Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Holy Days - (in cinemas) Starring Miriam Margolyes. Accompanied by a young boy, three unconventional nuns embark on a wild and chaotic road trip across New Zealand to retrieve the deeds to their convent. When an unexpected snowstorm derails their journey, they soon find themselves confronting loss, mortality and the transformative power of love, forgiveness and connection.  How to Make a Killing – (in cinemas) Starring Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley. Disowned at birth by his wealthy family, Becket Redfellow will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne is off to a charity fish auction in Kapiti, which is raising money for the Mary Potter Hospice. He joined Jack to talk about the proceedings, and what to expect from a fish auction.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moana & the Tribe have long been acknowledged for pushing the boundaries of Māori music.   Led by Moana Maniapoto, the band has become one of New Zealand’s most successful Māori bands, creating a fusion of politically charged haka-funk-dub music and performing all over the world.   They’re bringing their global collaboration ‘ONO’ to Tāmaki Makaurau as part of the Auckland Arts Festival, and to mark International Women’s Day.   But this performance is a little bigger than their usual band, Maniapoto telling Jack Tame that she got a bit carried away.   "There is a cast of thousands on stage,” she said.   ‘ONO’ showcases the voice, language, and cultures of six indigenous women from different places Moana & The Tribe has performed, and two of the artists are flying in for the performance – Hawai'i's Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole and Australia’s Shellie Morris.   “I’m really excited to have them come and join us.”  “It’s gonna be great, and its a celebration of like, mana wāhine and mana reo.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weekend marks the end of an era for Splore Festival.  This instalment of the annual boutique music and arts festival at Auckland's Orere Point will be the last.  After nearly 30 years, ticket sales fell and it became too difficult for owner John Minty to fund alone.  Chris Schulz is attending this weekend’s festivities, and joined Jack Tame to chat about the festival’s tragic ending.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anti Hero: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz   Once a black ops assassin for the government known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke with the program and went deep underground, using his operational rules and skills to help the truly desperate with nowhere else to turn.  When Luke Devine, one of the most powerful men in the world has a psychological crisis, Evan flies to the East Coast to meet Luke. While there, he learns of a young woman who was kidnapped off the New York City subway, clearly in danger and in need of aid. With no name and few clues, Evan and his team track down the missing woman, who was assaulted and abandoned. Evan offers his help―and sets out tracking down the young men responsible. But the woman insists that Evan abandon his usual methods―no vengeance and, in particular, no killing. Which will prove no easy feat given the mounting incoming threats from all sides. In a mission that takes Evan from coast to coast, from the poorest corners of society to the richest, Orphan X must figure out a way to protect the innocent, avenge the victimized, and balance justice, with a measure of mercy.     The Dead Speak: My Life In Forensics by Thomas Coyle   In this empathetic and darkly funny memoir, Thomas Coyle – one of New Zealand's most seasoned forensic investigators – pulls back the police tape and walks us straight into the crime scenes.  With sharp detail, he reveals how the tiniest fragment of evidence can expose a suspect, prove a motive or confirm an identity. Sometimes, all at once.  But crime scenes are only part of his story. The Dead Speak also plunges us into the world of disaster victim identification – a discipline where time, science and compassion collide. Where forensic experts are flung into a race against time to identify bodies in makeshift morgues as desperate families wait for news of their loved ones.  Taking us from meticulous casework at New Scotland Yard to the chaos of the Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand and the devastation of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, The Dead Speak is both a gripping insider's account of forensic investigation and an unflinching portrait of humanity at its best and worst. Fair warning, though: it's not for the faint-hearted.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"There’s an unmistakeable spring in the step on the streets and laneways of Hamilton. Waikato’s powerhouse city boasts a growing arsenal of headline sights and experiences, spanning outdoorsy delights, a cranking hospitality scene and cultural riches." Read Mike's full article.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 21 February 2026, Moana Maniapoto of Moana and the Tribe joins Jack to discuss bringing musicians from around the world together for a special International Women's Day performance.  Jack reflects on that photo of former Prince Andrew.   Francesca Rudkin shares an adventurous documentary.  And Dougal Sutherland is Dr Love for the day, with advice for online dating.  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.

