Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

The Mint Chicks are a seminal slice of New Zealand’s indie music scene.  Fronted by Ruban Nielson and his brother Kody, the noise rock and art punk band swept the Aotearoa Music Awards back in 2007 with their sophomore album “Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!’.  And now, twenty years on from its release, the album is being recognised at the Taites – receiving the IMNZ Classic Record.   It’s one of New Zealand’s most respected prizes, and the type of honour Ruban is appreciating more as he grows older.  “I used to not really understand how important these things are,” he told Jack Tame.  “I guess it’s like in any job, you’re sort of like, just doing stuff all the time, and then it’s nice to reflect and be like, oh, we kind of like, achieved something.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foo Fighters have dropped their twelfth album.  ‘Your Favorite Toy’ is a return to their punk-rock roots. It’s high energy and fast and is the band’s shortest album – beating ‘Medicine at Midnight’ by nine seconds.  Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the album.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All around the world, people are commemorating Anzac Day.   Thousands of people are attending the Dawn Services, parades, and other commemorations for the ANZAC forces who died at Gallipoli.   But something many people may not have done is visit the graves of those soldiers in Europe. This is the first Anzac Day since Kevin Milne visited his great uncles’ graves to pay respects, and joined Jack Tame to discuss the moving experience.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Model Murder by Amanda Hampson   Never underestimate a tea lady.  Sydney, 1968. When a popular local man is murdered, police are quick to pin the blame on his glamorous model fiancée, who has since disappeared. But Hazel suspects a criminal cover-up and rallies the tea ladies to investigate; a quest that brings danger right to her door.  Meanwhile, Merl’s long-buried family secret threatens to unravel her carefully constructed life. When she stumbles on evidence that her detective son-in-law is corrupt, she’s forced to swallow her pride and reunite with the other tea ladies, enlisting their help to expose him.  Betty becomes immersed in a local theatre group where there is more drama offstage than on it, further complicated by her infatuation with the enigmatic leading man. Irene aspires to a new career as a debt collector but her first case has more frustrations and obstacles than she bargained for, even with the help of a new weapon.     The Ending Writes Itself by Eve

"The pint-sized Texan city of Grapevine certainly struck it lucky with the location Gods. Bounded by the sprawling immensity of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), its mighty aviation neighbour prevents the threat of urban sprawl swallowing up Grapevine into the metroplex. DFW, with its seven runways, encompasses a greater area of land than Manhattan Island. This plucky little city remains safeguarded in its own compact bubble, like a world apart, while offering transit passengers at DFW the chance to enjoy an indelible dabble with the delights of Grapevine." "At first blush, I thought I had arrived at a highly seductive tourist trap, but it’s actually the real deal – a totally authentic thriving Texan town that has proudly safeguarded and restored its irresistible main street and historic district. Walt Disney would be seriously impressed by its historic, charismatic good looks, which pulses with mixed-use vitality." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privac

Building sustainable habits can not only help save the planet, it can help save you time.  Sustainability doesn’t have to mean more effort, so Kate Hall joined Jack Tame to run through some of the habits that can make your life easier, including:  Batch cooking - cook once, eat multiple times   A capsule wardrobe - fewer clothes, easier choices   Bulk buying staples - fewer trips to the supermarket (e.g. misfit produce boxes and bulk bin stores) Unsubscribe from marketing emails - less temptation to buy and less time spent wading through emails  Own less stuff - less to tidy, clean, organise (this is especially relevant with kids stuff! Rotate their toys instead of buying new ones)  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 25 April 2026, Ruban Nielson of the Mint Chicks joins Jack to discuss being a seminal slice of New Zealand's indie music scene and the band's sophomore album being recognised as Classic Record at the Taite Music Prize.  Jack reflects on the changing recognition of Anzac Day and speaks to Maritime Component Commander Commodore Shane Arndell.  Francesca Rudkin shares her thoughts on the new Michael Jackson biopic.  And Nici Wickes has an amazing Anzac treat with a little difference.  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.

