Afternoons

In 2022, while making repairs to a undersea pipe off the coast of Trinidad, four professional divers got sucked hundreds of metres into a 76cm- wide pipe full of oil. The story of what happened next has been made into a podcast called Pipeline: Left to Die (Daily Mail) Ximena Smith reviews this and The Retrievals Season Two (NY Times and Serial Podcast)

Animal behaviour experts have been sounding the alarm in recent months over the sharp rise in dog attacks and aggressive behaviour Selina McIntyre, a dog behaviourist with over two decades of experience, has observed a troubling increase in aggression among the dogs she works with behaviours that are now becoming the leading reason dogs are surrendered to shelters. But there is hope. With the right understanding and early intervention, many of these behaviours can be prevented or turned around.

Afternoons listener Wilby LeHeux got in touch to let us know about a cool little project he's involved with in Christchurch. Te Waerenga Whakatō Puāwai is going from strength to strength. He explains why to Jesse.

Time for our Monday 'Expert' feature, where we pick a topic, invite an expert on, and learn everything we can in half an hour. Today we're talking fertility with Dr Andrew Murray. Dr Murray leads the doctors at Fertility Associates as Group Medical Director and is considered one of New Zealand's most experienced fertility specialists.

As regular listeners will know, we like a cold call here on Afternoons, we've ticked off all the iSite centres around the country, and now we're embarking on other places that help turn towns and cities into communities. When Jesse was driving in Northland recently, he really enjoyed listening to the iwi radio station Ngati Hine, so he decided to give morning host Phoenix a call.

Twenty years ago London was rocked by a terrorist attack that saw four separate suicide bombers set off explosives across the city during morning rush hour. A new documentary series on Netflix tells the story of the 7/7 bombings and its explosive aftermath. Linda Burgess gives her take on this and Young Sheldon.

Bookstore Whitcoulls has just released their 2025 Top 100 books list. This list - voted by readers - provides a snapshot of our every shifting reading habits. To talk us through this years winners and the themes they reveal, Jesse was joined by Whitcoulls Joan Mackenzie.

Denmark is set to clamp down on deepfake images, giving citizens copyright over their likeness and voice. A deepfake is an image, video or audio recording which has been digitally altered to appear to be someone else. They have become increasingly sophisticated with the rapid advancement of AI, and recent studies have shown that the vast majority of people can't distinguish between deepfake and real images So are New Zealand laws fit for purpose? Jesse finds out.

This story takes us back to 1925 in Wellington where, at tea-party for wives of delegates to a Farmers' Union meeting, sixteen women agreed on the need for their own organisation. The inaugural meeting of the Women's Division of the New Zealand Farmers' Union was held the following morning, 28 July 1925 - one hundred years ago today. While there's since been a name change to Rural Women New Zealand, the organisation continues to play a vital contribution to supporting and advocating for women and the farming communities. Sandra Mathews is the president of Rural Women New Zealand speaks to Jesse.

For the first time Christchurch Tactix has won the Grand Final Trophy in the 2025 ANZ Netball premiership. They beat the Northern Mystics 58 - 46 at a well-attended Trust Arena showdown. Tactix captain Erikana Pedersen joins Jesse.