Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Eleanor Ford has been described as a culinary detective. She’s travelled around the world seeking out the best food in more than 70 countries. Eleanor’s new book is called The Nutmeg Trail - a deep dive into the history of spice with recipes and stories exploring how centuries of spice trading and cultural diffusion changed the world's cuisine. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Time Traveller’s Wife: A science fiction drama based on the popular book by Audrey Niffeneger, about a love story between Clare and Henry that is complicated by time travel (Neon).Conversations with Friends: Based on the book by Irish author Sally Rooney (Normal People), about two Dublin college students, Frances and Bobbi, and the strange and unexpected connection they forge with married couple, Melissa and Nick (Prime Video).Lincoln Lawyer: Another show based on a book - this time the bestselling novel by Michael Connelly - and created by David E. Kelley. Idealistic lawyer Mickey Haller runs his practice out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car, taking on cases big and small across Los Angeles (Netflix).LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whilst we’re all focused on the cost of living and food prices making it harder and harder to afford any treats or luxury items, here’s a thing…home-made biscuits. They’re an absolute treat, better for you than bought biscuits, quick and easy to make and so affordable. Bran or Oat biscuits Makes 30 biscuits 110g butter, softened 1 cup regular sugar 1 egg 1 cup plain flour + extra for rolling 1 cup bran flakes or oats – process these in a food processor or blender 1 tsp baking powder Set oven at 160 C fan bake and line 1 or 2 trays with baking paper. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Stir in flour and bran/oats until it forms a ball. Halve and roll out each dough ball on a well-floured surface. Use a round cookie cutter or thin-lipped glass or cup to cut into circles. Any size you like. Transfer to the lined tray. Prick each with a fork. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Bake for 5 minutes then bang and turn the tray and bake for a further 3 -5 minutes when they should be lovely and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. These biscuits freeze exceptionally well. They can also be buttered or sandwiched together with icing for an extra treat.TOTAL COST: $2.76 for 30 biscuits (9cents per biscuit) Ginger nuts $2.90 / 10 Bran biscuits $5.50 / 12 Krispies $2.90 / 24See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nobody Has To Know Nobody Has to Know. Belgian writer, director, and actor Bouli Lanners' latest is an engrossing drama about one man's amnesia and the love story that rewrites his past. We rely on our memories to tell us the story of who we are. Phil, a robust middle-aged man suffers a stroke, causing him to lose his memory. Millie, who takes care of him, tells him falsely that they were secretly in love before his accident. The Northman From visionary director Robert Eggers comes THE NORTHMAN, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne reminisces on starring as himself in a Shortland Street episode as the show turns 30 this week.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When 73-year-old Anne Guenole died, it was national news.Every media outlet in the country did stories. Anne’s family remembered her as a quiet nana and great-grandmother who spent most of her time at home on the South Island’s beautiful West Coast. She’d been hospitalised with a suspected case of influenza.Except it wasn’t influenza. Anne was the first New Zealander to die of Covid-19.That was March, 2020. I was thinking about that moment this morning, as I reflected on how much our collective attitude have changed in the two years since.Since Anne Guenole died, more than a thousand New Zealanders have died with Covid-19. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve died of Covid-19. I appreciate the distinction. But many of those deaths were untimely, and we continue to record ten or twenty deaths a day. Where once we gasped if the daily infection numbers were in the high teens or early twenties, now we barely pay attention to daily cases in the thousands.Could you tell me to the closest thousand how many infections New Zealand recorded on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week?It’s neither good or bad. It just says something about our psychology. It’s fascinating to me how quickly we’ve switched. Given access to vaccines and an end to lockdowns and restrictions, in a sense we’ve largely moved on. Even if the virus hasn’t.It was reflected in the budget, this week. For all the budget nicknames – braindrain budget, backwards budget, climate budget – no one was calling it a Covid budget. The cost of living has overtaken the pandemic and is far-and-away the biggest concern for a majority New Zealanders. Grant Robertson’s plans were those of a finance minister and a government that feels vulnerable to criticism over their role in inflation.It’s funny to think about how politicians frame these things. For two years, many people felt the government was prioritising lives over the economy. It’s a silly binary – if we’ve learnt anything from Covid-19, it’s that economy activity and the pandemic are closely linked.But it is true that we used to take far greater steps in order to protect lives. We had a far lower tolerance for infections and death. If we’re playing the same silly binary game today, you couldn’t argue that New Zealand isn’t prioritising the economy over doing everything possible to save lives.We’ve flipped. We’ve crossed the threshold. And I have a similar nagging feeling to that in the early stages of the pandemic. We can do what we can to soften the landing but it’s still going to hurt. Unfortunately, when you look at our economic position, inflation, growth, and interest rates, we’ve been delaying the inevitable.This time it isn’t Covid cases. It’s economic pain. Unfortunately for New Zealand, the worst is still to come.