Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Quince season is upon us and this recipe offers something different from the usual quince paste. This beautifully fragrant cake is great for dessert or with a cuppa.Quince1.5L water 150g caster sugar 3 medium quinces 1 lemonCake 125g butter200g honey 125g dark muscovado sugar (can use brown sugar) 2 medium eggs 1 cup poaching syrup from the fruit250g self-raising flour 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp baking soda1. Peel the quince and halve them. Place in a pot with water, lemon juice and sugar and simmer for one hour or until soft. With a sharp knife or spoon, remove the core when they’re cool enough to handle. Slice each quince into 4 slices.2. Pre-heat your oven at 180 C. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin. Arrange the quince slices at the bottom in a single layer.3. Melt butter and stir it into the muscovado sugar and honey in a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs with 1 cup of the poaching liquid and pour these into the bowl and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix to a smooth batter. It will be a slightly runny batter but fear not! Pour over the quinces in the tin.4. Bake the cake for around 40-45 minutes.5. Serve warm with custard and cream or ice cream.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Downton Abbey: A New Era The Crawley family goes on a grand journey to the South of France to uncover the mystery of the dowager countess's newly inherited villa. White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie and Fitch Abercrombie and Fitch conquered malls in the late '90s and early '00s with gorgeous models, pulsing dance beats and a fierce scent. But their "all-American" image shattered as exclusionary marketing and hiring practices came to light. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know it must be a slow news week when tax spends so much time in the headlines. But no matter which major party finds itself in government after next year’s election, it looks increasingly likely we’ll see changes to our tax system.Even though it’s not really true, New Zealand likes to think of itself as a relatively egalitarian society. We don’t have a formalised aristocracy or thousands of years of baked in class divisions. Most New Zealanders are taxed on the expectation that the money they give shouldn’t be squandered, and that the tax they pay will be fair, relative to everyone else.If fairness is the measure, and if fairness is what the majority of voters expect, then maybe we’re about to get it. Or, at least something close. National and Labour both look likely to introduce tax policies which appeal to a sense of fairness.Let’s start with Labour. To be clear, the party hasn’t confirmed its position, but Revenue Minister David Parker is beginning to lay the ground work for tax reform that might impact the wealthiest New Zealanders. His concern is that money makes more money than labour makes money (Labout as in work, not as in the party!). Someone who is grafting away, working their arse off in two jobs, six days a week, is likely being taxed at a much higher rate for their efforts than someone who’s income comes from owning relatively unproductive assets. Tax should incentivise and reward work, especially in a country with a long-standing productivity problem.For any government, it’s a balance. And while it’s important that wealthy people are also incentivised to build and invest and develop jobs, Parker argues the balance is a bit out at the moment.Labour might look to introduce a tax which targets the very wealthiest New Zealanders. They might even do a bait-and-switch, where they give tax relief to Kiwis in the middle while targetting those at the top. If we’ve learnt anything about Labour’s tax policy, it’s that they’re terrified of doing anything unpopular. But I can’t see that being an issue, this time. Maybe taxs on the super-wealthy would lose them a few richlisters, but I doubt those people were voting for Labour in the first place. Ultimately, it would appeal to Kiwis’ sense of fairness.Then, National. As we’ve seen in the last week, Christopher Luxon is having a more challenging time selling National’s plan to scrap the top tax bracket. As the cost of living bites, it’s very hard to explain why whoever is Prime Minister needs an $18,000 tax cut while the average worker gets less than $1000 a year. It doesn’t seem fair.But National’s plan to adjust the other income tax brackets is a different story. After all, no one is complaining that we index superannuation to inflation. As the cost of living increases, it is a reasonable expectation that wages, super, benefits, and tax brackets all reflect the same shift. National could even consider going one step further than it has, by enshrining in law an automatic tax bracket adjustment to reflect inflation, every few years.No government will want to do that, because it’ll impact their revenue much more than the current system. But depending on your measure, there’s a good argument to be made indexation is only fair.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford has been listening to US indie rock musician Father John Misty and his new album, Chloe and the 20th Century.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grand, Becoming My Mother’s Daughter – Noelle McCarthy The astonishing debut memoir about mothers and daughters, drinking, birth and loss, running away and homecoming from prize-winning writer and broadcaster Noelle McCarthy. French Braid - Anne Taylor The major new novel from the beloved prize-winning author -- a brilliantly perceptive, painfully true and funny journey deep into one family's foibles, from the 1950s right up to the changed world of today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been touring around the Hurunui district in Canterbury.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Dromgool answers the question everyone wants to know - can it ever really work out with an ex-partner? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sit back, relax, and watch TV while your car drives you New rules for fully self driving cars in the UK will let the driver watch something other than the road - TV! While there aren't any cars with this capability just yet, the UK government is preparing for it. Drivers will be able to watch TV on a screen managed by the vehicle.. if the vehicle needs them to take control, the TV will need to stop - much like a seat-back screen on a plane. Using a handheld device while driving will still be illegal. These new rules are ahead of a more detailed regulatory framework expected to be in effect in 2025. The Unions are coming for Apple An Apple Store in Atlanta is going to be the first in the country to attempt to be unionized. They've collected enough signatures to be able to file for an election. Organizers say workers there have been denied a living wage, cost of living adjustments or equitable stock options. I will say, as someone who worked in an Apple Store, the benefits for retail vs corporate employees were vastly different. They have worked to close that gap over the past decade. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Very British Scandal: Claire Foy and Paul Bethany star in this drama about the real-life public divorce between the Duke and Duchess of Argyll in the 1960s, which plays out amid a media frenzy and accusations of adultery, theft, violence, drug use, forgery, and bribery (Amazon Prime Video).The First Lady: Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson star in this American drama that takes a fresh look at three turbulent times in American history, through the lens of the First Lady (Neon).Russian Doll: A second season of the delightful American comedy-drama starring Emmy-nominated actress Natasha Lyonne. She plays Nadia, a woman who gets caught in a mysterious loop as she repeatedly attends the same event and dies at the end of the night each time -- only to awaken the next day unharmed as if nothing had happened (Netflix).LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guy Cotter has stood on the summit of Everest five times, been turned back twice, and was leading an expedition in 2015 when the 7.8 earthquake struck causing widespread devastation in Nepal. The Wanaka-based Kiwi owns iconic global mountaineering company Adventure Consultants. It was forced into hibernation as the pandemic decimated the tourism industry but now, they’re back. The company is all set to for expeditions to return to the Himalayas later this year. Guy Cotter joined Jack Tame.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I hear the ads ZB is running for Downtown Abbey competition and so with this being Anzac weekend, I thought we might look at something of that era, not just the usual Anzac Day biscuit. Downtown Abbey is a worldwide TV series sensation – plus there are movies.It was the most watched television series on both ITV and PBS, and subsequently became the most successful British costume drama series since the 1981 television serial of Brideshead Revisited.By the third series, it had become one of the most widely watched television shows in the world.People became so interested in the kitchen and house management parts of the series that it resulted in Penguin re-printing an absolute classic book - Arabella Boxer’s Book of English Food.It’s a disjointed but charming collection of recipes and stories of food of the Edwardian era – the time Downtown Abby was set in.That said simplicity in the Edwardian era in a grand home was very different to the poorer classes.A quick pre-dinner drink would involve handing around 7-9 different canapes, most of them hot. (And mind the white carpet when you bite!)Dinner parties were often much bigger than Downtown shows. Hunting weekends were for 40 plus people not the 14 or so you see in Downtown.The kitchen was cooking – literally and figurativelySadly WW2 arrived so quickly- only 20 years later, that the 20 or so years of ‘Edwardian-style’ living disappeared and with the many inventions made by the advance of WW2, food after that time was forever changed.It was an era of sheer elegance in every way.Smoked Fish KedgereeThe lime and coconut give this kedgeree a truly delicious flavour.Ingredients1 onion, peeled and finely chopped2 tsp finely grated or minced ginger1 tblsp oil1 green pepper, deseeded and diced1 1/2 cups long grain rice600 grams smoked trevally fillet1 tblsp oil1 tblsp curry powder2 tsp ground coriander2 tsp ground cumin1 cup coconut cream1 tblsp freshly chopped coriander1/2 tsp finely grated lime or lemon rind2 tblsp fresh lime or lemon juice2 hard boiled eggsMethod1. Heat the first measure of oil in a large pan or saucepan and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft but not brown. Add the pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes until just tender. Add the pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes until just tender.2. Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12 minutes until tender. Rinse under hot water and drain well.3. Skin and remove any bones form fish, flake or chop roughly.4. Heat the second measure of oil, stir in curry powder, ground coriander and cumin until frothy, pour in the coconut cream, freshly chopped coriander, lime rind and juice.5. In a large saucepan, combine cooked onions and peppers, cooked rice, smoked fish and curry mixture. Heat gently stirring carefully to prevent burning. Or use a microwave proof bowl covered with plastic wrap and heat on high for 4 minutes.6. Cut the hard boiled eggs into about 8 pieces each, mix into the kedgeree. Serve immediately.Cooks TipsCoriander gives this spicy version of kedgeree a unique flavour. If you don’t have any available, use parsley. The flavour will not be the same, but it is a good alternative.Anzac BiscuitsIngredients1 cup flour1 cup sugar1 cup rolled oats1 cup desiccated coconut175 grams butter2 tablespoons golden syrup1 teaspoon vanilla essence1 teaspoon baking soda2 tablespoons boiling waterMethodPreheat the oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease 1-2 baking trays or line with baking paper.In a large bowl, sift flour with a good pinch of salt. Stir in the sugar, rolled oats and coconut and make a well in the centre.In a saucepan, melt the butter, golden syrup and vanilla...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent A cash-strapped Nicolas Cage agrees to make a paid appearance at a billionaire super fan's birthday party, but is really an informant for the CIA since the billionaire fan is a drug kingpin and gets cast in a Tarantino movie. All the Old Knives When the CIA discovers one of its agents leaked information that cost more than 100 people their lives, veteran operative Henry Pelham is assigned to root out the mole with his former lover and colleague Celia Harrison. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne chats to Jack Tame about a new empathy for people who have a cautious attitude towards Covid-19.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was always an inevitability.The moment our borders opened. The moment Kiwis no longer had to play the MIQ lottery and could be relatively sure they could get home at short notice, if they needed. The moment most other countries dropped their Covid restrictions and started actively pursuing offshore talent, of course young New Zealanders were going to leave!Wouldn’t you?! If you were a young Kiwi with itchy feet and you’d been stuck at home for two years, feeling as though your twenties or early thirties were slipping away, wouldn’t you want to make up for lost time? The pandemic has changed a lot of things, but it hasn’t changed our rangatahi’s desire to go and experience the World. That’s a good thing.From a financial perspective it’s always been attractive for young Kiwis to go offshore. Before the pandemic, my sister spent a few years teaching in Perth, Western Australia. After just four years there, with performance incentives and the currency exchange, she was earning $40,000 more than what she earns for the same job in New Zealand. 40 grand! Whether you’re a nurse, a graphic designer, or even just managing a bar, there’s a very good chance you’re going to earn more overseas than in New Zealand.But my sister still chose to move home. Perth had the cash but Aotearoa had something that Western Australia didn’t: family. And with the savings she’d earned from her job in Perth, six year sago she and her husband bought a little home and set up their lives in Nelson.And this is where the Covid years have really changed the game. Finally, I worry, the balance has shifted. If you were a talented and resourceful young New Zealander living overseas right now, why would you choose to come home when you can’t afford to live here? If she were moving back today, it would take my sister years more to save up and afford a similar home. Honestly, she might never have got there. And so why wouldn’t she just stay in Perth?Wages play a role but as always, the elephant in the room is housing. It occurs to me that many of those people moaning abut the impending brain drain are those who have benefitted most from the massive surge in asset prices. They oppose changes to housing density laws. They’d give themselves a hernia yelling at the radio if anyone dared to meaningfully reform tax settings.One of my oldest friends is visiting from Toronto at the moment. She hasn’t been home in four years. The other day I drove her around a middle-class Auckland suburb and pointed at a random house.‘How much do you think it’s worth?’ I asked.We looked up the valuation. She was out by more than a million dollars.She doesn’t want anything fancy. Something way-out would be fine. But she can’t afford anything. Again, why the hell should she come home?We shouldn’t be grappling too much with how to stop the brain drain. It’s inevitable. The horse has bolted. But we should be asking ourselves what we need to do to make sure our young people return home in the future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford has been partying away at her first live gig of the year - Kiwi artist Mousey, who's just released a new album, called My Friends. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Unexpected Spy – Tracey Walder When Tracy Walder enrolled at the University of Southern California, she never thought that one day she would offer her pink beanbag chair in the Delta Gamma house to a CIA recruiter, or that she’d fly to the Middle East under an alias identity. The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder's tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. The School for Good Mothers – Jessamine Chan In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgement lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance. Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices. She can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with Harriet, their cherubic daughter, does Frida finally attain the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has, but she is just enough. Until Frida has a very bad day. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley is all about autumn indulgence in Wānaka.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is permaculture?When we started our eco village in 1987, we also took on the practice of permaculture as the discipline around the use of land here. Permaculture was inventing in the seventies by two Australians David Holmgren and Bill Mollison. When we designed the products for ecostore back in the early nineties, permaculture was the bar we were always trying to meet There are many principles in permaculture but I will share some of my favourites that we all can use in our homes: Nature doesn’t have a handy gardener coming along fixing up things that can’t look after themselves so when you set up systems always try to have them look after themselves Being a gardener can easily become a ‘make work’ situation, so how can we get rid of some of those jobs? A classic example is that nature never tolerates bare dirt. So adding mulch not only keeps out weeds and traps moisture but as it decomposes it adds food to your plants. Another example is the zoning system permaculture uses. Zone 1 is plants you visit every day whilst through to zone 5 maybe visited annually. Thus, the herb beds should be just by the kitchen door, the salad garden also close. But in my case, the forest we have planted for future timber use is zone 5, about 20 minutes' walk away. Choose plants that really suit your local ecosystem - I like to think of this as discovering useful weeds. Silverbeet is a great example, wack it in and it almost looks after itself. The way to find these plants is to talk to your local garden clubs about what plants they have found with these qualities. When you grow a crop, the plant that is healthiest, don’t harvest but let it go to seed and plant these seeds next year. After a few years of using this technique, you will have developed your own variety that loves the local ecosystem where you live. When I arrived at the land where we founded the eco village it was covered in kikuyu grass. Very virulent and a terrible neighbour for