Afternoons

Dr Greg Walton is a professor of psychology at Stanford University. He says a kind word, a tiny shift in thinking or a feeling of belonging can create big, lasting changes in people's lives. His new book is a reminder that big outcomes can grow from the smallest, most ordinary beginnings. It's called Ordinary Magic: The Science of How We Can Achieve Big Change with Small Acts.

Brad Foster is our man on the ground in Australia.

Pip reviews Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other by Danielle Dutton (Coffee House Press), American Precariat: Parable of Exclusion by Zeke Caligiuri (Coffee House Press) and Sound Museum by Poupeh Massaghi (Coffee House Press).

Time for Tech Tuesday and Mark Leishman is joined by Tim Batt.

The commons or common land are cultural and natural resources available to all members of a society. In Europe they are prevalent but when early colonists came to Aotearoa they instead prioritised private ownership. The theory at the time was private ownership derives progress. But as we're now seeing that comes with its own drawbacks. In her latest book, An Uncommon Land, Catherine Knight looks at the genesis and evolution of the commons in New Zealand. She speaks to Mark.