Afternoons for Monday 21 July 2025

 

1:15 Celebrating Aotearoa's book industry

The 2025 Book Industry awards took place over the weekend. 

The event celebrates the publishing houses, independent booksellers and literary professionals across Aotearoa.

Louise and Gareth Ward took home the prize for Booksellers Choice Adult Award for their "Bookstore Detective" novels. 

They chatted to Jesse. 

1.25  Fancy a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang replica in your home? Here's your chance!

A successful youth performance of the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has just wrapped in Northland.    

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Junior was performed by youngsters at the Otamatea Repertory Theatre across eight sold-out shows. 

And rather than being broken down for parts, the iconic Chitty, made from scratch from bits of old junk by theatre members, is now being auctioned for charity. Show production manager Jan Connell joins Jesse. 

1.35 Tinā star Angela Polata'ivao is hitting notes of a different kind

Anapela Polata'ivao, star of the recent hit film Tinā has announced her new project and it's a departure from her role as an actor.

Instead, she's directing 'The Monster In The Maze' with the New Zealand Opera.

1:45 One Long Song: Stairway to Heaven

Every Monday we're going to put the spotlight on one long song; those tunes that tip over the seven- or eight-minute mark and might even go into double digits. 

Today, Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, it's eight minutes but the band's longest ever performance of it was their last gig in Berlin in 1980, where it clocked in around 15 minutes long.

2:10 Telly Taster: Squid Games and Dexter: Resurrection

When Squid Games hit our screens in 2021 it shocked and delighted in equal measure. 

Now in its third and final season, is it still connecting with audiences?

Meanwhile Dexter:Resurrection sees Michael C Hall back and working alongside his son.

TV Critic Dominic Corry gives his hot takes on both shows. 

2:20 Information Centre Cold Calls: It's a wrap!

Calling iSite centres at random to chat to staff has been a Monday delight. 

Today we share some of the most memorable moments. 

2.30 Mastering pasta: How do you make the perfect pasta dish?

If you've ever cooked alongside an Italian, you'll know that cooking pasta properly is a very big deal.

With around 350 different types of pasta, we are looking at which sauces pair best with which shapes and how to avoid some common mistakes along the way.

 Emilie Pullar from 'Burnt Butter Table' is here to help.

Emilie runs the popular Instagram page and website of the same name, where she shares delicious recipes and tutorials.

3:10 Paying attention to giving people your full attention.

We've all experienced that moment when someone glances at their phone mid-conversation and you suddenly feel invisible. Kiwis check our devices around 50 times an hour, and it's costing us more than we think.

Psychiatrist and writer Dr. Samaiya Mushtaq says attention is a form of care, and when we lose it, we lose empathy too. She writes for Modern Love in the New York Times and on her Substack, The Middle Path.  

In a new essay she explores how distraction lets us dodge discomfort and why real connection starts with giving people your full attention. The title of the essay is  How Much Control Do We Have Over What We Pay Attention To? 

Dr Mushtaq spoke to Jesse.

3:35 Here Now: Keeping it crisp - NZ apples to the world

We all love a good crunchy apple – but how do they stay like that for months after being picked? Find out in this episode featuring South African-born scientist Nicolette Neiman in Hawkes Bay. 

For plant physiologists like Nicolette the thrill is in finding ways to make that possible – delivering to the world, a crunchy fruit fix practically anytime of the year.

In this episode of Here Now, Kadambari Raghukumar delves into the world of NZ's apple industry and what happens after the fruit is picked

3:45 The pre-Panel

Wallace Chapman previews tonight's instalment of The Panel.