vege garden or young trees. Everyone said to use roundup, which I wasn’t prepared to do. Now grass is one of the world's only monocultures as it has many ways of driving out competitors including poisoning them and taking away their moisture. In fact, I never use grass in an orchard situation for these reasons and end up with unstressed disease-free trees. But the grasses have an ancient enemy. The pioneer tree which has evolved just to get into grass, grow tall, then shade out the grass so others trees can then come in. In NZ this is the Manuka and Kanuka. The bane of grass farmers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Preventing Leafcurl on stonefruit It’s extraordinary how many people ring our talk-back programme in spring and summer to raise the problem of leafcurl on stone fruit. And the answer will always be: “You’re too late!” Taphrina deformans is the fungus that causes this leafcurl. The disease becomes active at bud-break: when the leaves and flowers come out of the buds in spring. The spores of Taphrina deformans are already settled on those buds, making infection quite easy. Once the leaves are infected in spring, they become distorted and discoloured (pretty yellow and orange colouration); when infestations are serious the number of leaves that drop off can be substantial, causing a reduction in photosynthesis and hence the ability of the tree to “feed itself”. In spring, with young, infected leaves (which are soft and delicate) there is no point in spraying with copper fungicides as that will burn those leaves quite badly. Best thing to do is to remove and get rid of infected leaves as much as you can – especially fallen leaves. “Getting rid of them” does not mean COMPOSTING them!! Fertilising the tree in spring allows it to make new leaves and get some resistance to infection, especially when you use Seaweed Tea and such marine-originated liquid fertilisers. During the period when fruits grow and expand, check for fallen leaves that show signs of leafcurl, and get rid of them. REMEMBER “Getting rid of them” does not mean COMPOSTING them!! Autumn is the time to start controlling leafcurl on stonefruit for the next fruiting season: Around mid April, when the leaves are falling off the deciduous stone fruit trees, the new buds for the next season are formed. Taphrina deformans will then be invading those new buds and overwinter on those buds to infect the trees again in spring; First thing to do is to remove all fallen leaves from under the trees. That reduces infection chances. Next thing is to spray a double dose of copper spray (copper oxychloride, liquid copper, or copper-sulphur mixtures, available form garden centres) on the remaining leaves and on the branches/twigs of the tree. Don’t worry about “burning the rest of the leaves off: they were going to fall anyway. Use a “sticker” if you can to increase coverage and stickability Do this again a few weeks or a month later and ensure good coverage of all parts of the tree. Some people use Lime sulphur; that’s OK too as a winter clean-up; seeing the trees are getting to dormancy this Lime Sulphur won’t harm the leaves either; but I think that lime may not be a great material for apricots as it has the ability to raise the pH levels. A last smack of Copper spray before budburst should “mop up” the last surviving spores before the flowering and fruiting season begins again.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hannah McQueen gives her perspective on hiking interest rates following a life in the OCR this week.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Elon Musk now wants the rest of Twitter now? What a bizarre two weeks it has been. After buying 9% of the company, being offered a seat on the board, then declining it, Elon Musk now made an unsolicited offer to buy Twitter for $43 billion. Boy, did people freak out. There are also questions about how he would finance such a deal... would it go on Tesla stock margin? But... Twitter is now saying not so fast! Just today it's filed with the SEC to change its shareholder rights plan to prevent that from happening. Now if 'someone' in the next year was to try and takeover the company they can flood the market with shares to make it much more difficult to purchase.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The North Water: Set in 1859, this BBC drama follows a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up as ship's doctor on a whaling trip to the Arctic, where he meets a harpooner whose amorality has been shaped to fit the harshness of his world (Rialto). Anatomy of a Scandal: Sienna Miller and Rupert Friend star in this new Netflix drama about the wife of a British politician, who’s privileged life unravels when scandalous secrets emerge and he is accused of a shocking crime (Netflix)Old Enough: This Japanese series might be a few years old, but it’s new to Netflix and an absolute delight. The show sends pre-schoolers on grown-up errands by themselves, and films the results (Netflix).LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Honnold doesn’t experience fear like the rest of us. The free solo climbing legend shot to fame following the first ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite with no ropes. His latest project is called The Last Tepui. It follows Alex and a world-class climbing team deep into the Amazon jungle on a first-ascent climb up a 1000-foot sheer cliff. Along for the ride is biologist Bruce Means who’s on a mission to discover new species in a relatively untouched part of the world. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Rudkin has been watching films that are part of the upcoming Volvo Scandi Film Fest.Diana’s Wedding Diana’s Wedding is a romantic comedy about a girl observing her parents’ turbulent marriage and dealing with how their relationship has affected her own ability, as an adult, to love, or be loved. July 29, 1981. Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of Wales, at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. On that same day, Liv and Terje are celebrating their wedding too. In a pram lies their daughter, Diana, who like her famous namesake, has a chaotic life ahead of her. The Burning Sea In 1969, the Norwegian government announces their discovery of one of the world’s largest oil fields in the neighboring North Sea, launching a prosperous period of offshore drilling. 