A couple of months ago our tunnel house got smacked by the wind.   Young tomatoes were rescued from their spot and some of them survived in medium-sized pots.   It was a matter of getting rid of that ancient, 8-meter-long tunnel house and replacing it with a new one – half the length but double the strength.   The whole renovation took a few school holidays’ weeks, but it looked pretty darn good.   I decided to plant the few tomatoes that were still struggling in the pots and have a go in the new tunnel house. Plant them in fresh soil with Wet and Forget SeaWeed Tea as a potash-rich fertiliser.   By the time they started getting into good growth again, the plants created tomato flowers with the idea of becoming tomato fruit in the future.   With the tunnel house door open during the day and the odd Bumblebee inspecting the new flowers (getting nectar and pollen) the new tomatoes were getting their treatment known as “pollination”.  Pollination with bumblebees is generally di

While the average person may dream of becoming a millionaire, is it actually possible?  Earning the average wage, the culmination of an adult’s working life is $3.1 million – but it’s not that simple.  Ed McKnight joined Jack Tame to discuss if it’s possible for the average Kiwi to become a millionaire and how to get the best odds.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big tech is continuing to shrink   Facebook and Microsoft have both announced they're cutting back the headcount.   Facebook will lay off 10% of its 80,000 strong workforce in May, according to a report in Bloomberg. It will also cancel 6,000 open roles. They say it's to "offset the other investments they're making" into AI and their failed efforts in the Metaverse.    Microsoft is offering retirement buyouts to 7% of its staff. If your age plus your tenure at Microsoft adds to 70 or more, you qualify. It's thought this will help avoid mass layoffs instead (or at least minimize them).      Google wants Chrome to be your AI-workmate   As part of their Google Cloud event in Vegas, they announced that Gemini would be able to view your open tabs, then fill forms, book travel, and schedule meetings. It means any web-based software would be able to work with the AI, not just those with special connectors or APIs. At this stage, a human (aka you) will still need to check and c

Melanie Bracewell: A Little Treat  Bad day? Time for a little treat. Good day? I think that deserves a little treat.  With the end of her twenties rapidly approaching, Melanie Bracewell unpacks the last decade of her life (YouTube).     This Is a Gardening Show   Zach Galifianakis digs into the world of gardening, interviewing curious kids and eccentric experts in a funny, oddball celebration of the food we eat (Netflix).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael  The story of pop superstar Michael Jackson -- from his extraordinary early days in the Jackson 5 to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fuels a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world.     Sgt. Haane  In April 1943, during World War II, Sergeant Haane Manahi (Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa) of the 28th Māori Battalion led a small group of soldiers united by whakapapa in a daring assault on a fortified position in Takrouna, Tunisia. Their objective was to secure the sheer-faced pinnacle, defended by over 300 enemy troops.   Directed by Tearepa Kahi (Muru, Mt. Zion), this feature-length documentary weaves dramatic reenactments with interviews from descendants of the Māori Battalion to explore Manahi’s extraordinary life and service.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I love an Anzac biscuit so much and this slice combines all the flavours of them with another Kiwi favourite, condensed milk! Thanks to Ripe Deli in Grey Lynn for the inspiration for this.   Makes 20-24 pieces     Ingredients  Base   1½ cups rolled oats   ¾ cups coconut   ¾ cups plain flour   ¼ cup sesame seeds   1½ tsp baking powder   Pinch baking soda   150g butter   ¾ cups brown sugar   2 tbsp. golden syrup   Topping   1 x 395g sweetened condensed milk   ½ cup brown sugar   100g butter   3 tbsp. golden syrup   1/3 cup walnut pieces     Method  Preheat your oven to 180C. Line a swiss roll tin with baking paper.   Mix the dry ingredients of the base in a large bowl. Melt the butter, sugar, and golden syrup, and add to the dry ingredients. Mix well to combine.   With wet hands, press all but half a cup of the mix into the tray in an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes.   Make the toppi

It would have to be among the single-most overdue law changes in New Zealand. I don’t know about you, but until the Anzac Amendment Bill came before Parliament this year, I didn’t realise that modern servicemen and women weren’t technically recognised on Anzac Day. Under the letter of the law, only those who served up to 1966 were officially commemorated.   Obviously, that’s wrong. Although of course Anzac Day began as an occasion to commemorate those who served in the Gallipoli campaign —and it will always honour the original ANZACs— the many contributions across different campaigns, theatres and missions since are wholly worthy of our acknowledgement and appreciation.   And while I suppose some could argue that it didn’t really matter, that modern servicepeople are always allowed to march in modern services, and that a law change is simply symbolic, I would argue that symbolism is at the core of Anzac Day. It matters.  For the nerds like me who spend a lot of time following international news

