Podcasts about Jack Tame

Tonight on The Huddle, David Farrar from Kiwiblog and Curia and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Green Party has unveiled their alternative Budget - what do we make of it? How laughable are these ideas? Brooke van Velden made history in Parliament today by dropping the c-bomb to call out Labour for referencing the Andrea Vance column. Was this the right move? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a decade of making music, Chaos in the CBD has finally released their debut album. ‘A Deeper Life' is a labour of love from brothers Louis and Ben Helliker-Hale, a house album that pays tribute to their lives growing up in Aotearoa. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the release. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne recently received an email, passed on by Jack Tame, about advice he gave on the show 18 years ago. He said that parents should buy an exercise book, tie a pencil to it and write in even the little highlights of their kids growing up. The listener did just that, giving his son a book filled with special moments and memories on his 21st birthday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's catholic leader says Pope Francis' legacy will live on under the church's new leader. 69-year-old Robert Prevost was elected the new pontiff after the fourth ballot of the conclave yesterday, taking the name Leo XIV. He is the first Pope from the United States and the first from the Augustinian order of the church. New Zealand Archbishop John Dew voted in the conclave, and says in the ten days of meetings leading up to the vote, they discussed what's needed in the church and the world today. He says everyone was saying while they can't have a copy of Pope Francis, his initiatives should continue. He told Jack Tame the new pope has been a natural fit. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley's on an adventure in London, experiencing luxury hotels and five star dining experiences. He joined Jack Tame to delve into some of his top destination dining picks. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The centre of the world. It's a funny concept, really, because on a planet with 8 billion people, the world's attention never settles on any one event or thing for much more than a moment. Most of the time you would probably argue that the world's attention is divided and scattered. It takes an historic moment, something really big, truly significant, to hone those 8 billion sets of eyes to one point. And to be there in person, to actually experience it for yourself is to be an eyewitness to history. I met a guy who was on his OE in Europe in 1989 when he woke up one morning and heard maybe something was stirring. He hustled to a train and ended up with his photograph in the New York Times, tearing down the Berlin Wall. Truthfully, I can't compete with that. But by the nature of my job, I guess I've been fortunate to witness some reasonably significant events, first hand. I sat there as Pope Francis addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. I've seen Presidential inaugurations, Obama speaking on the mall. I was there in the room in 2016 when Donald Trump strode into a Philadelphia arena and formally accepted the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Something tells me that despite our geographic isolation, New Zealanders are good at sniffing out big historic moments. It could be a regal one – a royal wedding of a funeral? It can be a tragic event like witnessing the 9/11 attacks. Sport can be a good one. I saw Leo Messi score for Argentina at the opening game of the 2014 Football World Cup. That was special. And I was sitting on the finish line when Usain Bolt won the 100m at the Rio Olympic Games. Sometimes it takes luck. Sometimes it takes money. And sometimes it takes an exclusive kind of privilege that almost none of us will ever have. Take a papal conclave. There might be 1.4 billion Catholics on the planet, but only those cardinals who were in the room will ever truly know what it was like to be a part of that conclave. Just being outside in St Peters Square would be an incredible experience; the moment everyone saw the white smoke. But just imagine being inside. If you were to divide the number of followers worldwide by every man in that room, there are more than ten million Catholics for each individual cardinal. But only those cardinals will know what it's like to be there in person, to see the votes tallied, to hear the new Pope choose a name. The world's attention might have been focused on the Vatican, waiting for the smoke, but for this moment, only a tiny few were there. 133 eyewitnesses to a moment in history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! It's day two of the pay equity saga - what do we make of all this? Has the Government mishandled this? Was it a bad call to rush the law through the way it has? Should they admit they're just doing it for the money? Should we take Donald Trump seriously when he floats ideas like making Canada the 51st state? How much attention should we give statements like these? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minister for the South Island tells Jack Tame that his position is both vital to the functioning of the government, and unnecessary as Ministers are always thinking of all NZers. So, he's a token Minster for South Islanders? Maybe a DEI hire to represent the minority South Islanders?=================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

