Afternoons for Thursday 12 February 2026

1:10 Why are media naming the Christchurch Mosque Terrorist?

The convicted murderer and terrorist who killed 51 worshippers in a Christchurch Mosque, Brenton Tarrant, is back in court attempting to overturn his guilty pleas so he can stand trial instead.

This is a really fraught case for many of you and we've been inundated with messages from you asking why we are using Tarrant's name in our coverage. 

We decided it would be good to explain how such editorial decisions are made.

Jane Patterson is one of RNZ's most senior journalists, she's our former Political Editor and is now RNZ's Director of Editorial Quality and Training. Jane chats to Jesse.

1:20 What on earth has happened to Nancy Guthrie?

It's the story that has the whole world watching - the 84-year-old mother of 'America's Today' show host Savannah Guthrie was abducted from her home near Tucson Arizona in the early hours of the morning of February 1st.

Since then, the family have had no contact with their mother. The FBI have said it’s investigating alleged ransom notes received by multiple news outlets. Investigators said one note contained two deadlines that have since passed.

Where is she and what has gone on? 

Olivia co-hosts the popular podcast 'True Crime Society', she chats to Jesse about the case.    

1:30 Find out the best ways to deal with invasive species

From countering invasive pink salmon in Norway, controlling feral cats in the Cayman Islands, to parachuting mice on the island of Guam, working out how to deal with invasive species is a worldwide issue. 

This week experts in this field have been in Auckland sharing their knowledge and expertise at the Island Invasives conference. 

Professor James Russell, organizer of the conference. chats to Jesse.

1:45 Great Album: Lorde's album 'Virgin'

Every Thursday we try to give away an album to the winner of our Link Three competition and this week we've got an absolute cracker: Lorde's latest album Virgin, signed by her!
This is the fourth album from the New Zealand superstar who is currently in NZ touring.

2:10 Group Chat: "Wuthering Heights" and Olympic Confessions

It's time for group chat, our chance to talk about the fodder that might be filling up your chats, distracting you from chores or helping fill the silence in a lift.

Film Critic Kate Rodger, Culture 101's Perlina Lau and Afternoons' Senior Producer Olivia Wilson chat to Jesse.

2:30 NZ Sporting History: Rowing's Judith Hamilton

Time for sporting history and our guest this week has had a lifelong association with the sport of rowing, as a competitor, an elite coach and a high-performance leader.

Judith Hamilton is currently Rowing New Zealand’s General Manager of Performance, and there have been many highlights along the way - which we will soon find out about.

Her contribution to rowing was also recognised in the New Year Honours, where she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rowing.

3:15 Solving the World's Problems: Spotlight on Small Businesses

Holly Bennett, the founder of Awhi Group, joins Jesse to talk about small businesses and why they become front and centre in an election year. 

3:20 History with Dr Grant Morris 

Dr Grant Morris joins Jesse to take a closer look at the cases that come out of The Employment Relations Authority and why they are often headline news stories.

3.35 Explainer: What exactly is a LNG terminal?

This week the Government announced plans to build a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal in Taranaki.

The facility - estimated to cost "north of $2bn" - will enable us to import gas from the rest of the world.

Although according to the Electricity Authority that will come at a significant premium to domestically produced renewable energy and natural gas.

The facility will be paid for by a levy on electricity users of $2 - $4 per megawatt hour. 

Author of the New Zealand Energy Substack Larry Blair chats to Jesse about it. 

3:40 Classical Cupid

We've teamed up with the RNZ Concert team to play matchmaker. You send us your profile and the talented people at RNZ Concert will find your classical music love match. 

3:45 The pre-Panel 

Wallace Chapman previews tonight's edition of The Panel.