Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Movie director Chloe Zhao has a huge year ahead. She’s the hot pick for the directing Oscar for her new film Nomadland, which stars Frances McDormand. It was first movie to win the top prizes at this year’s Toronto and Venice film festivals. If she did take the Oscar, she’d be only the second woman ever to take best director. On a completely different track, Chloe has also directed new Marvel film, Eternals. As one critic put it ‘Acclaimed festival darling sails into the big-budget arms of Marvel Studios.” She's been talking to Jack Tame. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weezer has a new album out, OK Human, and Estelle Cliffords been taking a listen. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Free-form potato & courgette pie What to do with all those courgettes that keep threatening to turn into marrows? Make this, you’ll love it! Serves 2-4 1-2 potatoes, sliced thinly 2-3 courgettes, sliced thinly 1/3 cup plain flour 1/3 cup grated parmesan 1 tsp sea salt ½ tsp black or white pepper Pinch chilli flakes Big bunch basil leaves Splash of olive oil Heat oven to 190 C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.In a big bowl, mix potato, courgette, flour, cheese and salt, pepper and chilli flakes until vegetables are well coated in flour. Drizzle over some oil. Pile half ingredients onto tray in a big circle, top with torn basil leaves (reserve some of scattering over once cooked), then add remaining potato/courgette mixture. Drizzle over bit more oil. It will settle down into itself as it bakes. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and crispy on the edges and potatoes are cooked through. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before scattering with basil leaves then slicing or scooping up portions. It’s also just as great served cold so an leftovers will be welcome. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been taking a mini-break in Murchison. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rumors are flying that Apple is building a car According to reports they've been talking to manufacturers about some kind of partnership. Bloomberg says Kia and Hyundai were in conversation with Apple, but those talks have now paused. These aren't new rumors - they apparently started working on a car in 2015 but have never confirmed or denied that. I don't see the upside for a car manufacturer. Apple is going to want epic control over every detail and you'll be stretched to the limit to produce enough cars to meet demand. Apple isn't known to be very good at sharing either so their partner isn't likely to get access to their tech. Instagram is losing in its battle with TiktokThey have a problem.. they desperately want to be TikTok - the product - but don't want to be featuring TikTok content. That's most of what Reels is right now.. recycled TikToks, complete with the TT watermark on it. Instagram now says that any TikTok watermarked content will be downgraded in their recommendation engine to promote people who are making content natively on Reels. Miss going to a bar? There's an app for that In the USA bars have been closed for about 11 months now and they're dearly missed. People are getting creative in their social distancing time and made an app to transport you to your favourite spot. imissmybar.com allows you to control the sounds of people talking, the ambience of the room, the street noise, the clinks and stirring of the bartender working away.You can flick on some music too.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's on an unusual mailing list .... and it's made him think he might be in the market for a new hobby.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday, the Māori Affairs select committee will consider changes to the laws around Māori wards on local councils, and it seems extremely unlikely at this stage the new proposal won’t be supported and passed into law. If so, it’ll mean any local councils that establish Māori wards won’t be able to scrap them for at least two elections. At just two days, the submission period for the law change was unreasonably short. But given how few people care enough about local body politics to actually vote in local body elections, it seems extraordinary there’s much opposition to the law change, except of course this issue involves something Māori, and the perception for some people that Māori might be getting special treatment.Of course, both of those points are 100% right. The issue does concern Māori, and Māori don’t just deserve special treatment but are contractually guaranteed a form of special treatment under the Treaty. Martin van Beynan wrote a really thoughtful piece last week in which he asserted that New Zealand is in the midst of a period of profound change. At the centre of the change is the role of Māori governance and leadership in New Zealand’s day-to-day affairs. I won’t read you the whole piece, but I think Martin’s absolutely right. Sometimes it can be hard to recognise the significance of a moment when you’re in the middle of it, but chalk up Monday’s select committee hearing as another little sign. We are in a moment of sorts.We’re fortunate, I think, to live in a country that has been relatively assertive in at least trying to acknowledge and correct some of the wrongs of the past. I speak as both a New Zealand and an Australian