Hot on the heels of Valentines Day, Dr Dougal Sutherland becomes Dr Love.  He joined Jack Tame to discuss some research about dating, both online and in person, and offer up some advice.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mid-summer in your garden is an important time for your “locals”. Normally you won’t see many birds apart from the common blackbird and thrushes, sparrows and starlings, grey warblers, tui and bellbirds.    It’s just a matter of having the right areas to forage for these birds, and extra food is usually not drastically needed to keep everybody in good condition – food aplenty all over the place!    Just one useful tip for gardeners, though: Silvereyes act a little differently.  Over the years I have noticed that if you feed them sugar water in summer, they will certainly come back to your garden to lick up all the sweet liquids.    EVERY DAY!!  The reason that’s important?     They quickly learn where you live and where to get free food! They’ll remember that well into the wintertime when nice food is hard to get. The regular visits to your garden are a benefit due to the free pest control that these birds deliver: silvereyes love to pick up aphids, caterpillars, mealybugs, and scale insects while they forage at your place.    Scale lemon before and after the Silvereyes. I’ve seen this many times and the great benefit for me is that I will never need to spray my plants with insecticides to control the pests most gardeners are chasing!    Another typical summer feature is the emergence of porina moth chrysalises. This moth is a native of New Zealand. There are a few species that love to eat grasses, especially their roots underground. They are known to go to great heights (think about mountains!) to chew their breakfast, lunch, and dinners from tough and hard grassy plants. Ironically, when settlers started farming with fancy grass species from Europe and elsewhere, the Porina quickly cottoned on to selecting these lovely, edible grasses as food.    Starlings (and often other bird species) have quickly learned to dig into those wonderful soft lawns full of Perennial Ryegrasses. The reason is simple: our native Porina simply love those ryegrasses and related imports, but they cause damage, and the farmers are not impressed with the way Porina does that damage.    Birds to the rescue!  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finances aren’t everyone’s strength, and as such, they might decide to enlist a financial advisor.   But there are a few things you might not be aware of when it comes to the job, so Ed McKnight joined Jack Tame to reveal the truth about financial advisors in New Zealand.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Social Media's impact on mental health is being examined in a landmark case    The trial, which centres on a 20-year-old woman's mental health struggles allegedly caused by Instagram and YouTube, will serve as a critical test for thousands of other lawsuits targeting social media companies.   Meta CEO Mark Zukerberg testified this week, taking questions for around six hours. At the centre of the case are documents that show the company had a goal to increase the time 10-year-olds spend on Instagram, despite the app being officially for 13 and above. Zuckerberg testified that while they want teens using their apps, they account for just 1% of the company’s revenue. He also talked about the challenge of identifying accounts of children, because they can simply lie about their age.       Another week, another new AI model    This time Anthropic —the company behind Claude— has released Sonnet 4.6, designed to be used for more general applications and is better than previous models at "computer use".   This use case is interesting, because there are so many disconnected systems in companies, and some are not easily able to use automation but if an agent can see the screen and knows the software, then it can work on the task. But these types of uses are still wildly risky. When they announced the new model, they said in the release that "that Sonnet 4.6 has a broadly warm, honest, prosocial, and at times funny character." Describing a chatbot like that will never not be weird to me.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neighbors    Witness stories of absurd, outrageous, and dramatic real-life residential conflicts from a range of larger-than-life characters. Each episode introduces us to a new set of neighbours in the heat of their grievances (Neon).    Being Gordon Ramsay   Follow celeb chef Gordon Ramsay behind the scenes as he juggles family life, global empire and his biggest launch yet in this all-you-can-eat documentary (Netflix).     Married At First Sight Australia  Australia's most controversial social experiment returns in 2026 with an addictive mix of love and drama (ThreeNow).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne let his fellow Wellingtonians down last week.  He and his wife Linda had managed to dodge the worst of the storms with a weekend trip to Auckland, and while they wanted to keep it discrete, there was no way to hide the evidence.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deeper   A team of divers, led by Dr. Richard Harris, aims to set a record for the deepest descent as they explore New Zealand's Pearse Resurgence cave system.     No Other Choice   After being unemployed for several years, a man devises a unique plan to secure a new job: eliminate his competition.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Late summer stone fruit —peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, even cherries— are just perfect for baking with. Serve this cake warm for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of fruity olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt.    Makes one 20 cm cake      Ingredients   3-4 ripe peaches or nectarines or 4-5 apricots, chopped   200mls extra virgin olive oil    ½ cup + 2 tbsps extra caster sugar    2 large eggs   1 tbsp Greek yoghurt    1 1/3 cups plain flour    1 tsp baking powder   Big pinch baking soda      Method  Preheat the oven to 180C fan bake. Grease a 20cm cake tin and line with baking paper.    Toss nectarines with ¼ cup of the olive oil and 2 tbsps sugar. Leave to sit for 10 minutes.   In a bowl, whisk eggs with remaining ½ cup of sugar until pale and thickened. Whisk in remaining olive oil and yoghurt.   Sift in flour, baking powder and baking soda and stir until combined. Fold in fruit mixture and juices.   Scrape batter into tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin.   Serve with vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt.       