Anzac Day services have been held around the country, with thousands attending dawn services, parades, and commemorations.  More than 8000 Kiwis arrived on the Gallipoli Peninsula on April 25, 1915, as the Allies unsuccessfully attempted to capture the Strait of Gallipoli from the Ottomans.  By the campaign’s end in January 1916, 2779 had been killed – close to a sixth of those who had landed there.  Today marks the 111th anniversary of the land invasion, commemorating the first significant military campaign involving Australian and New Zealand armed services.  Commodore Shane Arndell told Jack Tame that thousands attended the service at the National War Memorial in Wellington, showing that today’s generation has taken custodian of the remembrance of those that have passed.  He says that our forebears gave the ultimate sacrifice to give us the lives we lead, and on days like today he thinks about them and how important it is for us to ensure that we still have the freedom and access t

The co-host of the award winning podcast, ‘The Worst Idea Of All Time’, Tim Batt is one of New Zealand’s sharpest comedic minds.  He’s taken some time away from the festival circuit to raise his children, but has decided 2026 will be his return.  Batt is bringing his dry humour to the International Comedy Festival with a brand-new stand-up show, ‘Eternal Optimist’, in which he, in his own words, “makes light” of the rising tide of fascism and offers a sincere apology for accidently causing a dire situation.  He told Jack Tame that while the world’s not looking the best it ever has at the moment, it’s important to keep your chin up whenever you can.  “For me it comes from a place of like, I wanna be useful, and I think you’re not useful to anyone if you’re sort of paralysed by the world, by all the negativity.”  Circumstances have been getting tougher and tougher over the years and Batt believes the funk that causes can make people easier to manipulate.  “We’ve really been put thr

A Kiwi company is flipping the bird, pivoting from making environmentally friendly wool shoes to AI.  After years of losses, Allbirds sold all its assets this month and now plans to lease GPUs – chips used to train AI software.  It's revised its moniker to NewBirds AI.  Kevin Milne joined Jack Tame to talk about the rise and fall of the company.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"After taking in the retro charms of Route 66’s on a romp across northern Arizona, the desert was calling. I pointed the car south, driving through the achingly gorgeous Oak Creek Canyon route to Sedona, bound for Scottsdale. Towering red sandstone cliffs and an undulating quilt of ponderosa pine create a riveting scenic medley. "Situated on the eastern flank of the sprawling Phoenix metroplex, Scottsdale has been dubbed “the Beverly Hills of the Southwest” and “a desert version of Miami’s South Beach.” It’s desert chic, unmistakably stylish and manicured, but it’s also stimulating, creative, and rugged. The singular beauty of the landscape is sublime, inspiring Frank Lloyd Wright to set up shop here, ninety years ago. It’s the same reason artists have been swooning over Scottsdale ever since – drawing inspiration from rugged nature and the soft light. And all of that derives from the Sonoran Desert, one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/lis

English singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone has released her second studio album, ‘Cruel World’.  It’s a shift for the artist, delving into a more upbeat pop sound, whilst dealing with themes of belonging, steadiness, repair, and discipline.  The atmospheric style and intimacy of Humberstone’s musical style has seen her compared to artists like Lorde and Bon Iver, and she herself has described her style as “quite self-exposing".  Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to give his thoughts on the new album.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise   In the wilds of Donegal, Ireland, 1999, Saoirse is an artist living an outwardly idyllic life. Her tender husband Daithí and two beloved daughters are regular subjects for her work, and in them she has found the safe home that she has always longed for. She tends not to talk about her past, and those that love her have learned to accept that the full story is too painful for her to disclose.  When her Dublin exhibition unexpectedly wins a prestigious award that invites a swarm of publicity, Saoirse is left panic stricken. The unanticipated recognition threatens to expose a decade's worth of buried memories and past crimes. Because what her family and friends don't know is that Saoirse has been on the run since she was seventeen, she has stolen an identity to survive, and whilst Ireland might now be her home, it wasn't her first - and now her past life is poised to reclaim her.  The novel weaves between flashbacks to a complicated childhood in Michigan, and Saoirs