citizen: when I compare the two, I'm proud that New Zealand is much more mature in recognising the complexity of its own history.The Treaty settlement process is imperfect, but it’s an earnest effort that I think benefits a majority of New Zealanders, Māori, and Pākeha alike. And more and more we are experimenting and embracing forms of Māori sovereignty in miniature. Take Whānau Ora, for example: A programme promoting Māori health solutions for Māori families established by the last National government and supported and funded by the current one. Rangatahi courts work like youth courts in a way, except sessions are held on local marae and follow Māori cultural processes. And honestly, has any Pākeha New Zealander’s life been drastically and disasterously affected by the establishment of Māori seats in parliament? Of course not.I have little doubt the next head of Oranga Tamariki will be Māori, and increasingly those agencies responsible for some of our worst societal problems will seek to find Māori-led solutions for Māori.Of course, there will be scrutiny of this leadership. There should be scrutiny. Māori leadership, like all leadership, deserves scrutiny.But non-Māori have nothing to fear. Māori are not taking over. They are not climbing in our collective bathroom window. Changing the law around Māori wards in local body councils won’t even guarantee that every council will establish the wards. It’ll merely remove an obviously-discriminatory provision.This is a good thing. It speaks to our values. It's a sign of a maturing country.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Foo Fighters have released a new album, Medicine at Midnight. Estelle Clifford has been taking a listen. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steven Dromgool has some tips on how to stop a fight before it's even started. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has been reading The Terminal List by Jack Carr, and Girl A by Abigail Dean. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Planting for autumn I know, I know … it’s still summer. But now is the time to think of autumn onwards. It’s the perfect time to sow a heap of wild-flowers. Honestly, it’s always brilliant to get that major flush of colour when days are getting shorter and temperatures make you reach for the firewood in the wood shed. There are many suppliers of wildflower mixes in NZ: Wildflower World (Tauranga), Kings Seeds (Katikati), Yates, Egmont, Mr Fothergills. Take your pick! They tend contain a wide range of really pretty flower species: Calendula, larkspur, cornflower, eschscholtzia, nigella, poppy, anagalis, cynoglossum, stock, reseda, gypsophila, and cosmos. Some will flower in autumn, some might pop up in early spring. Soil temps of 15 degrees or more are ideal for germination. Wildflower sowing is optimal when you would re-sow lawns – they have similar requirements. Make sure the patch is weed-free as much as possible: then the wildflowers take over and shade the weeds out. Some light cultivation (especially on a hot autumn day) will expose the second-growth weeds – they’ll wilt and die. Water regularly; wild flowers love moisture! Especially in the first 6 weeks. If you want to go for a more “monotone” look, the following flowering plants need sowing in the next few weeks: asters and ageratums, stock, verbena, scabiosa, Californian poppies, marigolds and phlox, dianthus and daisies. What you really do with all these flowers is provide huge patches of pollen and nectar for our pollinators and our Parasitoid Wasps who will do some gratis pest control in your garden. Edibles and Herbs Now is also the time the time to sow your last Coriander and Basil before winter – cooler temps: not much bolting! It’s still good for french beans and carrots. Lettuce, Spinach, perpetual spinach, radishes, spring onions – the usual suspects. And for the winter season… think of cabbage groups (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) in the next month or so. I reckon it pays to really think ahead by a few months for vegie gardens! While you have the warm soil, get the seeds to germinate, so you’re not struggling when it gets cooler. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Medsafe conditionally approved the Pfizer vaccine for use in New Zealand. But there are lots of people who still have conerns about getting the jab. Jack Tame has been clearing these up with Dr Bryan Betty, who's the Medical Director for the College of GPs and on the Covid-19 advisory committee. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos is stepping down from CEO After 27 years, he'll step into the role of Executive Chairman and focusing his time on his charitable funds, space exploration company Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and his other passions - whatever those are. Andy Jassy, the current CEO of AWS, will be the new CEO. Currently AWS is 60% of Amazon's profit. Jassy has been with Amazon since 1997 after completing his MBA. It seems the markets approve of the change because the stock price is up on last week's close. Bezos will still hold around 10% of the company so don't expect him to stop having an interest in what's next for Amazon! Uber's getting into the booze business They've scooped up alcohol delivery platform Drizly which connects liquor stores to delivery people. They'll be folding it into their Uber Eats app. Haven't heard any