Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

David Gray has released his first studio album since 2021.  ‘Dear Life’ is his thirteenth album, filled with intricate layers of instrumentation, vocals, and harmonies.  In Gray’s words, it’s an album of emotional crisis and resolution, morality and faith, reality and illusion, love and heartbreak, magic, science, loss and acceptance.  Estelle Clifford joined Francesca Rudkin to give her thoughts on the release.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell   He murdered her at the folly on their wedding day, left her body for the crows. They say she haunts the woods now, a girl in a white dress.  Everyone in the small town of Thorncombe knows the tales of the haunted woods where the birds don’t sing and a girl in a white dress roams, luring people to their deaths. But when a girl is found dead the morning after Halloween, her body carefully arranged at the bottom of an old stone folly, the community is thrown into turmoil.  Local police detective Ben Chase is assigned to the murder investigation, but when the victim is identified as a student from his teenage daughter’s school, tensions rise. Was she the victim of a party prank gone wrong, or does the girl’s death represent something more ritualistic and sinister? As the investigation unfolds and the noose tightens around Chase’s own family, the only thing anyone can be sure of is that no one is safe until this violent killer is caught.     The Wedding Party by Rebecca Heath   A bride-to-be lying to everyone. A grieving mother who can't move on. A little sister keeping secrets of her own. And a member of the wedding party who won't survive to cut the cake.  What happened on the jetty a decade before was an accident, everyone agrees. Or do they?    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Bracketed by the biscuit-brown Wither Hills and the lofty prongs of the Richmond Ranges, Blenheim’s vast blanket of the Wairau Plain bursts with possibilities. When it comes to winery finery, few venues can hold a candle to the elemental elegance of Wither Hills Cellar Door & Restaurant. Exuding a mix of contemporary design and relaxed sophistication, coupled with soul-rinsing views from their four-storey tower; the Wither Hills Winery is pitch-perfect for a wine tasting and bite to eat." "Steve and I then headed over to Vines Village, which is homebase for Explore Marlborough’s wine tours. They offer a great range of options, included guided or self-guided tours. Kitted out with a trusty e-bike, over the next few hours, we tootled our way around the vineyards, mostly on off-road trails, including the fabulous stopbank of the Wairau River, which serves up elevated views of the vast bucolic canvas." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has a new "pet". It's not an animal per se, but rather an robotic vacuum cleaner and mop. Kevin got his from a Boxing Day sale - reduced from $1,250 all the way down to $250. And with a price drop like that, he's wondering how many people own these robotic vacuums. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2024 was a bit of a rough year, with job losses, hard economic times, and low business confidence. The new year offers a chance to reset.  Dr Dougal Sutherland offers his top tips for starting 2025 off with some oomph:  If you have a job, count your blessings! Lots of people lost theirs last year and so it’s important to remember that even though it may not be the best job in the world, at least you’re in paid employment!   Plan out your holidays for the year as best you can. Have a look for the public holidays that are happening in 2025, can you make any of these into longer weekends (e.g. four days instead of three) and give yourself that extra time to rest and recover? Looking ahead I can see there is quite a gap of public holidays between Matariki and Labour Day – can you plan for some leave then? Four months is a long time to go without a break, especially in winter.  Make a daily ‘Have to, Hope to, Love to list’ – “Have to” are things you must do today; “Hope to” are things that you can do if you have time; “Love to” is at least 1 thing per day that fills your cup – make sure to give this as much priority as “Have to”.  Take some time to reflect on 2024 – what did you learn from the year? What went well and you would like to keep doing? Anything that you would like to avoid doing again that you did last year?   Think about the people in your life – are there some who you would like to see more of? Can you plan ahead to make time for them? On the other hand, is there anyone who it may be better off not to have in your life? Are there some (polite) ways that you ease off these relationships?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As 2025 settles in and everyone settles back into work, you may be left daydreaming about that bach you rented over the Christmas break.   You may be tempted to buy one of your own – but should you?  Ed McKnight joined Francesca Rudkin to run through the pros and cons of buying a holiday house.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 18th of January 2025, New Zealand country music star Tami Neilson and Dr Jada Watson talk about their new show ‘The F Word’ – combining Jada's research with Tami's music.  Francesca Rudkin reflects on some bad crowd behaviour at the tennis.  Chef Nici Wickes gives some ideas on how to use up the glut of courgettes in the garden – including using them in ice cream.  Have you returned from summer holidays desperate to buy a holiday home? Ed McKnight has the pros and cons of buying a bach.  Plus, David Gray is back and Estelle Clifford gives us her thoughts on his new album 'Dear Life'.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tech ebbs and flows when it comes to advancements – sometimes we’re flooded with them – other times there is very little new stuff hitting the market. As we head into 2025, has tech development and innovation stagnated?   Tech commentator Oskar Howell joined Francesca Rudkin for a chat about the state of the landscape compared to previous decades and the wide array of products produced.  He says it feels like a lot of these tech conglomerates are putting their eggs in the AI basket and using AI as a means to cut corners in developing good technology - gimmicks in place of proper innovation.   In 2025, a quarter of a century in, Howell would like to see some actual new tech – maybe these companies can get back to basics and stop with the fanciful AI and all that nonsense?   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of moaning early January 2025: coolness and wetness in many different places. Wellington and Christchurch were the biggest moaners in New Zealand – the West Coast was just lovely.   Canterbury (after a few good weeks in spring) started getting wetter and colder as Summer commenced.   In the garden there was no amazing speed of growth, but that rainwater reminded me of a transplantation trick to get tomatoes, lettuce, spring onions, and other vegetables really taking root!   Transplanting in a dry garden is tricky – you would have to water the young tomato plants twice a day to allow them to survive.  That in itself is really tricky to execute. Too little water and the patch of soil is not wet enough to make the plants spread its roots. The young plants simply struggle to develop. Too much watering makes the young plants far too wet around the roots, causing all sorts of trouble, especially fungal diseases before the plants are even 30 centimetres tall.   This year’s cool and wet weather pattern showed me the trick to avoid transplants woes:   Soak your soil well before you plant the small vegetables.    That literally makes the soil nice and moist on a large scale, rather than dryish in-between the spots where you dig in the young plants.   