Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

Here we go – it’s spring and people wake up to some troubles with their lawns.  Starlings dig their beaks into the soil and cause “holes” everywhere – some dunnocks (hedge sparrows) follow the starling’s idea.  Grass grubs have always been a “problem” in NZ gardens and lawns. C-shaped grubs that live underground, feeding on roots of grasses and other plants/shrubs.   There are a number of species in the Beetle Family Scarabeidae (scarab beetles) but the native grass grub, Costelytra zealandica, has always been in New Zealand. Its traditional habitat and host plants were native grasses, such as tussocks, and they occur at quite high altitudes.   There is no doubt that these beetles considered the new high-nutrient imported grasses as ice-cream, especially when we started planting whole paddocks full of that stuff!  With all those birds, your lawn becomes a lot more biodiverse – personally, I love that!  Mosses grow as the pH lowers; they are miniature forests in which an enormous

Trump's expected shakeup of the tech job market   Bloomberg is reporting that President Trump is looking to slap a $100,000 fee on the visa popular with tech firms to access top international talent. The White House claims the visa is being used to undercut American workers and give too many high paying jobs to people from overseas.   There are 85,000 of these visas available each year and many end up going to the top tech companies, but there is abuse of the system by outsourcing and staffing companies flooding the lottery with duplicate candidates.     Jack Tame's desire for one Apple operating system to rule them all is a step closer   Having used the latest OS 26 across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, it's clear Apple is converging the design patterns. It feels like we're now just one step away from having a single OS across all devices. On iPad, the multi-tasking is much, much more MacBook like.     Meta had an absolute demo fail live on stage while showing off their AI glasses

Black Rabbit  A rising-star restaurateur is forced into New York's criminal underworld when his chaotic brother returns to town with loan sharks on his trail (Netflix).    Tangata Pai  Five lives collide during a land occupation - an activist musician, a conflicted cop, a grieving nurse, a struggling father, and a torn politician (ThreeNow).    Boyzone: Life, Death and Boybands  30 years ago five lads from Dublin took the world by storm. The remaining members of Boyzone reflect on their accelerated journey to fame - how it affected the trajectory of their lives, relationships, mental health, and the pop music industry as a whole (TVNZ+).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Splitsville   When his wife asks for a divorce, a man runs to his friends for support, only to learn that the secret to their happiness is an open marriage.      Swiped   Whitney Wolfe Herd breaks into the male-dominated tech industry by launching two innovative dating apps, making her the world's youngest self-made female billionaire.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In spring I start to get impatient for those gorgeous summer fruit. It’s then that I’ll resort to using tinned fruit, and New Zealand peaches are some of the best you can get.   Makes 20x30cm tray     Ingredients   200g butter   1 cup sugar   1 egg   1 tsp vanilla   2 cups plain flour + extra 1 tbsp   2 tsp baking powder   1 can tinned NZ peaches, drained and fruit chopped   1/3 cup sour cream     Method  Preheat oven to 175 C. Line a Swiss roll tin.   Cream the butter and sugar and then beat in the egg and vanilla. Mix in 2 cups flour and the baking powder and press all but ½ cup of the mixture into tin.   Scatter the chopped peaches over the base. Add the extra tablespoon of flour to the remaining dough and mix together. Strew this over the fruit and dab teaspoons of sour cream over the top.   Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden.   Leave to cool and slice either into fingers or squares.   Serve warm as a

For the years I lived in New York, I always had visiting Kiwis crashing on my couch. And more often than not, when they came to town and were listing off the things they wanted to do in the Big Apple, they’d make it a priority to try and get into the audience at one of late shows.    I went to Letterman and Colbert. I actually bumped into Jimmy Fallon at his studio when I interviewed the leader of his band for this show.     Back then, just a decade ago, late night hosts were more than mega-stars. Their shows were institutions. Even with social media, it felt like their programmes or versions of them were set to exist in some form for decades to come.    How quickly things change.    I really love the US, but Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension feels like another little moment in which we are watching a superpower destroy itself in real time.    To be clear, I’m not a huge fan of Jimmy Kimmel. He’s fine I guess, but I wouldn’t seek him out. I thought his comments about