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford is back with more Kiwi music to celebrate New Zealand music month. This time she's highlighting Auckland-based artist Erny Belle and her new album, Venus is Home LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has been reading The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird by Diane Connell and Reputation by Sarah Vaghan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A short hop from Brisbane or the Gold Coast will land you at Tamborine Mountain and Mike Yardley has all the secrets to make a good trip.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prince Harry is in a video released this week starring Rhys Darby, David Fane and Rena Owen. The premise is not that the destination we go to is rated on how green it is, but that we as tourists are rated on our carbon footprint whilst there. How do you rate yourself at present and how could you improve your score? Well first let’s still talk about a NZ holiday. How do we get there? I’m afraid air travel is the most carbon burning option followed by driving. Driving gets an even worse rating if you are by yourself in the car without friends and family. So a lot of people in a vehicle is a much better option which is why bus or rail comes out on top. Unfortunately, it is not so convenient in NZ …yet. I loved the train journeys I’ve had overseas. Train tracks are much less obtrusive than roads and you end up in some remarkable situations, even looking into the locals backyards at times. Fascinating insights on local culture. So, what about electric? It is possible to rent electric cars now and yes, even electric camper vans. Because of our low carbon electricity in NZ. This option wins hands down. Go online and look for these options. Get a cheap second-hand Nissan Leaf with a small range for commuting and shopping from home. They are getting very cheap because the first ones have such a short range, but that’s fine in a city where you can recharge at home or work. Then for your weekend adventures or holidays, hire. Now you have arrived at your destination, what’s next? If you have arrived by plane, and if I’m going to Queenstown from my home in Northland, I’m going to fly, then when you arrive you have the option to hire an electric car. Or take the airport bus into town and do without a car. This is where bikes start to look good. You can get part day, full day or multi days deals. And those of us you think we may not be fit enough, there are now electric bikes. Reward the accommodation providers that are making a difference. There are independent environmental accreditations or certifications, like the Toitu programme, Qualmark EnviroGold rating, or EarthCheck certification. And in any accommodation * Hang up your towels – it’s the universal sign that they don’t need to be washed and you’re happy to reuse them * Leave the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the hotel door to reduce unnecessary washing of linen, vacuuming and the use of other chemicals for cleaning * Take your own toiletries (and toothbrush) to reduce the single use of those tiny hotel bottles of gunk * Use your own plastic free water bottle not the free single-use stuff LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rust on garlic seems to have become a real pain in the last few years; not just me in CHC but right around the country, and especially in areas with high gardener-population densities…If you are surrounded by gardeners, growing onions, shallots, leeks and garlic, chances are that spores of the Allium rust are numerous in the air.That means there’s a good chance your garlic (and leeks and onions and shallots will be infected at some stage this coming spring.To avoid that from happening it might be useful to speed things up a bit and to move planting forward in autumnTraditionally garlic used to be planted on the shortest day (third week of June) and harvested around the longest day (Just before Christmas), but I’ve done some trials now for the last half a dozen years or so.Managed to bring it forward as much as 7 weeks: planting in first week of May has had the best results with the minimum of sprays (organic copper) needed; Mind you this is based on my position on the Port Hills in Christchurch.The rust is a Fungal disorder that hammers the Bulb-forming members of Allium (onion Genus group of the Family Amaryllidaceae.The fungus enters the long, soft leaves of shallots, onions and garlic and causes yellowing of the leaves, ill-thrift and sick-looking plants towards the end of the growing season, when temperatures rise in spring.The most significant diagnostic sign are the bright yellow “pustules” that form on the leaves – these pustules are easily rubbed off by your fingerPrintanor is the common old garlic variety you buy at “New World”. Often it is imported from China and treated to stop it sprouting. That means no good for planting!!Buy some planting cloves that are either organic or simply not treated.At farmers market you can sometimes purchase interesting varieties:Californian Red Turban – can grow into huge bulbs (15 cm diameter bulbs)Macedonian – strong flavour – and somewhat oilyWest Coast Miners – rather good, large cloves tooHard-neck garlic; gets little flowers/bulblets up the stem – edible as soft green salad component, in mid-springElephant garlic is actually a leek, with a swollen stem – not a garlic – very mild flavourShallots can also be planted now!Well-drained soil, shallow planting (tip just above the ground) – 15 cm spacing.Cover with ground sheep dags (KINPACK) or fine, rich compost.Keep moist –but not overly moist, because that encourages rotting.Harvest when the foliage dies down (in my case early to Mid November).