1News has revealed that Education Minister Erica Stanford has been using her personal Gmail to send documents to herself that could be sensitive, or even damaging should they get into the hands of a nefarious actor. Spineless Christopher Luxon is just fine with it all.Minister for the South Island tells Jack Tame that his position is both vital to the functioning of the government, and unnecessary as Ministers are always thinking of all NZers. So he's a token Minster for South Islanders? Maybe a DEI hire to represent the minority South Islanders?Defence Minister Judith Collins has clarified a new $957 million boost to the Defence Force is in addition to the previously announced $12 billion Defence Capability Plan=================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

One of New Zealand's most treasured musical acts, Sir Dave Dobbyn, will perform at Auckland Town Hall, the first time he has hit the stage there solo. The 68-year-old has previously performed at the prestigious venue with his band Th' Dudes, but has never showcased his own set. That will change on June 4, when he and his touring band look to cover songs from his 45-year recording career. Announced as part of the Auckland Winter Concert Series lineup, Dobbyn and his band will perform everything from his celebrated anthems to “an extraordinary catalogue of deeper cuts”. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to discuss the event. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Macintyre captivates readers with true stories. He expertly unravels complex historical events, explaining sharp subplots and side characters while artfully deploying dry humour to make the true stories he tells digestible. His most recent non-fiction work is The Siege – a story of how in April 1980, six men stormed the Iranian embassy in London and took 26 hostages they held for six days. Macintyre told Jack Tame he was 17 when the situation took place, and since that point he'd always wanted to write about it. “It was the most dramatic thing I'd ever seen on television,” he said. “It was one of those stories that entered mythology very quickly – it became a sort of story of, sort of SAS daring do, and kind of you know, fighting against the odds, and you know, the story itself is much more complicated than that.” “I've really enjoyed writing this one.” Macintyre is coming to New Zealand for the Auckland Writer's Festival, delving into his work at three different events across the festival. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prominent businessman, author and former politician Sir Bob Jones has died in Wellington after a brief illness - aged 85. Jones formed the New Zealand Party in 1983, which stood for 10 years. He received a knighthood in 1989 for services to business management and the community. Kevin Milne told Jack Tame he will be remembered as a terrific writer. He says Wellington already feels all the more grey for his passing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although we all try, budgeting doesn't work for everyone. Instead, Ed McKnight has what he calls the 'Economist's Pay Routine', an alternative that allows you to budget without budgeting. He joined Jack Tame to break down the method. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was taken aback by how long it had been since I'd last come to town. It's amazing how time creeps up on you like that. One minute you're at Grandma and Grandad's place every few months, knocking around with your siblings. The next you're going through Grandad's drawers, packing him a bag of his most precious possessions. The next, you realise it's three years since you even drove down his street. State Highway One was an absolute shocker. I was driving the old straight line, heading South from Christchurch. Rolleston, Dunsandel, Rakaia. The storm was fierce. There was surface flooding and the rivers were up which obviously made things worse, but some of the potholes were so large they could've swallowed the irrigators that usually crawl the paddocks on either side of the road. Those irrigators have brought a lot of prosperity to mid-Canterbury. But not on Grandad's street. His place was an old state house on what Dad always called the wrong side of the tracks. Given the main trunk line cuts right through the middle of town, it's a literal thing in Ashburton. Dad reckons the family moved in in about 1967. A two-bedroom place, clad in a shocking baby blue, an 85m2 state house, on a 900m2 section. They don't do property like that anymore. The Tames had arrived from UK a few years earlier – migration had cost them everything they had. By the early 1980s, on his limited income, Grandad saved up and for $21,500 he bought the house from the government as a home for life. He spent his working life slowly chipping away and paying off the mortgage. The quarter acre dream. Grandad always had an amazing garden. He made the most of all that space. There were vegetable beds and fruit trees, a huge compost heap. Flowers out the front. Harakeke. We used to play games of hide-and-seek and go-home-stay-home before retiring inside for luncheon and tomato sauce sandwiches and vegetable soup. At home, our parents didn't put salt in our food, and it was always a thrill to eat a hot lunch prepared by someone less concerned by cholesterol readings. The neighbours back then were mixed. I remember Grandad telling us once that if we hit the tennis ball over the fence it was best to just get a new one. I doubt the Police were strangers to the neighbourhood. Inside, I used to curl up in Grandad's La-Z-Boy and read Grandma's gossip magazines by