Afternoons Podcast Options

1:40 PM.Melanie Bracewell just won the Billy T award - woohoo! That means she's been asked to do three extra performances of her stand-up show Melodrama - and they're kicking off tonight at Auckland's… Read more Audio

1:26 PM.Blessed Mvement is a hip-hop troupe made up entirely of young North African and Middle Eastern Muslim men. They're also the subject of a documentary series by Scottish film-maker Alexis Smith - who… Read more Audio

1:18 PM.A couple of months ago, some Niueans noticed a mallard duck had arrived at their shores. It's since become a minor celebrity. Former Wellington mayor Mark Blumsky tells us more. Read more Audio

7:00 AM.Getting the strap at school - a harmless rite of passage or an awful abuse of power? Produced by Justin Gregory. Read more Audio

3:09 PM.A little aimlessness and solitude aren't only good for the soul, they're essential for wellbeing and creativity, says Alan Lightman, the author of In Praise of Wasting Time. Read more Audio

2:24 PM.After watching the explosion of Seattle's coffee scene in the '80s Michael Allpress returned to Auckland and set up the country's first coffee cart. Today he talks about his art studio, coffee, and… Read more Audio

1:42 PM.The four-day Manawatu Writers' Festival is the only free event of its type in New Zealand. Organiser Rachel Doré joins us to talk about making literature accessible and which authors she's most… Read more Audio

1:28 PM.Susan Trodden has been advocating for a train between Hamilton and Auckland for more than six years - and with the prospect closer now than ever before, she joins us to talk about the benefits of such… Read more Audio

1:19 PM.15 years ago Jessie Casson found four local teenagers, photographed them, and asked them about their hopes and dreams. 15 years later, she's re-visited all her subjects for a new documentary, What… Read more Video, Audio

1:10 PM.The Aussie punk rock band The Living End are about to release a new album and announce a tour. Lead singer Chris Cheney joins us in our Auckland studio to talk about it and perform the band's latest… Read more Audio

3:10 PM.The 70's, 80's and 90's are sometimes called the "golden age" of serial killers - and criminal justice expert Peter Vronksy reckon conditions are perfect for another to begin in the next decade or so

2:19 PM.Music producer Paddy Free has worked with Crowded House, Neil Finn, The Exponents, and Salmonella Dub, among others. Today he's here to talk about the development of electronica in Aotearoa. Read more Audio

1:39 PM.A new rest home is planning to be the first in New Zealand to use an iPad-style tablet to connect residents with family and nurse staff at the touch of a button, allowing them to order dinner, watch… Read more Audio

1:33 PM.Underneath the Auckland CBD lie miles of jagged caves, hollowed out by ancient streams of lava. Designer and artist Chirag Jindal joins us to explain how he turned images of those caves into an art… Read more Audio, Gallery

1:18 PM.Productivity Commission chair Murray Sherwin joins us to outline the What, When and How of a new report with recommendations for transitioning New Zealand into a more environmentally friendly economy

The Wairarapa, Central Otago and South Canterbury are the best regions for visiting Kiwi pubs, says travel writer Peter Janssen. And he should know – he's written about his 174 favourites in the book … Read more Audio, Gallery

2:30 PM.Most cults exist under the radar and not enough is being done to stop them, says Australian woman Ros Hodgkins. She got her daughter away from a cult in the early '90s and founded the Cult Information… Read more Audio

2:17 PM.Palmerston North poet Paula Harris recently won an international poetry prize. She joins us to read part of her winning poem, you will dig me from the earth with your bare hands, in order to resurrect… Read more Audio