50 years later, the environmental consequences begin to manifest – a crack has opened on the ocean floor, causing a rig to collapse. A team of researchers, including submarine operator Sofia, rushes in to search for the missing and assess the cause of the damage, but what they discover is that this is just the start of a possible apocalyptic catastrophe. As rigs are evacuated, Sofia's loving companion Stian becomes trapped in the depths of the sea, and Sofia must dive in to rescue him. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne chats to Jack Tame about a message he's received from a young Ukrainian woman he met when filming Intrepid Journey in Ukraine in 2009. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the last five years I’ve lived in an apartment on the Karangahape Ridge, with amazing views across central Auckland.I’m very lucky. If I look North on a good day, I can see Tiritiri Matangi Island and even Hauturu Little Barrier. South is Maungawhau Mt Eden. South West is Eden Park. And dominating my view from the 16th floor is a view right down the guts of K Road.There’s always something happening on Karangahape Road. I can see the beautiful people walking their designer dogs or alfresco-ing in the afternoon sun. I can see people driving off in their new vehicles at the Tesla showroom. I can see drunks stumbling about on a Friday night, homeless people chatting to each other, and the clientele at both of the Peaches and Cream stores (It’s not who you might expect).I’m also afforded a unique view of the traffic.Over the last five years, Karangahape Road has changed. They’ve introduced partial bus lanes. They’ve built bike lanes in both directions. They’ve restricted parking. And watching on from the 16th floor, the effects on the traffic don’t take a PHD to decode. They’re obvious.Firstly - and this isn’t rocket science!! - buses are far and away the most efficient way to transport a lot of people in the city. When the traffic snarls and slows to a painful crawl, as it often does, I stare down at the cars as they sit there idling. One bus has ten or twelve times the capacity of a single sedan or hatchback. When it can use the K Road bus lane, it immediately overtakes the idling vehicles as they wait. Easy.Secondly, more often than not, the fastest way down K Road is on a bike. I often ride mine along the cycle path and stop at a few places on the way. If there’s bad traffic, in the time it takes a crawling car to travel from the Ponsonby Road intersection to Pitt Street, I can dismount my bike to collect a coffee and a heated cinnamon scroll and still beat them there. Happy Days.My third observation from on high, is that parking spaces are an excellent way to shut down an entire lane of traffic. It’s crazy. It’s so inefficient. K Road has clearways between certain hours, which open up the traffic to two lanes in both directions. When the clearways aren’t in place, in order for a handful of cars to park, the entire road has a lane restricted, and the traffic often snarls. At 2am on a Wednesday it’s not an issue. But at busier times, it often means cars are bumper to bumper for the length of K Road. It’s madness. The convenience of a few is prioritised over the convenience of hundreds or thousands more.Why am I telling you this? It’s not because I want to spend my long weekend wading through your hate mail. I know how transport changes get people going. Auckland is proposing changes to onstreet parking to some of its roads and from some of the initial feedback, you’d worry the World was ending. This is something all of cities have to consider, but even though the changes concern about 3.25% of roads in Auckland, they’re already facing stern opposition.Smarter lane usage in busy areas is such an obvious, cheap solution to the challenges faced by growing cities in a warmer climate. As our population increases, congestion and productivity and won’t improve unless we move people more efficiently.Maybe you can’t ride a bike. Maybe you have cargo and the bus is too awkward. Fine. They’re not banning cars. They’re not banning carpark buildings. You can still drive, find a spot, pay for the time, and walk a few minutes to your destination.The irony of the transport debate is that the loudest critics of bus lanes, cycle paths, and reduced street parking, are those who will actually benefit the most from the changes. If you are absolutely determined to remain glued to your steering wheel for every journey in the coming decades, it’s in your interests for councils and transport authorities to reduce congestion. Take it from the view on the 16th floor. Get with the times.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a new travel era dawns, it's going to take time for some Kiwis to confidently find their travel feet again. Mike Yardley shares his tips to get back into the swing of travel. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steve Dromgool shares his advice about coming home and switching off from work and into family life. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People who are not familiar with the Science of naming bugs, plants, animals etc usually give creatures an (often random) “common name”.“Daddy Longlegs” is used in NZ for three different critters that are found all over the country and frequently encountered; all they have in common is rather long legs, but they belong to totally different animal groups. At this time of the year they are quite common in and around our homes.1) The Daddy Longlegs spiderSitting right up there near the ceiling and often in the corner of the corridor, the lounge, or… the bedroom; “EEEEKK!”I reckon it’s the most vacuumed invertebrate in New Zealand.Scientists call them “Pholcids” (after the Family name to which these spiders belong); also knows as cellar spiders, because they originally were found to live in cellars and such cave-like spaces where it is damp and dark. A good place to create a website to catch all sorts of flying insects for food. Their job is to function as predators, keeping insect populations “in check”When Homo sapiens (humans) came along we built our house in their territory and the spiders simply said “thank you” and moved in with us; they catch flies, moths and mosquitoes in their web. They’re on call 24/7 and far more efficient than those chemical-emitting aerosol cans on a timer-system.These spiders do a few really remarkable things: when the web