Elizabeth Knox is one of the country’s most esteemed authors, known best for her novels ‘Vintner’s Luck’ and ‘The Absolute Book’.  She’s also a dab hand at essay collections and young adult stories, though it had been over a decade since she last wrote for a younger audience.  That changed with the release of ‘Kings of this World’, a young adult novel focused on the sole survivor of a cult massacre.   The book is a long time coming, Knox having written it over the span of several years.  “I had the bad habit of writing several books at the same time,” she told Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame.  “I developed the strategy when I had a lot of distractions in my life, and I decided to distract myself, so I had some power over that.”  “And then I came out of it and thought I'd solved the problem and could always keep doing that, but no,” she told Tame.  “Bad habit.”   Writing young adult fiction is not dissimilar to writing for adults, but there is one central principle Knox abides b

Ed Sheeran has released his eighth studio album: ‘Play’. It’s the first of a new series of themed albums, with titles based on electronic media buttons – ‘Pause’, ‘Fast Forward’, ‘Rewind’, and ‘Stop’ set to follow.  Although there’s plenty of new influences and stylistic changes, with traditional Indian percussion, Hindi and Punjabi vocals, and a guest appearance from Bengali singer Arijit Singh, the core of Ed Sheeran’s musical style is clear.   Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the album.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having arrived home from holiday a short few weeks ago, Kevin Milne's recent travel experiences are still fresh in his mind.  Every time you travel, you learn something new, and this time around he learned that there’s a better way to book your flights.  He joined Jack Tame to pass on the tips and tricks he learned.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Magical, golden, and steeped in mystique, “The City of a Hundred Spires’ is one of my favourite European capitals. Prague lays on a smorgasbord of stunning architecture, from Gothic, Renaissance and baroque to neoclassical and cubist. Unshackled from the claws of Communism, the capital of the Czech Republic’s rock-solid status as a powerhouse tourist destination continues to shine." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin    A child who ran from the forest. A woman who must return to it  Growing up with her younger siblings in the unforgiving New Zealand bush, Effie believed their parents had cut them off from civilization because they loved Nature. She never suspected that their reasons might be more menacing. After witnessing a terrifying episode of violence, she escaped the wilderness to forge a life for herself halfway across the globe.  Now, when she learns the only witness to a murder is a little girl who looks just like her, Effie is compelled to return to the scene of her troubled childhood, where the secrets of her upbringing and the terrors of her past come rushing back to the surface. In order to find out once and for all what became of her family—and possibly help this mysterious girl who could be her younger self—Effie must face her greatest fears once more.     Become Unstoppable by Gilbert Enoka   In a career spanning almost

Ever wondered why you can’t stick to an exercise routine or why you hate the gym when everyone else seems to love it? You could be doing the wrong type of exercise for your personality type.   A recent UK study looked at how personality types could predict how enjoyable people find different exercise routines and who can stick to them.  Dr Dougal Sutherland joined Jack Tame to discuss the research.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Typical time of the year – we need to get on with Gardening in many different parts of the garden!   My tunnel house has to be prepared for spring and summer: the plastic cover is absolutely dirty and covered with algae and grime. That means that the sunlight is reduced, and plants will struggle to get into photosynthesis.   I usually grab my Wet-and-Forget Rapid to weaken the winter load of moss, mould, and grime so everything will brighten up and grow some decent crops, plants, and flowers.  The next step – equally important!   Order the seeds, bulbs, or cuttings you are wanting to plant. Not just in the glass house or tunnel house, but anywhere in the borders, along the paths, in raised beds, or simply in indoor pots, terracotta, or ceramic beauties.  Everything will now develop to a great, young plant, ready for trans-location to your garden. Remember, the best growth is between now and Christmas!   While you’re organising the new plants from your favourite supplier, it pay

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 13 September 2025, legendary Kiwi author Elizabeth Knox joins Jack to discuss how to approach complex subjects with young readers and what drew her back to young adult fiction after 12 years away.  Waste not, want not... Nici Wickes has two recipe ideas for those leek tops that seem to sit around before being thrown away.  Francesca Rudkin dishes on the final ever instalment of the Downton Abbey franchise.  And Estelle Clifford discusses Ed Sheeran's super stardom and chameleon adaptability.  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.

