Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

A Bay of Plenty-based group is turning a pest problem into a community solution. Hunt for Good is a not-for-profit that culls wild deer, donating the venison and wild game meat to community groups and food banks. It's volunteer run, and helps farmers manage the wild deer population on their land in a sustainable way. It was founded by Jasper Osborne at the end of 2024, and in that time they've culled nearly 2000 wild deer and donated over 16 thousand kilograms of mince to those in need. “A lot of farmers are under a lot of stress ... and if they've got huge number of deer running around their properties, then that stock, they can't have, so that's really profit they can't have,” Osborne told Jack Tame. “If we can help them by eliminating some of the issues for them, and also turning it into a food source for the community, then it's a double win." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canterbury residents are battling to save their golf course. Wolfbrook Properties has bought the 80-hectare site of Pegasus Golf Course and unveiled plans for redevelopment. Locals —including cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee— are raising concerns about the scale and speed, particularly if plans go through the fast-track process. But Kevin Milne thinks more than just the locals should be fighting for the golf course – he reckons the rest of the country should get behind it as well. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The daughter of Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has released her debut album. ‘Be Sweet To Me' is the first album from Violet Grohl, with a sound reminiscent of 1990s alternative rock. Though it's primarily rock, the eleven tracks do feature elements of heavy metal, folk, and jazz, Grohl citing the Breeders, PJ Harvey, Pixies, Soundgarden, and Cocteau Twins as her primary influences. Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whistler by Ann Patchett When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn't seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again. Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It's a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything. The Divorce by Freida McFadden What is a happily ever after really worth? Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family… Then―he kicks her out, hires the city's best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something. It's a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life. Except, why should she? Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband's new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession―and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger. But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn't it worth it? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"What springs to mind when you think of Southern California? Wide-open beaches? Streets lined with palm trees? Surfers, bikers, and rollerbladers mingling about? How about picture-perfect sunsets by the shore? An hour south of LA, Huntington Beach ticks all those boxes with panache. With its all-season sunshine and enormous sandy expanse of Pacific coastline, Huntington Beach sets the stage for a very leisurely layover. Nicknamed Surf City USA, what was once a sleepy surf town is now a hopping vacation hub. It's a great place to stopover in the greater LA area. It's the quintessential SoCal beach break and in easy reach to Orange County's banner attractions, like Disneyland." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new food identification label is beginning to appear in stores. In a similar vein to the ‘New Zealand Made' logo that denotes locally made products, a ‘NZ Grown Grains' logo denotes products made with grains grown within the country. Kate Hall joined Jack Tame to discuss the logo and why it's important to both produce grain locally, and support those who do. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clarkson's Farm – Season 5 Clarkson's Farm is back, and amidst a government budget that sends the UK farming community into uproar, Jeremy decides some big changes are needed to make the farm run more smoothly. But while the crops get the high-tech treatment and there's cutting edge new kit to play with, even bigger developments are heading for Diddly Squat 2.0 that are going to prove much more of a challenge (Prime Video). The Four Seasons – Season 2 A comedy-drama created by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield, adapted from Alan Alda's 1981 film. It follows a close-knit group of lifelong friends who navigate life, love, aging, and relationship drama over the course of quarterly vacation getaways (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interest rates have begun to creep back up. New Zealand's largest bank, ANZ, has increased its rates across the board, hiking everything by 20 basis points except the one-year rate, which only increased by 10. It's rates now start at 4.69% for its six-month “special” and go up to 6.49% for five-year terms. So how high will they go and what should you do? Ed McKnight joined Jack Tame to offer some advice. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday June 6 2026, we speak to Jasper Osborne, the man behind Hunt For Good, the not-for-profit operation culling pest deer and getting it to those in need. Jack is over flaky buyers on Facebook Marketplace after another no-show. A new season of Clarkson's Farm is out, and our Screentime expert Karl Puschmann has his review on it Ed McKnight has all the info about the forecasted rising interest rates and what to do about them. And Ruud Kleinpaaste has his Fungus of the Year 2026 picks – voting is open now! 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.