This year no problems with a regular watering from the heavens – we could even have a Holiday without anybody needing to climb over the fence to water our vegetable plants!   A rather wet summer does have its problems, especially with early ripening fruits such as peaches and —in our case— apricots!   Regular wetness on these developing fruits often causes fungal diseases that can ruin and rot your crop in a matter of a few days. Brown rot is the obvious disease that moves rapidly through your tree(s).   If you are quick enough you can harvest that fruit and cut off the brown patches and somehow “save the day”.  But once that Brown Rot (aka Monilinia fructicola) is in the system you’ll be too late to keep it under control.   Prevention is the best tactic: thin out the tree after fruiting by removing branches, allowing a lot more space for next season – it will be sunnier and quicker drying too!  When you still get some brown rot, a preventative spray with copper-based fungicides, (organic, by the way!) especially after flowering, will reduce infection as the copper will kill the fungal spores the moment these land on the tiny developing fruit.   Follow these sprays up every 2 or 3 weeks and the Brown Rot will start to moan about the brilliant weather that still doesn’t result in rotten fruit    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pitt  A realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Neon).    American Primeval  A mother and son fleeing from their past form a found family while confronting a harsh landscape of freedom and cruelty in the American West (Netflix).     The Hardacres   In this 1890s rags-to-riches saga, the working-class Hardacre family are catapulted into the world of aristocratic snobbery, when a radical business idea makes them rich beyond their wildest dreams (TVNZ+).     LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flow  Winner of Best Animated Feature at the 2025 Golden Globes, this dialogue-free animal adventure centres on a cat who must work together with other species stuck on a boat after a flood devastates their home.   The world seems to be coming to an end, teeming with the vestiges of a human presence. Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences. In the lonesome boat sailing through mystical overflowed landscapes, they navigate the challenges and dangers of adapting to this new world.      The Brutalist   Escaping postwar Europe, a visionary architect comes to America to rebuild his life, his career, and his marriage. On his own in a strange new country, he settles in Pennsylvania, where a wealthy and prominent industrialist recognises his talent.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first courgettes from the garden are cause for a celebration. Not so the marrows that sneak up on you later in the season when you are heartily sick of grilled courgette and the neighbours are getting tired of you offering them as gifts!    Here’s some surprising and delicious ways you can use them.      Creamy salad or steak sauce  Makes about ¾ cup    Ingredients  1 cup chopped raw courgette   ¼ cup olive oil (or use iced water)    Handful of basil leaves or parsley or other herb you like    Decent squeeze of lemon juice or some other acid like vinegar    Salt & pepper   Parmesan cheese (optional)      Method  Blend it all together to a creamy, light green sauce and pour over salads or bbq meats.    Store in the fridge for up to a week.         Fresh fruit ice cream Freeze chopped courgette and use equal portions of it with a frozen fruit (berries or mango are good) to blend to a smooth gelato-like ice-cream.    Feel free to add some sugar or other flavourings and/or some liquid (not too much!) like coconut milk or cream / cream / water to help the blender out.    Best eaten straight away and from a cone.         Smoothies A lot of people load up smoothies with banana from the creaminess, but frozen courgette does the same without the sugar. Magic!    Somebody also told me that you can make jam with them but I’ve yet to test this theory :)      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summer means different things to us all, but if you love a game of tennis then summer sure delivers. And sometimes it gives us more than just a hard-fought match – it can also serve up a conversation starter as to how we should behave, as both players and the crowd.    The wind and rain made things challenging for the ASB Classic organisers in Auckland. Regardless, it was a great tournament with sold out crowds and some excellent tennis.    I’ve only just started to watch tennis live over the last few years, and it’s become a summer must do. It’s a great sport to watch live, especially at the Manuka Doctor Stadium in Stanley St, because it’s such an intimate setting. We’re so well behaved here in NZ – it takes no prompts for the crowd to go quiet, and it can be a relief when a fan finally gets the courage to yell some encouragement between points.    Getting hooked on the ASB Classic is the perfect lead into the Australian Open. A few hours each evening have drifted away while I’ve been watching on the telly, but with over 90,000 people heading into the Arena on some days, their behaviour can be a little rowdier than here in NZ.    A lot has been made of US player Danielle Collins’ behaviour towards a hostile crowd a day or so ago, but really all she did was meet them halfway.    Playing local favourite Destanee Aiava, the crowd was very obviously behind the Aussie, and this led to combative scenes between the crowd and Collins.   Collins made the comment post-match that she thought there were quite a lot of “super drunk” people who had a hard time controlling themselves; but admitted she loved the energy, regardless of which side the crowd are on.    During the match Danielle used that energy as motivation and wasn’t afraid to bite back, blowing sarcastic kisses and making a pretty brash speech at the completion of her win which was the equivalent to giving the middle finger.    Was it classy? No. Was it the way you would like your child to behave? No. But do you blame her? No. It’s not fair to just criticize the player’s behaviour when she’s only matching the crowds.    How much abuse would you put up with in the workplace? Sure, heckling is part of sport, but it works best when delivered with good humour or a light touch, not nastiness. If you’re doing all the work and others are firing abuse at you from the sideline, is it really any different to the abhorrent behaviour of online trolls? Good on her for being herself and not taking any, you know, crap.   Collins has made herself the villain of the tournament. I doubt she cares. You wouldn’t get this from a young player establishing themselves on the circuit, but maybe Collins, who’s coming to the end of her career, is doing them a favour by challenging the crowd’s behaviour.    It wouldn’t happen here – we're more passive and a little less exciting, but there’s nothing wrong with being respectful. I’d much prefer that’s the lesson we’re passing on to younger generations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Best of both worlds": Dame Sophie Pascoe forgoes competing, presents Paralympics coverage  The Paralympics got underway this week in Paris, and for the first time in 16 years, Team New Zealand is missing a familiar face.  Dame Sophie Pascoe, New Zealand’s most decorated Paralympian, has decided to forgo this year’s Games in favour of staying home with her young baby.   Pascoe is a 4-time Paralympian, bringing home a total of 19 medals – 11 Gold, 7 Silver, and 1 Bronze.  However, while she may not be competing this year, that doesn’t mean she’s uninvolved, as Pascoe is presenting New Zealand’s TV coverage of the Games.  