Nici's Note:    You can use cherries in this recipe, and if so, use about 1 cup, de-stoned.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What. A. Photo.     What a stunning, extraordinary, scandal-defining, generation-defining photo.    A gaunt man. His eyes wide, somehow focusing on nothing and everything at once, as if haunted by a vision he cannot unsee. His face is haggard. His pale fingers clasped. The light of the photographer’s flash reflected in red in his pupil.  What is the position he’s in? Is he trying to hide? If so, he did a terrrrrible job. Is he willing the plush leather seats of his vehicle to swallow him whole? And what is that expression? Is it the humiliation of Police detention? The shock and embarrassment of being held against your will? Or is it the gravity of this moment, this realisation? Does Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor finally see that he, a man born into the most extreme privilege is now mired in the most profound shame. Charged? As of yet, no. Convicted? Certainly not. But surely irredeemable in his disgrace.  What a moment. What an extraordinary fall from grace. What a photo.  Once again, we are reminded, aren’t we, of a photograph’s unique power. There’s nothing like it. The Reuters photographer at the other end of the lens fired off six frames. Two had Police in the shot. Two were blank. One was out of focus. And this, the frame that endured. A photograph that says more than any headline in British tabloids ever could. It was as if it were meant to be.  In a strange poetic way, photographs now book-end Andrew’s disgrace. It was a photograph that first tied him to Epstein and Virginia Giuffre. The then-Prince stands with his body facing towards her, his hand around her waist. It was a photograph in the latest Epstein dump of Andrew on all fours, above a female on the ground. Once again, the flash reflects red in pupils. And so it was that when he was filmed and photographed on his 66th birthday leaving the Aylsham Police Station, it is the photograph we remember.  A friend noted yesterday what an astoundingly undignified episode this has been. From the photographs themselves to the pathetic communications of Sarah Fergusson scattered throughout the files, to the image of a flubbering man on the BBC’s Newsnight, waffling about Pizza Express. I bet you’re sweating now, Andy.  I thought the King’s statement yesterday was excellent. Might he have felt a strange relief at having already stripped his brother of his Royal titles? Perhaps. There are still plenty of valid questions about why the Palace didn’t do a whole lot more, a whole lot sooner. But the statement was strong and uncompromising. He continued with his engagements. And in the face of a reputational crisis for the Palace, he was a vision of relative stability.   Who can say now what indignities remain for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?  He spent his 65th birthday in a palace and his 66th in a police station. Theoretically if he’s charged and convicted, he could face time in prison.  That photograph of him being driven away cut a pitiful vision. One that very few people will forget. From Andrew’s perspective, worse could yet still be to come. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On my route home from work is a big arterial road with a whole line of different car dealerships. There’s a Toyota yard, a Ford dealership, a Mazda and a Volkswagon. A series of uber-fancy ones selling everything from Audis to McLarens to Lamborghinis. And as I made my one home one night a couple of weeks ago, a new sign caught my eye.  What the hell is Zeekr? I wondered.  Actually, truth be told I already had a pretty good hunch and a quick Google that evening confirmed my suspicion.   Zeekr is the latest premium Chinese EV company to hit the New Zealand market.   You can add it to Geely and Farizon, EV brands  owned by the same Chinese conglomerate. Add to those Xpeng, which has its first dealerships and sells a pretty smart-looking coupe SUV. Add to it Leapmotor, Dongfeng and old mate BYD, and if you’ve spent any time on the road in New Zealand of late, you’ve surely noticed we are in the midst of a bit of a revolution  with Chinese Evs.   It’s not just us, of course. It’s everywhere.   Last year, China exported $115B worth of electric vehicles. That was a 43% increase on 2024. And they’re not only relying on a single export market for their sales. Chinese EV sales are booming almost everywhere. 66 countries last year spent more than $US 100m on Chinese EVs.  Why am I telling you this? Well I reckon there’s good reason to think that Donald Trump’s decision to scrap emissions standards and environmental regulations this week, is the equivalent of laying down your king and resigning the chess board. It might make combustion engine vehicles a bit cheaper for U.S consumers in the short term, but as the World slowly shifts to cleaner technology, it hands the Chinese EV makers an even greater advantage.   Where is the incentive for U.S carmakers to make good EVs? Where is the incentive to push consumers towards electric vehicles? There’s a reason Tesla has opposed scrapping the vehicle standards. And what will it mean for U.S carmakers trying to sell into markets where emissions standards are still in place?   China’s used some pretty extraordinary methods to propel its clean tech industries. They’ve subsidised and propped up EV makers in a way that foreign manufacturers say is anti-competitive and unfair. But look at BYD’s extraordinary vertical integration. They own mining rights. They revolutionised battery technology. They have purpose-built ships, designed to the perfect specifications to maximise the number of vehicles they can export. And look at the quality, the features, and price point of Chinese EVs. There is a reason they are poving so popular.  I don’t think for a moment that EVs are the solution to everything. But I do think that on balance they’ll play a huge part in domestic transport in the near future.   If you agree, then in my view Donald Trump and the United States has just thrown in the towel and more or less guaranteed that China will dominate that EV future.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 14 February, 2026, New Zealand music legends Six60 join Jack in studio to discuss recording their 5th album in live one-takes and to give a very special performance. Jack weighs up who the world leader in the manufacture of electric vehicles will be. Francesca Rudkin dishes on the hotly anticipated film adaptation of the classic novel, Wuthering Heights. Nici Wickes shares a recipe guaranteed to conjure a marriage proposal this Valentine's Day. 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.