is disturbed they gyrate their bodies very fast around and around, to put off the web-intruding creature. They make their webs very visible!!And… a female Pholcid wraps her dozen or so eggs with one single strand of silk and keeps that wrapped parcel in her mouth until the babies hatch – real maternal commitment!! She does not feed herself at all during this time.2) The Daddy Longlegs FlySiting on the external wall of your house – sometimes inside as well (open windows, lights on, attracting these large flies inside!)They are big flies with a wingspan of over an inch. Three body segments (head, thorax, abdomen) long legs and long transparent wings; it all looks a bit fragile…Scientists call them Tipulids or “crane flies”. Because they are true insects, they have a life-cycle that involves a complete metamorphosis: egg, larva (maggot), pupa (“chrysalis”) and finally: the adult, winged fly. Flies have only two functional wings (most other insects have four wings).They have evolved with their hindwings (halteres) shaped like a stalked “counterweight” that gyrates when they fly. It gives them great stability when they fly (a little bit like the tail rotor of a helicopter). When a crane fly sits still on the wall you can see the two halteres clearly.Adult crane flies often eat nectar (and could be pollinators of flowers); the larvae (maggots known as leatherjackets) usually eat rotting plant material (even dead wood!) and are therefore useful recyclers.3) Daddy Longlegs HarvestmanHarvestman may look superficially like a spider (it has 8 legs!), but is quite different (it has one body segment (spiders have two) and usually just 2 eyes, often set on a raised mound on their back (spiders 6 to 8 eyes on the front section of their body)They tend to move across your lawn and through the vegetable garden or in the forests. In New Zealand we have about 30 species that are endemic to New Zealand and 2 “exotics” from Europe. One of those is the “most typical” harvestman Phalagium opilio. Scientists call harvestmans therefore “Opiliones”.They do a great job in your garden: Harvestman is a predator, eating soft-bodied insects and often plant pests such as aphids and small caterpillars and even the eggs of pests, such as white butterfly eggs. They hunt at nightOne of the cool features of these harvestmans is the fact that their second pair of legs is a lot longer than all the other legs. These legs carry some sensitive organs which help the harvestman “navigate” through your garden;...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Campbell shares his pick of the week: Allan Scott 2021 Stellenbosch Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk buys 9% of Twitter and has made a billion dollars alreadyMonday he announced he had quietly started buying 73 million shares of Twitter spending around $2.6 billion.Tuesday he got a seat on the board.Wednesday his position was worth $3.7 billion. Wild.According to reporting from The Washington Post, employees are freaking out. They're concerned that the company’s culture will change and it will be harder for them to do their jobs. These companies are always worried about how "the street" will receive their product updates, but it won't be fun having such a vocal investor. To try and calm employees, Elon will host an AMA (ask me anything) - hopefully someone records it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Outlaws: A British comedy thriller starring Stephen Merchant and Christopher Walken, about a seven strangers thrown together to complete a community service sentence who get dragged into a dangerous world of organised crime (Amazon Prime Video) The Split: A new season of the British drama about The Defoes, a family of female divorce lawyers, who are forced to face their past following the return of their estranged father after a 30 year absence (TVNZ OnDemand) Our Great National Parks: Barack Obama narrates this new documentary series about the world's most breathtaking national parks and the wildlife that live there (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

75-year-old Ruth Shaw has lived an incredible life - sailing in the Pacific and taking on pirates to suffering heartbreaking losses. She's since settled in remote Manapouri in Foirdland, where she runs three tiny bookshops. Ruth's been convinced to write her memoir and joins Jack Tame to chat more about her adventures. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Try one of these muffins, warm from the oven, and you will swoon I guarantee it! They are so evocative of an Easter bun, with the spices and currants, and then the surprise of a caramel egg in the centre is just pure genius! They’re a real Easter treat.Makes 12 regular muffins100g butter2 heaped tbsps golden syrup3/4 cup caster sugar1 cup plain yoghurt2 eggs2 cups flour1 ½ tsp baking soda1 ½ tsp cinnamon2 tsps mixed spiceZest of an orange1 cup currants12 little chocolate caramello Easter eggs, about the size of an apricot stone.1. Preheat the oven to 180 C fan bake. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin well.2. Gently heat the butter and syrup just until the butter has melted then mix in the sugar followed by the yoghurt and egg and beat until well mixed. Lightly stir in the dry ingredients including the zest and currants. Don’t over mix, just until combined.3. Spoon batter to ¾ fill into muffin holes and on each gently place an Easter egg, pressing it to submerge slightly. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until they spring back when touched.4. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin. Enjoy.TipBe a little careful and don’t eat these as soon as they come out of the oven as the lovely gooey centre is very hot!!LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers. Everything Everywhere All At Once When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a Wellington restaurateur in the headlines recently about tracking down a customer who had been overcharged by $8 and wanting to refund her, Kevin Milne reflects on his own similar story.