The pace of AI development is nuts Something caught my eye this week that shows just how furious the AI race is becoming: Meta is so desperate for more data centres that it's constructing tents while the proper data centres are built. There are now five 12,000 square meter tents erected at a site in Ohio. They build these “rapid development structures” to house likely billions of dollars' worth of chips. A proper data centre can take years to build – they get these live in three months. They build ‘off the grid' gas-turbine power stations beside them too. Meta's next product: an AI pendant According to reports, it's planning to start testing the device early next year. There have been AI pendants hit the market that haven't taken off. Unsure if it's because they're not actually useful, or because people have privacy concerns about a device listening to everything you say. OpenAI is also working on a device with Apple's former designer Jony Ive. Google and the FBI are warning of something that sounds like it's straight from a movie US law enforcement is warning about ransomware gangs sending fake IT workers to offices to try and steal data. The group has been targeting law firms – turning up and social engineering their way to the laptops of victims and then connecting USB drives or using remote access tools to save data. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cast your vote! We're in the middle of the Fungus of the Year. An incredible series of stories about mushrooms, fungi, moulds, diseases – the poisonous and gorgeous organisms that surround our planet, gardens and —believe it or not— our food! Surprises galore: i.e. The Fungal Kingdom is larger than the Plant Kingdom! There are more fungal species than plant species – get your head around that! We could easily do a fungus story for each Jack Tame program between now and 2086 – My old mate Peter Buchanan (ex-DSIR – Manaaki Whenua, Bioeconomy Science Institute) has always been the storyteller and is now working with teachers. Let's start with a few amazing organisms. VEGETABLE CATERPILLAR The “Vegetable Caterpillar”, Te Awheto: a native mummified caterpillar and a native stick-like fungal fruiting body. The Caterpillar gets to a large form underground, where it can be consumed by a fungus. The “fruiting body” develops from the head of the dead caterpillar to well above the ground, where the spores are released (aiming to grab more live caterpillars!). Māori worked out relatively quickly that if Awheto was collected in good numbers and burnt, the powdered charcoal mixed with bird fat would create the perfect and stable black pigment, used to make Ta Moko. A Caterpillar, a Fungal Fruiting Body, a Barbeque, some Bird Fat and Black Charcoal… Photo / Supplied WOOD EAR FUNGUS I love the Wood Ear Fungus (Te Hakeke) in our Native forest. They look so Dark Brown and elegant on the dead native trees. Touch them and they feel like a human ear, chew a bit off and they are as soft as a human ear – in fact, they smell and kind-of taste like a human ear! ... But they don't! No smell – no taste, but a brilliant way to absorb smell and taste from cooked foods. It wasn't just the Māori who cottoned onto the way to harvest and cook with the ear fungus – the Chinese merchants that settled in Aotearoa realised that the New Zealand Ear Fungus was pretty closely related to the one in China! A significant trade with China (1870 – 1910) developed from a number of ports in Aotearoa – it was known as “Taranaki Wool”. Chew Chong was the leading ear fungus exporter and has been honoured in the NZ Business Hall of Fame for to the “Fungus Trade”. Photo / File | Peter Buchanan Landcare Research FISCHER'S EGG I am really keen to find one of these rare “truffels”, one fine day. It's from just a few places in the South Island: Nelson, Dunedin and Gore and is threatened with extinction (DOC, IUCN Global Red List). The fruitbodies of Fischer's egg have no opening through which to release their spores. Similar “stomach-like” fungi mostly depend on animals to disperse their spores after consumption of their fruitbodies… so, here's a question: Did the flightless Moa feed on (and disperse) Fischer's egg? Photo / Supplied Remember: the 18th of June is the last day to vote (click here or scan the QR code to do so). Have a look at stuff like this to find out more about fungi, and this wonderful book that Peter put together. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colours of Time In 1895, young Adele leaves Normandy for Paris, a city alive and buzzing with invention, photography and the rise of Impressionism. In the present day, her descendants inherit an unexpected legacy: a countryside house in Normandy, abandoned for decades and suspended in time. Four of Adele's descendants arrive to survey the Estate, and together end up piecing together the story of Adele's unexpected life. Case 137 Stéphanie, a police officer working for Internal Affairs, is assigned to a case involving a young man severely wounded during a tense and chaotic demonstration in Paris. While she finds no evidence of illegitimate police violence, the case takes a personal turn when she discovers the victim is from her hometown. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This dessert is an easy French classic, and any fruit can be used really – raspberry, feijoa, peach, plum, prune, or the original, cherry. I'm using tamarillos as they're in season and warmed, they're absolutely gorgeous. Serves 4-6 Ingredients 3-4 tamarillos, scooped and sliced 5 medium eggs 8 tbsps. caster sugar + extra 5 tbsps. plain flour 2 tsps. vanilla extract 1¼ cup milk Cream to serve Butter to grease dish + extra Method Preheat the oven to 180°C and generously butter a large ovenproof dish. Scatter the tamarillos into the dish. Whisk the eggs with the sugar, then add the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla and milk. Pour the batter over the fruit, dot some extra butter over the top, and bake for 30 minutes or so until just set in the centre, puffed, and golden. Serve with a final sprinkle of sugar over the top and drizzle with cream. Make it your own For a dairy free version, use plant-based milk. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I bought some second-hand bunks this week. High quality. Good stuff. Perfect for the nine-year-old's bedroom. But to make way for his new addition, I needed to pack up his old bed. It was a king single – nothing fancy. Built from a little kit set with Allen key screws and cheap wood. But the bed was still in reasonable condition, and even though we didn't need it anymore, I figured it might be useful for another family. At the very least, before condemning it to landfill, I thought it worth a quick check. Brand new, the bed must only have cost $400, so I did what I thought was the right thing. I took a few photos then I took it apart, labelled the screws, and neatly stacked up the various pieces. I put an ad on Facebook Marketplace: Free kid's bed frame. King single. Free if you're happy to pick it up. Now, look. I know there's more than enough junk in this world. I didn't have any grand expectations that anyone would even want the bed. I certainly didn't oversell it. But no sooner had I put it online, I started receiving messages asking if it was available. Yep, I said. It sure is. I marked the listing as sold and with the first person to message me, I arranged a time to hand over the bed the following day. Given I was due to be at work, I explained to the buyer I'd have to sort out someone else to be home to help with the handover instead of leaving the bed outside in the rain. Job done, I figured. All sorted. Win-win. Except the person never showed. Never turned up. Never messaged to explain or apologise. Just went incommunicado. Ghosted me. They'd been dead keen 24 hours earlier, but something, apparently, had changed. Even though they knew I was arranging to get someone else to be at home to give them something they wanted for free, apparently I wasn't worth even a cursory note. It's funny how different trading fora have slightly different cultures. When I was a kid, before the internet was really in use and TradeMe was a thing, we had the Buy, Sell and Exchange. It cost a few bucks to buy each week, and it was a treasure trove of junk. I was too young to trade anything, but I loved browsing through the pages. If you had any questions about an item, you had to give someone a call. We had the Trading Post on radio, which was always an amazing listen, and TradeMe's been the big digital player here since its inception. But these days, Facebook Marketplace is responsible for a growing number of trades. In my experience, it's usually for stuff that's less suitable for auctions. A fixed price. A quick trade. Bob's your uncle. It's also the best place for giving stuff away for free or nearly for free. There's no fee. No one pays anything. But there's a downside. This week's saga with the bed wasn't the first time I've been stood up without explanation by someone who a few hours earlier was apparently desperate for an item and grateful to be receiving it for nothing. I've only done about half a dozen trades on Marketplace. I reckon for half of them I've been stood up. I just find it so rude. Who are these people? I can't imagine messaging a stranger, knowing they'd made arrangements to help me with something, and then changing my mind and being so unconcerned with how it affected them, that I wouldn't even bother sending them a sentence. Maybe it says something about our wider culture. It's transactional. People aren't bothered by throw-away relationships. You're only valuable to someone else if they can get something out of you. I put the bed back up online and someone else immediately asked if they could take it. They're supposed to collect it today, so we'll see how that works out. But honestly, it wasn't the bed that got me, it was the principle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joel Little has worked with some of the biggest names in the music business. The Grammy Award-winning musician has written and produced tracks for the likes of Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Khalid, and of course, our very own Lorde – the place where it all began. But even amid all his fame and success, he's remained humble and down to Earth – and his latest project only exemplifies that. ‘BIG FAN' is a not-for-profit music space located in Morningside, offering recording studios and a live music venue with the aim of supporting the wealth of musical talent in New Zealand. Little told Jack Tame the whole idea was to build a place of a world-class standard, to give a little bit back to the music industry that's been so good to him over the years. “If someone else was in my position and I was watching them, I would kind of hope that they would do something similar.” “I didn't get where I am by just like... all on my own,” Little said. “I had people along the way kind of say the right things or give me opportunities ... and that's kind of what we want BIG FAN to be for people.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The passing of one of New Zealand's most well-loved entertainers has hit the country hard. Dame Jools Topp died the Saturday just past at age 68 as a result of breast cancer, something she was first diagnosed with in 2006 before it returned in 2021. Like many other Kiwis, Kevin Milne was devastated to hear of her passing, and he has a theory as to why so many are hit hard by the news. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul McCartney is taking a trip down memory lane in his new album. ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane' is his 20th —or 18th, depending on the way you count them— solo studio album and is a nostalgic collection of songs. Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the latest release by the iconic musician. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop? No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there. The chance to re-live the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were. For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice. Before he gave it all away. He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . . Honey by Imani Thompson Yrsa is in a funk. She's bored of her PhD program, bored of her research on Afropessimism, bored of the entitled undergrads she has to cater to. But most of all, she's bored of the men in her life—especially the bad ones. When her best friend, Nina, confesses to having an affair with her professor, and that he's stolen her research, Yrsa is mad. On the quad, Yrsa bumps into the professor and witnesses his death: an unfortunate incident involving his San Pellegrino and a bee allergy. What she sees that afternoon awakens something in her: a taste for murder. Emboldened, Yrsa decides to chase that high, and soon, no sexist, misbehaving man within commuting distance is safe. With each murder, Yrsa feels a greater sense of meaning and purpose—finally, her doctoral research feels useful. But how long can killing in the name of feminist and racial solidarity justify her actions? Will her rampage ever assuage her feelings of rage and revenge? And how long until her actions—and buried family secrets—come back to haunt her? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Montecito makes for a fascinating short stay dabble, edging Santa Barbara and just a 90-minute drive from LA. Home to just over 8000 residents, Montecito is a pint-sized California enclave, but home to a horde of A-listers and a certain royal couple." "Despite its A-list credentials, Montecito has retained its small-town vibe with understated glamour. It is calming, woodsy and charming, where soft coastal light meets mature oaks and sweeping mountain views—with glimpses of the ocean at every turn." Read Mike's full article. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 30 May 2026, Joel Little is in studio to launch 'BIG FAN', his move to support the next generation of musicians and live music gig culture. Jack has thoughts on the tattoo trend losing momentum. Dr Dougal Sutherland unpacks the research that suggests attending live music events is good for your wellbeing. Ruud Kleinpaste has tips to help your local garden bird population. And our music critic Chris Schulz reviews Sir Paul McCartney's brand-new album, ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane'. 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.