the fire. On the times we stayed over, I read old Biggles stories. We'd all get covered in Labrador fur. They had a faux grandfather clock in the living room with a mechanism that filled every silence. Click, click, click. Grandad lived in that house for 55 years. He raised his sons there. He lost his wife, there. When it finally came time to leave, my cousin found his war medals, hidden away in a clothes drawer. When I came around the corner, the rain was pelting the windscreen. It took just a moment to get my bearings. The little place next door was gone. A similarly vast section, where once there was a humble cottage, it was filled now with a tidy row of modern units. But there was Grandad's. Some of the baby blue cladding was missing. The harakeke and the flowers at the front had all been ripped out. I'm sure the veggie patch is done. But the house was still there. Tired, but still there. Nothing lasts forever. I can't say with certainty when I'll be back. But I know one day I'll come around that corner, and Grandad's place will be gone too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog writer and Curia pollster David Farrar and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Wellington City Council has voted in favour of supporting lowering the voting age to 16 in local body elections. This is never going to go anywhere - is it? The Government's latest curriculum update involves teaching students about financial literacy. Do we think schools should be teaching this - or should it be taught at home? What do we make of Nicola's almost zero-budget one day on? Do we agree with Nicola's plan - or should she be going further? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samantha Fish is offering up nine new powerhouse songs on her latest album ‘Paper Doll'. It's Fish's 13th album, and the first she's recorded with her touring band, leaning into her strengths as a musician in a way she hasn't before. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the new release. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed Gamble is a man of many hats. Champion of the Taskmaster UK, podcast co-host, author, television host, standup comedian – on top of this, he's an absolute food fanatic. He's bringing a feast of comedy to New Zealand with his new show ‘Hot Diggity Dog', filled with his classic “ranting, raving and spluttering”. Gamble told Jack Tame he describes the show as a collection of things that have happened to him since he last did a show, including a bit about his disastrous honeymoon and one about buying a cat with his wife. “It's a lot more exciting than my description of it makes it sound,” he reassured. “I promise you'll be on the edge of your seat, even though it sounds incredibly tedious and middle class.” He'll be performing live in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland – tickets available on TicketMaster. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I had a funny entry in my calendar this week that took me a moment to decipher. ‘Mava 1C anniversary' it said. My heart skipped a beat. Anniversary?! Oh, hang on. No. Stand down. Forget romance. What my entry was telling me I'd just reached the anniversary for this very radio show, in which I'd shared with you our decision to become a one car household. We made the call at the start of 2023 because Mava had an old dunger that needed to go, and in theory it didn't seem necessary for us to replace it. Sure, it was convenient having two cars. It was what we'd always been used to. But with a bit of coordination and organisation, we reckoned at the very least, moving to one car was worth a crack. We're now more two years in, and we are still a one-car household. But in other ways, our circumstances have changed. For starters, there's now four of us – Me, Mava, our eight-year-old, and our 10-week-old baby. That means a baby capsule AND a booster seat. And we've upgraded from my oh-so-cool, grey Toyota Corolla to an oh-so-cool white Toyota Corolla. You could say I'm on a coroll. Every household and every family is different, and there are things that make our set up easier and things that make it harder. For starters, we live really centrally, which certainly helps. But we also have kids. Kids who have appointments and sports and playdates with their friends. Kids who need to be in different places at the same time. The way it works is that I default to not taking the car. About 80% of my journeys, I ride my bike. When it's really heavily raining, I take the bus to work or catch an Uber. When Mava isn't pregnant or carrying a newborn baby, she rides her bike too. The Uber thing is actually a big one. Again – easier when you live in a big city. But when we became a one-car house we told ourselves that we wouldn't feel guilty spending on Ubers if the pair of us had a clash in our schedules or a thunderstorm was rolling through. It didn't take a Nobel-winning economist to work out that a few big Uber journeys in rush hour traffic probably still wouldn't come close to what we were spending on insurance, parking and petrol. That was the theory. In practice it's been a comprehensive money-saver. Last year we spent about $300 on Ubers. Compared to the price of buying and running a second car, it's nothing. The hardest thing for me has been when plans change at short notice. One of us is out with the car and the other's waiting at home, but then the first person gets delayed. And even though I know I have to look at the overall spend rather than one-off journeys, catching a $40 Uber when previously we might have driven still feels