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The creeping pink line still fills me with dread.Every time I watch it, the viscous juice from the depths of my nasal cavity soaking up the paper, I feel a little panic as it passes the ‘T’.Is that a line? Even just a faint one? I’ll catch my breath. The liquid would soak up a few more millimetres.Kau. Karekau. Nope. No line. Nothing. Nada.When the history of this pandemic is settled and sorted, and the virus has been comprehensively studied, examined, sequenced, plotted, I’m tempted to imagine scientists facing one last great mystery: How the hell did Jack Tame not catch Covid?Honeslty, no one’s more suprised than me. Since the start of the Omicron wave in New Zealand, I have been on more than a dozen flights. I’ve travelled internationally. I’ve MC’d two funerals, which, despite Covid restrictions, are the sort of huggy-and-criey environments where people end up getting closer than they should if pandemic management is the only concern.I’ve been in two workplaces. And although the people who sit literally right next to me in the office have caught Covid, I haven’t. I’ve done more than my share of eating in restaurants. I’ve had regular, close contact with young school children. I’ve been worn down and emotionally beat, but every morning I wake up, surprised to find myself fit and ready to fight another day.It almost doesn’t seem real. I’ve done more than thirty RATs and so far, the results of every single test has been the same. One line. Not even a flirtation with a second. No Covid detected.If you’re the same as me, you’ll probably know there are plenty of scientific reasons as to why we may have avoided the virus. I’m vaccinated and boosted; that helps. But maybe we’ve had it and just never experienced symptoms. Maybe our immune systems are better suited to fighting the virus. Maybe we’ve hit a genetic lottery. Maybe our mask wearing and hand washing is par excellence.Speaking for myself, I have another theory. I think I’ve just been lucky. Although I wear an N-95 every single day, I still have clumsy moments.The numbers are dropping. Restrictions are likely to be eased. And it’s tempting, right? It’s tempting to relax. Maybe it’s even tempting to feel a little smug. I won’t be doing that – especially with the Easter holiday just around the corner. Because surely nothing tempts fate or the Pandemic Gods like writing an nationwide editorial about not catching a highly-infectious virus.According to the Ministry of Health, 672293 New Zealanders have tested now positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. Of course, the true number of infections is likely to be much, much higher.If you’re like me and you still haven’t seen the line next to the ‘T’, don’t drop your guard now. Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Maybe we haven’t got Covid. Good for us! But we shouldn’t get complacent, either.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford has been spinning Unlimited Love by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers - their brand new album and first with guitarist John Frusciante since he left the band in 2009.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake and an incredible autobiography from Saudi Arabian woman Rahaf Mohammed, called Rebel.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been hitting the road around Wanaka and shares his travel tips. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is wrong with meat?There are health issues with eating too much, especially processed meat but today we are talking about the eco and humane side of meat eating.So, what's the problem?Deforestation to make room for mainly beef farming is a global issue.Then factory farming , and yes even some cows in NZ can be fed indoors, using off farm grains and even orangutang jungle destruction palm oil by products. Palm kernel expeller. This is a very inefficient use of land compared to feeding these plants grown straight to us as food.Fossil fuels used for transportation, farm equipment, building, maintenance and heating the factory farms add to the eco burden. Methane emissions from the animals, especially cows, which is a very potent climate gas.And for factory farming the inhumane treatment of the chickens, pigs and now cows trapped in small pens living in their own filth. If you have ever raised your own stock and poultry, you know what a tragedy this is for these amazing animals.You have choices. Do nothing, buy only free range, choose only organic and regeneratively produced meat, go vegetarian or vegan or just reduce your current meat consumption. Probably some combination of these is practical for most of us.Our family eats some meat and here are some of the tips we use to reduce meat consumption.Don’t make meat the main event. It can be the side dish with more emphasis on the starch and vegetables.Beans and lentils are just so healthy. And so affordable. It’s really just about the recipes. Maybe time to buy that vegan cookbook or search online. Funnily enough, I know my usual recipes are a bit old-fashioned and could have been cooked by my Mum and definitely feature meat. Melanie is our plant-based cooking wonder but I’m getting better. It just needs to become easoer, then a habit.Maybe start once a week with a meat free day. Then add more days.Stews, soups and casseroles are easy to make and then just reduce the percentage of meat in them.Eat more whole foods. Brown rice, baked potatoes with their skins on, same with fruit eat the skin too . More nuts and seeds. The extra fibre in these helps stave off hunger pangs and we all know the health benefits of whole food.Have a weekly food plan. If it’s 5pm and you suddenly need a meal, then you will revert to the old tried and true.Don’t think of this as losing meat but what new delicious meals you are about to discover.I personally think the right regeneratively raised animal proteins can have a positive impact on climate change by trapping more carbon in the soil. And the animals are encouraged to behave like they used to in the wild so are much happier. Unfortunately not many farmers have adapted these practices as yet. But the reward will be guilt free meals when you do include this type of meat.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Bryan Betty says overseas research has shown a slight upswing in numbers of shingles cases two to three weeks after Covid-19.