Afternoons for Wednesday 14 May 2025

 

1:10 New phone plan to help parents manage their children's phone usage

Spark has announced New Zealand's first mobile plan designed specifically for children.

The ‘Kids Plan’ can be added to a parent’s account for full oversight of its usage, and children will be barred from buying plan add-ons and will not receive promotional marketing texts.

Child psychologist and mother of four Dr. Emma Woodward spoke to Jesse.

1:20 New café for Whangarei's rough sleepers

Rough sleepers in Whangarei now have a fresh, funky new cafe to go sit, get a free meal and be part of the community.

Charity Whare Āwhina has opened new headquarters in the city's former police station.

It marks a new chapter for the city's vulnerable and a shift away from a more City Mission style environment.

Manager Robyn Reihana spoke to Jesse. 

1:35 Now they're washing our windows too

It's not often window-washing draws a crowd - but a Waikato company is soaring to new heights thanks to the use of drones.

And it's not just windows - it's now setting its sights on using them to replace cranes to do the heavy lifting on busy building sites.

Francois De Beer from Drone Wash Solutions spoke to Jesse.

1:45 Heading Off: Armenia - Perfect destination for those wanting to avoid the crowds  

Today we're talking about Armenia - a country with a cultural foot hold in both Europe and Asia.

It's described as a holy land, full of surprises, with a lot to offer - but without the crowds.

Ash Jurberg spoke to Jesse

2.12 Music Critic: new Voom and Proteins of Magic

Zac Arnold from NakedPR is in the studio today to recommend and preview some new music. It's the brand-new single Crazy Feeling from Voom's upcoming new album. He then chats about Proteins Of Magic, the project of Kelly Sherrod and the song Bayou. 

2:20 Easy Eats: Pea, spinach and tarragon soup 

Kelly Gibney offers up this soup which is made with handy household staples like frozen peas and dried herbs, but the end result has a wonderfully bright and fresh flavour. Get the recipe here. 

2:30 Bookmarks with Mary Kisler

Time for Bookmarks now and Jesse's guest today is art historian, curator and author Mary Kisler. 

She's been a major player in shaping the exhibitions at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki for more than two decades. 

Mary's previous books include 'Finding Frances Hodgkins' and 'Angels & Aristocrats', which explored the early European art in various public New Zealand collections. 

Her latest is a memoir titled 'The Dark Dad: War and Trauma - A Daughter's Tale'.

3:10 Feature interview:  how your siblings shape your life

Parents unleash the arrow of ambition in their children, but siblings are often the ones who help guide its direction says Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times staff writer Susan Dominus.

After a lifetime of curiosity about the ecosystems of families, Dominus set out to discover what families of high-achieving siblings had in common including the values, habits, and everyday rituals, like dinnertime conversations that influenced their children to hit the bullseye in their lives and work.

Her book is called The Family Dynamic: A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success. 

3:35 Stories from Our Changing World

Coming up on Our Changing World, Kate Newton travels to Aotea, Great Barrier Island, to meet the black petrels that breed there, and the team that's been studying them for almost three decades.  

3:45 The pre-Panel

Wallace Chapman and producer Tom Riste-Smith preview tonight's instalment of The Panel.