Afternoons for Thursday 12 June 2025

1:15 The National Library set to destroy 500,000 books

Yesterday morning, the National Library of New Zealand began the process of destroying half a million books and says they're going to be shredded and fed back into the recycling system.

The library claims they've been trying to re-home them since 2018, that there's no demand, and that most haven't been requested in decades. Book dealer and Hard To Find Books owner Warwick Jordan disputes this. There is a demand, he says. In fact, he wants them himself, and says he's already made several offers.

Warwick Jordan and National Library director of content services Mark Crookston speak to Jesse.

1:25 This salmon farm in the middle of nowhere is for sale - for the first time since the 1980s

South Westland Salmon Farm on State Highway 6 is surrounded by mountains, rivers and valleys.  

Whoever buys the farm from the Monk family will get an off-the-shelf salmon farm business complete with cafe with a commercial kitchen, gift shop and office space. 

The current owner is Ben Monk and he joins Jesse. 

1:35 Are smartphones extensions of our mind? Or parasites stealing our time and data? 

Rather than being cognitive extensions of our minds, our smartphones are parasites devices designed to steal our, money and data - says a team of Australian philosophers. 

A recent paper in the Australasian Journal of Philosophy argues smartphones pose unique societal risks to humanity - all while benefiting technology companies and advertisers.  

Rachael Brown Director is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Australian National University.

She co-authored the research and says when viewed through the lens of evolution, our phones aren't much different to head lice, ticks, fleas and tapeworms.  

1:45 Great album: Aseurai by Phoebe Rings 

This week's feature album is from the Auckland dream-pop quartet Phoebe Rings who have just released their debut album Aseurai. 

2:10 Podcast Critic: Evie Ashton

RNZ newsreader reviews Lost Boys and Bush Deep!

2:30 NZ Sporting History: Phil Gifford on Stu Wilson

New Zealand rugby lost another great this week with Stu Wilson dying at the age of 70. For most of his career, Stu served as a winger, playing 85 games for the All Blacks and almost 200 for Wellington. He scored 19 test tries in that time. Off the field he was known for his colourful sense of humour and was later praised for his match commentary. Following his death, Stu's one-time teammate Murray Mexted said he "lived life with a smile on his face".  Sports journalist and broadcaster Phil Gifford joins Jesse to look back at Stu Wilson's career.

3:15 Solving the World's Problems with Dave Armstrong 

3:20 History of with Dr Grant Morris

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, artificial intelligence has gone from strength to strength. We are now at the point where it is threatening to displace whole occupations and take over many tasks from humans. But how did we get to this point? Today, Jesse and Grant discuss the history of AI. 

3:35 Spoken Feature BBC Witness

In 1948, the foundation was laid for a “utopian” town designed by America’s greatest architect. Frank Lloyd Wright's mission was to create a social collective of affordable homes.

3:45 The pre-Panel

Wallace Chapman and producer José Barbosa preview tonight's instalment of The Panel.