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Bryan Betty chats to Jack Tame about the overuse of antibiotics going into winter. Dr Betty says the real issue is with the emergence of ‘anti-microbial’ resistance across the world. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s New Zealand music month and who other should Jack Tame speak to than Silver Scroll and Taite Music nominee, Nadia Reid.The 30-year-old has been described by The Guardian as an assured, clever and confident singer-songwriter. Luckily for us, Nadia’s currently working on her fourth studio album and has upcoming shows from Auckland to Dunedin. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tasty, simple to make and easy on the wallet – this curry has it all!Serves 4 for $15.544 boiled eggs1 medium onion, sliced or diced2 tablespoons cooking oil3 tablespoons store-bought green curry paste4 chicken drumsticks or thighs (bone in or out)2 large potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces1 teaspoon brown sugar1 cup coconut milk1 cup fresh or frozen chopped green beansCooked rice to servePapadoms or roti to serve (optional)1. Boil the eggs for 5 minutes, and for easy peeling, leave for 10 minutes in cold water before peeling.2. Gently fry onion in oil in a medium to large pot. Add curry paste and fry for 30 seconds. Push onion aside and add chicken and potatoes and fry until lightly browned. Add enough water to almost cover the chicken and potatoes, put a lid on and simmer for 20 minutes. Add sugar, peeled boiled eggs, beans and coconut milk and bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste.3. Serve with rice and papadoms or roti to serve.Budget-saving tips:· Using eggs in this curry increases the protein content without having to use more chicken ie. More satiated for less cost.· Cooking the perfect rice cuts down on waste. Here’s my method: use twice as much water to uncooked rice (2:1); salt the water well; bring to boil, stir once then leave lid on and simmer for 12 minutes and leave to stand, covered for 5 minutes.· Leftover rice can be used for fried rice which makes another great lunch or dinner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Rudkin has been watching the war drama Operation Mincemeat and an Iranian film called A Hero. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has become immersed in the Tree of the Year Awards and its finalists.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am a minimalist.I’m not afraid to admit it. Loud and proud. I’m not ashamed. Not wanting to play to gender stereotypes, I do however wonder if my apartment is decorated in the sparse way in which only a man without a family is happy to live.Truth be told, I just don’t buy stuff. I prefer to spend my money on experiences than things. If you’ve been listening to my show for a while, you’ll know it took me a year or two to even buy a couch. I had a couple of armchairs, I figured. That was plenty. After all, you can only park your butt in one place at once!Anyway, nothing brings your interior design choices under close scrutiny like a visit from the property stagers. In anticipation for maybe wanting a bit more space for kids in the future – don’t get too excited yet!! – I’ve put my apartment on the market. And knowing that my tastes aren’t everyone’s, I got the property stagers over for a bit of a zhoosh.It must be a delicate business being a property stager. Think about it. You’re brought into people’s homes to make things look a bit nicer, and the harder you work to improve a space, the more you’re inadvertently telling the client that actually they don’t have very good taste. A good eye is important. But tact, is even more so.My place is partially staged which means it wasn’t a total bombsite beforehand, but I was frankly stunned when I saw the bags of stuff the stagers were bringing in.“Yeeeeah,” said the woman in charge.“Usually we’re decluttering places, but to be honest, at your place it’s kind of the opposite.”Huh.What can I tell you?Well, apparently dried flowers are in. They really are quite beautiful actually, and given I’ve managed to nurse a nice collection of house plants, there are now more pots and vases at my place than any other point in my life.What else? Well, this is going to shock you: coffee tables are actually fantastic. I’ve not owned a coffee table for more than a decade! Turns out there’s a reason they’re popular. Sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing until it’s sitting in the middle of your living room with a TV remote and a book on Scandanavian architecture.But here’s the big takeaway for me: cushions. What the hell? I used to have two cushions. I thought that was bordering on excessive. Now, I have sixteen. Sixteen in a two bedroom apartment! I’m surprised there’s room to move! And what are you supposed to do with the cushions on your bed when it comes time to sleep? Just throw them on the ground? Is that what people do? Just chuck ‘em on the ground?Yes, for those of us whose interior choices have always tended towards the hard end of ‘less is more,’ it can be a confronting experience to have someone with taste come in and re-jig your home. The thing that shocked this minimalist the most about the dried flowers and the cushions and the coffee table?I don’t even know who I am anymore: It looks really, really good.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In celebration of New Zealand Music Month, Estelle Clifford is highlighting Kiwi artist Chelsea Jade's new album Soft Spot.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Dromgool has advice on how to agree to disagree in a relationship.