There are lots of things we know are good for our wellbeing, like eating properly, getting enough sleep, and doing exercise. But many of these are, let's face it, pretty boring some of the time and we might not feel very motivated to do them. But what if doing things for your wellbeing was actually fun? New research has looked at the impact listening to live music can have on us. Music itself has some very positive aspects to it such as changing our mood and helping us feel connections with other people who like the same music or whom we're playing music with. It seems going to a live music gig can have an even deeper impact on us via a phenomenon called “collective effervescence”. Collective effervescence is defined as having a strong sense of connection to other people present, feelings of elation, and that something special or even sacred is occurring – by its very definition it's only something you can get when you are experiencing something jointly with other people. You can get this with non-music events too – for example going to a wedding or for some people, attending a religious service. Collective effervescence seems to help reduce loneliness and improve people's mood – basically you feel better and more connected with other people. New research found people rated group events involving live music as more emotionally intense and unifying than group events that didn't involve music, and that the stronger a sense of emotional connection with others the more enjoyable people found the gig. This shared emotional high was linked not only to greater enjoyment and meaning during the event, but also to significantly greater happiness up to a week later. Need to be cautious about the results as it involved people looking back on what they remember happening, but it does seem that the appeal of gigs may lie in more than just performance alone. I've had lots of experiences of this myself but the best example I can remember of this is when our daughter went to the Taylor Swift concert in Sydney a couple of years ago – we went out to the stadium with her and the sense of a collective buzz amongst people on the train going out there and even just milling around was almost palpable. TayTay won't be everyone's cup of tea, but whatever your taste in music is why not get out there and seem some live music and enhance your own wellbeing in a way that's fun and enjoyable, especially as it's just coming to the end of New Zealand Music month! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week I got rather excited with my bird feeding exercise in the garden – silvereyes everywhere, bellbirds becoming part of the ornithological gig, starlings in good flocks, hedge-sparrows in hedges. As the winter is getting near, the birds will come and visit your generous fodder in good numbers: sugar water, bits of meat and dripping, but also remnants of very ripe bananas, fruit bits, and anything that is edible. One of the biggest attractants is sugar water and the old bits of meat – dozens and dozens of birds will make their way to the smorgasbord. An important point we need to consider about feeding birds in your garden is that you'll need to keep going till spring. Your generosity is something the birds rely on and when you stop, there will be consequences for the artificially high populations created by extra feeding. I often catch large numbers of silvereyes when they dash in the direction of the food resources; they often have no idea that my very fine bird-catching net is not always visible. All I do is get the birds and give them a light-weight metal and numerical band around their leg, so I can always tell who is who in our garden. Hundreds of them each autumn/winter, individually coded. In some parts of the South Island, we also get Bellbirds and Tui. You might think you will have “lost” them from the garden when spring is moving in – they are getting very secretive around nesting time, but they will remember your place as a heaven full of food. Yes, they know where you live – I reckon they'll also know what kind of plants you have in the garden. And the most important aspect of it all is that in spring and summer they'll come and do the pest control business for you by scouting the scale insects and aphids, psyllids, whitefly, and mealybugs from your plants to feed their kids. LOTS OF FOOD! Over the past decades I have been doing some local research in my gardens (West Auckland, East Auckland, and some spots in Canterbury) where I observed the silvereyes, tūi, and bellbirds literally hoovering the small insects from our plants. Seeing as I hate spraying systemic insecticides, I like these birds with their knowledge of entomology and the location of the food – I have great respect for their job in our garden. Oh, and by the way: tūi and bellbirds will probably do a significant job of pollination in your garden as well. What's not to like? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ebola - what is it, and could it become a global pandemic similar to the likes of Covid? What is Ebola and why is this outbreak dangerous? It's a very severe viral illness that causes fever, vomiting, bleeding, and organ failure. Up to 50% of patients die. It's spread by contact with body fluids such as blood or saliva. This is a rare sub-type with no specific vaccine or treatment, unlike previous outbreaks of the more common Zaire strain. Why is Ebola a problem in Africa? Most outbreaks are in Central Africa as the virus comes from animals such as fruit bats found in tropical forests. Many of affected areas have poor healthcare, shortages of hospitals, health workers, and poor protective equipment. Political instability and conflict complicate dealing with outbreak. Community mistrust and traditional burial practices can spread Ebola, as bodies are still infectious. Could Ebola become a global pandemic like Covid? Should we be concerned? It's highly unlikely as Ebola is much less efficient at spreading. There are three key reasons for this: Ebola spreads by direct contact with body fluids, Covid spread though air and coughing – therefore it's more infectious. Covid can spread with no symptoms. Ebola can only spread when symptoms become apparent. People become very sick very quickly and do not move around, which limits spread. Basically, a global pandemic occurs when people move around/travel and spread the virus, and Ebola's severe symptoms limit this spread. A vaccine for this strain is probably about six months away. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Move over ChatGPT, Claude is now the #1 Anthropic announced a new $65 billion funding round, bringing their valuation to $965 billion and making their company more valuable than OpenAI (valued at $852 billion in March). Now the race is on for the first AI company to grow to be worth $1 trillion. I just can't stop thinking about the incredible wealth growth of their employees. We thought social media fuelled a new class of wealth, but this is next level. It came the same day they launched Opus 4.8, which they say has better capabilities in agentic tasks, advanced coding, and comes with more of a focus on honesty and self-correction. Search engine DuckDuckGo is embracing the AI backlash Google announced it was going all in on AI for search. They're planning to retire the ten blue links and search will be "reimagined". In the promo video they show you being able to get alerts when your favourite bands are going on tour, or when an item you have your eye on drops in price. You can search multi-modal more easily – so using photos and text together to help explain your query. But not everyone is onboard, with concerns that if everything happens inside Google, the open web and the websites will die. DuckDuckGo —the privacy focused search engine— is offering a "No AI" search experience. Since Google's announcement they're seeing a 30% jump in users, but it's worth remembering they have just a 2% market share. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bust Up Cops Deb and Mihi - ex-partners in life - are forced to partner up again on the beat. This lively buddy cop series features perplexing crimes, complex relationships, and a genuinely Kiwi tone (Sky Open and Neon). Spider-Noir Private investigator Ben Reilly is hired on a couple of straightforward cases... until mobsters, monsters, and a mysterious femme fatale spin a web that brings him face to face with his former life as New York's only superhero: The Spider (Prime Video). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tuner A talented piano tuner's life is turned upside down when he discovers that his meticulous skills for tuning pianos can equally be applied to cracking safes. Finding Emily When a lovesick musician is given the wrong number for his dream girl, he teams up with a driven psychology student to find her. Together, they spark a hilarious, campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These are just the best weekend snack that everyone loves. They originate from Lebanon where they're called ‘arayes'. Eat them as a snack or with salad for a full meal. Makes 12 Ingredients 500g lamb mince 1 onion, grated 2 cloves garlic, grated 3 tsps each ground cumin, coriander, paprika ¼–½ tsp cayenne (optional) Small bunch of parsley, chopped ½ tsp sea salt 6 mini pita breads Olive oil for brushing Dipping sauce ½ cup plain yoghurt 2 tsp pomegranate molasses 2 tsps sesame seeds Method In a bowl mix the mince with onion, garlic, spices, parsley, and salt. Halve each pita bread and tease the layers apart (slightly warm the breads if needed). Take a tablespoon of the spiced meat and spread it into a thin layer inside each pita. Make sure it gets right to the edges. Press flat and brush each pita with olive oil. Heat a pan to medium and fry each filled pita bread until golden and meat filling is cooked. It doesn't take long as it's a very thin layer of meat. Mix all dipping sauce ingredients together. Serve warm pita with dipping sauce. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It will come as little surprise to anyone who knows me: I do not have any tattoos. I've never been inked. It's not that I don't think they can look great. More than anything, I just don't trust my taste. I've looked at old photos. I've seen my haircuts and clothing choices from even a few years ago. When you've burned up and crashed out in the low stakes minor leagues, there's not a huge incentive to put it all on the line in the majors. That fish dunking a basketball might just have to wait. Of course there are many reasons to get a tattoo. Cultural reasons. Utilitarian reasons. To remember a loved one or a traumatic event. I've got a friend who's tattooed a medical condition, kind of like a permanent and more fashionable medic alert bracelet. But I don't have any of those reasons. And I'd still suggest the dominant reason that most people get tattoos is because they think they look cool. And don't get me wrong, my tattooed friends. A lot of people look great with tattoos. But then again, a lot of people don't. There has been an explosion in ink in recent years. You see them everywhere: sleeves and intricate designs. Patchworks. Delicate stick-and-pokes. It's impossible to watch a game of professional football without noting that a majority of the players are covered tip to tat-toe. New Research estimates that in the United States alone, a third of adults have at least one tattoo. For those aged 30-49, it climbs to 46%. But get this – for young women between 18 and 29, more than half have at least one tattoo! So I'm calling it today. This trend cycle is officially over. The unique has become the ubiquitous. People who seriously love tattoos will continue to get tattoos. And fair enough. You do you. But all those people who jumped on the bandwagon because they thought a few tats would look cool on Instagram are no longer queueing for new ink. Except unlike skinny jeans, you can't just chuck your tattoos in an old shopping bag and drop them in a clothing bin. The cruel reality of the tattoo trend is that even though clearly ‘trend' is the right word to explain the surge in tattoos, the results of this trend are very much permanent. The global tattoo removal industry is valued at $11 billion today. By 2035, it's forecast to be four times that. If I had a spare bob, I swear, I'd be investing. Tattoo removal is from all accounts a pretty painful experience. But it's also big business. And of course, the trend-setters who consciously or otherwise have contributed to some of the demand are among those who are first in line to get their tattoos zapped off. Pete Davidson, Mark Whalberg, Pharrell… Watch this space. The list is only gonna grow. I started by saying I don't trust my own taste. Those who disagree with me will say I'm a hypocrite. How can someone who admits to having questionable taste be so certain in his judgement? The only thing that'll save me is I reckon deep down, whether they admit it or not, most people will agree. No tattoos is the new tattoos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Thomas was thrown into the spotlight in 2008 when British comedy ‘The Inbetweeners’ hit out TV screens. His character, Simon Cooper, suffered all manner of teenage humiliations at the hands of his friends, played by Simon Bird, Blake Harrison, and James Buckley. Now he’s on our side of the world, joining the line-up of Kiwi talent involved in TVNZ’s ‘NZ Spy’, starring alongside Rose Matafeo, Bret McKenzie, and Paul Williams. The show focuses on New Zealand’s three newest spies, and somewhat bumbling, spies, who have to track down the nation’s biggest enemy – the head of the Australian Secret Service. Thomas told Jack Tame this was one of those projects he knew would be good from the moment he read the script. “With comedy you can just tell like, immediately, if it’s gonna be good ... and within the first sort of page, I just thought, yeah this is great.” “Sometimes you just get jobs and you’re like, oh this is great, and you’re like, I was honestly like, what’s the catch?” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington is targeted to become New Zealand's first predator-free city. Announced back in March, Predator Free Wellington is receiving $5.5 million over five years, working alongside Capital Kiwi and Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne to eliminate predators from the area. And while Kevin Milne is pleased overall by the news, there is one sticking point for him: hedgehogs. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Kiwi app is going up against Spotify. Instead of focusing on songs, playlists, and subscriptions, Lume is built around albums – allowing fans to buy digital “box sets” containing the album, bonus audio, video, artwork, and photography. A majority of the revenue goes directly to the artists and their partners. Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the new platform. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ironwood by Michael Connelly Sworn to protect a scenic island meant to be far from the evils of the mainland, Detective Sergeant Stilwell can feel danger closing in. Stilwell knows that his posting on Catalina Island is no paradise, but to most residents, it seems blissfully separated—by twenty-two miles of ocean—from the troubles of Los Angeles County. But now a threat is coming to his safe haven. Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, Stilwell and his deputies watch a plane land in the middle of the night at the Airport in the Sky, a remote airstrip in the mountains. A duffel bag of drugs is dropped and the deputies move in, but things quickly go sideways. While Stilwell chases the fleeing pickup man into the mountainside brush, shots are fired on the runway and the plane flies off. An internal inquiry follows, putting Stilwell on the bench until he is cleared of responsibility for the disastrous operation. But he is determined to find out who brought deadly violence to his island, and begins his own secret investigation into the drug deal gone wrong. While under orders to remain in the sheriff's substation, he finds in the lost and found a valuable backpack that was never claimed. He traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. But then why was the pack only turned in two months back? Now thoroughly intrigued, he follows the mystery all the way to the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Renée Ballard. Stilwell and Ballard work the case from both sides of the channel, and soon realize they are on the trail of a criminal who revels in taunting the authorities. Meanwhile, frustrated at being shut out of an investigation on his own island, Stilwell risks his already shaky standing in the department to pursue a case whose reach is wider than he ever imagined. The Bookshop of Buried Pasts by Sarah Clutton Phyllida Banks is adored in the tiny village of Brookbank, nestled in the Southern Highlands outside Sydney. Admired for her curiosity and wisdom, her antiquarian bookshop is the hub of the community. So, when Phyllida is suddenly gone, leaving her granddaughter, Lottie, a letter requesting she 'Find Francis', friends and neighbours rally as Lottie grapples with her grandmother's inexplicable actions and her enigmatic past. Uncovering a fortune of unknown origin, Lottie discovers a trail that leads to Cambridgeshire, England, and another village bookshop with eerie similarities to their own. As the decades unravel, she stumbles upon the key to a mystery that has baffled police for fifty years. Several people have gone to great lengths to keep the past buried, and it seems Phyllida is at the heart of everything. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"If a stylish getaway at a distinctly relaxed pace in a sun-kissed beach town floats your boat, Santa Barbara delivers in spades. It's a vision of sun-splashed, white-washed stucco and red-tile roofs under swaying palms. Just 90 minutes drive north of Los Angeles, and billed as the American Riviera, Santa Barbara proudly sports a casual chic, Mediterranean vibe. But it effortlessly caters to a very broad church, from its trove of historic and cultural draws to a sparkling retail and hospitality scene, plus year-round outdoorsy appeal. If you're a first timer to Santa Barbara, here's a round-up of some quintessential experiences." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shein, the face of fast fashion, has reportedly acquired Everlane – a brand with an ethos of sustainability and ethical fashion. The sale is worth around US$100 million and is a result of the $90 million in debt Everlane is sitting on. In a statement to the New York Times, CEO Alfred Chang says the brand will remain independent, and keep its “sustainability components”, with the acquisition being framed as a way to expand the brand's global reach and accelerate its vision. Kate ‘Ethically Kate' Hall joined Jack Tame to discuss the sale and what it represents about sustainable and ethical fashion. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 23 May 2026, The Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas tells us what it was like filming in Aotearoa for NZ Spy. Jack has spent years maintaining his first pomegranate tree and has finally eaten its first fruit. Chef Nici Wickes is back to brighten our spirits with Banana Fritters – Balinese style. Karl Puschmann reviews the new Netflix series about popstar Kylie Minogue's life. And sustainability expert Kate Hall debates the acquisition of ethical brand Everlane by Shein, the biggest fast fashion brand in the world. 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.