a bit galling. So, two years on, what's the verdict? Sure, it takes marginally more coordination than it did with two separate vehicles, but if anything, it's honestly been easier than I imagined. I've actually noticed that subconsciously, I often don't even consider taking the car for most of my journeys. The biggest challenge is organising around a clash in our schedules. But there are surprising benefits outside the obvious: I LOVE not having to faff around so much with parking. I'm not saying our set up is right or will work for every household and family. Of course not. You do you. Although, our really good friends are a three-child house in a suburb much further out, and they manage with one car just fine. But not once in the last two-and-a-bit years has either of us doubted the decision. It's cleaner, and even if you don't care about that, it's certainly cheaper. New Zealand still has one of the highest rates of car ownership in the World. I'm convinced it doesn't need to be so.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame, host of Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Labour wants Chris Luxon to tell Winston Peters to back off after the latter had a fiery interview on RNZ this morning - and his threat to cut RNZ's funding off. Was he right? Was it appropriate? New Zealand is pledging more money and support for Ukraine - do we agree with this move? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ciarán Hinds' acting pursuits have taken him far from his roots in Northern Ireland. A quality actor - he lends himself to both villainy and simmering heroics. His long career has included intimate Shakespearean theatre productions right through to major franchises like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and the Disney animated film Frozen. His latest project ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North' is an intimate character study on human spirit – the Prime Video series based on the novel by Richard Flanagan. He told Jack Tame when he was first introduced to the project, he'd heard of the book but never read it. “They sent me a couple of scripts and I was immediately hooked by the quality of the writing and the story itself,” Hinds said. “So I went out and got myself the book.” “Deeply moved, I was, by the savagery, the cruelty, the brutality, the love, the deep passion, the haunting... it's a huge and hugely emotional read for anybody,” he told Tame. “And from then, I said I'm very interested in this project, and so we went on from there.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Beirut's 7th album, Zach Condon returns to a place he had no plans to ever go back to. ‘A Study of Losses' was commissioned by the Swedish circus troupe Kompani Giraff, and at first he was hesitant to write a soundtrack for a circus, the idea a reminder of a time he'd been pigeonholed, as he says, “as a whimsical circus waif”. However, videos of the troupe's performances and an abstract of the work upon which the new project would be based changed his mind. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on Beirut's new album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pictures made it look like a parody. Eleven minutes after taking off from a West Texas launch site, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space capsule touched down with its all-female celebrity crew. Bezos opened the capsule door and greeted his fiancé. One by one the women filed out, each in their snazzy blue, flared space outfits. Having technically been in space for just four minutes, the popstar Katy Perry knelt down and kissed the ground. I feel the same about space tourism as I do about climbing Mt Everest. In the broadest possible terms, the idea is really appealing. I'd love to go to space! But as it stands today, actually appreciating how much resource is involved, and the extent to which money rather than talent is the only thing separating anyone from the loftiest heights... I can't bear the thought. We all know Jeff Bezos isn't spending billions upon billions to push the boundaries of scientific understanding. He's going as a vanity project. It all feels a bit gross. Perhaps when space tourism is a little more normalised and they can achieve economies of scale, I'll quietly eat my words and find the whole thing a little more palatable. But for what it's worth, I'd hand my explorer-of-the-week award not to Katy Perry and Jeff Bezos' other half, but to the crew of the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Falkor vessel, who just captured the first ever footage of a colossal squid in its natural environment. Colossal squid are the largest invertebrates on the planet – 500kgs without a spine! And yet for all that science has achieved, we know remarkably little about them. It's only a century since the species was first discovered, and we know most of what we know about them today because of their predators. Sperm whales, in turns out, are much better at tracking down colossal squid than we are. 600m below the surface of the South Atlantic, somewhere off the coast of the Antarctic South Sandwich Islands, in an area so remote that the next closest humans were on the International Space Station, the group of scientists used an unmanned submersible to film the most extraordinary footage of a juvenile colossal squid. Forget anything that Katy Perry or Jeff Bezos' wife-to-be might be seeing out the window of their shuttle; set against the absolute black of the deep deep, the squid was purpleish and orange, elegant, brilliantly, beautifully alien. Isn't it