Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

The hottest season is nearly upon us, with Summer kicking off very soon. And with the heat on the way, it’s likely water restrictions are on the way as well. So how can you save some water this summer? Kate Hall has a few tips:  Reuse greywater wisely. e.g. Collect shower warm-up water in a bucket and use it in the garden. Place a bowl in the sink when rinsing fruit/veggies (use this water for watering plants).  Water plants early or late (watering in the cool hours (morning or evening) stops evaporation). Focus on roots, not leaves; plants absorb moisture where it matters.   Shorten your showers. Aim for a 4-minute shower; try playing one short song as your timer. A water-efficient showerhead can cut usage by up to 50%.   Capture and reuse (keep a bucket near the washing machine or outside to catch rinse water).  Wait for full loads: Run washing machines and dishwashers only when full. One less cycle can save 50–100 litres a week.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 29 November 2025, 80 years on from the Nuremberg trials, writer and director James Vanderbilt joins Jack to discuss a brand-new film that tells a lesser-known side of the story.  Jack draws attention to an issue affecting tens of thousands of Kiwis and considers who should be responsible for the fallout.  Margo Flanagan does her best to convince Jack avocados have a place in desserts.  Mike Yardley lists the best NZ holiday hits for the summer.  And Kevin Milne highlights a local Kiwi business doing good things.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most gardeners are aware that certain plants appear to be great for pollinators. Pollination is important for the reproduction of plants, and it comes in many different ways. We often just sit and watch the spectacle unfold as we have a cup of tea in front of our shed.  Pollination is done through ABIOTIC ways: (wind movements) or through BIOTIC techniques (Mostly insects: bees, flies, butterflies, moths, beetles and birds). It makes sense that early flowering plants rely on early pollinating insects. Dandelions are a good example; they often use small native bees to do the job.    By the way, about one-third of New Zealand’s plants are wind-pollinated (think grasses and the various plants that cause hayfever).  Here’s a line-up of all sorts of pollinators in the group of insects. For the flowers pollinated by insects, especially bees, it’s interesting to note that they have different colour vision to humans. Blue, green, violet and ultra-violet are the key colours.     The blue

Managing finances doesn’t come easily to everyone, and for some, it simply takes more time and energy than they have. So if you’re in the market for a financial adviser, how should you go about picking one? Ed McKnight has a few tips.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much has been happening in the tech world as of late, and Gorilla Technology’s Paul Spain joined Jack Tame to delve into some of it.  Two major New Zealand banks are now forcing behavioural and device tracking with no opting out – is this truly about fraud?  Warner’s new deal with Suno lets artists like Ed Sheeran opt in for AI versions of their voice – will this create real new income for musicians or just flood the charts with AI tracks?   And over 1,000 Amazon staff say the company’s AI sprint is causing mass layoffs and huge environmental damage – is the human cost of “warp speed” AI finally becoming clear?   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stranger Things    The final season. In 1980s Indiana, a group of young friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. As they search for answers, the children unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries (Netflix).      The Beatles Anthology  The Beatles’ landmark “Anthology” documentary series has been restored and remastered.  The series’ original eight episodes trace the legendary journey that began in Liverpool and Hamburg and soon captivated the world. They bring to life the timeless stories — of Beatlemania, the band’s groundbreaking arrival in the USA, their role at the forefront of the 1960s counterculture, their spiritual exploration in India, and their eventual breakup. And through it all, the constant thread: the music, always the music.  There is now a completely new Episode Nine, including unseen behind-the-scenes footage of Paul, George and Ringo coming together between 1994 and 1995 to work on “The Anthology” and reflecting on their s

