Afternoons for Thursday 1 September 2016

1:10 First song

1:15 Silver Scrolls finalists announced

The finalists up for the 2016 Apra Silver Scroll Awards were named this morning, so we thought we'd talk through the final five. Music 101 presenter and RNZ music-man, Alex Behan, tells us what he thinks.

1:25 Warm Spring could mean bumper stone fruit season  

Its the first day of Spring and meteorologists tell us its going to be a particularly warm one, with temperatures more like summer.

Now normally unseasonable temperatures play havoc with those in the agriculture industries - but in this case central otago fruit growers are very happy at the prospect of a warm spring.

Simon Webb of Webb's Fruit talks to us from Cromwell

1:20 African forest elephants could be wiped out in 10 years

The African forest elephant is a smaller species that inhabits tropical forests. The Wildlife Conservation Society says their numbers fell by 65 per cent across the Central African Republic between 2002 and 2013 due to ivory poaching. 

The organisation estimates that 12,000 to 15,000 forest elephants are being killed every year, which will lead to their extinction by 2023. 

Peter Wrege is a behavioral ecologist who's spent many years as the project leader of the Elephant Listening Project.

1:40 Favourite album: Sign o the Times, by Prince

Auckland Actor and Playwright, Kirk Torrance shares his favourite songs from Sign o the Times

2:10 Air NZ Airpoints splits from Fly Buys

We discuss the significance of the split and what it means for consumers.

2:20 Theatre Critic: Karen Grant

The Measures Taken by Paul Maunder

2:30 Money with Mary Holm

3:10 Masterpieces with David Hall

Our guest on masterpieces today is a philospher and roving book editor. David Hall works for Bridget Williams Books and recently completed a doctorate at Oxford University in political philosophy, specifically on the nature of political judgment. He joins Jim to to talk about what he considers to be a masterpiece from political writing, Thomas Hobbes's classic of modern political philosophy, Leviathan

David Hall is a guest of New Zealand Young Writers Festival, being held Dunedin from today until Sunday.

3:25 The Expats: Aaron Fry on working at Parsons

Our expat this week is former Wellingtonian Aaron Fry, who now works as an  Associate Professor of Design Strategies at the prestigious New York design school, Parsons.

Parsons was the setting of the reality show Project Runway where budding fashion designers are given design challenges each week, with the top 3 getting to show a collection at New York Fashion week.

Aaron Fry talks about life and work in New York.

3:30 This Way Up: Food recycling

This Way Up's Simon Morton discovers a food recycling project with a difference, Kaicycle

3:45 The Panel Pre-Show