Six60 have spent more than 15 years working on their craft.  With the heights they’ve reached you might forgive the band for taking some time to relax a little, but there is simply no stopping the boys Matiu, Marlon, Ji and Chris.  Six60 have released their 5th album, it's called Right Here Right Now. And what makes this album so special is that it’s all recorded live. Every track is a one-take wonder.  The boys joined Jack in the studio to discuss the process behind making their new album and give a special performance of one of their new tracks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney  Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an enchanting old house in Hope Falls, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn't fit.    Red Dawn Over China by Frank Dikotter  The history of modern China has long been portrayed as a tale of Communists fighting in the hills for freedom, gradually gaining popular support by taking land from the rich and giving it to the poor. Drawing on a wealth of archival evidence, Red Dawn Over China reveals how unlikely the Party's victory actually was, had it not been for financial and military support from the Soviet Union.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If I remember correctly, cicadas used to be quite a bit more common in the Auckland Summer Months. Yep they changed from year to year and occasionally almost completely quiet, but that was rare, to be frank.  In Christchurch they’ve been a lot less noisy – especially the past 4 years or so. But early 2026 it started with a few choruses and now the “clappers” are also occupying the sound-scape.    Male cicadas have so-called Timpany, which are little drum cavities on the underside of the bellies. They look a little bit like bent and shaped flaps.  The timpany are really good at amplifying the sounds they make to lure females closer and closer – Party time!  Females are known to aim for the noisiest male on the block. Egg-laying is happening from now on, at this time of the year.  When the female has a good number of fertilised eggs to get rid of, she climbs into a suitable host tree. Her Ovipositor is a pretty useful tool to lay eggs inside the wood of a branch; a dozen or two are laid in an elegant pattern in the bark, where the eggs develop into very small larvae; these will emerge late autumn or early winter.   Gardeners are often quite good at finding these herring-bone pattern because the damage in the twigs often causes weak-spots, leading to broken branches; Fruit growers are not keen on having many damaged branches in the orchard.  Life Cycle: The eggs hatch in a few months and the tiny “nymphs” drop off the branch or twig in which they were born... drop to the ground and start digging. They create a tunnel and a cell around a tree root (or shrub root – or even grass roots) and suck the sweet phloem juices out of the root system – sugar is turned into protein and the body grows.  They shed their skin 4, 5, 6 times and a few years later (up to 5 or 6 years in the soil!) they climb to the top layers of the soil... waiting for a perfect time to emerge at night in late spring or summer  At night the nymphs come out of the soil, climb up a tree trunk and grasp the bark  Their skin splits and out comes a fully winged adult cicada; it pumps up its wings and is ready for some R&R... singing and dancing  Threats to larval cicadas: When they are in the top layers of the soil late winter/early spring, they are in easy reach of the probing bills of kiwi.  Yep – cicada nymphs are the spring-time bulk food of Northland Brown Kiwi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The heart is a phenomenal muscle in the body that is often described as ‘natures quiet overachiever’. Small steady steps work to keep it healthy are important as heart disease is responsible for 33% of deaths in New Zealand. It’s our biggest killer.  Dr Bryan Betty joins Jack Tame to discuss what Kiwis can do to keep their heart healthy, and it doesn't take much.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A smarter Siri? You'll be waiting a little longer..  Apple initially launched - or should that be teased? - the launch of Apple Intelligence in June, 2024. It was thought that March might be the month, but there have been further delays. Bloomberg is reporting it could be May before the start of the launch that is now though to be spread over several releases. iOS27 might see the bulk when it comes out in September. The issue is apparently that Siri doesn’t always properly process queries or can take too long to handle requests. The ability for Siri to access personal data - like text messages or emails, the key selling point of Apple Intelligence - are the most likely to slip.    Anthropic has raised a fresh round of funding  The new round has more than DOUBLED its value from September. They've got an additional $30 billion in cash, which takes their post-money valuation to $380 billion. It's the second largest private tech funding round on record second only to OpenAI. Anthropic's Super Bowl ad which mocked Open AI's plan to add ads to their free tiers pushed Claude into the App Store's top 10 apps. OpenAI in turn effectively said Anthropic is elitist and ads allow broad access to everyone.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Small Town Scandal - (Neon) Tom Sainsbury brings his hit true-crime parody podcast to the screen. The beloved comedian plays a disgraced journalist-turned-true-crime podcast host investigating the death of his millionaire uncle in a town filled with eccentric suspects.    Queen of Chess - (Netflix) Hungarian chess prodigy Judit Polgár challenges champion Garry Kasparov and her controlling father over 15 years, breaking gender barriers to become the greatest female player ever.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After serving up this soup to a group of friends one of the diners wanted to marry me because it’s that good haha. The recipe mimics a bouillabaisse but I’ve pared it back to create an unfussy dish that’s quick and easy to prepare. Serves 2 as a main course Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed 400g crushed tomatoes ½ cup white wine 300g white fish such as snapper, gurnard or hapuka, cut into large bite-sized pieces 6-8 mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded 6-8 cockles, scrubbed 2-4 large prawns, peeled and deveined ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼-1 tsp (depending how hot you like it) fresh minced chilli 1 T parsley, chopped fine Method: Heat oil in a heavy based pot. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until it softens but isn’t coloured. Add tomatoes and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute. The sauce can be left at this stage until you are ready to serve. Just before serving, add the fish pieces, mussels and cockles, cover and cook on medium to high for about 2 minutes or until some of the shellfish have sprung open. Immediately add the prawns and cook for 1-2 minutes more, by which time the prawns ought to be cooked through and all the shellfish is open. To serve, use a slotted spoon to transfer the seafood to two deep bowls. Whisk in the mayonnaise and chilli to the remaining tomato base in the saucepan before pouring it over the seafood in the bowls. Garnish with parsley and serve with crusty bread. Nici’s note: Use 100% mussels in this recipe for an economical dish that’s packed with iodine and iron.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wuthering Heights:  Much anticipated adaptation of the 1847 Emily Bronte novel. Directed by Emerald Fennell with ‘artistic license’. Starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. Tragedy strikes when Heathcliff falls in love with Catherine Earnshaw, a woman from a wealthy family in 18th-century England.  Crime 101: Chris Hemsworth leads a big-name cast. A Los Angeles detective pursues an elusive thief who teams up with an insurance broker for one last heist.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin's been to see author Bill Bryson talk this week, and he has some astonishing facts to share with Jack.  He's also coming to Auckland this weekend to see the NZ Polo Open in Clevedon, and his wife Linda is particularly excited to see the horses in action.  Listen to Kevin and Jack catch up on the week's antics, and hear some potentially eye-opening facts.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yumi Zouma is the gold standard for ethereal dream-pop.  But after a decade together, the Kiwi quartet has decided to push the envelope, taking strides into a heavier rock sound.   Their fifth studio album, ‘No Love Lost To Kindness’, is a turning point, filled with themes of confrontation, disillusionment, risk, and honesty.  The band’s guitarists, Josh Burgess and Charlie Ryder, joined Jack Tame to discuss the album, its creation, and the decade they’ve been creating together.   Ryder told Tame that while there’s a big juxtaposition between this album and their previous body of work, it was a natural progression.  “We listen to a lot of music of all genres, that includes like, rock music, heavy stuff, and at the time, I think, yeah, it made sense for us to go in more of a grungier, harder direction.”  “After releasing five albums, and I guess like, 100 songs, you can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over again.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne’s dreams to buy a gorgeous house has been stymied by something unexpected: age.   Photos of what quickly became his dream home popped up this week, but it became a disagreement between him and his wife Linda, with her banning him from even thinking about buying it.  But why? Kevin joined Jack Tame to explain what’s made the house so unobtainable.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand was host to two contrasting acts this week, playing out at the opposite ends of the North Island.  On Thursday, Auckland’s Laneway Festival was held at Western Springs, whilst in Wellington, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds played two shows – one Thursday and one Friday.   Chris Schulz was at both events, and joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh   A woman buried. A woman broken. A woman crashed. A woman burned. And the man who knew them all.  Love at first sight, a whirlwind Vegas wedding, a fairy-tale romance. For seventy-nine days, Tavish Advani has been the happiest man in the world—until his new life turns to ash, his wealthy in-laws’ house going up in a fiery explosion. His badly injured wife lies in a coma, her family all but annihilated.  Tavish thought he left the sins of his Los Angeles life behind, but it’s not so easy to leave behind an investigation into the deaths of several high-profile women—all of whom he professed to love. Tragedy and death follow him no matter where he goes . . . but this time, he knows he’s innocent.  Desperately trying to clear his name as the authorities zero in, he begins his own investigation into the fire—and learns that his wife’s picture-perfect family may have been nothing but a meticulously constructed mirage. The truth is much darker than anything Tavish could’ve imagined . . .     The First Law of the Bush by Geoff Parkes   It’s a beautiful day to be alive, Bill Dickerson thought, seconds before he tumbled from the viaduct onto the jagged rocks below . . .  His awful death made national news. But still, one year on, Bill’s widow Carol has received no explanation about what happened. Was it suicide? An accident? Maybe murder?  So Carol hires lawyer Ryan Bradley in her fight for justice. Ryan has just returned to the remote town of Nashville after ten years away, so he’s in no position to turn down work.  Except the case seems hopeless from the start. Bill’s employer is denying responsibility, Carol’s friends are shunning her, and the only witnesses – co-workers Gav Coates and Wati Reynolds – can shed no light on the tragic fall. Even Senior Sergeant ‘Stinger’ Nettle is too busy turning a blind eye to Wati’s illegal schemes to dig deeper into the death.  But in small towns, nothing is quite what it seems. And for one Nashville resident the wrong question will come at a deadly price . . .    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"If you’re planning a road-trip in the South Island in the coming months, tack on a scenic foray with the Mid-Canterbury heartland. Easily reached within an hour from Christchurch, it’s an understated, uncrowded region that handsomely rewards the eager explorer, headlined by its spectacular scenic high country and blissful sense of escapism. Fanning out from Ashburton and bounded by the silvery braids of the Rakaia and Rangitata rivers, Mid-Canterbury spans the extremes, from pancake-flat plains to serrated, sky-piercing peaks. The mountains rise up to meet you remarkably quickly, after driving west from Ashburton. Here’s a round-up of some sure-fire favourites to add to your leisurely road- trip." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the happiest job in New Zealand?  Research undertaken in 2025 looked at how people across different jobs and sectors rated their wellbeing. They targeted people who were “mid-career” – around 40 years old.  Dr Dougal Sutherland joined Jack Tame to delve into the findings and see what factors make for the happiest careers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 7 February 2026, Kiwi dream-pop quartet Yumi Zouma joined Jack to discuss a decade together and their creative shift for album No. 5, No Love Lost to Kindness.  Jack finds the Epstein files illuminating.  Two contrasting musical events took place at opposing ends of the North Island this week and music reviewer Chris Schulz went to both.  Clinical psychologist Dougal Sutherland reveals the happiest jobs in New Zealand.  Plus Nici Wickes is not letting us overlook the classics with a deliciously moist Blueberry Muffin recipe.  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.