plans for adding this to their NZ service just yet though. Uber has been more pragmatic lately - in the past year shutting down its flying taxi and autonomous car division and instead focusing on delivery in the present. Microsoft is leaning into the future of remote work It's launching a new platform called Viva - aiming to be the hub for the 'employee experience'. Think of it as an intranet with policies, company information, contact information and more mixed with Microsoft Teams and an internal community. It'll also have a learning hub with resources from LinkedIn Leaning. For managers, it'll also have insights to track employee performance so they can "see if their team is at risk of burnout and provide recommendations like encouraging your team to turn off notifications, set boundaries in their calendar, and set daily priorities to focus on what matters most". It seems like they're trying to breathe new life into their Sharepoint business, while also taking on Facebook Workplace. GameStop has come back to reality It's currently trading at under $60. Eeeek. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screentime Queen Tara Ward has some TV picks for the long weekend. Firefly Lane: Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke star in this sentimental drama about the lives of two very different women bonded by a friendship lasting three decades (Netflix) Soulmates: This anthology series takes place 15 years in the future, when science makes a discovery that changes the lives of everyone on the planet - a test to show who your soulmate really is. (Amazon Prime Video, from Monday) Holey Moly: Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Holey Moly takes self-proclaimed mini-golf lovers from around the country and puts them head-to-head through an epic obstacle course. In each episode, contestants put their miniature golf -- and physical -- skills to the test and face off in never-before-seen challenges on a supersized miniature golf course (Three, from Monday). LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne can't work out how legendary NHS supporter Sir Tom Moore was allowed to get covid. Sir Tom became well known after raising $NZ60 million dollars for the NHS by walking laps of his garden ahead of his 100th birthday.But this week, he died of covid, and Kevin's wondering how that happened. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summer has well and truly arrived, and Nici Wickes has been celebrating with an epic ice cream sundae. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching Kiwi-directed action thrilled Shadow in the Cloud, and new Netflix drama The Dig. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After sitting on their completed album for a whole year, the Foo Fighters have just released their 10th studio album “Medicine at Midnight”. It would have been released in 2020, which was their 25th year as a band, but we all know what happened there. Lead guitarist Chris Shiflett has been talking to Jack Tame. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching Kiwi-directed action thrilled Shadow in the Cloud, and new Netflix drama The Dig. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the plural of Nissan Leaf?Is it ‘Leaves’? Is it ‘Leafs’? Should we lose the ‘S’ all together and call more than one Leaf, ‘Leaf’? As in, ‘Look at that car yard, filled with Nissan Leaf”.This is something we need to consider, because if you take the time to spot them there are unmistakably more and more Nissan Leafs on our roads, and regardless of how you feel about electric cars, they’re only going to become more abundant.The Nissan Leaf, of course, is basically the Toyota Corolla hatchback of electric cars. It’s far and away the World’s best-selling electric vehicle and I’m not afraid to say I quite like them. They’re not as sleek and sexy as a low-slung Maserati, or nearly as tech’d up as a Tesla, but I reckon they’re not half bad. I’ve driven a few on a few different occasions now, and but for the silence you’d think you were driving any other mid-range petrol hatchback. The Climate Commission’s report makes for a humbling read with massive changes needed in almost every part of our economy. And it spelt out the obvious improvements to be made in transport.Of course, transport extends beyond our domestic vehicle fleet and the car that you drive to work or shuttle the kids around with from school. New Zealand needs to significantly improve its freight and rail infrastructure and public transport systems.But there’s no reason we shouldn’t get behind a smart incentive system for people who choose to drive electric vehicles. The climate commission recommends either a rebate scheme, where you tax cars that pollute more to subsidise electric vehicles, or a straight subsidy scheme, in order to make electric cars more affordable. New Zealand First blocked a rebate scheme for electric vehicles during the last government term, and National called it a ‘Car Tax’ but ongoing resistance is churlish when we clearly need to incentivise people into buying electric cars.A rebate system makes total sense to me. And we can be smart about it: For tradies or people in rural communities, we could look at excluding utes. But if you’re going to buy a 3.5L luxury sedan… maybe you get stung a bit more. If you’re buying an electric car, it’s a bit cheaper.I had a beer with a mate from the Netherlands the