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before you start pruning your roses (leave that till late June, July, August!) it might pay to go and have a look at the state of them:Are they doing well in their current position?Did they flower abundantly?What was the state of diseases during the growing season? Black spot, Downy mildew, rust?Just think about how much you’ll be pruning them in a month or two – how brutal will it be?Do some roses need to move to a different place in the garden? If so: prepare that spot now.They should have finished flowering by now and that means you can take cuttings of the ones you want to reproduce from, to either extend the rose garden or give away new plantsTools: sharp and well-maintained secateurs, dipped in bleach/disinfectant to avoid disease transmission.Select some decent, strong “canes” or branches that performed well and don’t show signs of plant disease; Always over-estimate the number of cuttings you’ll need because success rates vary from variety to varietyThe cutting can be three to four “leaf nodes” long (Leaf nodes are the points where leaves come/came from.Select some strong, pencil-thick canes and cut on an angle above the top node and make a straight cut under the bottom node. That way you can always tell “what’s up and what’s down”. It also lets the rain water run off the cutting quickly during showers, avoiding too long residual wetness on the cutting.It may pay to scrape the bottom 2 cm of the cutting with a knife (wilfully “damaging” it) to encourage the cutting to form roots quicker.Take off buds and leaves, remains of flower stalks are rose hips; you can leave the thorns on.Cuttings go into a nice sandy, course, mix with some added organic matter or potting mix. This allows water to drain out quickly so that the roots don’t get affected by rots.Yes – you could use some rooting hormone if you wish, although this is not always necessary at this time of the year – the stems are still quite able to send signals to the “wound” to grow some roots.When the cuttings are in place, keep the pots or trays moist but not overly wet. We often have them in glass house or tunnel house, out of direct sunlight; they don’t need any fertiliser until the roots are well-established 6 months later (beginning of spring);Some people plant them in garden soil too early… wait till the roots are a nicely-sized ball!Good, well-drained soil is perfect for the new roses; organic material helps to retain moisture during dry summers and it holds on to nutrition (minerals and other useful plant-assisting chemicals)To reduce plant diseases in roses it pays to space your roses well. It allows air movement to dry the plants after rainfall or “overhead” watering systems; a lot of rose diseases are transmitted through water droplets and by having rose plants wet for prolonged periods of time (prolonged infection periods!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hannah McQueen speaks to Jack Tame about HENRYs. It's an acronym coined by financial types to describe a particular sub-set of the population - High Earners, Not Rich Yet.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tech titans want to kill the passwordApple, Microsoft and Google have jointly announced their web and mobile browsers will be able to handle a new authentication method that doesn't require a password. And they want to have it live within the next year.Instead of creating a password, you'll be able to authenticate through a mobile device. It's taking the current two-factor authentication a step further because you won't need to create a password, then register for 2FA - the 2FA is your password.It'll be harder to do phishing attacks, more secure because the password is constantly changing, but not a terrible experience.Snap's dronePixy is a drone dedicated to taking photos of you while you're out and about doing fun / cool things. It will fly for up to 20 seconds to get the video, and can do that five to eight times on a single battery. You'll be able to purchase extra batteries. It's certainly not for hardcore videographers but more of a toy. But it's an expensive toy at $230. Currently it's only available in the US & France.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Staircase: Colin Firth and Toni Colette star in this true crime drama inspired by the true story of Michael Peterson, an American writer convicted of killing his wife, who was found dead at the bottom of the staircase at her home (Neon). We Own This City: Made by the team behind The Wire, gritty drama We Own This City tells the story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it (Neon). Lego Masters NZ: The New Zealand version of the colourful reality competition sees local Lego enthusiasts compete to build the best designs in this creative, family-friendly show (TVNZ 2, Mondays and Tuesdays & TVNZ OnDemand). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nici Wickes has been baking up a treat for Mother’s Day - gluten free spiced pumpkin pancakes.Makes 8–10 pancakes2 eggs¾ cup mashed roasted pumpkin4 tablespoons butter½ teaspoon each ground nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger½–¾ cup milk2 drops vanilla extract2 heaped teaspoons muscovado sugar or brown sugar½ cup gluten-free flour1½ teaspoons baking powder50g butter for fryingmaple syrup, yoghurt and crispy bacon to serveSeparate the eggs, adding the yolks to the mashed pumpkin in a large bowl.In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to a stiff peak.Melt the butter with the ground nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.Add the milk and butter to the pumpkin mix and combine using a whisk. Beat in the vanilla extract, sugar, flour and baking powder.Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. The mixture should be light and airy.Heat a heavy-based frying pan on a medium heat and melt a knob of butter.Drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the hot pan. When bubbles appear on the surface flip the pancake over and cook the other side.Keep warm under a clean tea towel until ready to serve with maple syrup, yoghurt and berries or go savoury with crispy bacon.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne remembers John Gordon and his classic TV programme, A Dog's Show. John died this week at home in Southland. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don’t you feel like you’re seeing more Teslas at the moment?I do. I feel like I see them everywhere. They’re ubiquitous. It’s not just an Auckland thing. And even though I live right next door to the Tesla showroom on Karanagahape Road, I swear that’s not it! I was in the South Island and in Wellington this week, too, and kept noticing Tesla Model 3s.I’m not crazy. I’m not seeing things. There’s been a surge in electric vehicle imports. In the year to March, the number of EVs and Hybrids imported into New Zealand doubled compared to the year before. Imports made up 7% of all passenger vehicles as consumers cashed in on the Clean Car Discount and the exemption on road user charges for EVs. The Tesla Model 3 made up almost half of pure electric sales and the value of those sales was up more than 300% year-on-year.It shows the impact of incentives, but the a new Tesla will still cost you more than 60 grand. And as the government prepares to release it’s Emissions Reduction Plan in the next few weeks, there’s an obvious cheaper option that deserves its own incentives programme.E-Bikes are so good. If you haven’t had a spin on one yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. Depending on your bike, you only have to pedal a wee bit (Or not at all) and in no time you’re travelling at 25 or 30km an hour. I’m forever being overtaken on my normal bike by people almost twice my age, speeding uphill. They’re fun! They’re fast. They’re efficient. And it’s so much better than sitting in traffic.A new e-bike costs about $2000. The Clean Car Discount knocked thousands off the price of a new EV, but no financial incentives have been in place so far for electric bikes. For middle class people in city fringe suburbs, maybe $2000 isn’t such a barrier. But not everyone has that kind of money lying around.We’ve seen what financial incentives did for Tesla sales. If we want to get more cars off the road and reduce both congestion and emissions, why not make it cheaper for Kiwis to switch to two wheels, as well?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has been reading Stepping Up by Sarah Turner and Bill Browder's newly released book, Freezing Order. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley gives Jack Tame his pick of the theme parks on the Gold Coast across the ditch. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malcolm Rands chats to Jack Tame about regenerative agriculture and how to apply it to your own backyard.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Campbell has been sipping on the Chevalier Monopole Blanc de Blancs Brut - a crowd pleasing and classy sparkling wine. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He did it and he's taking the company private.How did he do it?A lot of financing. He needs $21 billion in cash, which may explain why he sold $8.5 billion worth of Tesla stock in the past few days - reducing his ownership from 17% to 16%. What's next?Twitter shareholders will get to vote to approve the deal.What are his ideas?He wants to get rid of the spam on the platform. He also wants to authenticate all humans - which I think is a great idea. If you've proven you're a real person, you'll get a badge which I assume will be similar to the blue tick. He wants to open source the algorithm to build trust through transparency.But will it happen?If Elon decides to walk away, or can't secure the financing (especially after the Tesla stock price dipped) he'll have to pay $1 billion to Twitter, but Twitter could walk away from Elon for $1 billion if it gets a better deal from someone else.Snap's dronePixy is a drone dedicated to taking photos of you while you're out and about doing fun / cool things. It will fly for up to 20 seconds to get the video, and can do that five to eight times on a single battery. You'll be able to purchase extra batteries. It's certainly not for hardcore videographers but more of a toy. But it's an expensive toy at $230. Currently it's only available in the US & France.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1883: This prequel to the popular drama Yellowstone (available on Neon) follows the Dutton family as they flee poverty in Texas and embark on a journey through the Great Plains to seek a better future in Montana (Amazon Prime Video).Gentleman Jack: a second season of the historical drama written by Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley) and starring Suranne Jones (Vigil), about the real life figure of Anne Lister, a 19th century English LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner, and cryptic diarist (Neon)Ten Percent: An English version of the popular French comedy Call My Agent, set in a London talent agency where agents scramble to keep their star clients happy and their business afloat after the sudden death of their founder (Amazon Prime Video).LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s swapped his pirate’s hat for a corporate suit...UK actor Jack Davenport of Pirates and the Caribbean fame stars as a talent agent in the new British remake of French comedy Call My Agent. The series has been renamed 10 Percent and has just been released in the UK. Jack Davenport joins Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.