During a rather aggressive storm in springtime, our ancient tunnel house showed it was time to get a new one. That was our Christmas project.  Some of our tomatoes survived but there was still lots of space for other plants and ideas, and Kings Seeds sent a catalogue to my inbox just at the right moment!   February specials and Brassicas plus a great number of beautiful plants in many colours (and for a reasonable amount of money). Let's try something out!  Snail Vine  An exotic, heirloom vine grown for its highly perfumed, spiralled flowers resembling curled snail shells. Ideal for growing up fences, trellis, and pergola, or sow in containers with a grow cone or obelisk for support. Fabulous for providing fragrance to outdoor spaces. They germinate within 2 weeks in summer, love warm conditions and develop fast in full sun.  Great for our warmer areas in New Zealand, but even in the cooler regions they usually become an “Annual”. Try a few seeds as soon as you get them and keep some for next spring as a back-up.  Echinops Blue Globe A fabulous textural plant for floral work and in the garden where they add a metallic-like accent. Easy to grow, the versatile plant produces striking steel-blue, globe-shaped flowers. Excellent as an everlasting flower as they retain their colour and form well when dried. Good to start it in sizeable containers to manage the moisture in summer – you can start them in early autumn, so they’ll flower in early spring;  Now – look at those amazing blue colours!  Echinacea Lustre  Look at this!  A popular range of large-flowered, ornamental echinacea in a vibrant colour range. Also known as coneflowers, they make wonderful cut flowers with their distinctive, daisy-like blooms and long vase life. They flower the first year from seed.  The echinops and echinacea are both great options for drought prone/dry areas and being perennials, they really are good value in your garden and loved by pollinators.  Stratify: Chilling seeds in the fridge for 2-3 weeks prior to sowing will promote germination by breaking seed dormancy.  Cauliflower Green Macerata  A lime-green cauliflower with brilliant flavour and a nice change from the “typical” white curds. A vigorous plant, the leafy frame protects the green curds which mature to around 1 to 1.5 kg in weight.  Do not overcook them, to retain the bright-green colour.  Like many cauliflowers they are great plants to start in Autumn, so a little bit of patience is needed… But what comes out of your efforts will be quite wonderful!  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hunter's Gewürztraminer 2025, Marlborough RRP from $25.99     The Wine:   A fragrant wine led by scents of ripe pomaceous fruits and white pepper, orange and mandarin peel, some yellow citrus then apple and spice. Delicious on the palate with flavours that keep repeating. The spice or herb layer increases carried by the alcohol and acid line. Vibrant and youthful, a wine that will find its happy place by late 2026/early 2027, then great drinking through 2029.      The vintage:    A very warm December followed by a cool, temperate summer (January-February) allowed for slow, even ripening.  Above-average, high-volume yields, a bumper crop or a return to "normal" after smaller harvests. Harvest was well-paced, smooth, and dry, allowing growers to pick at optimal maturity. This translates to very good vintage and excellent for some.      The Food match:   For cheese fans and what my wife and I call ‘French take-outs’:  Washed-Rind ("Stinky") Cheeses: Munster, or Époisses.   Creamy/Soft-Ripened Cheeses: Historically dubbed The King of Cheeses – a raw cow's milk cheese, called Brie de Meaux, or just go with a Camembert   Blue Cheeses: Roquefort or Gorgonzola.   The dish: a Moroccan tagine or slow cooked savoury stew. The chef chooses the protein. It’s all about rich and bold earthy flavours, exotic spices such a cumin, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, and cardamom.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New models this week from Anthropic and OpenAI   A new Opus and a new Codex – the Agentic Coding war is only continuing to heat up. Both are now incredibly capable and are giving technical users who can't write code superpowers.       Anthropic's new Legal plugin wiped $50 billion from the stock market   The Co-Work plugin for Claude can review legal documents, flag risks, and track compliance. Legal tech stocks took a hammering. Harvey, a legal focused startup, does exactly the same thing as this plugin, and is/was valued at $8 billion. There are a lot of AI startups that are "wrappers", basically adding some UI or workflow on top of these models. We're going to see a lot of startups die as the big AI platforms start to offer specialist tools.      The EU says TikTok is too addictive for kids   But how do you solve it? The Commission has some ideas, including adding screentime breaks (so the user's app disabled for a set number of minutes?), changing its algorithms (showing less interesting content?), and disabling the "infinite scroll" (so forcing a user to go back to a menu to pick their next video?).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DMV   A comedy set in the place everyone dreads going most —the Department of Motor Vehicles— where employees are making minimum wage dealing with customers who are annoyed before they even walk in the door (TVNZ+).       Lord of the Flies   From Adolescence writer Jack Thorne comes this bold reimagining of the classic dystopian novel. Stranded on a tropical island after a deadly plane crash, a gang of schoolboys descend into anarchy (TVNZ+, from February 8th).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m generally sceptical of conspiracy theories.    Call me old fashioned, but I’m pretty sure we landed on the moon. I think 9/11 was al-Qaeda, not an inside job. I think climate change is real.    But I’ve got to admit, I’ve been captivated by the information released in the Epstein files. And while I still don’t think it reveals a coordinated paedophile ring, the trove of information released so far has been far more enlightening than I ever anticipated it would be. Truthfully, I thought it would be a nothing burger. I was wrong.    It’s not that the files necessarily prove greater illegality. Many people thought the dump would reveal a client list of the global elite: a black book of politicians, billionaires, CEOs, celebs, and royalty who’d committed the most appalling crimes and would be rounded up and brought to justice.   