other day who was telling me about his government’s subsidy program. The Dutch government gave four thousand Euros in subsidies to people buying electric cars. It proved so popular, the initial $10m Euro pool was sucked up by people buying electric cars in just a few days.I get it. Electric cars aren’t perfect for everyone in every situation. And they’re not environmentally perfect, either. But they’re much cleaner. They’re much cheaper to run. And with every year, electric vehicle technology improves. If you’re scoffing at me, go online and do some research. I challenge you to check out a 30KW Nissan Leaf. The range is about 200KM, maybe a bit more depending on the battery life. The safety rating is excellent. Get one with a body kit and a BOSE stereo set up… honestly… you’ll be surprised at how tasteful they are.It doesn’t matter if I can’t convince you. It’s happening whether you like it or now. Combustion imports will be banned within 15 years and the resale value of petrol cars will diminish much before then. Even General Motors foresees a future without combustion vehicles.So, if you’re in the market for a new ride… it could be time for the switch.Take an EV for a test drive. Don’t get leafed behind. ZING.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous and The Devils you Know by Ben Sanders.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former one-directioner Zayn Malik’s just released his third album ‘Nobody is Listening’. So far, it hasn't done so well on the charts. So is that warranted? Music reviewer Estelle Clifford's been taking a listen. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching singer Sia's new movie Music, Danish drama-comedy Another Round, and World War 2 drama Summerland. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our traveller Mike Yardley has been checking out Glacier Country: South Westland.LISTEN TO HIS TIPS ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watering Techniques After a week with Temps of 37.7 degrees in the afternoon, it got quite hot for us on the Port Hills. Of course other parts on NZ had similar Australasian drifts of wonderful hot air and soil and plants dried out very quickly. How to Water? I’ve never been a fan of sprinklers. I try to keep my leaves dry as much as possible; wet leaves often give fungal spores opportunity to settle on the plant, causing leaf-spots, rots, downy mildew and powdery mildew. Try to water the root zone of a plant, by depositing the water – gently – on the soil. A fierce jet of water can clog the porosity of the soil (not so good either!), so a nice shower-setting of your hose hand-piece is perfect Evening or Morning? It doesn’t really matter a lot, I think. The water cools the soil remarkably and in the morning (when it’s cooler) most of the water will actually penetrate the soil. In the evening (with warmer temperatures) a proportion of the water will evaporate, become a “cloud” of H2O gas and meet its mates, somewhere high up in the sky. In other words it doesn’t do the plants much good. But watering in the middle of the day makes a huge percentage of the water disappear into the stratosphere. Established shrubs and trees? Most Nature Nerds that go walking will see in dry summers how established trees show severe signs of dehydration or wilting. Even without any rain those leaves will often look a lot better in the evening. Wilting is simply a strategy to shut off the leaves’ stomata to save the moisture escaping from these openings in the heat of the day. This wilting can go on for weeks, sometimes. A thoroughly good soak (hours and hours of watering) can re-set the water deficit in the soil. This deep watering is far more beneficial to soil and shrubs/trees than daily “piddle-waterings” Regular droughts? Which plants are suited for water-stressed areas? Think Mediterranean species that often don’t get much during the 5 months of summer in Spain and Morocco and Italia. Often plants with blue-ish or white-ish colours or with thick hairs on the leaves (that stop water loss). Euphorbias, Echiums, Watsonias, cacti, succulents, phlomis, Jerusalem sage, rosemary, lambs ear. Checking SOIL moisture of indoor plants Indoor plants are totally controlled by the owner; when to water? When they start showing signs of wilting. Stick your finger into the potting mix and when plenty of particles stick to your finger, there’s plenty of moisture still in the mix; when your finger emerges totally “clean”: time to water! Plants that can NEVER dry out Ferns have got a different vascular system in their stems and fronds; these bundles are not as strong and lignine-supported as other “Vascular plants”; So when a fern gets too dry, its bundles simply shrivel up and irreversibly collapse. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trading up There's been lots of focus on first home buyers, for obvious reasons. But for most people, your first home is not your dream home. With lots of anecdotes about the $3m house being the new $2m house, moving into the next house bracket might mean taking on an extra $500k or even $1m+ in debt. So what do you need to do if you're thinking about taking on a significant chunk more debt? Hannah McQueen has been giving her tips to Jack Tame, and if you want more detail you can get hold of her at enable.me – financial strategy & coaching.