Always lovely to see a lot of our “locals” hanging up all sorts of feeders for our local birds – it's the thing you do from autumn onwards. To be honest, it's a thing to watch from the window – it also shows the little fights that pinpoint who's the boss around the gardens. From now on food is becoming scarce and certain species require different types of tucker. Some species of Eucalypts are flowering in my garden right now; elsewhere so do Tagasaste, some puriri, and Banksia. Mexican Orange blossom does its best too, judging from the silvereyes that descend on those flowers. Nectivores are often attracted by sugar water, delivered in all sorts of ways: bottle feeders are available in garden centres and can be filled with dilutions of that sugar water. Do NOT use honey water, as that may spread bee diseases from hive to hive. Be aware that we have heaps of Native Nectivores in Aotearoa: tui, bellbird, and silvereyes to name a few. A lot of people feed birds dodgy supplements such as stale bread and food scraps; yes sparrows and starlings (as well as mynas and the odd blackbird) might initially seem to appreciate your gestures, but so do rats and mice (who are also looking for fodder). A bread meal is often quite detrimental to birds – if they drink water afterwards, the swelling of the bread can rupture their stomachs. A number of bird species enjoy some seeds: sparrows, greenfinches, gold finches, and such introduced creatures – blackbirds don't mind some seeds covered in fruity stuff. Julie has a different view on the matter: “blackbirds are there to rip the mulch off the garden”, whether or not they want to catch worms or any other invertebrates… But this is how I attract them to my garden from June onwards: lard blocks made from MAD BUTCHER meat and dripping and contained in an old onion bag or in a small, metal “cage” where the birds can hang from. This last contraption feeds a wide range of birds that over-winter in my garden. Replenish frequently and remember to place the feeders in a spot out of reach from neighbourhood cats. A source of water might also be handy as —even in winter— birds need water. My goal is to get the largest flocks of silvereyes on the lard blocks and sugar-water stations throughout winter and right into spring, when the silvereyes start to disperse to go breeding. Why is that my goal? I'll tell you next week – it's all about Natural Pest Control. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The wine: Elephant Hill Tempranillo Rosé 2025, Hawke's Bay, $29.00 A distinctive and enticing bouquet, a rosé made from Tempranillo is a rare find in NZ. Scents and flavours of peaches and red apple, a leesy and a clay earth complexity. A delicious wine with a silky-cream mouthfeel, superfine fruit tannins and medium+ acid line and flavours that reflect the bouquet. A very light positive reductive quality adds to the complexity. Lengthy and dry on the finish, an excellent example. The Food: Prawn dumplings steamed then quickly pan-seared with sesame oil. Finished with an oyster and soy sauce. Dress the dish up with some chives and ginger. Rosé wines respond to traditional Asian fare by contrasting the fresh flavours and intense spikes from the sauces especially the sweet and salty soy. Rosé when young should have a crispness and brightness with a racy acidity and generous mid-palate fruit sweetness. The season: The 2025 season in Hawke's Bay was excellent overall. A warm, dry spring with very good flowering and an early, mostly uninterrupted, start to the growing season. The summer was a little cooler but that did not stop flavour development and ripeness in the fruit. The flavour development and overall ripeness timeline contributed lead to one of the earliest for the region. So far, the wines I have encountered show a vibrancy and freshness, excellent balance and length. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthropic is going to have its first profitable Quarter Anthropic has told its investors that it will more than double revenue to around $10.9 billion in its second quarter and deliver an operating profit for the first time, according to the Wall Street Journal. But... it says it may not remain profitable throughout the year due to the large compute costs it's expected to incur. It comes as Salesforce reveals its spent $300 million on AI tokens, hasn't hired a software engineer since Jan 2025, and cut 4000 support staff. So is AI efficiency, or is it a change in spend? Meta has launched two new apps in two weeks Last week they launched Instants, which is designed to be a Snapchat or BeReal style app which has disappearing photos. They can't be screenshotted and they're meant to be for things that you don't want on your story or grid. It's its own app but is heavily tied to Instagram. Then this week they launched Forum – a Reddit competitor. Designed to be a “dedicated space built for deeper discussions, real answers and communities you care about.” It will be more focused on the conversations apparently. It seems to be tied in with Facebook groups because what you post will be there too. Seems it's more of a “new view” on top of the existing infrastructure. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Newly divorced mom Paula falls down a rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer. Convinced she witnessed a crime, while struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis, Paula begins her own investigation (Apple TV+). Kylie From soap star to superstar, Kylie's career has been full of twists, turns and spinning around — as she candidly reveals in this unfiltered documentary (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Private Life When renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner learns of the death of one of her patients she is deeply troubled. Convinced that it was murder, she decides to investigate... Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu The evil Empire has fallen but Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they enlist the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On every trip to Bali I look forward to eating pisang goreng, aka banana fritters. Nearly every menu features this popular street snack, but the best place to buy them is at a roadside cart that starts setting up late afternoon. They're easy to make at home and dirt cheap. Serves 4 Ingredients 1/3 cup rice flour 2 tbsps tapioca flour or cornflour ¼ tsp baking powder 2 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar ¼ tsp salt ½ cup water Oil for frying 3 bananas Honey, ice cream, cinnamon, sugar, etc to serve Method Mix dry ingredients with enough of the water until you have a thin batter. Let it rest for a minute while you get the oil hot, as it will thicken a bit more. Heat oil in a small pot – aim for about 5cm depth. Cut the bananas on the bias, each into about 4-5 pieces. Fry in small batches. Dip each slice to fully cover in batter, letting any excess drain off, and then carefully lower it into the hot oil. Do a few at a time. Turn once golden and fry until crispy and fully golden on both sides. Drain on a wire rack. They will stay piping hot as you cook the rest. Serve on their own or with a drizzle of honey, a dusting of cinnamon and sugar, and or some ice cream. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Puke has its kiwifruit. Ohakune, the giant carrot. Given the extent to which I've droned on and on and on and on about it this year, you'd barely bat an eyelid if you were to pull up at my place sometime soon, only to discover I'd erected an ostentatious 7-metre high fibreglass pomegranate in my front yard. It's been a journey for all of us, this pomegranate. Truth be told, when my mates bought me a pomegranate shrub as a housewarming gift three years ago, I didn't really expect it would ever have fruit. I'm not a very handy gardener. The soil at my place is the gluggiest clay. And besides, I've never seen a fruiting pomegranate tree in my life, let alone in New Zealand. But the pomegranate didn't just take. It flowered in its first summer. And the next. Just one or two bright-red, delicate, pear-shaped little flowers at the end of its spindly branches. It grew taller, more confident and established. And when my wife asked that I move the tree to make way for a new gate, I waited until late Autumn to give it the best chance of surviving, carefully dug up its root ball and found a spot in the northern-most corner of our property. I thought that'd be it. The move would put it back for a few years. But I returned from a week away over summer and could barely suppress my delight. The pomegranate had flowered and the flower had been pollinated. Like a green little tomato perched right at the very top of the tree, my pomegranate had its first fruit. Since then, it has been a fastidious operation. Every Monday morning, I've fed my plant a combination of citrus fertiliser and worm juice. I've fought off ants and other insects whom I worried might be burrowing in and ransacking its lustrous little pearls. As summer has passed and the single fruit has grown weightier, I've become increasingly concerned about the structural stability of the whole affair. Imagine an orange hanging off one of the weaker parts of a Christmas tree. It felt almost like it might snap off. With the help of our nine-year-old, I took some twine and jerry-rigged a make-shift support. The pomegranate kept growing. Having the nine-year-old involved has been a big part of my fun. After all, the reason my friends bought us a pomegranate shrub and not a feijoa or a lemon tree is that my wife is Persian. Pomegranates originate on the Iranian plateau. As much as molasses might be a staple in Ottolenghi recipes, pomegranates will have been a treasured fruit for generations of our children's ancestors. As our single red globe has grown larger over the last few months, the nine-year-old has begun touring visiting friends and family through the northern corner of our property. Here is the basil. Here is the spinach. Here is our family's pomegranate. Outside of the kids' ancestry and the exoticism of its origin, the simplest justification for our pomegranate obsession is that gardening is fun. Or if not fun, relaxing. I've really come to savour it. Even if I'm just weeding or cleaning up dead leaves and scraps, I find if surprisingly nourishing to go outside, chuck on a podcast, and potter about with my hands in the dirt. One thing I've learnt though is it's hard to know when to pick a pomegranate. There are YouTube clips and various online explainers, but colour isn't the only indicator. Shape is even more important. Boxy is good. You can flick it and try to judge the sound. Several listeners have emailed me to warn that although pomegranate plants at their places did manage to grow fruit, the fruit never fully ripened. They couldn't get it sweet. On Monday I finally pulled the trigger. One swift cut, through the stem. The family gathered around the dining table for the moment of truth. I sliced through the membrane and oxblood-coloured juice spilled out over the bench. I pulled apart the fruit and scooped the little rubies into a bowl. Together we each took a spoonful. “Whatever this tastes like,” I said. “I don't think we've yet got a commercially viable crop.” We drew the spoons to our lips. It was tart. It was tangy. It was sweet. It was delicious. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.