So far at least, it doesn’t have that. But it has illuminated a web of connections and relationships among the wealthy, connected, and powerful that we might never have known existed. And it is quite extraordinary to see the ways in which power and acquaintances have been leveraged.   There are several stand out takeaways for me.   First of all, the sheer volume of information. Thousands of videos, hundreds of thousands of photos, millions of messages. Was there anything this guy didn’t document? And there are still millions of documents that haven't yet been released.    Secondly, the impact the files are having in countries outside the United States. Although they name heaps of big powerful figures in the US, many of whom are closely connected to the President or the Clintons, the blow-back has arguably been curiously stronger in other parts of the World.    Overnight, the Crown Princess of Norway has publicly apologised to the King and Queen after her close relationship with Epstein was illuminated. As we go to air, Police in the UK are searching the properties of Peter Mandelson, the man who until a few weeks ago was the UK's Ambassador to the US, and who's one of many people who after initially talking down their relationship with Epstein, has been proven to have been far closer to the man, to have visited him and stayed with him well after this initial convictions. Ariane de Rothschild, the CEO of the Rothschild Swiss bank, previously said she only met Epstein on bank business, but the files suggest a much chummier relationship, Epstein inviting her to stay at his apartment.    My third takeaway is that even though nothing illegal is alleged on their behalf, some of the high-profile names associated with Epstein have forever tarnished their reputations through their enduring relationships with him.   Bill Gates continuing to communicate with Epstein for years. Noam Chomsky tendering advice to Epstein on surviving a media storm relating to his criminal charges. And of course, the greatest fall from grace outside of Epstein himself, the former Prince Andrew, disgraced, stripped of his titles, and with no realistic path back to respect.    The files may not have proved a great conspiracy, but they have been incredibly illuminating. And as I've digested the reporting and analysis, the communications of incredibly powerful people who never imagined their messages would be publicised, I've been reminded of a salient quote.   "The measure of a person's character is what they do when no one is watching." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It Was Just An Accident   In Iran, a man bumps into the man he believes to be his former torturer. However, faced with this person who fiercely denies having been his tormentor, doubt sets in.    Melania   Twenty days before the 2025 presidential inauguration, Melania Trump navigates the complexities of the White House transition as she prepares for the role of first lady once again.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes we forget about trusted old favourites in favour of the latest trend or new fancy ingredient, but can you remember your first blueberry muffin? The joy and juiciness of each bite, the fact that they’re very likely better on day two, and that buttering them will change your life. Make the most of late season blueberries this weekend.    Makes 12 regular muffins       Ingredients  2/3 cup white sugar + extra for topping   ¼ cup lightly packed brown sugar   2 medium eggs   ¾ cup plain yogurt   120g melted butter or oil   1 ¾ cups plain flour   1 generous tsp baking powder   ½ tsp sea salt   ½ tsp baking soda   1 tbsp lemon zest,    1 tsp vanilla extract   1 punnet fresh or frozen blueberries      Method  Preheat oven to 180C. Line 12 standard muffin tins with liners or baking paper or grease well with oil.   Beat sugars with eggs in a large bowl and then whisk in yoghurt and butter.   Add flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and stir to combine. Don’t over mix it. Fold in blueberries.   Divide among prepared muffin holes. Sprinkle each muffin with a decent sprinkle of sugar and bake until golden brown and baked through, 17–20 minutes.   Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before easing each muffin from the tin.     Nici's note: These freeze well.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are just one week away.   New Zealand’s presence at the Games is growing, with 17 athletes set to compete this year.  And though he won’t be competing this year, two-time Winter Olympic medallist Nico Porteous knows how they’ll be feeling.  At age 16, he won the Bronze at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, and four years later, took the Gold in Beijing.   But last year he decided to shift focus, stepping away from the Olympic-level competition.  Porteous had been in high performance and competitive environments since he was ten years old, and felt it was time for something new.  “We’re lucky that in our sport, competition isn’t everything,” he told Jack Tame.  “With the support of sponsors, we can move into different areas such as, y’know, making films and doing one off projects, so that areas has always really excited me and inspired me.”  And with two Olympic medals under his belt, a raft of other titles, and even a New Zealand Order of Merit to his name, he felt he had achieved what he wanted to on the competition side of things.   “I felt like it was the right time to step aside.”   But for those heading to the Olympics this year, Porteous does have some advice.  “Just worry about yourself and worry about your own performance,” he said.  “There’s a lot of external stuff that can sort of come into play, so I think the biggest skill that I took out of it and learned in the whole process was to just worry about what you’re doing and your process.”  “Be driven by your own process, rather than someone else’s ambitions or goals for you.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Privacy has been a big topic of discussion this week, and it got Kevin Milne and his wife Linda thinking about the old Yellow and White Pages.  There was a time where every household had their own copy, and while they haven’t been discontinued entirely, they are a lot less common nowadays.  But one notable year, some workers at Yellow Pages pulled a Banksy, and the doodle wasn’t noticed until much too late.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fifth studio album from NZ indie-rock quartet Yumi Zouma, ‘No Love Lost To Kindness’ is a turning point for the band.  