She told Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame that as the Paralympics came closer she was feeling a bit nervous about presenting, as well as a bit of FOMO from not being over at the Games, however when they began she was content with her role.  “I'm right where I need to be with my family, with my baby and right here, presenting and helping out the Paralympic team, but still feeling like I'm part of the team, but just in such a different capacity.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"They've been waiting far too long": Alan Bates digs into the fight against the Post Office In 1999 the British Post Office introduced a faulty piece of accounting software, the consequences of which would see over 900 subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted for theft, fraud, and false accounting.  Some lost their businesses, jobs, and homes, and many were left financially ruined. Others were convicted and sent to prison, some dying while they waited for justice.  The case has been highlighted in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office; the prosecution of Post Office subpostmasters being described as ‘Great Britain's worst miscarriage of justice’.  Alan Bates, a former subpostmaster, has been leading the charge and this week gave a strong witness statement at the public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal.  He told Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame that the outpouring of support from across the nation has been absolutely wonderful, and they may need to engage it going forward.  “Some of the, if you might call them, the baddies in all of this might be trying to get away scot-free,” Bates said.  “We have real concerns that they need to be held accountable for their actions in all of this, and often that fails to happen in so many of these big scandals with big firms.”  Bates told Tame that he’s never really struggled with accounting, so when the Horizon system was introduced to his own Post Office, he could see it was lacking from the outset.  “Once problems started occurring, it was pretty obvious what was the root cause of it all.”  He’s worked with computer systems before so he could not only see the issues with the programme itself, but with the stances the Post Office was taking on it.   Bates said they could never give him an assurance over the accuracy of the system, and they kept swearing no one else could access it, despite it being a network system that anyone could access if they had the right codes.  “They just terminated me, given me three months' notice and walked off with the investment.”  Bates professes to be something of a stubborn man, telling Tame that he knew his stance on the system was right and so he dug his heels in on it.  “We started meeting others over the years, and then we found out we weren’t the only ones, and they weren’t the only ones, and we sort of grew from there.”  In Bates’ opinion, a lot of this whole event has been about controlling the narrative, which the Post Office with its significant resources was able to do for ‘donkey’s years’.  “It wasn’t until we got them in the court, into the high court, and we got the judgements, the outstanding judgements from Judge Fraser, that the narrative changed.”  “They started losing their footing in all of this, and we started to take over.”  The most important thing in all of this, Bates told Tame, is getting the financial redress for the victims.  “They’ve been waiting far too long.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"I'm aiming for a few more": Dame Kiri Te Kanawa ahead of her 80th birthday Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has had an eventful life.  One of New Zealand’s most prolific performers, the opera singer has performed in countries all over the world in several different languages, receiving a slew of honours over the years.  She retired in September 2017, her last performance taking place in October of 2016.  Since then, Te Kanawa committed herself to nurturing young artists, sitting as a judge in singing competitions and establishing the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation which supports young musicians and singers in realising their dreams.  Te Kanawa recently moved back to New Zealand after living in the United Kingdom for over 55 years, and her connection to both countries saw her sent as one of NZ’s official delegates for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.  Her 80th birthday is coming up this week, Te Kanawa telling Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame that she can’t believe she got to this age.  “I thought 70 was bad enough, now we’re at 80.”  The celebrations might not be exactly what you’d expect for such a milestone, Te Kanawa revealing that she and her husband are going fishing.  They plan to just get enough for the table, as being out on the water is what Te Kanawa really enjoys.  “I’m, you know, a Pisces, my husband’s an Aquarius, so we’re water people.”  Te Kanawa moved back to New Zealand in 2021, settling down in the Bay of Islands.   While she does feel that it was the right choice, she does still feel homesick for England after having lived there for such a long time.  “We did it and we’re pleased we’ve done it, but I’ve left an awful lot of my heart behind.”  “But home is here, and I am thoroughly enjoying all the different things about New Zealand which I never knew about.”  One such thing is kiwis' refusal to give way to others in traffic, a contrast to the politeness she’s used to in England.  “There’s a whole lot of little things that people don’t do or do do that are nice.”  Despite having such a long career, Te Kanawa revealed that she doesn’t look back on it all that much, the rapid pace of her life and career overwhelming.  “It took me several years to calm down and about a year to sort of say that I’m not going to sing again.”  “It’s best not to look back, it’s always best to look forward.”  Since retiring from performing, Te Kanawa has instead put her efforts into supporting the next generation of artists with the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation.  “We’ve had a lot of great successes,” Te Kanawa told Tame.  Some of the people the Foundation has supported have gone on to get major roles at Covent Garden, some singing in Glen Bourne and Salzburg.  “I’m so pleased that we’ve, we’ve helped them a lot, and it’s a lovely little group now that we’ve been sort of really mentoring.”  Mentoring is what she’ll continue to do, Te Kanawa having no plans to perform in public again.  “The past is in the past,” she said.  Te Kanawa told Tame that while her voice was very beautiful in the past, she hasn't trained it in years.  She said that even if she tried to start training it again, it would take months to get it anywhere near what she would like it to be.  “It’s just best to leave it, go to sleep, and let’s enjoy the youth of today.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Sainsbury talks comedy, dramatic aspirations, obsession with the "New Zealand character" Tom Sainsbury wears many hats - actor, writer, comedian, director, host, influencer - across film, tv, stage, and social media here in New Zealand and on international projects.  Kiwis might know him for his political impersonations or shows like Wellington Paranormal.  Tom is hosting a winter special of New Zealand’s International Comedy Festival, and having just returned from a very glamorous international sojourn, he joined Jack Tame in studio for a chat.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This sticky cake is studded with tangy feijoas and has a chewy caramelised coconut topping added halfway through cooking and it’s just gorgeous.  Makes a 23cm cake.    