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mid-autumn – weather going “backwards” – moisture back in the soil, shorter days, longer nights, but still good warmth in the soil, which helps seed germination and plant establishment.Perpetual spinach or silverbeet will feed you for most of the winter; beetroot is a good winter crop too as is carrots. If you are in a warmer zone: sow now while the warmth is still in that lovely, friable soil. If you are in a cooler climate zone it might pay to get some seedlings and take advantage of that head-start. (Not seedlings of carrots, of course, as they don’t really transplant well at all)This is my time to plant broccoli, spring onions seedlings and lettuce (Cos works well for me); To get that head-start I will buy seedlings and keep them in their containers for a few days, outside on the deck, to “harden them off”, before planting.That reduces the shock after transplant.Broad beans can be sown too. They’ll even germinate at close to 0˚C! Good vertical plants that take not too much space and will keep on providing those pods. Need sturdy climbing frame.Soak seeds overnight in waterDepth around 3-4 cmMake the soil nice and friableSome slow-release fertiliser – just a little, please!Some broad bean varieties have lovely red flowers – pretty stuff as well as foodNON-EDIBLESTulip bulbs are getting to the “plantable” stage at this time of the year.They grow well in South island with very cool winters – up north they need winter chilling. In mild climates it pays to plant even later in the year – say: June)Narcissus is the spring bulb for planting NOW in the garden.Wait a little bit longer if you want to grow them in large pots: The soil temperatures will initially stay a bit higher in pots and speed things up too early.For most bulb species it is important to create some area with good soil that is light and “friable” with compost and some slow release fertiliser in it. If you want to mulch the soil, ensure it is not too heavy, so the flower stems can get through the mulch.Great bulb outlets: Bulbs direct/Garden Post/NZBulbs/Fiesta Bulbs/Hadstock Farm in SpringstonLISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dyson's releasing an air purifying headset The Dyson Zone is not an April Fools Joke - you'll be able to wear a headset with a mouth covering to purify the air around you. Noise cancelling headphones reduce the noise pollution, and contain small filters and air compressors to then send the air down in front of your nose and mouth via a mask. That mask sits just in front of your face, but can be swapped out for one that fully encompasses your face. There is absolutely no hiding that you're wearing it! Display your NFTs on your Samsung TV Samsung has announced a partnership with an NFT marketplace to display your art on your TV. I'm not sure how this is more than the ability to upload an image to your Frame TV.. but maybe there'll be more in the future including the buying and selling from your TV? Samsung says the TV will "optimize the settings for a faithful rendering of the artist’s intention". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slow Horses: Starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, this spy drama follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes (Apple TV+).Julia: Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley, Coronation St) stars in this HBO Max drama inspired by Julia Child's extraordinary life and her show The French Chef, which essentially invented food television (Prime, from April 7).Screw: a British drama series about the shocking and often darkly funny job of working as a prison officer in an all-male prison in 21st century Britain (TVNZ OnDemand).LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turn up the volume to Kenyan-Kiwi artist Muroki’s tunes and you would be forgiven for thinking it’s summer all year round. The 20-year-old was the first to be signed to BENEE’s label Olive in 2020 and has had a whirlwind two years since. He’s currently across the ditch headlining his own shows as well as supporting BENEE and has just released a new single called Find Me. Jack Tame catches up with him in Australia. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writing with Fire - Oscar-nominated documentary. In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Chief reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful. The Duke - In 1961, a 60-year-old taxi driver steals Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. He sends ransom notes saying that he will return the painting if the government invests more in care for the elderly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford has been listening to Kiwi artist Aldous Harding's new album, Warm Chris. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been drinking wine and eating up a storm in Canterbury's Hurunui District. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Language of Food – Annabel Abbs Eliza Acton, despite having never before boiled an egg, became one of the world’s most successful cookery writers, revolutionizing cooking and cookbooks around the world. Her story is fascinating, uplifting and truly inspiring. Told in alternate voices by the award-winning author of The Joyce Girl, and with recipes that leap to life from the page, The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs is the most thought-provoking and page-turning historical novel you’ll read this year, exploring the enduring struggle for female freedom, the power of female friendship, the creativity and quiet joy of cooking and the poetry of food, all while bringing Eliza Action out of the archives and back into the public eye. The Tricky Art of Forgiveness – Meredith Jaffe After thirty years of marriage, can there be any secrets left? The charming new novel from the author of The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison Diana Forsyth is in the midst of planning the Big Party, a combined celebration of her husband Will's 60th and their 30th wedding anniversary. The whole family is flying in and unbeknownst to Will, Diana is planning a Big Surprise. But then she finds a torn scrap of paper hidden inside the folds of one of his cashmere sweaters, with the words, I forgive you. And all of a sudden, Diana realises she's not the only one keeping Big Secrets. As empty nesters who have just downsized from the family home, she and Will are supposed to be embracing a new promise of glorious freedom - not revisiting a past that Diana has worked very hard to leave behind. A witty, poignant and insightful exploration of marriage: the choices we make - or don't make, the resentments we hold, the lies we tell and what forgiveness really means. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.