In this album they made a deliberate effort to shed the soft-focus production of their previous works in favour of a heavy and more emotionally exposed feeling  ‘No Love Lost To Kindness’ was recorded in Mexico City, and tackles themes of confrontation, diagnosis, disillusionment, risk, and honesty.   Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the album.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"For Kiwis heading to Asia or onwards to Europe, Singapore can feel like the gateway to the world. But rather than just transiting at Changi Airport, breaking up long-haul flights with a restorative layover in the Lion City is one of my tried and trusted ways to minimise the insidious scourge of travel fatigue. For Kiwi families travelling with children, I strongly recommend threading a stopover on Sentosa Island into your long-haul plans to combat jetlag. It’s like a holiday within a holiday, a destination within a destination. Some of the youngest members of my wider family recently enjoyed a wondrous time on Sentosa – and it far exceeded their expectations." Read Mike's full article. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dear Debbie by Frieda McFadden   Sometimes, enough is enough…  Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction.  Or at least, she did.  These days, Debbie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie’s done being the bigger person. She’s done being reasonable and practical. It’s time to take her own advice.  And now it’s time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most.     Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven   For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it’s 1964, and the Newmans’ idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb—literally. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and the charmed luck of rock ‘n roll idol Shep may have finally run out.  Then Del—the creative motor behind the show—is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken, impassioned young reporter, to help her write the final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different perspectives about what it means to be a woman, and a family, in 1964. Can the Newmans hold it together to change television history? Or will they be canceled before they ever have the chance?  Funny, big-hearted, and deeply moving, Meet the Newmans is a rich family story about the dual lives we lead. Because even when our lives aren’t televised weekly, we all have a behind-the-scenes.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re all guilty of buying things we don’t need sometimes, but there are ways to curb that behaviour and make things a little bit more sustainable.  Kate Hall has a list of things she’s not buying in 2026, paper towels, seasonal decor, and fast fashion just a few, but instead of giving them up entirely, she’s figured out a few alternative options.  She joined Jack Tame to discuss her full list of swaps.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For one reason or another, many people don’t think about what will happen when they die. What will happen to their belongings, their money, their assets.   But in a world where blended families and complicated dynamics are becoming increasingly common, it’s becoming more and more important to ensure you have a will organised.   Ed McKnight joined Jack Tame to discuss the importance of having a will – telling a story of how the lack of one tore one family apart.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 31 January 2026, two-time Winter Olympic medallist Nico Porteous joins Jack to discuss his decision to step away from high-level competition, how Kiwi athletes will be feeling in the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and who he has his eyes on as ones to watch.  Jack considers the parental juggle.  Jack's success at growing a singular pomegranate is being celebrated! Chef Nici Wickes uses it to transform kūmara from side dish to star performer.  And Ruud Kleinpaste shares tips on growing pomegranates of your own.  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.

Growing Pomegranates is not a very popular gardening subject in New Zealand, yet, once you get into it you might be surprised what the shrub looks like and how the fruits taste when fully grown and mature.  Punica granatum is the one with red flowers that hails from the Mediterrané and Tropical and Sub-Tropical regions.  The Socotran Pomegranate hails from the Socotra Island (Yemen) and has pink flowers but less sweet fruit when it ripens.  My research tells me they grow well in warm regions, but I saw them growing well in Canterbury too, as long as the frosts aren’t too extreme.  Plant in winter…  Generally speaking, plant in a sunny spot (regular sun-light for most of the day) with a large area of well drained fertile soil of good depth (50 cm deep is a good start). Regular watering (not over-watering!) is appreciated and will allow the plant to move upwards.  Citrus fertiliser (with a decent amount of Potash in the N-P-K ration) is a great boost from springtime till autumn. Every two weeks or so will help the plant nicely.  From spring till autumn the flowers, followed by developing fruit, will absorb the food.  There are dwarf varieties (“Nana”) that are suitable to plant in large pots – they can grow to a meter long.  Often it takes three years for a plant to become habitual growers of bright-red flowers, followed by the red fruit. In some warm conditions (Northland, Auckland, coastal Hawke’s Bay, etc) the Pomegranates might take two (sometimes three) years to start delivering the fruit.  In summer, the flowers fade a bit towards an orangey look – pollinating insects will by then have done their job.  Fruit will develop in autumn or slightly later. A regular but light pruning after harvest will keep the plant in great condition for development in springtime.  Sometimes the plants show growth of “suckers” popping up beside the main trunk – when the plant is grafted, these suckers can also develop below the graft. Suckers are exactly what their name suggests, “useless suckers” that won’t develop any flowers and subsequent fruit for the future – get rid of them!  When the plant gets into the ripening phase, some sap-sucking invertebrates can do some damage: MealyBugs, Aphids, whitefly, and scale insects. Grab a Neem Oil or Conqueror Oil and smack them every fortnight.  Enjoy this fruit! Yes, it can be a bit messy, but hey! Try it out!  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.