrate “free birth” as empowering and transformative.  The Free Birth Society, F-B-S,  is a multimillion-dollar business that often advocates for women to take "radical responsibility" for their own births.  A year long investigation by Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne from The Guardian links the Free Birth Society to at least 48 cases of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and permanent injuries to mothers and their babies. Sirin Kale shares what their investigation uncovered for their podcast, The Birth Keepers.  

Link to the podcast is here

3:50 The pre-Panel

Wallace Chapman previews tonight's edition of The Panel.