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the internet vs Wall Street You've probably heard of this story. Millions of amateur traders, wanting to teach Wall Street a lesson, have poured money into certain companies to push their stock prices up. That affects traders looking to 'short' the companies. That's when they bet on a stock going down. One of the app based trading platforms has got caught up in the fight. RobinHood sells data on the transactions to the third parties executing the deals, then these Market Makers can then make money off the spread - the difference in pricing during the time between buy and sell orders. It might be just pennies of profit, but when you do that at volume there're serious money to be made.Amazon is ready to distribute vaccines The company sent President Biden a letter on his first day in office offering to help with distribution using its vast delivery network. They're uniquely suited to this task as in New York City, for example, they can deliver you almost anything in less than two hours. They can get packages to a vast majority of the population within two days. They have their own cargo planes, delivery trucks and even physical stores which could be utilized. They also offered to vaccinate all their staff on-site (presumably at their expense) if they could get access to viles. They argue many of their 800,000 employees are front line workers and can't work from home as they're completing work in supermarkets, warehouses and data centres. Facebook's Oversight Board has made its first rulings Of the five cases heard, the board agreed with Facebook on just one. The other four found Facebook had overstepped the mark and would need to reverse the deletion of that content. Each case was reviewed by a group of five randomly selected members, with the final decision approved by the full board. They have less than 90 days to make a decision about reinstating Donald Trump's Facebook access. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green sun safety With the high temperatures of the past week, we've all been flocking to the beach. But what are the most environmentally-friendly ways to keep sun safe at the beach? First off, stay out of the sun between 10am-4pm, September to April. The beach is wonderful early in the morning or late afternoon. If you’re at the beach outside of these times, sun shades you put up are a good idea. Make sure you get a good one, not a cheap throw away. If you need more protection, you'll be slapping on the sunscreen. But which kind? There are two varieties: chemical and physical. Chemical sunscreen absorbs UV light to prevent it from causing damage. But the chemicals; like oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, octisalate, avobenzone and homosalate, have been identified as being particularly dangerous for eco-systems. There's evidence they have been making coral more susceptible to bleaching, deforming baby coral and degrading its resilience to climate change. Hawaii is now looking at banning these chemicals. They are also proven hormone disrupters that can seep through human and animal skin into other bodily tissue. And it’s not just the environment: Oxybenzone was recently found in 96 per cent of the population by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US. That’s an alarming statistic when you learn that this chemical can affect a man’s sperm count and contribute to the development of painful endometriosis in women. So you might like to consider physical sunscreen, which sits on top of the skin, using the minerals titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. The Cancer Society says whether it’s a chemical or physical sunscreen, check the sunscreen you’re using does the job it’s meant to do. It needs to be broad-spectrum (which protects from UVA and UVB rays), water-resistant, SPF30+ and meet the Australia-New Zealand standard. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screentime Queen Tara Ward has some picks for this weekend. It’s a Sin: Five 18-year-olds move to London in 1981, where they all meet and form a gang and move into a flat together. They begin exploring their identities and become who they truly are, but a distant disease threatens their future (TVNZ OnDemand). Critical: Inside a major trauma centre, top surgeons work to save the critically injured and seriously ill in this British drama from Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio. Shot in real time, in a world where every second counts, life and death sits on a knife's edge (TVNZ OnDemand). Blown Away: a new series of the gentle reality show about glassmakers competing to blow away the competition (Netflix) LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2020 took Aussie-born actor Simon Baker from a life in Hollywood, where he’s best known for his starring role in TV series The Mentalist, to laying low with his family at his second home on Sydney’s Bronte Beach. The move also meant he took a break from the US, coming home to star in Higher Ground which a movie that’s being described as an Aussie version of a Western. He plays Travis, a former cop who left the Northern Territory after his superiors covered up a massacre of Aboriginal people that left all but a little boy dead. He's been speaking to Jack Tame about the impact the movie had on him as an Australian. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Portuguese Piri Piri Chicken Few countries do BBQ better than the Portuguese with their frango piri piri, chicken cooked over the coals with a spicy lemony sauce to go with it is just the best! Seves 4-6 1.5 kg whole butterflied chicken 1 bunch thyme 2 lemons, halved 4 potatoes, boiled and cut into wedges Piri piri marinade 100g melted butter 3 red chillies, seeds discard and roughly chopped 4 garlic cloves, crushed with 1 tsp salt 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 bay leaf ½ cup olive oil To make the piri piri marinade, simmer the ingredients together in a small pot or pan. Allow to cool.at chicken dry with paper towel. Score breasts and thighs with a sharp knife. Rub marinade all over and into the cuts and place in a large shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight if you can, removing from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. If you can’t do this stage, not to worry! Heat barbecue to high. Place the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until well browned – about 10-15 minutes – before turning over and cooking for a further 15 minutes. Transfer to a roasting dish and add in the potatoes. If you BBQ has a hood, turn heat to medium and lower hood and cook for 30 minutes, basting with a bunch of thyme dipped in the marinade every now and again. Alternatively, transfer chicken and potatoes to an oven heated to 180 C and roast for 30 minutes. It’s cooked when the drum sticks can easily be teased from the carcass. Rest, breast side down, for 15 minutes before chopping up to serve. Cook lemons on BBQ until browned on cut side. Simmer excess marinade for 5-10 minutes. To serve, squeeze lemon juice over chicken and potatoes and pour marinade into small bowl to serve on the side as it’s great for dipping! LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With some schools back next week, Kevin Milne's been thinking about sending his kids to school for the first time. Forget the kids, they'll be fine, he's got some tips for parents. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few years ago, I asked my Grandad about his impressions from when he first set foot in New Zealand. It was the mid-1960s. He’d sailed from the U.K with his wife and two boys on an Italian liner, when they drew up and docked in Auckland. Together, the Tame family went for a look up Queen Street. ‘It was horrible!’ said my Grandad. ‘Just awful. We couldn’t wait to get out of the place.’ His midlands accent added an additional level of disgust at the state of Queen Street, back then. And needless to say it was all he could do to get on a train and make his way to the South Island. Queen Street must have been really bad. He’s held onto a grudge for almost sixty years and as far as I know, he’s never been back since.But to be fair to my Grandad, when was the last time you heard someone gushing with compliments for Queen Street? When was the last time you heard someone say, ‘Queen Street’s amazing! It has all the buzz and intrigue of a street befitting the centre of our biggest city!’.The Herald is reporting this morning that Auckland Transport is drawing up plans that will effectively ban cars from Queen Street. There will be a section where buses can travel north and south, but that’ll be it. After a controversial programme which removed two lanes of traffic from Queen Street last year, the authorities want to remove the two lanes of traffic that remain. Queen Street looks set to be pedestrianised.And I for one think the idea is worth exploring. I can understand why some retailers are concerned about change, but at the moment there’s nowhere easy for shoppers to park and the cars on Queen Street are already travelling at a pretty low speeds. I’d assert that most people shopping on Queen Street don’t arrive by car, as it is. And with the Central Rail Link, buses, and rental scooters, there are plenty of other ways to get in to the city. I did an interview a few years back with the chief urban planner in New York. It made a massive impact on me at the time. He talked about revitalising some of Manhattan’s most tired neighbourhoods after 9/11. The key to a good city, he said, is to consider everything from the pedestrian’s perspective. No great city has been designed around cars. Good urban space always puts pedestrians first. And if you build good public space, and nurture good public space, human beings will always use it.To be clear... I’m not suggesting we turn Auckland into an entirely car-free city. But I think the Queen Street idea has merit. As my grandad would probably say... isn’t it worth a crack? After all, it’s not like Queen Street could get much worse. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to the new album from L.A.B.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes joins Jack Tame to share her book picks of the week.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationships expert Steven Dromgool joins Jack Tame to share his advice on managing a money hangover.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gardening expert Ruud Kleinpaste joins Jack Tame to talk about Monarch Butterflies.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rubbing shoulders with the bountiful fruit-bowl of Cromwell, sliced only by the Kawarau River and its confluence with the Clutha, Bannockburn beckons as a banger of a destination in its own right. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Stenhouse joins Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB to talk about the big tech stories making the news this week.