Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

In the end, it was just over an hour. Just over an hour between being asleep on the floor of Auckland hospital, to standing, bewildered under the delivery suite lights, helping to dress my newborn son. Mava had been induced on Sunday – the scans had suggested that all was ok but that our baby was small for his age. We spent an oddly serene day waiting for the induction medication to kick in. They give you a dose every two hours until you go into labour but sometimes it takes a few hours to work and sometimes it takes days. It was actually lovely, in a way. Mava and I both read for hours in-between the doses. We went for coffee and a stroll in the domain, Mava constantly assessing baby’s every shift and every hint of a contraction. My goodness, though, when it happened... it happened. Zero to one hundred. A blur.  I won’t labour you with all of the details but it’s become clear to me that there's a reason every parent has a birth story.  It was surreal. It just felt like a week’s worth of crazy exper

The sun is out and iconic Kiwis are returning to our shores.  Model and actress Rachel Hunter is back In New Zealand for the summer, teaming up with Uber Eats to bring Kiwis to the beach.   She revealed to Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame that she’s actually over for around three months every year, splitting the rest of her time between LA, London, and the various retreats she does in places like India and Bali.  “I’m very lucky,” Hunter said.  Since she spends so much time away from our shores, she’s seen the country change with every visit, but much still stays the same.  “There’s like, y’know, the things that you eat, the dairies, y’know, the beaches, the places especially during the summertime, when everyone goes off on their breaks ... you can't help but be pulled to memories of your childhood.”   “Skylines change, I mean, so is the rest of the world,” she told Tame.  “But I think fundamentally, when we come back to our homeland, you can’t help but provoke those really amazing t

US indie folk band The Lumineers are back.   Automatic is the group’s fifth studio album, and has members Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz travelling “new sonic and thematic terrain” after twenty years of partnership.   There’s a vulnerability and intimacy to the music, with vocalist Schultz pushing his vocals to the limit.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to share her thoughts on the release.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes   Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is . . . complicated. So when her real dad—a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago—suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach about love, and what it actually means to be family.    The Peacock and the Sparrow by I. S. Barry   Shane Collins, a world-weary CIA spy, is ready to come in from the cold. Stationed in Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia for his final tour, he's anxious to dispense with his mission—uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. But then he meets Almaisa, a beautiful and enigmatic artist, and his eyes are opened to a side of Bahrain most expa

Labour and childbirth can be a frantic time for everyone involved.  This week Kevin Milne is reminiscing on the birth of his second child - and the drama that came with it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Sandwiched by mountains on one side and the sprawling white-sands beach on the other, the urban jungle of Los Angeles seems to melt away on arrival in Santa Monica. This beloved beachside city bursts with personality, offering quintessential encounters with the Southern California coastal lifestyle." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 15 February 2025, certified Kiwi icon and international supermodel Rachel Hunter joins Jack to catch up about her time back in New Zealand, and the importance of her spiritual side.  Jack discusses his view on the school lunches debacle.  Out of New Zealand's biggest BBQ festival Meatstock, Nici Wickes celebrates National Lamb Day with a divine marinade.  Fresh off the back of a brand-new Bridget Jones film, Jack and Francesca Rudkin debate a rising trend in cinema...  And Dougal Sutherland considers the best ways to handle life's big changes.  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.

I’ve been thinking recently about major life changes that families go through and how these can be at the same time very challenging, yet also an opportunity for amazing growth for individuals and for families.   This was sparked by three things:   The impending arrival of Jack’s baby.  The recent arrival into our family of our first grandchild.  Our daughter moving out of home to go to uni in Auckland (which is where we are this weekend), which will make me and my lovely wife officially “empty nesters”.  In any family, these types of events are major milestones, and I think for all of them, there’s no real way of fully preparing for them. All the wisdom, guidance, and advice —however well intentioned— from others can properly prepare you for such a step-change in life.   A metaphor that springs to mind for me is a ship setting off to sail in unchartered waters. These trips can be exciting, nerve-wracking, anxiety-provoking. There is the potential in these journeys to go wildly