Train Dreams  A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.     Christmas Karma  A hard-nosed businessman, Mr. Sood, is forced to confront his past, present, and future over one fateful Christmas Eve —guided by three unforgettable spirits— on a journey toward compassion and redemption.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you are looking for a sweet treat that's super easy to make, requires minimal ingredients, and is completely moreish – these avocado chocolate truffles are the perfect option. They will satisfy your sweet cravings while also making you feel great!    Makes: 8  Time: 15 minutes      Ingredients  2 avocados   150g dark chocolate, melted   2 tbsp coconut oil, melted   2 tbsp maple syrup   1 tsp sea salt       Method  Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.    Spoon the truffle mixture into a bowl and place in the freezer to set for 2-3 hours.   Once set, roll the mixture into balls and coat in cacao nibs or cacao powder.   Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s an issue burning away at the moment, affecting thousands or tens of thousands of us that I don’t think is getting anything like the attention it deserves.  Three additional coloured sand products tested positive for asbestos contamination this week. Two on Monday, another on Thursday. Additional brands sold at discount shops around the country to add to the products already announced in the recall earlier this month.  I’ll put my cards on the table: our 8-year-old is at a school that has been affected by the recall. They tested and found traces of asbestos and a number of classrooms have been affected.  Even though the testing found no traces of asbestos in the air, for at least the remainder of the year, the school has been thrown into a situation where they’re trying to teach the same number of kids in far fewer classrooms. It means ad-hoc, cramped learning spaces. In two classrooms they’re going to have to remove all the carpet, wall coverings, and soft furnishings. Other classrooms

Sir Tony Robinson is one of the world’s most recognisable history presenters.  After four career-defining series of British sitcom ‘Blackadder’, he fronted 20 seasons of the archaeological dig show ‘Time Team’.   His humorous hooks and accessible presentation has helped to demystify history and inspire passion in a whole new generation.   Robinson has written over 30 children’s books, ‘Maid Marian and Her Merry Men’, ‘The Worst Jobs in History’, and ‘Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders!’ just a few of the titles.   His latest work, ‘The House of Wolf’, is his first foray into fiction directed at an older audience, covering the Anglo-Saxons, Alfred the Great, and the making of England in the 9th century.  Writing for adults is quite different to writing for children, and Robinson said it scared him “rigid” when he first started.  “I had massive imposter syndrome”, he told Jack Tame.  “It's ridiculous, isn't it, like I've been on the stage for 60 odd years, and yet when it

The old seems to be the newest trend.  While people are always interested in the newest thing, nostalgia is flooding the musical scene right now – Metallica, Oasis, Tool, AC/DC, and the Pixies are just a few of the acts selling out stadiums and venues at the moment.  But what’s behind the boom in nostalgia acts? How much longer can it last?   Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to discuss the trend.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nash Falls by David Baldacci   Walter Nash is a sensitive, intelligent and kindhearted man. He has a wife and a daughter and a very high-level position at Sybaritic Investments, where his innate skills and dogged tenacity have carried him to the top of the pyramid in his business career. Despite never going on grand adventures, and always working too many hours, he has a happy and upscale life with his family.  However, following his estranged Vietnam-veteran father’s funeral, Nash is unexpectedly approached by the FBI in the middle of the night. They have an important request: become their inside man to expose an enterprise that is laundering large sums of money through Sybaritic. At the top of this illegal operation is Victoria Steers, an international criminal mastermind that the FBI has been trying to bring down for years.  Nash has little choice but to accept the FBI’s demands and try to bring Steers and her partners to justice. But when Steers discovers that Nash is working with

"Beckoning as a homeland to incredible food, world-class wine, iconic cultural landmarks, and infused with a bohemian spirit, Paris is the epitome of a tourist mecca. Home to over 140 museums and 30,000 bakeries, you’ve got so many alluring visitor experiences to weigh up than you can poke a baguette at." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re constantly looking for ways to spot early signs of problems such as depression or bipolar disorder, based on the idea that the earlier we can spot signs the earlier we can intervene.   Traditionally in psychology this has relied on asking people to monitor themselves and report back. Lots of problems inherent in this e.g., lack of motivation, lack of awareness, not knowing what to look for, self-fulfilling prophecies, etc. Psychology research is often hampered by lack of more objective ways of collecting information that don’t rely so much on self-report of individuals.   New methods are emerging which look at how someone’s pattern of typing on a smartphone keyboard might predict early onset of depression.   Firstly – rest assured this isn’t some new and frightening emergence of big-brother watching your keystrokes! For this research people had to download a specific keyboard to use with their phone that feeds back results to researchers about their typing patterns, it didn’t capture the