Ingredients  1 cup pitted dates  1 cup boiling water  1 teaspoon baking soda  130g butter  ½ cup white sugar  ½ cup brown sugar  1 large egg  1 ¼ cups plain flour  1 teaspoon baking powder  Pinch salt  ½ cup dessicated coconut  1 cup peeled and diced feijoa    Coconut topping:  1 cup shredded coconut  1/3 cup brown sugar  1/3 cup milk  50g butter    Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 170 C. Grease and line a 23cm round baking tin. 2. Cover dates in boiling water and leave to soak for 5 minutes then add baking soda and blend to a chunky paste in a food processor. 3. Cream the butter and both sugars until pale and creamy then beat in the egg and beat for one minute more. Add the date paste to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in coconut and feijoa chunks until combined. Scrape into baking tin, gently smooth the top and bake for 30 minutes. While it cooks make the coconut topping by combining all ingredients in a small pot over a low heat until melted together. 4. At 30 minute mark, gently spoon the coconut topping over the cake, in an even layer. Continue to cook for a further 25-35 minutes until topping is golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen the topping from the tin and leave for one hour before gently turning out and cooling fully.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From NME - “Contrasting with this recollection, there’s a peacefulness to ‘Mahashmashana’, the tone grounded even when its author veers into psych-rock (the pounding ‘She Cleans Up’) and strutting funk (‘I Guess Time Makes Fools of Us All’). Half of its eight tracks spool on for more than six minutes and he’s not minded, these days, to explain them in interviews or on social media. Insteadhe’s bowed out from the spotlight to produce a record that tunes into love, ageing and the search for meaning without the compulsion for a punchline or wry aside. As a result, the lush ‘Mahashmashana’ doesn’t quite mainline the zeitgeist in the same way that ‘Honeybear’ and ‘Pure Comedy’ did. Then again, there’s something to be said, in 2024, for logging off in favour of self-reflection. On the swooning ‘Mental Health’, Misty rejects the hive mind, concluding that his own particular “insanity” is “indispensable”. Whoever the folk he is underneath that beard, the good Father can’t help but share words of wisdom.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Gregory is a chef who has worked around the world, cooking for royalty, music legends and sporting greats - and has spent decades in top European kitchens. He’s appeared on TV shows like Ready Steady Cook and the BBC’s Good Food Show and Mark was the first kiwi chef to be awarded both the Master of Culinary Arts by the Royal Academy and France’s  Master Craftsman status. He joins Francesca Rudkin in studio to talk all things Christmas cooking and his cookbook 'Christmas at the Castle'. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Still have a gift or two to pick up? Catherine has a round-up of her top books from the year... Fiction The Waiting by Michael Connelly Intermezzo by Sally Rooney Frankie by Graham Norton Southern Man by Greg Iles We Solve Murders by Richard Osman Non-Fiction The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham & John McCloskey The Seige by Ben McIntyre From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley & Riley Keough LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 21 December 2024, kiwi chef extraordinaire Mark Gregory joins Francesca Rudkin to talk Christmas day entertainment, festive cooking, and how local charity DineAid is helping with food insecurity during the holiday season. Francesca celebrates Liam Lawson winning the Red Bull seat. The holidays are upon us and Chris Schulz delivers his top cinema picks to catch over the festive season - perfect for escaping the heat for a blast of AC. Mike Yardley rounds up signature events and exhibitions across the motu this summer. And, Nici Wickes shares a deliciously easy peach, raspberry & blueberry trifle cake - minimal effort for maximum effect this Christmas! Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking for something to do over the summer?  Sail GP's long awaited Auckland debut will roar into the city in January 18th and 19th of Wynyard Point.  Historic exhibit Dinosaurs of Patagonia will also take place in New Zealand.  Down in Wellington Te Papa will exhibit the premiere of the global tour of Vivian Westwood.  Mike Yardley discusses all this and more events across the country this summer.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kate Hall's tips for a sustainable Christmas Day: + Bring reusable containers with you for food leftovers (pop them in your car/bag) + Consider your transport - could you carpool with other family members? Or would biking help to avoid Christmas day hectic traffic? + Salvage the wrapping paper to keep for next year! (Kindy parents – use up all those paintings...) + If you compost at your home, bring a sealed bucket or jar to take home compost scraps (if they place your visiting doesn't have a compost) + Attend events with intent: consider how you're going to connect with the people, what you want out of the event, and remember 'busy' is an attitude - avoid it. LISTEN ABOVE: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yep – I realise this is a weird and busy time – running around with presents and Family and kids that hunt for the elf on the shelf. Seeing Family members is the moment to re-connect.  But deep down inside I am looking forward to checking up on my last few babies of the “little Owl”. A creature introduced from Europe. I remember it well: making a nest in hollow Willow Trees along the rivers of the Netherlands. Often visible during the day, sitting on posts along the farm fences. They – literally – are little owls; about half the size of ruru. We created nest boxes for them and they love living in those apartments. These owls feed on introduced birds, large insects, flies and moths. All we do is find them in their nesting boxes and tag them with some rings around their legs – each ring has its own number and we can keep track of them when we catch them again. Gorgeous birds – especially when they make that wonderful “Wheeeew” noise outside my bedroom at night. They tend to be late breeders, starting mid October or early November, with the young birds fledging just before Christmas. Look out for them in the South Island – Cute little owls! A real treat. Pohutukawa and other members of the iron-hearted trees (Metrosideros) These are best trees in NZ – great for the north (where pohutukawa is naturally distributed from N-Cape to a line east –west from Hawkes Bay to Taranaki). Yes, they do occur further south (as people took them everywhere) but here we should look for their close relatives the Rata Trees. In flower – right now – they’ll be attracting the widest variety of pollinators … not just honey-bees. Bumble bees, a huge number of Native bee species and Houseflies, blowflies, flesh flies and Bibionid flies (Blossom Flies) as well as pollinating beetles (carpet beetles!!). Carpet beetle on pohutukawa flower stalk – pollinating our native tree. We usually consider these beetles as domestic pest, but eating our carpets and woollen clothes is merely the job they’ve always done on our planet: recycling the hair and wool of dead animals. I love going out at night with a torch in the garden. You’ll find stuff you never see! One step further: get a UV Torch and light up the world around you. The UV light changes all the colours you think you know… Insects see their world through UV light; Now you can see what bugs see! Flowers change colours with UV and lichens (On tree trunks) can be totally weird! Here is a segment of a tree trunk with various lichens on the bark: On the left the original colours you see in ordinary torch light – On the right through UV light Note the yellow lichens turn Red! Why?  