A few weeks ago, I came across one of my favourite Native trees: the Tree Fuchsia. Most people in the world that grow house plants know Fuchsia as an elegant producer of flowers. I took my Dutch Cousin to Banks Peninsula, and he simply thought I was taking the micky: how can you have a Fuchsia species that grows up to 12 meters? The flowers are beautiful and the bark is outstanding – literally. But the seeds are something else again, dark purple, soft and edible.   Instead of eating these seeds raw or cooking them into a jam, I felt they were miniature purple plums that could be planted to become new Fuchsia seedlings, and that’s what became my new harvesting project.   These seeds are tricky to germinate, simply because they are so tiny. Soak them in water as soon as they are soft and ripe, try to remove the flesh or pulp, and spread the seeds on a good, wet seed-raising mix in a shady spot.    When they germinate, put them into a lighter, warm, moist place and keep your fingers crossed

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth    Dr. Jim Swire searches for justice following the death of his daughter Flora in one of the worst air disasters in history: the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. On December 21, 1988, 259 passengers and crew, as well as 11 residents on the ground, were killed when a plane exploded over the quiet town of Lockerbie, Scotland. Thirteen years later, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of the crime and later released on compassionate grounds.   In the wake of Flora's death, Jim is named head of the UK victims' group and, after years of relentless campaigning, becomes instrumental in bringing Megrahi to trial. However, Jim's absolute trust in the justice system is sullied forever when he comes to believe, to his horror, that Megrahi could be innocent. As the truth shifts under Jim's feet, his life starts to crumble, losing his job and ignoring his living family for this crusade for truth and his desire to find those responsible for her death (TVNZ+ and TVNZ1 from Sunday).&

BOB’S BEST BUYS   Valentine’s Day Selection Wine: Pegasus Bay Gewurztraminer 2024 North Canterbury, $30   Why I chose it:   Gewurztraminer is an aromatic wine with punchy aromas that often resemble flowers (in this case rose petals).     National Lamb Day Selection Wine: Trinity Hill 2021 The Gimblett, Hawke’s Bay, $39.99   Why I chose it:   It’s NZ Lamb Day today and I wanted to choose a wine that would make a great match with lamb. Lamb is high in fat, which makes it a high flavour meat. Cabernet Sauvignon is a thick-skinned red grape that is also high in flavour making it a perfect partner for lamb.   Trinity Hill 2021 The Gimblett is a blend of Cabernet Franc 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 46%, and Petit Verdot 4%. The wine even has a subtle minty character which gives it a built-in mint sauce-like component that’s perfect for lamb.   What does it taste like?   Dense, intense red with cassis/dark berry, chocolate/mocha, vanilla, cigar box, and spicy oak flavours

The Gulf of America is official   President Trump ordered it to be changed in official government documents on Wednesday, which has prompted Google Maps and Apple Maps to make the change too.  Google said it made the change in line with its "longstanding policy" of reflecting name changes updated in official US government sources, but, the change is only for US users. It'll still be the Gulf of Mexico in Mexico and the rest of the world will get Gulf of America in brackets.   Google has had to turn off reviews on that location though, because internet users have bombarded it with one star reviews and comments.  Microsoft's Bing Maps are yet to update it.     Apple is expected to launch a new low-end phone next week   CEO Tim Cook teased the launch saying it'll be an opportunity to see the “newest member of the family”.  It's widely expected to be the new version of the iPhone SE, whose current model is the only remaining iPhone with a physical home button. It's expected

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy  Bridget Jones finally has some luck in her life; she has a great job as a screenwriter, her family and a new boyfriend; the fact that he is over twenty years younger than her isn't the only thing that is causing problems.      September 5  During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American sports broadcasting crew finds itself thrust into covering the hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let’s face it, NZ grows great lamb! So on this day, National Lamb Day, we’re celebrating with a delicious lamb dish that relies on the fruitiness of a quince and spicey harissa marinade.   Serves 4-6       Ingredients    1-1.5kg Butterflied leg of lamb, or use steaks, loin chops, or even shoulder chops      Marinade    1 red onion, finely diced   4 cloves garlic, crushed or grated    2 tbsps. vinegar   1 large tablespoon store-bought harissa    1 tablespoon quince paste (can use apricot jam)    2 tablespoons olive oil    1 tsp salt      Method  Mix all the marinade ingredients together and spread over the lamb. Leave overnight if you can, but a few hours will do the trick too.    Heat a BBQ hot plate to medium and cook the lamb, basting with excess marinade as it cooks. Turn as needed and let little bits char a bit.   Serve with salad and a scatter of coriander or pa