amazing that our species can send a rocket with a popstar to space, and yet it's taken us until 2025 to actually record an Earth-based tentacled beast that can grow as long as a bus and weigh as much as a cow? I just think it's such a timely reminder. For whatever fascinations and discoveries await us in the infinite depths of the cosmos, there are still so many miracles and mysteries much closer to home, in the infinite depths of the real blue origin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Wellington Water has copped backlash over spending significant amounts on wellness-based perks for their employees. What do we make of this? Former Labour leader Andrew Little has announced his intention to run for mayor of Wellington. Is this a good move? Will he get votes? The Maori Party wants Maori to get NZ Super 7-10 years before everyone else and Labour is refusing to say whether it would agree. The Greens are on board with giving some parts of society Super earlier. Is this the best look? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The creativity of Kiwi musicians is being recognised this month. The Taite Music Prize is being awarded next week, the purpose of which is to recognise outstanding creativity for an entire collection of music contained on one album. 80 albums were nominated this year, of which only ten made the cut to be finalists. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to preview the awards. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump's tariffs have been wreaking havoc on share markets around the world. As a result, investment funds and KiwiSavers have been taking a hit, with Ed McKnight's own account going down by $6.5k over the last month. He joined Jack Tame to discuss the impacts on Kiwis, and whether people are actually in the right type of fund for their needs. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over a decade has seen Australian pop-dance royalty The Jungle Giants grow from simple lovers of music to fully-fledged artists on the world stage. They had a massive year last year – playing shows and headlining festivals from hemisphere to hemisphere. And now, they're bringing their energy to New Zealand, with shows in Wellington and Auckland. Frontman Sam Hales told Jack Tame they've been in a band together for about half their lives. “No matter what happens, we know how to support each other, we know how to press each other's buttons,” he said. “And I think it really affects the music as well.” Hales says that having such a supportive band allows him space to experiment. “Even though it was spooky and risky, they we're like, ‘Dude, just do, do whatever feels good. We've got your back.'” “For me, knowing that support network was there, it makes me feel just, free to adventure and experiment, which is a really lucky place to be.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the end it was kind of an anticlimax. After almost 18 months of anger, obfuscation, hīkoi and haka, and hundreds of thousands of submissions, the Treaty Principles Bill was voted down in fairly emphatic style. I suspect the majority of New Zealanders are so over it. Looking back, I'd say David Seymour and ACT largely got what they wanted. Te Pāti Māori were perhaps even greater political beneficiaries. And the whole saga will endure as a bit of a stain on Christopher Luxon's tenure as Prime Minister. It was telling that once again, just as for the first reading, this week's vote was scheduled for a time when the PM wasn't in the house. I think being there and suffering through it would have shown greater leadership. I watched the speeches in Parliament and thought David Seymour was right in his observation. Almost none actually considered the substance of the government's defined Treaty principles. Like most of the debate outside of Parliament, they were all emotion. At times, I think what was supposed to be a constitutional debate was boiled down to pretty a basic and unedifying level: pro-Māori vs anti-Māori! Personally, I tried to engage with the detail of the bill in good faith. I think one of the most underrated qualities in people is a genuine capacity to think critically or even change your mind. It's a curiously strange thing these days to come across someone who doesn't instantly default to their team or side. It seemed to me though that there was a fundamental problem with proposed principles. They didn't accurately reflect what the Treaty actually says. Te Tiriti specifically guarantees Māori tino rangatiratanga. It has, if you like, a Māori-specific carve-out that did not appear in ACT's interpretation. In my view, that absence was absolutely critical. Many of the bill's opponents accused ACT of a cynical approach to the debate. I can't speak for the party's motivations, but I do think the most honest approach would have been to define the principles by what is clearly said in the Treaty, rather than what anyone thinks should be said in the Treaty. And that leads me to my final point: the Treaty is clearly an imperfect document. The English and Māori versions say different things. There is no returning New Zealand to 1840, and in the context of the modern day, it's clunky. I do think David Seymour's broader desire about more purposefully defining the Treaty's application and meaning in modern New Zealand, is a good one (or at least worthy of more consideration). For example, I wonder if 200 years from its signing, New Zealand should aspire towards developing some sort of a written constitution underpinned by the Treaty, that gives it better and clearer effect in the modern World. I think the Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi was meant to unify New Zealand. If we're honest, this debate probably had the opposite effect. But I still have faith that once the dust settles, we can collectively find a way to constructively have these conversations and move Aotearoa forward. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Jack Tame from Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Reserve Bank has cut the OCR, and Labour is advocating for Government to step up and do its bit by spending more. Is there really a case for this? UOA researchers found that higher EV uptake has actually been linked to increased emissions - because we're still using energy to charge them. What do we make of this? Benjamin Doyle has explained that they only ever referred to themselves when using the word 'bussy'. They're not going anywhere - but they've voiced disapproval with the hate and threats. Is this the end of the whole saga? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been a fair few changes in the electric vehicle market in the past few years, but when it comes to actually using one, how do they fare? Kate Hall has just finished up a two month trip around New Zealand – driven entirely in an electric car. She joined Jack Tame to recap the experience, and answer a few questions about the logistics of the trip. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘Who Believes in Angels?' is a trip outside of the comfort zones of Elton John and Brandi Carlile. The collaborative album features ten songs, written and recorded from scratch in just 20 days. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to share her thoughts on the joint release from these two talented artists. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The great Swiss city of Zurich is one of the more picturesque, pixel-burning European gateway destinations. Within minutes of exiting Zurich Airport, armed with my trusty Eurail Pass, I was blissfully whizzing into the city centre on a 10 minute train ride. Strolling across the cobbles of this time-honoured city in the crisp spring air, there's so much urban eye-candy to lift the spirit. I sized up the largest clock face in Europe, on the edge of the Limmat River. It's bigger than Big Ben. Riding the skyline, the historic tower of St Peter Church is imbued with a trusty timepiece, as are the oh-so punctual church bells that loudly reverberate across the Old Town from the four historic churches, including mighty Grossmunster Cathedral. No wonder everything runs to time in Switzerland. According to legend, Zurich's 13th-century landmark cathedral was founded by Charlemagne, built on the graves of the city's patron saints, Felix and Regula. It was also the starting place of the Protestant Reformation in Zurich. Culture is writ large in Zurich's Old Town, where the narrow-cobbled streets gave rise to the Dada art movement just over a century ago. I popped into Cabaret Voltaire, at Spiegelgasse 1, which was the birthplace of Dada and the avant-garde artistic movement in 1916. Absinthe is the drink of choice here, among Dada's ghosts. Strolling along Bahnhofstrasse, flanked by chic designer boutiques and swanky department stores, Café Sprungli deserves a pit-stop. This prized Zurich institution is rightly lauded for its heavenly macaroons and hand-crafted chocolates. They are like exquisite works of art – as were the Easter chocolate displays. It's like a bespoke art gallery in chocolate. Don't mind if I do. Further down the street, if feeling a little decadent, make a date with Teuscher for its famed champagne truffles. In a city of water and stone bridges, a top vantage point to survey the elemental landscape, above the twisting lanes of the Old Town, is the Lindenhof. This was the site of a former Roman customs house and fourth-century fort, perched above the water. Alongside soaking up the city vistas, this elevated park with its Linden trees and giant chess sets is the pitch-perfect spot for a cheeky picnic. The vast assortment of guildhalls is core to Zurich's backstory, and they're great fun to explore. In 1336, Zurich's first independent mayor, Rudolf Brun, established the guild laws, effectively shifting power from the abbeys to the merchant nobility. The handsome guildhalls, with all their intricate decorative features, lend themselves to a leisurely inspection. I started at the bakers' guild, in Oberdorfstrasse, before heading over the river's east bank to Niederdorf, to admire the guilds of the carpenters, builders, the food and wine dealers, the textiles and spice merchants, all along Limmatquai. Then, on Munsterhof, you've got mansions of the weavers, saddlemakers, painters and winemakers. In German-speaking Zurich, the street food tradition of wurst remains wildly popular – particularly for lunch. In the Old Town, tuck into some great sausage at Wursteria by Hinz and Kunz. This part-butcher shop and part deli serves up super spicy bratwurst in a fluffy bun. So good! As its name suggests, Cafe Conditorei 1842, on Napfgasse, is an old-school establishment, chock-full of sweet indulgence. Spanning four floors, food lovers can enjoy patisserie, cakes and hot drinking chocolate – they claim to be Zurich's best. On the ground floor of this historic confectioner's store, impressively decorated in neo-baroque style, you'll struggle to find a finer array of patisserie, cakes and tarts. I could have stayed there all day. And yes – the steaming mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream was magnificent. Speaking of chocolate, the