No Idea; but it fascinates me toobserve and find out about that colour reflection And while we’re looking around, see if you can spot one of our 13 species of Pseudoscorpions, also known as the “false scorpions". Kind-of related to the real and venomous scorpions that scare the living daylight out of Humans: they belong to the group of Arachnids: 8 legs etc etc and pincers that stick out and make them impossible to mis-identify. They catch other invertebrates for food (caterpillars, small critters, larvae and all sorts of tasty critters. Often seen near compost bins where their prey is numerous. Tiny things (a few millimetres or so) and using flies as their private Uber taxis to get from one place to another. They simply grab the legs of house flies and hitch a ride to the next compost bin – the same destination that flies are looking for Christmas is a fabulous time look around – you might find creatures you never knew we had in our country. Enjoy! LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sun: Great for outdoors - improves mood, gives us vitamin D for bone health. Too much sun is our biggest danger: sunburn. We have a harsh sun with lots of UV light. Easy to cause sunburn which sets us up for skin cancer later in life. NZ has one of the highest melanoma rates in the world. Think protection: sunblock, loose long sleeves, hats, children rash tops at beach. A cloudy daywon’tprotect you. Avoid getting burnt! Water Quality when swimming: Rivers, lakes, and beaches are great in summer. However hidden risk we don’t think about: contaminated water. This can give us tummy bugs and the dreaded vomiting and diarrhea. Key things to watch for: Generally, avoid swimming after very heavy rain: contaminated with stormwater, sewage overflow. Look out for signs - if it says don’t swim – don’t! – Risk of contamination is high! Watch out for strange smells – don’t go in, Discoloration sign be sign of run off. Avoid pipes and culverts. Food Keep food safe over summer, especially in the heat. The four C’s: clean, cook, cover and chill Harmful bacteria live in such as salmonella live in food that is not handled properly Keep your hands and surfaces clean, rinse fruit and vegetables Chicken isa big problem: separate chopping board, separate knife, wash hands after handling, cook right through. Keep cooked food chilled between 2 and 4 degrees. Keep food covered away from flies and bugs. Overall have a good time and stay safe! LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Stenhouse joins the show to talk password security 101. Use a password manager: A password manager can generate, store, and fill in your passwords for you. This can help you create and remember strong, unique passwords for each account.   Use strong passwords: Passwords should be at least 12 characters long and include symbols, numbers and a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. Avoid dictionary words, personal data, sequential numbers, repeated numbers, and keyboard patterns. Tip: try a "pass phrase" of multiple words or numbers strung together"   Use different passwords for different accounts: Using the same password for multiple accounts makes your data more vulnerable. If a hacker guesses your password for one account, they can try it on all of your accounts.    Use multi-factor authentication: It's annoying, but multi-factor authentication adds layers of protection so even if someone has your password, they still need that second factor of authentication too.  Bonus points.. try adding a Pass Key. It's like an advanced password that is super long, and is uniquely tied to the website/app that you created it with. So if you ever ended up on a look-a-like fake website, your credentials wouldn't even be sent.   LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Squid Game - (Netflix, December 26) The global hit dystopian series returns, bringing back the wildly popular — and lethal — competition that puts desperate contestants through a series of children’s games with a massive cash prize at stake (but deadly consequences for the losers).  Missing You - (Netflix, January 1) The latest Harlan Coben book adaptation follows detective Kat Donovan whose world unravels when she finds her estranged fiancé on a dating app. This leads Kat to reopen the unsolved mystery surrounding her father's murder.  Gavin and Stacey - (December 26 TVNZ+/TVNZ2 9.30pm) The Finale: Nearly twenty years since it first hit our screens, and five years on from Nessa and Smithy's cliff-hanger proposal, beloved British comedy Gavin and Stacey is back for its long-awaited final episode.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TRAILER Carry-On - (Netflix) Starring Jason Bateman and Tarn Egerton. A young airline security guard is blackmailed by a mysterious passenger who threatens to smuggle a dangerous package onto a plane on Christmas Eve. TRAILER Juror #2 – (Neon) Directed by Clint Eastwood.Starring Nicholas Hoult, Zoey Deutch, Toni Collette, Kiefer Sutherland. A juror for a high-profile murder trial finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma that could influence the verdict and potentially convict, or free, the accused killer. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christmas Trifle Cake  Peach, raspberry & blueberry trifle cake  There is nothing more satisfying to me than a chilled, cooling trifle on Christmas day. Made into a beautiful cake this one is an absolute showstopper yet because it’s made a day ahead and is truly easy to assemble it’s completely hassle-free!   Serves 10-12  2 store-bought trifle sponges  75mls sherry  600mls thick custard - make your own or store-bought is fine, just make sure it’s thick 2 cups sliced peaches (tinned will do if fresh ripe ones are not to be found)  1 punnet each raspberries and blueberries 300mls cream, whipped ¼ cup slivered almonds  Icing sugar for dusting Line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper, extending the height of the sides using a baking paper collar.  Cut one of the sponges through the middle so you have one thick and two thinner sponge cakes. Cut them to fit the shape of your tin.  Place the thick sponge into the base of the cake tin. Drizzle with 1/3 of the sherry then spoon over a larger of custard. Top this with peach slices arranged continuously around the edge and scattered in the centre. Scatter over 1/3 of the raspberries. I squish them a bit as I like the look of them bleeding into the custard filling. Add a second layer of sponge and repeat; sherry, custard, fruit. Top will a final layer of sherry-soaked sponge. Press it down semi-firmly, cover (I use a dinner plate over the tin) and chill overnight.  Just before serving, spoon over clouds of fresh-whipped cream, blueberries (some cut, some left whole) and the remaining raspberries. Scatter over almonds and dust with icing. Use a sharp knife to cut into wedges to serve!  Nici’s note: Replace the sherry with orange juice to cater for children if you like (or just deem it out of bounds for them!) and you can use any fruit you like really as long as it’s well-ripe for maximum flavour and ease of cutting.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam Lawson is coping some negative feedback after being picked by Red Bull, but Andrew Saville thinks most of that noise is from overseas fans. It has been a fantastic year for New Zealand support, Saville discusses his favourite highlights. Auckland FC ranks in his list, the Olympics being our best ever medal haul, and team New Zealand winning the America’s Cup Again. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne joins the show to discuss the best and worst parts of the Christmas period. Not interested in social commitments held at this time of year? Kevin agrees. Kevin reflects on the magic of Christmas for him as a child. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How good is the news about Liam Lawson. Regardless of whether you’re a Sergio Perez fan, what you think of Max Verstappen as a teammate, or of Liam Lawson as a driver – he has achieved something extraordinary, something a select few accomplish, and secured himself a coveted F1 seat for 2025. This is truly something to be celebrated. We’ve always struggled as New Zealanders to know how to deal with Kiwis who have great success. We love our poppies to a point, and then we tend to tear them down, or at least knock them about a bit. Just ask them. So while I don’t propose a seismic cultural shift and lose our generally humble and down to earth attitude, I do think a shift in how we acknowledge success would be a good thing. If we’re to become the best little country in the world, we need people, in whatever field they are in, to aspire to be the best. And yes, that sometimes requires talking yourself up to be a winner. Liam Lawson knows better than anyone the environment he’s heading into - the money, politics, publicity, and egos involved. No team is going to pick the guy who says, ‘yeah, if there’s a space available, I’d love it’. They want someone who says, ‘I can do this, I want to be the best and I will do what it takes on and off the track’. To be a successful F1 driver you need an extraordinary amount of confidence in yourself and your ability. It is a mental game as much as a physical and technical one. In response to the announcement Liam Lawson said, “To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old.” It reminded me of a conversation I had with Kiwi Indie Car driver Marcus Armstrong. I really enjoyed my conversation with him – and I asked him why New Zealand drivers were doing so well around the world, when they often don’t have the money or connections to help them. He said to me that it’s because we sacrifice so much to do it, we must succeed, it makes us want to be the best. Liam has wanted this since he was 8. Marcus left NZ at 12 to follow his dream. Their success isn’t a fluke. A lot of people have helped them get to where they are, but ultimately, it’s them behind the wheel making things happen. They’re role models for other young kiwis, encouraging them to be audacious, dream big, and just go for it. So to all the haters who came out online and had a go at Liam Lawson after Red Bull’s decision to hire him, I say Merry Christmas. No one cares. I for one can’t wait for the 2025 season to kick off – how much more fun is it going to be having a young Kiwi to support. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elemeno P erupted onto the New Zealand music scene in the early 2000’s, making waves with their pop-rock singalong anthems like Fast Times in Tahoe, Verona, and Every Day’s a Saturday.    They remain one of the country’s biggest-selling rock acts, having graced the stage at nearly every venue in New Zealand at least twice.  This summer, the group is reuniting to take on Rhythm and Alps down in Wānaka.  The members are a bit spread around, with frontman Dave Gibson basing himself stateside in New York.  He told Jack Tame that nowadays when they need the band back together, they set out the bat signal.  “We all congregate, you know, in our headquarters which is located in a cave in Kingsland,” he joked.  “We get the whole band back together and we, you know, do a few a rehearsals.”  “We sound like a terrible Elemeno P covers band for the first two, and then by three, you know, it just seems to come back.”  Gibson told Tame they have a WhatsApp group chat, and every couple of years they jump back on the horse.  “We just really love each other and we love playing and we feel very grateful that there are still people want to come and see us play.”  “We feel very lucky all these years later.”   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a new addition to the Milne family.   Kevin and his wife recently adopted a new puppy - a four month old golden retriever.   He told Jack Tame it’s just like having a new baby in the house, and he’s wondering whether it was a wise choice for a man of his age.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis seem to be getting lonelier.  Recent research from Age Concern revealed the extent of the loneliness and social isolation felt amongst older New Zealanders – with 59% of respondents feeling lonely or isolated recently, and a third feeling like this most of the time.  Main points:  It’s rated as having a similar impact on our health as smoking and obesity   Multiple causes for loneliness including the impact of pandemic, the ageing population, rising cost of living, increasing health concerns and unaffordability, and the trend for families to move overseas   In the UK and Japan, they have established ministers for loneliness within the government to focus on this area – in NSW they launched a parliamentary inquiry into loneliness earlier in the year       What can help?   Addressing underlying causes   Community-based initiatives such as groups, volunteer programmes,   Interestingly social media doesn’t help – 75% of those with social media access reported loneliness and were more likely to report than those without social media, which emphasises the importance of face-to-face connection      What can we do?   Make it your Christmas gift to someone —look around in your family and neighbourhood— loneliness is silent so unlikely people will reach out for help, you need to reach in. If you can’t do it in person (e.g., because living in another part of the country) can you get someone else to connect with your older relatives while you do the same in your neighbourhood?  Try and make it a long-term connection rather than a one-off    LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Plan a summer escapade to the hot-tub of southern hospitality in irrepressible Dunedin. You’d struggle to find a comparably sized city that serves up such a spoil of fabulously distinctive visitor experiences. Fanning out from the city, the long, plumped and ranging finger of Otago Peninsula, fringed with beaches, scalloped by bays, carpeted in lush pastures, furnished in dry stone walls and studded in volcanic peaks is a world unto itself. Bountiful, bucolic, an urban escape-hatch. Richly blessed with flippered and feathered possibilities, the wildlife alone is a perennial banner attraction, but the peninsula and harbour also abound with invigorating trails." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No-Mow November started a few weeks ago. For me it started on the grounds of Tekapo Primary School, where we had a decent discussion about pollinators… especially bumblebees!   Mating season!   The kids love bumblebees! They are gentle and very active – even in the coldest months of the year. They can warm themselves up through wing-beating action while having the wings set to “neutral”.   I told the kids that we have four different species of Bumblebee in New Zealand – all four imported from the UK (in the 1800s), to help with the pollination of plants, crops and trees from all sorts of parts of the world. Mostly to do with the various lengths of their tongues, which pollinate different sized flowers.   Three of the four species are quite easy to find in New Zealand, but the fourth (the short-haired Bumblebee – Bombus subterraneus) is quite rare. It occurs largely in the Mackenzie country and in a few patches of inland of Otago.   When I told the kids that Tekapo Region is where they are found every now and then, the kids pricked up their ears. They wanted to know what it looks like and what sort of flowering plants it gets its nectar and pollen from.   