Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Robert Muchamore is behind some of the best novels available to young readers. His CHERUB series is credited with shaking up young adult literature, with realistic language, unconventionally sophisticated themes, and portrayals of heroes that challenge tradition. His latest series tackles concepts like corruption, protection rackets, and late-stage capitalist failure, with a twist on the tale of Robin Hood. The ninth book in the series, Robin Hood: Fury, Fire and Frost, was released earlier this month. Muchamore told Jack Tame he's always been fascinated by the tale of Robin Hood – this very old story that has been passed on and reimagined over and over again. “It's this kind of legend that's been around for so long, and everyone gets to interpret it in their own way.” His version of the story is a more modern take, set in a contemporary world with a 12/13-year-old Robin Hood that's very similar to most modern children. That similarity can be something of a challenge though, as Muchamore explains that over his twenty years of writing for children, it's becoming a bit harder to stay in touch with kids. “You really do have to be humble and talk to kids, and listen to what they say.” “Kids are quite ruthless,” Muchamore explained. “They're always quite ruthless if you get something wrong or you use a phrase that isn't hip anymore or something like that.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lorde has described her fourth album as her rebirth. ‘Virgin' is her attempt to make a document that reflected her femininity, which she described as “raw, primal, innocent, elegant, openhearted, spiritual, masc”. It deals with themes of gender identity, body image, and mental health, a more introspective album than its predecessor ‘Solar Power'. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to share her thoughts on the album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple in China by Patrick McGee After struggling to build its products on three continents, Apple was lured by China's seemingly inexhaustible supply of cheap labor. Soon it was sending thousands of engineers across the Pacific, training millions of workers, and spending hundreds of billions of dollars to create the world's most sophisticated supply chain. These capabilities enabled Apple to build the 21st century's most iconic products—in staggering volume and for enormous profit. Without explicitly intending to, Apple built an advanced electronics industry within China, only to discover that its massive investments in technology upgrades had inadvertently given Beijing a power that could be weaponized. In Apple in China, journalist Patrick McGee draws on more than two hundred interviews with former executives and engineers, supplementing their stories with unreported meetings held by Steve Jobs, emails between top executives, and internal memos regarding threats from Chinese competition. The book highlights the unknown characters who were instrumental in Apple's ascent and who tried to forge a different path, including the Mormon missionary who established the Apple Store in China; the “Gang of Eight” executives tasked with placating Beijing; and an idealistic veteran whose hopes of improving the lives of factory workers were crushed by both Cupertino's operational demands and Xi Jinping's war on civil society. Apple in China is the sometimes disturbing and always revelatory story of how an outspoken, proud company that once praised “rebels” and “troublemakers”—the company that encouraged us all to “Think Different”—devolved into passively cooperating with a belligerent regime that increasingly controls its fate. The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney Gordon and Sarah Rutherford are normal, happy people with successful fulfilling lives. A son they adore, a house on the beach, a safe, friendly and honest community in a picture-postcard town on the Ayrshire coast. Until one day Bonnie the lab comes in from the beach alone. Their son Rory has just gone - the only trace left is a single black Adidas slider. Their lives don't fall apart immediately - while there's still hope (and no body) they can dig deep and try to carry on. Rather it's a process of abrasion, a wearing away of that happiness and normality; a slow degradation, a gradual breakdown - until they'll never be the people they were before. This sort of tragedy impacts a whole town - does the community still feel the same after? What are folk saying about you? Who are your friends? Who can you trust? When the worst thing has happened and you've lost everything, you either go under or you rebuild, start again. What could be worse than your child disappearing? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parkinson's is one of the most common neurological conditions for those over the age of 60 - Michael J Fox very famously has early onset Parkinson's, and is now a champion for awareness of the disease. So what is Parkinson's? A degenerative disease of the nervous system causing movement problems. Affects 1:100 over the age of 60. Occasionally it's early onset like with Michael J Fox. Nerve cells in the brain break down, we lose a chemical messenger called dopamine. There's no simple test to diagnose, diagnosis comes from symptoms. How do you recognise it? It's often very slow to develop and initially can be difficult to diagnose. Everyone's journey with Parkinson's is different. It's common to notice tremors at rest, often on one side. You may notice it gets better when moving or doing something – it can fluctuate. Over time: Slow movements become difficult, stiff muscles, loss of balance. Can be associated with depression, anxiety, poor sleep, and lack of motivation. Loss of smell, difficulty with speech, fatigue, cramping muscles. What causes it? We don't know the cause. However, risk factors include age, family history, and it's more common in men. Other factors: Traumatic brain injuries, exposure to toxins, certain pesticides, and some illegal drugs. Can we treat it? It can't be cured and does tend to be progressive. However, there are a range of medications that can help: medication that either replaces dopamine, or stops the breakdown of dopamine in brain can alleviate symptoms. Lifestyle: exercise to improve muscle strength, preventing falls; not rushing, use of walking aids, massage. Occupational therapists to teach how to help with daily activities Support organisations such as Parkinson's New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dead Cow Gully Backyard Marathon in Queensland is not for the faint of heart. Billed as a race with no finish line, the Backyard Ultra format has no predefined length or time, but requires runners to complete a 6.7km loop every hour. Kevin Milne was following the race, and thinks it's a good thing he didn't manage to get his entry in on time. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Don't downplay Quito as merely a stepping stone to the rainforest or the Galapagos. It is a superlative destination in its own right. The crowning jewel is Quito's 17th-century Old Town, a heaving historical quarter so impeccably preserved that it was the first city in the world to be accorded UNESCO World Heritage Status." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although it's convenient, cloud storage and email inboxes have a bigger carbon footprint than one might think. To combat this, Kate Hall has been unsubscribing, deleting, and cleaning up her digital clutter. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 28th June 2025, young adult author Robert Muchamore talks to Jack about his new series - Robin Hood: Fury, Fire and Frost - a twist on the classic Robin Hood tales. Jack reflects on the Venice extravaganza that is the Jeff Bezos wedding. Francesca Rudkin has two great movie recommendations if you're looking for something to do over the school holidays. And Estelle Clifford gives us her thoughts on the much-anticipated Lorde album, Virgin: "Raw, angsty, growing as an artist. 10/10" 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'm quite happy to touch on this little trouble inside the house: what is a good spot to grow certain plants? Julie and I have been struggling to get a few Orchids growing inside. One of them is Phalaenopsis —the Moth Orchid— and another one is Oncidium, especially the “Kandy Dancer” I fell in love with when working in Sri Lanka. Both are a real pain to get going: tried a north-facing window, an eastern aspect, west, and nothing worked to get these plants growing, let alone flowering!! The Irony is that our daughter just chucked them in a south facing bay windowsill and simply couldn't stop them flowering! They get a few seconds of morning sun, are covered in steam (it's a kitchen bay window), and often get warm ovens heating the site. Guess what! We tried it too: south bay window in kitchen, etc, etc. Fertilised them with Orchid Food, spoke to them, read stories at night, etc, ect... NOTHING! Yes, we read the books and reduced the moisture regime, got solid fertiliser, liquid fertiliser, extra Potash, no potash, more Nitrogen, less Nitrogen, saw their root zones and decided that Phosphate might be the answer... NADA! Our south side bay window is filled with thriving plants, everything grows brilliantly here, except the bloody Orchids! We finally did get a little bit of hope from an Oncidium cutting (no comment on the origin of that cutting, by the way). Our next attempt: west window, afternoon sun every day, etc, etc. It's tiny, but it's alive! The point is that sometimes these things happen when you try to grow certain specimens, they don't always follow the suggestions in the book. The fertiliser regime is quite often hyped-up and the commonest method of killing your plants is by simply over-watering the plants and their roots. So… try some neglect. Water them when you realise you've forgotten to do so for months! And when your daughter asks, “what is fertiliser?” try not to get shitty, just learn from that and embrace another tactic. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Texas can force users of porn websites to verify their age The law was challenged right up to the Supreme Court as they claimed it violated the free-speech rules of the First Amendment. Their argument was that adult viewers might be worried their private information or viewing history could be exposed, which is a deterrent from accessing the material. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the law, saying it's working to protect children, and the government has the authority to do that. The Texas Governor, Ken Paxton, calls the widespread access among children to hardcore pornography a public health crisis. Texas is one of 24 states that have passed age verification laws for online porn, forcing Pornhub to close down in the state. Salesforce's CEO claims 30-50% of the internal work is now done by AI That's a staggering statistic from CEO Mark Benioff. Unsure how that's measured, but he says AI is being widely used at the company for software engineering and customer service. He says the tech has allowed the company to hire fewer humans. Microsoft and Alphabet have claimed similar stats saying AI is creating about 30% of the new code on some projects. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Thomas Cromwell navigates the Tudor court in the aftermath of the execution of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Based on the final book in Hilary Mantel's commanding trilogy (Neon). Smoke When an arson investigator begrudgingly teams up with a police detective, their race to stop two arsonists ignites a twisted game of secrets and suspicions (Apple TV+). Here We Go In this hilariously unfiltered portrait of family life, the Jessops are the subject of their son Sam's amateur documentary, as they go about their mundane but chaotic lives (TVNZ+). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karate Kid: Legends After moving to New York City with his mother, kung fu prodigy Li Fong struggles to let go of the past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition -- but his skills alone aren't enough. With help from Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso, he soon learns to merge two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown. F1: The Movie In the 1990s, Sonny Hayes was Formula 1's most promising driver until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team convinces Sonny to return to racing and become the best in the world. Driving alongside the team's hotshot rookie, Sonny soon learns that the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I love these little biscuits; they really brighten up even the most dreary day, and kids love making them so it's a good school holiday activity. I've added sesame seeds to mine for texture and taste and I recommend you do too, or use poppy seeds. Makes 15-18 Ingredients 100g butter, soft 2/3 cup (about 100g) icing sugar 1 cup plain flour 1 heaped tbsp cornflour 3 tbsps. sesame or poppy seeds (optional) Jam and/or marmalade Method Preheat oven to 170 C. Line a tray with baking paper. Beat butter and icing sugar until pale - I do this for about 5 minutes. Add flours and seeds (if using) and mix well. Roll mixture into balls and place on a tray, making a deep thumb indent into each one. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from oven. Spoon a teaspoon of jam or marmalade into the hollows and return to the oven for 8-10 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack. Why are these worth making? They're quick and easy to make and cook. Great way to use up marmalades or jams. The addition of seeds gives them great texture and flavour. Sensible for portion control – no giant cookies here! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

$82 million. As we go to air this morning, that's a rough estimate for the amount of cash going up in smoke as Jeff Bezos marries his bride at a star-studded Venetian affair. Eighty-two million. And I thought my wedding was an expensive affair! Everything's relative, of course. $82 million represents just a fraction of the total wealth of the world's third-richest man. To try and appreciate the true magnitude of his $300 billion estimated wealth, I put his finances into a scale that I can better understand. If every Jeff Bezos dollar was one second —so that one minute was $60, and one hour was $3600— depleting Jeff Bezos' wealth would take more than 11,000 years. You're gonna think I have a particular thing for Jeff Bezos. I honestly don't. I was one of those bagging his fiancée's space flight a few weeks ago, but I swear it's nothing personal. I would just be so embarrassed to be spending that much money to get married in a place where it would appear a reasonable number of locals don't want me. I've spent enough time in media to know it's hard to properly gauge these things from the outside. Protestors say Bezos has bought half the city and that his bash is an obscene example of money trumping every other concern. But the local mayor says that anyone blocking up the canals in protest or hanging out with banners and signs represents a tiny minority of Venetians, and actually the vast majority of Venetians are happy to welcome Bezos, his big bucks, and his blockbuster mates. Consumption in these European hotspots is clearly becoming a greater sore point. The backlash to the Bezos wedding recalls the protestors in Barcelona who've been going around and squirting visitors with water guns to protest the impact of overtourism on housing and infrastructure in the city. Whether it's Italy, Spain, or Portugal, qualities that made coastal European cities so romantic and alluring in the first place are swiftly destroying them in the Airbnb, cheap flights, and mass-tourism age. Would you still go? I can confess to having visited both Venice and Barcelona during backpacking trips fifteen odd years ago, but I'm not sure I'd return anytime soon. Increasingly as I travel, I'm a little repulsed by the crowds at the absolute hottest spots. And I'm aware that like a driver complaining about a traffic jam, I'm part of the problem. The Mayor of Venice who has so staunchly defended the Jeff Bezos wedding says he's embarrassed by the protests. The wedding is a great source of much-needed revenue for the city, he said. Italy's tourism Ministry put out a report suggesting it could provide the city a tourism boost of more than $1 billion dollars. It's a great way to put Venice on the map. I dunno. I'm not sure Venice needs to be put on the map! Maybe I'm wired differently but watching the scenes in Venice has, if anything, made me less likely to go back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new season of Below Deck has set sail on our screens. The reality show has been running for over a decade, chronicling the high pressure, high stakes world of super yachts. Captain Kerry is the man at the helm of this season's superyacht, sailing the St David in Below Deck Adventure. Though many reality TV shows are hammed up for entertainment, Kerry told Jack Tame that on Below Deck, it's all “fair dinkum”. He says that everything is real, it's just a much more intense environment than a regular yacht season. “A season would be three or four months, we're doing it in six weeks,” Kerry revealed. “Where a lot of the stress comes into the job is turning the boat over – so when the guests leave, turning it over, getting it ready for the next trip, that's so much pressure.” When Kerry runs a yacht off TV, he says he'll give it three or four days between charters, and each charter is about a week, but on the show, they're doing nearly three charters a week. “Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, for six weeks.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week Kevin Milne was questioning if New Zealand companies were running out of original ideas when it came to film and television. This week, he's happy to be proven wrong. Kevin Milne recently watched ‘Diary of a Junior Doctor', a local docuseries from Storymaker, and has nothing but praise. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford is doing things a little bit differently this long weekend. Instead of reviewing a single album, she's put together a playlist of songs to celebrate some of Aotearoa's incredible musicians for Matariki. Matariki Hunga Nui - Kaylee Bell, Troy Kingi & Rob Ruha Wonderful Life, Georgia Lines AIE - Fly My Pretties & TAWAZ Running Amuck - Byllie-jean The Nine Stars of Matariki - Miss Nicky Says Ko Wai Koe? - Mokotron Hiwa I Te Rangi - Loopy Tunes Purea Nei - Anika Moa The Way We Love - 1Drop Nation Kātuarehe - Anna Coddington LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"After revelling in my 4-night cruise in the Galapagos Islands with Viva Expeditions, my dreamscape experience aboard La Pinta concluded with one final port call at Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island. Viva Expeditions highly recommends you combine a dreamy cruise with a land-based stay and Santa Cruz Island is the incomparable choice." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are kids spending too much time looking at screens? Dougal Sutherland is dipping into the debate over kids' use of social media and online spaces, and the impact it has on them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that's before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother's enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves? The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner Fame comes at a price… The Griffin Sisters had the world at their feet, catapulted to stardom in the early 00's before they become one of rock music's greatest mysteries: Zoe, effortlessly gorgeous, who loved the fans and the fame, dancing under the lights while her sister's voice rang out across stadiums. Cassie, never comfortable with the crowds or the attention, but with the voice of a generation, rich, haunting, touched with heartbreak. It's two decades since The Griffin Sisters broke up. Zoe's a wife and mother, living in suburbia, occasionally recognised by a nostalgic fan. No one knows where Cassie is. The sisters haven't spoken in years. Now, despite her mum's warnings, Zoe's teenage daughter, Cherry, is determined to break into the music business and to discover the truth about what happened to the band all those years ago. But as secrets emerge, Cassie and Zoe must face the consequences of their choices: the ones they made and the ones the music industry made for them. Can they forgive each other – and themselves? And will the Griffin Sisters ever make music again? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 21 June 2025, Captain Kerry of the hit tv show Below Deck joins Jack to discuss antics aboard the St David superyacht and his three decades in the boating industry. Jack travels with a baby for the first time... Mike Yardley continues his adventures in the Galapagos Islands. And Estelle Clifford shares her Matariki playlist picks for the long weekend. 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 Gris 2024, North Canterbury, $23.00 In recognition of Matariki and to highlight we have a growing number of Māori wine producers in NZ (Tiki, Tarras, Steve Bird, te PA, Tohu). A crisp, dry style Pinot Gris with aromas and flavours of green pear and apple, some citrus highlights and a touch of quince. Just dry on the palate with an immediate bite of acidity and phenolics for texture and mouthfeel. There's a fine less quality adding complexity and breadth across the palate. Best drinking from late 2024 through 2027. The Food: A wine that is delicious with all sorts of hangi fare – especially kumara and pork belly. If you prefer seafood, then poached salmon with lemon is a great match. Vegetarians will like this wine with cashew nut dusted tofu burger with red beet and tasty cheese. The season: 2024 was an excellent year for most growers in NZ. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the time of the year when my training sessions begin in all speed: teaching silvereyes and some other birds to come and visit our garden. After all, today's the start of winter! It's not just about giving these lovely birds some well-deserved food for winter (although that helps!), it's a simple way to get them to know where we live! By regularly feeding these insectivores, they will be imprinted to come back in spring and summer, and that helps an entomologist (and his grandson) to identify the various individuals during the months of the year. We feed these birds a number of yummy meals: Protein rich meat balls from the Mad Butcher, Lard Blocks, Nectar bottles, Cut-open fruit, etc. Hundreds of them will visit our “kitchen”, and we know they will come back in spring and summer. Why? Simply because this is where they get some great food, especially when it's wintertime, but also in summertime, when our plants are damaged by scale insects and mealy bugs, whitefly and caterpillars, beetles and psyllids. Other great food are the chrysalises of moths and herbivorous wasps; but to be frank, their most effective pest control deals with aphids and the sap-sucking “scales and mealies” I have seen these birds devouring 80% of the scale insects on my citrus bush in the garden. It was a relentless exercise by the small flock that came back twice a day to lift the tiny insects off the stems. Other great birds in winter, spring, and summer are tui and bellbirds. They too love to gobble the sugar water snacks. When you have flowers in the garden, these two natives will likely pollinate your plants! Training these birds in winter has a second beneficial outcome: The hundreds of silvereyes, finches, starlings and other garden visitors can be caught in my garden with mist nets; the next step then is to give them a metal ring with individual numbers. It allows some of my colleagues to come over to my place and become skilled at “catching and banding” all sorts of birds. This will be useful for future Science Projects in Ornithology. Ha! Even my 12 year old grandson keeps an eye on the silvereyes that he banded – it's wonderful to see these young kids having a go and learning about Nature in quite a different way. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rosa Flanagan of the Two Raw Sisters is serving up a delicious salad – perfect to take along to a long weekend gathering. Serves: 6 Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 1 cauliflower, cut into florets 2 tbsp cooking oil 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 cup quinoa 1 cup water Quick Pickled Red Onion 1 red onion, finely sliced 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar ½ tsp sea salt Pomegranate Lemon Oil 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses Zest and juice of 1 lemon ¼ tsp sea salt To Serve 3 stalks kale, stalks discarded and leaves finely chopped 1 cup herbs, chopped ¾ cup seeds, toasted Method: Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the cauliflower on a baking tray and toss with cooking oil, pomegranate molasses, and sea salt. Place in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes or until golden and crispy in parts. While the cauliflower is roasting, make the other components. For the quinoa, add the quinoa and water to a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 7 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the heat. For the pickled red onion, add the onion, vinegar and salt to a small bowl. Toss together and allow to pickle for at least 5-10 minutes. For the pomegranate lemon oil, add all ingredients to a cup and mix to combine. When you are ready to serve, add the cooked quinoa, cauliflower, kale, herbs, seeds, pickled red onion, and drizzle over the pomegranate lemon oil to a big salad bowl. Gently toss to combine. Store any leftover salad in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 4 days. Simple Swaps / Additions Great work lunch salad, just leave out the herbs and add fresh each day. Add any other vegetables in addition or in replacement of the cauliflower e.g. kumara, eggplant, fennel, capsicum, zucchini, broccoli, pumpkin, potato. Quinoa for any other grain e.g brown rice, orzo pasta, millet. Instead of pickling the red onion, add to the roasting tray with the vegetables. If you don't have pomegranate molasses, leave it out. We use and recommend the brand, Lebanon Gardens. Kale for any other greens e.g rocket, silverbeet, watercress, cos lettuce or spinach. Seeds for any other seed or nut e.g sesame seeds, almonds or walnuts. Delicious served with avocado chunks and a side of protein such as halloumi, falafels, tempeh, salmon, chicken, lamb or beef. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Better account security is coming to Facebook They will be adding passkey support. Why are Passkeys better? Because they prevent you from being tricked into giving your credentials to a fake site. They also can't be stolen, guessed, or leaked. A password doesn't care who it sends it to, you just hand it over and if it matches it lets you in, but you could be handing it over to anyone, the real site, or a fake site. A passkey is a more sophisticated form of authentication that first sends you a secret key. If that secret key matches, meaning that site and your device can now confirm they know each other, then a different key is sent back to log you in – the site also verifies that. Think of it like a secure handshake with only the one person you want to shake hands with – everything is verified before sending any details. Meta and Oakley are teaming up for a smart glasses collab Meta really wants smart glasses to be a thing! They're releasing five Oakley styles to appeal to more people. The Oakley glasses have a 3K front-facing camera (that records video), open-ear speakers, and microphones built into the frame. When connected to your phone you can listen to music or podcasts, conduct phone calls, or chat with Meta AI. Your Kindle is about to get more accessible With the latest software update rolling out there'll be more options for adjusting line spacing, paragraph spacing, word spacing, and even character spacing. It's a big improvement for those with vision impairments. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy Featuring exclusive interviews with survivors, paramedics and festival staff, this documentary examines the 2021 Astroworld tragedy and its aftermath (Netflix). American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden An exploration of how the world came together to hunt down al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the events of September 11, 2001 in New York City (Netflix). Underdogs Ryan Reynolds narrates a celebration of the unique behaviours of animals who don't usually get to be the stars of the show, from their hidden talents and unconventional hygiene choices to their unsavory courtship rituals (Disney+). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Echo Valley Kate's secluded life is interrupted by her troubled daughter when she shows up frightened and covered in someone's blood. As Kate unravels the truth, she learns how far she'll go for her child. Merchant Ivory Archival footage and interviews provide insight into the partnership, both professional and personal, between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone says the best time to travel with a baby is before it can walk. Makes sense, when you think about it. Most toddlers, once they've learnt to trot around the place, live for nothing more. All they want to do is walk. In fact, if you think about it, you really don't want to get close to even blurring the line between rolling and crawling and waddling away. The moment your child is old enough and independently spirited enough to drag themselves around, you're done for. There is no reasoning with an exhausted one-year-old on a packed 777. You can't calmly explain that actually the pilot has just put on the fasten seatbelt sign. You can't even vegetate them with a screen. As the old advice goes, if you're going to travel with a young one, you're best to do it when they're really young. Hold them tight and they'll mistake turbulence for rocking. Chuck them on the boob or the bottle if their ears are popping. And hey, you'll be at your destination in no time! Or not. As someone who usually prides themselves on embracing new experiences, even I'll concede that as our departure date approached, I felt an unmistakably growing sense of anxiety about our journey: 24 hours to Toronto with a four-month-old little boy and his eight-year-old brother. It all seemed so easy when we booked the tickets! The stress really kicked in the moment the taxi arrived to take us to the airport. Having purchased a special travel carseat secondhand, it was a rude shock to discover that it didn't really fit our cab like it fitted the cars in the instructional YouTube videos. Cue ten minutes of wrestling and cursing and a t-shirt neckline already drenched in sweat. Timing an 8pm flight with a baby means being at the airport at 6pm, which means getting a cab at 5.15pm. Our boy is fine in a carseat so long as he's moving. But when it's the beginning of a long weekend and everyone is leaving Auckland at once, nobody's moving. You're lucky to get more than a couple of car lengths without coming to a standstill again. By the time we arrived the airport he'd already screamed his lungs out and my blood pressure