Lindt and Sprungli factory has called Zurich home, since 1899. Seven years in the making, Lindt Home of Chocolate, was designed to complement the historic building and serve as a beacon to chocolate lovers everywhere. From cultivation to production, the interactive museum does a sterling job telling the story of Swiss chocolate making, not only about Lindt, but its predecessors. While the maze of white, milk, and dark chocolates is impressive, the Lindt Home of Chocolate also boasts another record: the world's largest chocolate fountain. Standing at about 30 feet tall, even Willy Wonka would be impressed by this show-stopper. Zurich is home to FIFA's world headquarters and in a bid to stop pesky football fans from loitering in the lobby, the FIFA Museum was created nine years ago, in the heart of town. Spread over three floors and loaded with interactive exhibitions, the FIFA Museum examines all aspects of the global game and how it passionately stirs people's emotions. Football is the great equaliser. Along with the original FIFA World Cup Trophy, the museum displays over 1,000 items of exclusive memorabilia and apparel, including the national shirts of all FIFA member associations. The original trophy, which features a gold statuette of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, holding a cup, was permanently awarded to Brazil after they won the cup for the third time, in 1970. The current trophy contains 5kg of pure gold and its estimated value is over NZ$30m. A highlight amongst the interactive games gallery is the gigantic pinball machine, where you can test your own ball kicking skills. With the next World Cup just a year away and featuring the All Whites for just the third time, add this museum to your check-list. Creating quite a buzz in recent years, Zurich-West has been spectacularly transformed from a once scruffy industrial district. Emerging as a vibrant cultural quarter of trendy eateries and edgy art, factories have been repurposed as theatres and shipyards reimagined as art galleries. Viadukt is an exemplary example of the makeover, with a host of eateries, pop-up shops and art spaces housed inside the arches of the disused, 550-feet long railway viaduct. You'll also find Prime Tower here, a 35-storey skyscraper (Switzerland's tallest), serving up a panoramic treat across Zurich's rooftops, gleaming lake and snow-coated peaks beyond. Take in the sweeping scenery over a drink or two at Clouds Bar – and salute your return to Europe. The locals are very proud of the city's brilliant and bizarre festivals. In August Zurich hosts Street Parade, one of Europe's biggest celebrations of peace, love and electronic music, attended by millions of people. In a couple of weeks, the city grinds to a halt for Seschselauten. This annual April spectacle involves setting on fire a giant straw snowman called the Boogg. The time it takes for the Boogg's head to explode indicates whether it will be a good summer, apparently. The word is Zurich is in for a long, warm summer. Perfectly poised overlooking Paradeplatz, the city's most prestigious address, the Mandarin Oriental Savoy Hotel offers a stylish stay to remember, when in Zurich. Just steps from the city's iconic shopping sweep of Bahnhofstrasse, it's been just over a year since the Mandarin Oriental revitalised what has been Zurich's oldest grand hotel, reaching back to 1838. Elegantly and artfully refreshed, with a boutique hotel vibe, the 80 impeccably redesigned rooms and suites raise the bar on luxury and indulgence. There's four distinctive dining venues including the Michelin-starred Orsini, where the Italian fine dining experience is helmed by acclaimed two-Michelin starred Italian Consultant Chef Antonio Guida. Then there's 1838, the effervescent rooftop bar with its spell-binding panoramic vistas of the city, lake and serrated Swiss Alps. Plus Savoy Brasserie & Bar is a sure-bet for a stupendous breakfast, with an delightfully presented buffet selection, in addition to a la carte menu items. Accommodations take their design cues from the natural palette of Zurich, headlined by the artisanal hand-painted silk wallpapers, inspired by the aqua green and blue hues of the lake and sky, to the mist of the surrounding mountains. Meticulously crafted design elements and materials adorn the rooms. Accents of colour are also reflected in custom furniture and carpets. Principal materials include walnut as a common thread, touches of bronze and brass and enamelled lava together with the comfort of luxurious textiles. Throughout the hotel, I loved admiring the multitude of sculptural lighting fixtures and lamps. I stayed in the Munsterhof Suite, accentuating the sumptuous sense of comfort, glamour and space, loaded with indulgent touches. There's a personal cocktail bar, built-in headboards, sublime marble-clad bathrooms and expansive walk-in dressing areas. As is the case with all Mandarin Oriental properties, you'll soon get a sense of the strong local connection the hotel has with the city. Local artists are proudly showcased with numerous pieces of art to admire, throughout the hotel. Grab a peek at the storied meeting room on the second floor, which is still home to the Guild of Tanners and Shoemakers. These traditional Swiss craftsmen have been meeting here for over a century. Service personifies whip-smart Swiss efficiency and the charismatic staff are highly personable, outgoing and engaging. You'll struggle to find fault with this gorgeous hotel which has mastered the art of fusing contemporary comforts with timeless opulence and celebrating a deep respect for history, tradition and proud sense of place. www.mandarinoriental.com Grab a ticket to ride on the European railway network with a Eurail Pass. For over 65 years, Eurail Passes have enabled flexible borderless rail travel across Europe. 