But when I revealed that this bumblebee is now considered extinct in the UK, the interest grew a notch or two. And so did the development of serious questions…   Can we grow the favourite plants in the school grounds? Could we raise their population density in the Tekapo area? And if that is successful: can we ship some fertile queens back to the UK to translocate them to their country and habitat of origin?   A few weeks ago we dug some gardens on the edge of the school grounds and playing field. We sowed some seeds – lots of seeds, provided by the New Zealand Bumblebee Conservation Trust and specialist seed merchants such as Kings Seeds.   Most Gardeners will know these names… Wild Flower World and Geoff and Liz Brunsden… there was an army of support   Zonda sent them a live Bumblebee hive, just to get the kids completely engaged with the Bumbles and the Bees, in anticipation of luring this rare species back to the Mackenzie country – HeadQuarters: Tekapo Primary school!   The Zonda Live BumbleBee hive – my goodness they really have a go at pollinating tomatoes!    The kids learned how to get rid of weeds, fertilise the soil and sow the seeds in patches for the future of these pollinators. There was talk about creating a huge edge around the Sports Field where the grass would be taken off the field and replaced by a colourful melange of flowering plants for the bumble bee whanau.   Now, THAT reminded me of the No-Mow-November we talked about many times before: A monocultural grassland replaced by a colourful meadow of wildflowers for our nectar and pollen eating invertebrates!   There’s even a list of students signing up for the watering duty during the summer Holidays…   I bet Simon (the principal), Maria, Libby, Angela, and Jane will be chuffed.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BOB’S BEST BUYS   Wine: No.1 Family Cuvee Assemblage Cuvee Marlborough Methode Traditionelle, $36     Why I chose it:   French winemaker Daniel Le Brun and his family pioneered Methode winemaking in Marlborough and have made some of NZ’s best bottle-fermented sparkling wines – always with a French accent.   It’s a blend of three grape varieties; pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier.   It has been cellared for 3-5 years.   This is truly a truly stylish sparkler that offers great value at this price. Perfect Christmas wine – everyone will love it. If it survives Christmas, enjoy it on New Year’s Eve.   What does it taste like?   It tastes like champagne with citrus, apple, and freshly baked baguette crust. It has a seductively creamy texture.     Why it’s a bargain:   It is one-third the price of good champagne but it is certainly not one-third the quality.     Where can you buy it?  Whisky and More, Waikato $34.99  The Hamilton Beer and Wine Co $35.99     Food match?   Freshly shucked oysters               Will it keep?   A few years if stored well (write the date of purchase on the bottle)    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 14th December 2024, Jack chats with Dave Gibson, lead singer of legendary Kiwi band Elemeno P, about their upcoming summer and playing at Rhythm and Alps.  Jack tells us of his immense struggles trying to hang wall decals.  Chef Nici Wickes prepares us for Christmas with some tips on how to make the best out of your turkey.  And, Estelle Clifford gives her thoughts on the newest album for Australian Artist Beckah Amani.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GM is pulling out of the self-driving taxi business   General Motors is getting out of the RoboTaxi business, instead focusing on bringing autonomous driving technology to its range of personal and commercial vehicles.   Its "Cruise" cars were taking rides in Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and the Bay Area. It's been pumping billions into the business, and now says the time and resources needed to scale the business isn't worth it. It says instead it wants to use the team to bring 'semi-autonomous' (known in the industry as L3) to the masses. This would allow your Chevrolet or Cadillac to be able to drive itself on highways or at slow speeds.     If TikTok is banned, what happens next?   “Get ready” is the message from two US lawmakers. Google and Apple must be ready to remove TikTok from their app stores on January 19, they wrote to their CEOs. What does that mean for those who already have it downloaded? It doesn't seem that it'll need to be removed from devices, or that traffic to the app will be blocked. The app will continue to 'work', but because TikTok won't be able to provide support, it will eventually stop working. TikTok says it's "one of the nation’s most popular speech platforms" with 170 million monthly users.   It seems the only thing now to stop the ban is the Supreme Court, or if President Biden or Trump grants a 90-day extension of the January 19th deadline to force a sale.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fake   Magazine features writer Birdie Bell meets successful grazier Joe Burt on a dating app and believes she's found her perfect match, but as the relationship intensifies she begins to feel her boyfriend isn't all he has led her to believe (ThreeNow).     No Good Deed   Three very different families compete to buy the same 1920s Spanish-style villa, which they believe will solve all their problems (Netflix).     Elton John: Never Too Late   Elton John looks back on his life and the early days of his 50-year career. As he prepares for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium, Elton recounts his struggles and shares how he overcame them to become the icon he is today (Disney+).    LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That Christmas    A blizzard hits a seaside town, setting off entwined tales of family, friends, love and loneliness - and Santa making a big mistake (Netflix).      Better Man    The true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m still stuck on turkey for Christmas! I never think we’ll include it in the menu but in the end it just screams ‘festive season’, and I can’t resist.      How to keep the darn thing from drying out?   Stuff stuff under the skin of the breast – herb butter, chopped spinach, sausage, bacon.   Consider using a large oven bag to cook it in.   Rest the cooked bird on its breast so that the juices all run into the white meat.   Brining can work too, but who has the time or fridge space to do it!       Stuffing:    Breadcrumbs as a base with herbs, onions etc – make sure you soak the crumbs in milk.    Sausage or ground meat   Rice & mushrooms   Chorizo and corn bread    Consider a punch of sweetness like currants, apples or cranberries.      Gravy:    The roasting dish scrapings are your best friend, so always add in some halved onions and oil at the start of the cooking.    Once cooked, remove the turkey and set aside to rest. Sprinkle ¼ cup plain flour into the roasting dish, mix to a paste with the fat and pan scrapings. Add a splash of wine or bubbles and simmer for 1 minute then add in stock, vege water or plain water and seasoning and whisk or stir for 5-6 minutes until you have a dark, lump free gravy.         Leftovers:    Make a pie.    Fry turkey meat and leftover veges in a pan, drizzle in some pomegranate molasses and once a little crispy scatter over some lettuce or baby spinach leaves for a fab salad.    Serve lettuce, warmed turkey and gravy in soft white rolls.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The obvious question is why?  Why would you do it? Why put yourself through it?    No one was compelling us. No one had a gun to our heads. We weren’t competing for a million dollars on a reality TV show.    