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can't decide what TV shows you should be watching? TV critic Tara Ward joins Jack Tame to gives us her top picks for your viewing pleasure! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unity. Joe Biden, in his first official speech as the 46th President of the United States, says the thing he wants to do, perhaps more than anything else, is restore a sense of unity in the United States. But in watching everything over the last few months, from Trump’s denial of the election results to the riot at the capitol building, and in reflecting on Trump’s full term in office, I think there are two issues that require immediate attention if Americans are to be unified again. The first, is the massive slab of Americans whose working dignity and standard of living have been eroded over the last thirty years. It’s a natural expectations for all human beings that we will have a slightly higher standard of living than our parents’ generation. Just think about how your parents lived, the things they considered luxurious that perhaps we take for granted. How often would your parents have money to eat at a cafe? Would they have travelled much overseas? Progress happens slowly, and we often don’t notice it in the moment. But most of us are fortunate to have a higher standard of living that when our parents were the same age. But think about all of those millions of Americans, who grew up in the Mid-West in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps Dad only had a high school education but back then, that was more than enough for a good manufacturing job. Mum didn’t have to work, but the family could afford healthcare and a car and a house in the suburbs. Two weeks at a lake house on vacation every year. For tens of millions of Americans, that the baseline expectation. But now they’re at the same stage of life, their own experiences are so different. As a result of all sorts of things... globalisation and the changing World, those same opportunities aren’t available any more. If you're in the mid-West, in your fifties or sixties with only a high school education, what’s the best job and the best life you could hope for? For many, the answer is low paid, low skilled, often undignified work. Maybe a job at Walmart or 7/11. Poor healthcare options. No vacation at the lakehouse. Those people and those concerns have been forgotten and ignored by politicians of all stripes for decades. It’s little wonder they were so drawn to Donald Trump’s anarchic political style and his nostalgic message, even if his leadership didn’t actually do much for them. Those people felt heard by Trump and empowered by Trump. I worry what will happen to those people and many others in an automated World in a few years when self-driving cars are the norm. What happens, then? How will they live fulfilling and dignified lives? The solution is incredibly complex... it means a total change to education and training and economic systems. I really think Biden needs to prioritise finding a way to empower those people. I also think maybe the biggest continuing threat to democracy in the U.S, and to unity, is the state of the media. I mean that in the broadest terms; traditional media forms and social media. Biden didn’t mention it in his inauguration and I haven’t heard plans for any drastic reforms, but for me... that attack on the capitol was a calcifying moment. A moment that showed us with smashing glass and gunshots just how much people’s perceptions of the World around them are being manipulated by the way we access and consume information. Is the solution to ban politicians and Presidents from Twitter? Personally, I feel uncomfortable with the idea that a few silicon valley executives can pick and choose who they want to have platforms. But we can’t stick with the status quo, either. So much media, from cable news to Facebook, thrives on a model that neatly divides people into bubbles, stoking their fears, reinforcing their opinions, and provoking them. Do we break up big tech? Regulate algorithms? I don’t know, but something has to change. Regardless of how anyone might feel about Donald Trump, Biden is right...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her book Failosophy: A Handbook For When Things Go Wrong, Elizabeth Day brings together all the lessons she has learned, from conversations with the guests on her award-winning How to Fail podcast, from stories shared with her by readers and listeners, and from her own life, and distils them into seven principles of failure.She joined Jack Tame on the show this morning.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former broadcaster Kevin Milne joins Jack Tame to talk about a special 50 year reunion he attended during the holidays.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Film reviewer and Newstalk ZB host Francesca Rudkin joins Jack Tame to share her movie pick of the week, Penguin Bloom and Sylvie's Love.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nici Wickes joins Jack Tame to share her caramelised nectarines with homemade yoghurt curd recipe.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to Delta Goodrem's surprise Christmas album.