I suppose it was inevitable that something would go wrong.    It wasn’t like the new school lunch providers all had the opportunity to ease into their work. They didn’t do huge practice runs or slowly build capacity over time.    For most of them it was a case of going from zero to one hundred. Day one of the school year and they had to be zipping along in fifth gear.    And all you needed were photos of a few mishits and word of a few schools with missing lunches and news spread on social media in a way that blunders never would have under the last school lunch regime.    Think about it: last year, all anyone had to compare school lunches to was the previous regime, when schools were provided with nothing. Now, there’s a different precedent.    If we’re honest, there is also a political dimension at play. David Seymour is so attached to the school lunch funding cuts. But he’s a polarising figure, especially in education communities. And just as he is happy to

One of the most legendary couples on the New Zealand theatre scene, Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Hurst have acting resumes that range from pimps, to politicians, to animated versions of Buzzy Bee.   They’ve been in countless productions together, but it had never been just the two of them on stage until their most recent stage work - In Other Words.   In the show, the two play a married couple dealing with the onset of Alzheimer's, and it had a sold out run in Auckland last year.   This year, Ward-Lealand and Hurst are taking the show across the nation, which Ward-Lealand told Jack Tame they’re thrilled to be doing.  “It would be rare to find a New Zealander who hasn’t had some connection in some way to some, either member of their Whanau or friends, or friends of friends who’ve experienced dementia,” she said.  Despite the serious topic, Hurst says the play isn’t particularly heavy.  “It certainly confronts it, but it’s levity and uplifting and the human condition, and cari

Nadia Reid has returned.   ‘Enter Now Brightness’ is Reid’s fourth album, releasing five years after the last and coming from a period of reflection during the Covid lockdowns.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the release.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey   A Russian arrives in Singapore with a secret to sell. When the Russian is killed and Sam Joseph, the CIA officer dispatched for the meet, goes missing, Artemis Procter is made a scapegoat and run out of the service. Traded back in a spy swap, Sam appears at Procter's central Florida doorstep months later with an explosive secret: there is a Russian mole hidden deep within the upper reaches of CIA.  As Procter and Sam investigate, they arrive at a shortlist of suspects made up of both Procter's closest friends and fiercest enemies. The hunt soon requires Procter to dredge up her own checkered past in service of CIA, placing her and Sam into the sights of a savvy Russian spymaster who will protect Moscow's mole in Langley at all costs, even if it means wreaking bloody havoc across the United States.     More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova   Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out student at NYU. Between exams, navigating life in the city

"January’s horrific wildfires in Los Angeles County have understandably raised questions about whether it’s appropriate to visit destinations close to the fire grounds and the Pacific Coast Highway. But the clarion call from LA’s tourism leaders is to remind the world, ‘we are open and would love to see you”. Over a million of the city’s jobs rely on tourism. It’s also worth bearing in mind that, while devastating, the wildfires have impacted less than 2% of Los Angeles County. Late last year, I tripped the LA coastline, lapping up the scenic beach scene in Malibu, nicknamed “Bu” by the locals and stretching across 40km of coastline. Eastern Malibu, particularly the stretch directly below Pacific Palisades, felt the force of the wildfires, with hundreds of beachfront homes reduced to ashes (Central and Western Malibu weren’t affected)." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Living a sustainable lifestyle can often put you at odds with the mainstream perspective, as Kate Hall knows well. So how do you navigate disagreements and deal with other people’s opinions when trying to live up to your values? Here are a few tips from Kate:  Lead with Positivity  Don’t instigate or engage in conversations about sustainability unless they were started or consented by the other person - otherwise you'll end up sounding like you're 'preaching'. Most likely more change and cohesion will come when you simply go about your life and others observe you.     Focus on What You Can Control  Put your energy into the changes you can make, rather than getting caught up in others’ opinions.     Grace for Yourself & Others  Give yourself and those around you room to learn and grow without judgment.      Build a Supportive Circle  Surround yourself with people who support or share your values (what my current tour is all about!) but avoid echo-