Wine: Tiki Single Vineyard Pinot Noir Rosé 2024, North Canterbury RRP from $26.00   A distinctive colour with hues of orange and red that leads to a bouquet of ripeness and freshness, complexity and style. A sense of site with stone and mineral then red tea and roses, raspberry along with some tropical fruit ideas. A satin touch with a backbone of acidity and red berry fruit flavours. The wine has no tannins yet plenty of mouthfeel and crunch. Well made with best drinking from 2025 through 2027.   The season:   2024 was an excellent season for the vineyard overall in Central Otago. It was the only region in NZ with an above average yield, all the winemakers I spoke to were very happy, just hoping the sell as much wine as possible.   The food:   Rosé works remarkably well as a complement to most fare, some specific dishes that suit rosé well include: cheese boards that include lots of fruit like figs and fresh apricots, strawberries and plum sections; Minestrone soup; Poached flaky whi

A new iPhone to add to the mix: the iPhone Air.   Is it really the thinnest iPhone? The body is, but not the camera area!   The announcement that caught my eye: eSIM is now the standard. It makes it much easier to change providers or grab a data plan when you're overseas. There's no need to try and track down a packet and remember where you put your old SIM card, you can subscribe fully digitally and be connected in seconds.     Spotify's music quality is stepping up   And they won't be charging you extra for the improvement, which is nice. It's rolling out to 50 markets around the world and New Zealand is on the list. Spotify says subscribers should receive a notification in the app as lossless becomes available, but you will need to manually select it in your settings. This has been a LONG time coming. In 2021, Spotify claimed it was “coming later this year”, and by May of 2024 it was “almost ready.”     Specialist AI Agents are coming to Microsoft's Copilot AI offering &n

Task   An FBI agent heads a Task Force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man (Neon).    The Girlfriend  Laura's picture-perfect life starts to unravel when her son brings home a new girlfriend named Cherry; she becomes convinced that Cherry is a manipulative social climber -- or is she just being paranoid? (Prime Video)    New Zealand’s Best Homes with Phil Spencer    Property expert Phil Spencer showcases some of New Zealand's most stunning homes and gives a glimpse into the lifestyles they have to offer (TVNZ1 + TVNZ+ from Sunday night).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale  A final hurrah for the stately saga. In the summer of 1930, the Crawleys grapple with the threat of social disgrace when Mary finds herself at the centre of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble.      Sketch   Fantastical creatures come to life when a young girl's sketchbook falls into a strange pond. As the town starts to unravel, she and her brother try to track down the unpredictable, chaotic and real monsters before they cause permanent damage. Racing against time to find them, their father must navigate a community in crisis to reunite his family and stop the disaster they never meant to unleash.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the price of food we can’t afford to waste even a bit! Leeks are fat right now and if you’re someone who discards a lot of the green part, listen up. Here’s some fab ways to use them.          Crispy Leek Topping    Thinly slice the green leek tops. Rinse in a bowl of cold water to get any dirt out. Transfer to a towel and pat dry.     Heat a pan to medium, then add in 1 tbsp each of butter and oil. Shallow fry until slightly browned and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. You could add some thyme or tarragon towards the end of cooking. Transfer to a plate and season with salt and pepper.    Use as topper for fish, risotto, salads or cool completely and stir into softened butter to butter crusty bread with.         Softened Leek Compote     Chop green part of leek into 1-2 cm lengths.     Melt 3 tbsp butter plus 1 tbsp of oil in pan. Add the leeks, cover and cook on medium for 20 minutes.   Add in a crushed garl

Tell you what, when I saw the latest migration statistics this week and the net 47,000 New Zealand citizens who’d decided to move overseas in the last year, I had an instantaneous reaction.   You sure about that? I wondered. I know our economy isn’t exactly thriving, but have you checked any news headlines lately?   Israel had just bombed Qatar. Russian drones were being shot down in Poland. The British government was in disarray. Charlie Kirk had just been assassinated.    Put it this way: a sustained economic malaise isn’t half as bad as some of the other problems facing the world right now.    You know how when there’s a really big news event it’s all anyone wants to talk about? As terrible a week as it’s been for the world, it’s been even worse on social media. A great week, nay, a vintage week for bad takes.  Tom Phillips is a prime example. To think, even for a moment, that a man who’s been using his children in armed robberies, who’s deprived them of any outside socia