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has some picks for sumer reading:Fiction The Evening and the Morning - Ken Follett A Tine for Mercy - John Grisham The searcher- Tana French This Tender Land - William Kent Kreuger Non- Fiction Bella - Annabel Langbien No Time Like the Future - Michael J Fox Troy - Stephen Fry A Promised Land - Barack Obama Searching for Charlie - Tom Scott LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Resident traveller Mike Yardley has been reflecting on a year of travels in Covid times.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wrap it up Doesn’t it bug you to see the mounds of plastic ribbons going into the rubbish on Christmas morning? Or make you uncomfortable to wonder just how they make wrapping paper so shiny and colourful, who made it, and where? In fact, much of that glossy stuff isn’t recyclable. The glittery and metallic papers contain plastics, so they need to go into the rubbish. But gift wrapping gives us the same challenge as dressing fashionably. You want it to look sophisticated, neat, and stylish, just without all the waste, exploitation, and environmental impact. That is not always the easiest thing to pull off. * I love the Japanese tradition of furoshiki fabric wraps. and you are now seeing some progressive stores doing this for you. And much of the material may be found already at your home * Kids art work or get the kids to paint some the material that comes into your house , like online deliveries, paper grocery bags etc. Then decorate it with string and shells, greenery from the garden, or re-purposed pacific lei. * Xmas cards can be changed to Xmas tags * Second hand store are a great start for packaging: Scarves, tea or kitchen towels, decorative brooches, vintage cards, old maps, jars and cookie tins * Mum always keep the best wrapping paper to use again in the future and we do the same. A secret to making this work is in how you wrap the paper so it is easy to salvage it again. For example, hemp string instead of cello tape overkill. Also having a special storage area saved for this purpose in your home to keep it out of the way and undamaged. we have old ribbons, cards and paper in a basket.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air traffic Control Heading towards summer there are soooo many shrubs, climbers and trees in flower, luring in pollinators and other organisms, interested in the protein of pollen and the carbohydrates of nectar. On some plants it simply is great entertainment to just sit or stand still and watch what flies there. And it all flies there without air traffic control! Pohutukawa and some of the rata species flower around Christmas and they’re usually very busy indeed. The usual suspects: honey bees (Apis mellifera) and at least two species of bumble bees: the common, large earth bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and the large Garden bumble bee (Bombus ruderatus). Their ideas are to gather nectar (it is merely sugar water, a quick energy fix with a kick) for energy and to store it as honey in the nest. They also collect pollen which is fed to the larvae (for growth) The often unseen bees: Our native bee species (27 different species in all)! They tend to be small. Most species are so-called “solitary” bees; a pair (but really... mostly the female!) digs their own, narrow tunnel in the ground; there she makes a small nest for a few off-spring, raised on nectar and especially pollen. On the food plants they stand out as active little dark-coloured bees. You’ll find them on Manuka as well. The unexpected pollinators: flies of all shapes and sizes, colours and descriptions. The idea of a free lunch is simply too good for most of these insects. Houseflies, blowflies, fleshflies and Dilophus nigrostimus, a native Bibionid fly which is black and red and has a rather long-ish head. You often find these flies feeding in large numbers on pollen of flowers along the road-sides. Bibionids are known overseas as “march flies”; we often call them Blossom Flies, which seems a lot more appropriate. Thrips: If you go to your optometrist regularly and look real close, you can even find thrips and such minute insects clambering around the pollen – it’s just part of the free-for-all. Many people think thrips are pests (and indeed, some of them are, but the majority are either predators of useful pollinators. Beetles and other invertebrates: When rata and pohutukawa leaves emerge from the buds in spring, a lot of them have small, often circular, holes in them. Blame a tiny native weevil (Neomycta rubida) for these activities. The weevil is already present inside the unfolding buds to take advantage of the freshest virgin foliage on earth. The weevils lay their eggs in the leaf stalks and the ensuing larvae mine the foliage. Of course, when the small adult weevils cruise the Metrosideros leaves, birds are quite eager to snap them up. To a silvereye, they are nothing more than convenient, bite-sized packages of protein. Some beetle species are also frequenting pohutukawa and rata flowers; that includes some ladybird beetles. Pollen and nectar provide them with the nutrients to lay eggs in amongst aphids and scale insects in your garden In the rough bark live weta, large predatory flightless beetles and native roaches. You’ll see those at night. And although they might not fly around our Christmas Trees and rata vines, they are just as much part of the Aotearoa ecosystem of early summer. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.