So why, two weeks before Christmas, with all of the stress and pressure of the silly season, in the midst of that heavy, humid, tropical Auckland heat, with Mava seven months pregnant, why would we decide that now was the time to put up wall stickers in our baby’s room?   To be accurate, I’m not sure if they were wall stickers or wall decals. I don’t really know the difference. All I know is they were two enormous trees —three metres high— that each came in multiple parts needing to be perfectly stuck to the wall. Different branches and shrubbery had to be placed together perfectly, lest one half of the tree sit lower than the other. One mistake, and your eye gets drawn immediately to the error: a tiny gap of wall in the seam where the pieces should connect, or a lump of bunched up sticker creased together, a permanent reminder of stress and incompetence.    My first experience with them was when I bought a four-metre-wide vinyl world map for my old apartment wall. The map was exquisite, but it required two giant sheets to be perfectly aligned. I nailed the first —level, with no creases or lines— but tilted the second sheet by just one or two degrees. When you’re sticking them to the wall, you start at the top, so by the time I’d worked my way down to the Tropic of Capricorn it was obvious I was in trouble. For years afterwards I stared at the wall, consumed by the overlap which cut out three quarters of the territory between Adelaide and Perth, and a crease which created an unexpected mountain range east of the Falkland Islands. Trust me when I say this: even if visitors don’t notice it, you notice it.  I know what you’re thinking. Wall stickers are tacky? Well, you’re certainly right in the literal sense of the word. Given they would be the predominant visual features in our baby’s room, Mava had decided it wasn’t the sort of thing you for which she wanted an el-cheapo job from Temu. And given she is two people at the moment, we figured I should be the one on the ladder.  Looking back at those few hours though, I think the fact the tree wall stickers were expensive only added to the pressure.    As I teetered on the step ladder:  “A little to the left!”    Hands out-stretched to the wall,   “A little to the right”     I felt beads of sweat run down the bridge of my nose.    “No, not like that! Smooth with the palm of your hand.”   I don’t know how hanging wall stickers compares to hanging wallpaper, but it was a team effort in the end. From the peeling of the stickers to the spirit-levelling, to rubbing out the creases and bubbles against the wall.    In the end though, the real measure of success isn’t the fact the trees look fantastic (although they do).    The real success is that somehow our relationship survived. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Seeds have been jamming for over a quarter of a century.  They’re famous for their part in shaping the modern Kiwi music scene, and have been blending funk, soul, dub, with South Pacific influences to develop a uniquely Kiwi sound since beginning in 1998.  To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album that gave them their breakthrough, The Black Seeds are doing a special release of ‘On The Sun’.  Singer, percussionist, and founding member Daniel Weetman joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss the anniversary and the band’s extensive history and influence.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are many organisations that rely on donations or volunteering from the community in order to achieve their goals – but which one should a person be doing?  Ed McKnight joined Francesca Rudkin for a chat about what the best ways to give back are, and how much you should give if you plan on giving financially.   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up and coming Tāmaki Makaurau band Corrella returns with their new album, Skeletons.  The 11-track collection is filled with soulful roots reggae, with touches of funk, gospel, pop, soul, and even a bit of country. The band rose to prominence in 2023 with their single ‘Blue Eyed Māori’, which holds the record for most weeks ever spent at the top of the NZ Singles Chart.  Estelle Clifford joined Francesca Rudkin to give her thoughts on Skeletons.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To Die For by David Baldacci   Travis Devine has become a pro at adapting to any situation to accomplish the mission set in front of him. Whether it’s a high-powered corporate setting or small-town community, Devine will become the man for the job. His time as an Army Ranger and on the financial battlefields of Wall Street gave him the skills he needed, and he’s put them to good use. But this time it’s not his skills that send him to Seattle to aid the FBI in escorting orphaned, twelve-year-old Betsy Odom to a meeting with her uncle, who’s under investigation for RICO charges. Instead, he’s hoping to lie low and keep off the radar of an enemy that he evaded on a train in Switzerland and who has been after him ever since—the girl on the train.  But as Devine gets to know Betsy, questions begin to arise around the death of her parents. Betsy is adamant that they had never used drugs, but the police in the small rural town where they died insist the Odoms died of an overdose. Devine starts digging for answers, and what he finds points to a conspiracy bigger than he could’ve ever imagined. The question is, how do Betsy, her uncle, and various government agencies all fit into it.  It might finally be time for Devine and the girl on the train to come face-to-face, and when that happens, Devine is going to find himself unsure of who are his allies and who are his enemies. And in some cases, they might well be both.     Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane by Matt Whyman    With exclusive and unprecedented access to the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, award-winning writer Matt Whyman charts the journey of the Silver Arrows as they face their greatest challenge: the race back to the front. Once untouchable, the winner of seven Drivers' World Championships and eight consecutive Constructors' World Championships confront the reality of no longer being F1's top dog.  Whyman, fully embedded across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, follows decorated drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, Team Principal Toto Wolff, and the extraordinary men and women that design, build and race the team's cars as they fight back – on and off the track.  From the tension of pre-season testing to the thrill and glamour of race weekends – including blue riband events such as Silverstone, Monaco, and the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix – the book provides fascinating insight into the world of the fastest sport on earth and one of its most successful teams. Whyman reveals the pressure cooker environment of elite competition, shares the secrets of teamwork and high performance, and foregrounds the remarkable individuals who push to the limits in their quest for victory. The book will also include never-before-seen photographs of life inside the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.    LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Ōamaru is undeniably one of New Zealand’s greatest towns, with its stately and seductive good looks, stirring local wildlife, astonishing heritage treasures, and alluring artisan verve. And it’s all anchored with a striking sense of community pride and passion. Eye-catching sights and an embracing spirit are what Ōamaru is all about (don’t miss a selfie with the beloved Humpty Dumpty statue in the stupendous public gardens). Whether you’re travelling as a couple, or enjoying a happy family holiday, Ōamaru delivers ins spades with a wealth of enticing experiences." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.