was sitting somewhere between concerning and see-a-medical professional immediately. Just 23 hours to go. I've travelled enough and been sat next or near enough babies to know a lot of the theory around flying with little ones, but the thing you only fully appreciate once you're in charge is how precarious any moment of peace always seems. They might be fast asleep in their mother's arms as the plane taxis to the runway, but he's never more than a little jolt away from potentially stirring and screaming. It's like you're cradling a pink, chubby little grenade who's missing a pin. He might go off and it might be catastrophic. He might scream and scream until all the babies on the flight slowly tip off each other, like a cadre of car alarms at 30 thousand feet. Or he might just sleep. The potential for either option is never more than a few seconds away. Of course, some things are just destined to go wrong. The moment you put your baby in the bassinet and he goes to sleep, there will be turbulence and you'll be forced to take him out, bright and alert as a little meerkat. The moment you successfully navigate the Row 48 bathrooms and their slippery changing table and make it back triumphant to your seat, you will recognise a familiar straining expression on your baby's face. The moment you're sure that your son couldn't possibly have any more burps and you just happen to lower that spill cloth for a couple of seconds, he will make sure to exploit that sartorial weakness so before long, his dried milk can mix in with that dried sweat from the taxi, earlier on. The moment you land, you will discover there's been a mix up with the luggage and the carseat that'll take a long time to fix and jeopardise your connection. It will be Lord of the Flies in the customs queue, you will miss your connecting flight and the replacement will somehow fail to have to transferred the infant's booking... so what, you ask, do you suggest we just leave him in Vancouver? Most of this isn't any one person's fault, but rather the inevitable hiccups when navigating the crazy logistics of internal travel. In fairness, Māni did about as well as anyone could expect of a four-month-old, but travelling long haul with a baby has certainly tested my enthusiasm for the whole new experiences thing. Sure, he might have spewed in the middle of the aisle while half the plane was watching him. He might have gone through a dozen nappies, three rompers, a cardigan and no fewer than five bibs, but next time I'll remember that I'm the one who needs to pack extra clothes in his carry on. After it all, there we were, more than 24 hours since we left home, pulling into a quiet street in a little town on Lake Ontario. It was almost 3.30am, local time, the dead of night. Māni's grandparents were waiting to meet their grandson for the first time. Māni's great-grandparents were waiting to meet him for the first time. Bleary eyed and teary eyed, we hugged and cried in the warm summer air. Sons, daughters, aunties, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Four generations, together. And it was all worth it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queen of the stage, Alison Quigan is a mainstay in New Zealand's performing arts scene. You may know her best as Yvonne Jeffries, Shortland Street's maternally-minded receptionist, or from one of her many theatre productions, as Quigan has spent her career creating stories that portray the real lives of Kiwis on stage. She's back to her theatrical ways, directing a brand-new production by Sir Roger Hall, ‘End of Summer Time'. It's the story of retired cow cocky Dickie Hart and his wife Glenda's move to Auckland, a decision Dickie thinks is the beginning of the end. Quigan told Jack Tame that Hall's a great observationist, and it's his understanding of his audience that allows them to connect with his works. “He's been telling the story of this particular generation for 50 years, and he is very loyal to them and they are very loyal to him.” She started directing his plays in the late 80's when she took over Centre Point Theatre in Palmerston North, but as a solo show, this one is a little bit more complex than normal. “You're actually trying to create all the other characters with the actor, and obviously with the writer, and so it's a case of making sure that he's, he can get from A to B to C to D, to all of that, so he can get through to the end of the play,” Quigan explained. “So there's the practical part of understanding how a solo show works, but also reassuring and just loving what this other person can bring to the play.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taskmaster NZ, The Traitors NZ, The Chase NZ – Kevin Milne is wondering if New Zealand has run out of ideas of our own. Being inspired by the success of overseas productions is fine, he says, but we shouldn't just be copying them outright. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Their 27th album and their most theatrical yet, Phantom Island is the latest release from Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. It's a partner to their prior album, Flight b741, and was recorded during the same sessions, continuing on with the same themes, but with a more orchestral sound. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to share her thoughts on the album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston's Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond; mission specialists John Griffin and Lydia Danes; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe. Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant. Vianne by Joanne Harris On the evening of July 4th, a young woman scatters her mother's ashes in New York and follows the call of the changing winds to the French coastal city of Marseille. For the first time in her life, Vianne feels in control of her future. Charming her way into a job as a waitress, she tries to fit in, make friends, and come to terms with her pregnancy, knowing that by the time her child is born, the turning wind will have changed once again. As she discovers the joy of cooking for the very first time, making local recipes her own with the addition of bittersweet chocolate spices, she learns that this humble magic has the power to unlock secrets. And yet her gift comes at a price. And Vianne has a secret of her own; a secret that threatens everything… LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Do the Galapagos sea lions know how good they have got it? Sprawled across the pristine beaches, they wallow, snooze, and frolic across the powder-white stretches of sand, blissfully unconcerned by curious passers-by entering their slice of paradise on a goggle-eyed shore excursion. In fact, some of the sea lions waddled up to greet us into their realm of unrivalled wonder. The Galapagos grips you good, and doesn't let go. I'm fresh back from my maiden visit to this extraordinary group of islands with Viva Expeditions, enjoying a four-night cruise aboard the magnificent La Pinta." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly a million people in New Zealand are currently receiving Superannuation, getting payments of between nearly $600 and just over $1000 every fortnight. But in this cost of living crisis, how easy is it to survive on the pension? Ed McKnight tried living on it for a week and came to a couple of conclusions around what it would be like to retire. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oral hygiene is incredibly important for maintaining your health, but when you're brushing twice a day, you can burn through brushes pretty quickly. With dentists recommending toothbrushes be replaced every three months, New Zealanders send an estimated 20 million toothbrushes to landfill every year. Is there a better option? Kate Hall offers a few tips that could help bring down the waste. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 14 June 2025, legend of the screen and stage Alison Quigan joins Jack to discuss directing a brand-new theatre production from Roger Hall. Jack considers what real life skills we need in the world of AI. Kevin has a few thoughts on what skills we should be nurturing and hopes they might translate to more original ideas. Francesca Rudkin dishes on the dishy stars in new film ‘Materialists'. And Mike Yardley recounts his exploration of the Galapagos Islands. 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.

Damage in the garden can strike at any time. Serious leaf damage (chewing and molesting of foliage all the way down the branches of a tree or shrub) is not something that small birds tend to do. At ground level you can rightly guess that sparrows and quail are the possible delinquents, but when it really looks like full-on destruction you will need to do a bit of research: Large bites in leaves: classic possum damage! Skeletonised Pohutukawa was bringing the trees to extinction – Project Crimson was the organisation that started the rescue mission. Possums work on their local, favourite tree in the neighbourhood – constant chewing puts trees under pressure to make more leaves, often with an increased amount of sugar – Yum! Bark damage is easy to spot: big scratches up and down the tree. Possum poo (1-1.5 cm in length) is often found under the tree – a dead give-away! But the most ridiculous damage in your garden is possum chewing on fruit, especially citrus. It's often like the possum helps you to peel the fruit – it only seems to like that peel and doesn't often touch the fruit, unless it is very sweet and ripe. Possums are rather destructive eaters. They eat a decent number of different trees – their favourites are Pohutukawa, Totara, Kohekohe, and Tawa, and their feeding habits literally have an impact on the make-up of our forests. That means that our forests are often changed in composition, which in turn could have an impact on the sequestering of carbon. All possums in New Zealand together eat about 21,000 tonnes of vegetable material – almost equivalent to the weight of the Sky tower! They also eat birds, and the eggs in their nest, and many larger insect species. At night, possums roam their territory. They are not always easy to find, as they are rather sneaky when going from tree to garden. We used to have them in the city of Auckland and many people simply didn't believe they would have them in densely populated areas. But even on quiet nights, possums can be heard making their special noises: growling, hissing, and screeching. Possum control is best attempted with the good old “Possum Trap”, also known as the Timms Trap. There are also the newer models of re-setting traps. Cam Speedy is a brilliant trapper and his best lure for possums is the following mixture: Make a “blaze” with flour (1 kg) and icing sugar (100 gr), plus 15 ml of cinnamon, peach, eucalyptus, or vanilla essence. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disney and Universal are suing AI image and video generator Midjourney With just a couple of sentences you can create your own scene starring Homer Simpson, a Minion, or a Star Wars character. That's cool, but a problem for the studios who own the IP for that content. The studios call Midjourney a “virtual vending machine” and “bottomless pit of plagiarism” in their suit. Many of these AI companies have been using copyrighted material under "fair use" provisions to train their models, but this lawsuit directly challenges that. The lawsuit seeks damages ($150,000 per infringement) and an injunction that would immediately stop Midjourney's operations. Apple is bringing Call Screening to iOS26 Why are you calling me? That's the question the caller will now need to answer before you decide to pick up. Not interested, ignore them! This builds on the "live voicemail" feature they already rolled out. With this update, telemarketers will need to explain themselves before you answer! Spam calls are a real problem in the USA, so this will come as a welcome relief for many. CarPlay can now be customized for car makers Aston Martin is Apple's first CarPlay Ultra customer. The two collaborated to bring Apple Car Play to the driver's dashboard. So now your maps, music controls and more will be right there, not off to the side screen. But the main CarPlay screen will now have car control capabilities such as air vents, temperature, and driving preferences. It brings the Tesla style experience to more automakers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Attenborough: Ocean David Attenborough explores the planet's undersea habitats, revealing the greatest age of ocean discovery and emphasising the ocean's vital importance while exposing its problems and highlighting opportunities for marine life recovery (Disney+). Titan: The OceanGate Disaster OceanGate's Titan tourist submersible imploded in 2023 on a deep-sea dive to the Titanic. This documentary details how a bold vision ended in tragedy (Netflix). Paris Has Fallen A protection officer and an MI6 operative team up after a terrorist attack. Realising there might be a mole in the secret services, the duo race to take down their dangerous enemy and thwart a larger conspiracy threatening Paris (Neon). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Materialists A young New York City matchmaker's lucrative business gets complicated as she finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. Dangerous Animals A shark-obsessed serial killer holds Zephyr, a rebellious surfer, captive on his boat. Racing against time, she must figure out a way to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nici Wickes has been out at Fieldays for the last few days, checking out a few products and cooking up a storm. She joined Jack to round up some of her foodie highlights, as well as share her ‘super simple' Korean-style rump steak recipe that's been popular among the other visitors. Korean Beef and Spring Onions If I have to pick a steak to cook, I'll go with rump every time as it's so darn tasty! It's great for a quick fry or grill. Ingredients 3 tbsp caster sugar 6 tbsp dark soy sauce 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for grilling 2 tbsp sesame oil Squeeze lemon juice or 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger 3 cloves garlic, grated 500g rump steak 6-8 spring onions, sliced Toasted sesame seeds, to serve   Method In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, soy sauce, oils, lemon juice, ginger and garlic. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cut steak into .5cm strips across the grain and add this to the marinade. Massage the marinade into the meat and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight. Brush spring onions with oil. Cook beef and spring onions on a BBQ plate or in a hot pan. Baste with leftover marinade as they cook. The beef strips will only need about 30-45 seconds then give them a turn and cook for a further 15 seconds. Pile it all on a place and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice or soft white buns. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I still remember the exact seat where I was sitting. It was 20 years ago, and I was primed for one of the key exams in my tertiary education. I'd passed Teeline shorthand at 40 words a minute. 50 words, 60 words, 70 words. To progress on my journalism course and ultimately earn a degree I had one final challenge: I had to pass a Teeline shorthand exam at 80 words a minute. We learnt Teeline from a wonderful tutor, a woman named Julie with exacting standards, a wicked sense of humour, and a way with words. She'd peer over your shoulder when you were tracing out different characters. “That's a squitty-looking outline,” she'd say with a wry smile. The moment I realised I'd passed 80 words a minute, I walked up to the front of the class and kissed her on the cheek. It took five months of work with daily lessons. I drilled myself with cassette tapes at home. But in a stuffy room on Madras Street, finally, I'd done it. But here's the crazy thing. That was the very last time I seriously used Teeline shorthand. That's no reflection on Julie. She was an amazing tutor, and shorthand skills had been fundamental for journalists for however-many decades. But back in 2005, what no one had apparently stopped to consider was whether those skills would be necessary in a world on the cusp on smart phones. What's the point in trying to keep up with shorthand when your phone can record a verbatim interview and even transcribe it in real time? Since our son was born, I've found myself thinking a lot about my shorthand experience in the context of AI. And I kept returning to a fundamental question: what skills and knowledge should we actually be teaching our kids? In the UK, surveys have suggested that 90% of university students are using AI to help with assessments. I'm frankly surprised it's not more. But educators around the world are trying to grapple with how to get around the likes of Chat GPT, Claude, and DeepSeek in assessing students' learning. So far at least, technology which purports to scan students' submissions for signs of AI is having mixed results at best. Many assessors are advocating for a complete return to in-person exams with hand-written essays. And yet in stewing over this, I couldn't help but wonder if in some ways that misses the point. It's like long division in the age of the calculator. Sure, it's a nice-to-know. But be honest. Do you actually use it? How many of us actually need manual long division skills in the modern age? What's the point in rote-learning historical dates when they are but a Google away? What's the point in learning where to place a semicolon when you can always spell and grammar check your work? When it comes to AI, instead of trying to work around it, I wondered, are we not better just to fully embrace it and try to teach our kids how to maximise the utility of the technology? Ultimately, two points have given me reason to pause. First of all, it occurs to me that we're not very good at foreseeing what skills will and won't be relevant in the workplace of the future. It was only a few years ago that everyone was urging young people to drop everything and learn how to code. Now, coding jobs are among the first ones being gobbled up generative AI. And it's easy in reflecting in my Teeline shorthand example to miss the even greater lesson. It's true, Teeline skills haven't been necessary or helpful in my almost-twenty years of journalism. But what has been helpful is the discipline that experience taught me. What has been helpful is the organisation skills, the accountability, the professionalism. In learning Teeline, I learnt shorthand. But more importantly, I learnt how to learn. Whether it's through long division, historical essays or anything else... surely that is the skill should aspire to educate in our kids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.