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 22 November 2025, iconic history presenter Sir Tony Robinson discusses his first foray into historical fiction for an older audience, ‘The House of Wolf’.   Jack sings the praises of Dimitris as the Christchurch institution celebrates 40 years of souvlaki in The Garden City.  Francesca Rudkin reviews the Wicked sequel, Dougal Sutherland discusses a new study showing how mobile phone activity can predict mood and Chris Schulz hails the return of the nostalgia acts.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They are “on the wing” at this time of the year. Spiders do not have wings of course, but they can fly for many miles – it’s called Ballooning.    There are many examples of them flying in jet streams, thousands of feet off the ground, across water, seas, oceans. Each year we get the juveniles of those huge Australia Golden Orb-Weaving Spiders in NZ – they grow up to become huge Australian Golden Orb-Weaving Spiders and frighten the life out of New Zealanders!   At this time of the year, look up on a fine, sunny almost wind-still day and see what’s floating past!  Spider silk glands have liquid proteins called spidroins. They're actually kinda gooey and are pressed out gently to form silk; it’s strong, yet light and flexible – a fabulous building material that serves many purposes.  We all know about the famous “websites” that spiders make to catch flying prey.  Take the kids outside on a dew-laden morning to find those webs and see if you can find the owner nearby. Those webs h

What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes?   Diabetes affects more than 300,000 people in New Zealand and costs the country $2.1 billion a year in health costs (0.67% of GDP!).   It occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to control blood sugar.   Type 1: Usually begins in younger people; an autoimmune reaction destroys the pancreas so it can’t make insulin. Type 2: More common with age; the pancreas wears out over time and doesn’t produce enough insulin.     What is happening with Type 2 diabetes in New Zealand?   Over 250,000 New Zealanders have Type 2 diabetes, previously seen mostly in people over 50.   Over the past 25 years, it is increasingly occurring in younger people – even those in their early teens and children.   It’s particularly effecting Māori, Pasifika, and Asian young people; this pattern was not seen 30 years ago.   This is a new and concerning trend.     Why is this occurring?   The exact caus

TikTok's parent company is now one of the world's most successful 'startups'   A recent funding round has valued Bytedance, the company behind TikTok, at $480 billion, which is only just behind OpenAI's $500 billion valuation. Even though the US company may be sold or transferred, Bloomberg reports there was fierce interest in the stock sale with seven companies bidding, driving the valuation from $360 billion.     Perplexity is bringing its AI browser to Android and beyond  The underdog AI company and the first to make an AI enabled browser is expanding to take on Google directly. The Android app is now available, the iOS version is days away from launch, and it's also available for Mac and Windows making it much more widely available than the ChatGPT browser. Perplexity's goal is to be your go to search engine, trying to break Google's 20 year dominance.      WhatsApp is getting the Instagram Notes feature   You'll now be able to set a 'status' message that can either

All Her Fault  Every parent's worst nightmare comes true for Marissa Irvine when her young son goes missing. In the race against time to find Milo, Marissa's family starts to implode and murderous secrets are revealed (TVNZ+).      The Borderline   A border town cop uncovers an illegal drug trade tied to his childhood friend and a ruthless British crime syndicate operating in the scenic 1000 Islands region between Canada and the U.S. Stars Minnie Driver & Stephen Amell (ThreeNow).     One Shot with Ed Sheeran  One singer. One city. One shot. Ed Sheeran rocks the streets of New York with his greatest hits in this groundbreaking, real-time music experience (Netflix).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has been weighing himself with the same bathroom scale for years.  Unfortunately, this trusty scale was looking a bit shabby and out of place in their bathroom, so he and his wife decided it was time for a new one. This had an unforeseen problem.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.