7000 Kiwis purchased such a pass last year, which gives you access to 30,000 destinations across 33 countries, allowing you to chart your own amazing rail adventure. On popular rail routes, it certainly pays to make a seat reservation in advance. Lock in your rail plans ahead of your trip, by booking tickets or a rail pass to suit with Eurail direct. The mobile pass is the way to go. The Eurail app is easy to navigate, packed with helpful information and benefits, network disruption notifications, and enabling you to check timetables, lock in bookings and seat reservations on the go, via your mobile. www.eurail.com Fly to Zurich with Cathay Pacific who operate ultra-contemporary A350-1000s, from Auckland via Hong Kong. The cabin air quality is decidedly better, the aircraft are noticeably quieter and I experienced minimal jet-lag. The extensive CX Entertainment system kept me suitably engaged with excellent movie and box-set selections, live news channels - all in vivid 4K, plus in-flight WiFi is available. www.cathaypacific.com Mike Yardley is our resident traveller and can be heard every Saturday with Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was Murphy's Law, of course. An inevitable that'll-teach-ya for breaking one of the golden laws of parenting: never take off a nappy if you don't have a replacement immediately to hand. Especially when your six-week-old baby has been stewing and straining and writhing in his cot. And double-especially (that's a thing) when he just had the live rotavirus vaccine and it's playing havoc with his belly. It was just as I bent his legs up and put a little squeeze on his stomach that I sensed it. Something in the air. A drop in barometric pressure. A little facial expression, perhaps. It might have been 2am but I threw myself back and across the room, out of the line of fire. It was like that scene in The Matrix, where time stops and Neo dodges bullets. You know in a horror movie when someone has their throat slit, and the blood sprays on the wall? It's a pattern, an arc, a kind of parabola of crimson gore. It was like that. Except yellow. An explosion of you-know-what was in his tummy one second, and literally dripping down the wall the next. And the bin. And on the laundry basket, the exposed floorboards and the corner of the chunky woolknit carpet. Somehow, he got it through the crack of the door to my wardrobe, a patina of tiny little specks down on my shoes. The distance he covered was unbelievable. I actually pulled out a tape measure the next morning... from the change table to the wall was 90-odd centimetres: twice his height. In relative terms, it's as if I pulled, twisted, and strained and pulled up my legs and propelled my last meal across three and a half metres of open territory. Guiness World Records, give us a call! I hosed him down, delivered him to his mum, fetched the disinfectant and started scrubbing the walls. The next morning, I put him on the change table again. This time he wasn't squirming. His tummy was a bit more settled. As I re-dressed him and pulled on his onesie, I sang to my son, and he stared up into my eyes. “It's our problem freeeee,” I sang. His face changed just a little as he cooed... was that a smile? “Philosophyyyyy,” he squealed. “Hakuna Matata,” his little mouth broke out in a giant smile. No question. An unmistakable smile. His whole face, his whole body seemed to smile with him. Just for me. I felt my chest flood with endorphins. It was the craziest physical reaction, just this rush, this sweep of joy and love. It said it all, really. Dripping walls one days and his first smiles for Dad the next. Welcome to parenting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of New Zealand's finest voices, Marlon Williams has released his fourth studio album – written entirely in te reo Māori. The Kiwi musician has a global presence, having collaborated with the likes of Florence + the Machine, and toured with legends like Bruce Springsteen, bagging six NZ Music Awards and an APRA silver scroll. But for ‘Te Whare Tīwekaweka', Williams returned to his roots. Translating to ‘Messy House', Williams told Jack Tame the title is a metaphor for the pains of chaos and creation, and how creativity often comes from disorder. “You have a house full of, of ideas, and, and you sort of sit quietly and let them talk to each other, and then hopefully they form some sort of cohesive thing.” The idea of writing an album entirely in te reo has been floating around Williams' brain for a while, he was just waiting for an excuse to begin. “I grew up speaking a little bit,” he told Tame. “I went to Kōhanga Reo, but it all sort of drifted away from me again as I went into my, moved on into childhood, into primary school.” Although he drifted away from speaking the language, Williams didn't stop singing in te reo. “It's just such a, a beautifully, a beautifully sung language.” “I always knew at some point that I was gonna come back around and, and give myself an excuse." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump's been right before. There are occasions when he's come out with something seemingly crazy —totally bananas— earning him all the ire and ridicule of the expert class and the media, only to maybe be proven right over time. The one that springs to mind is the travel ban with China, shortly after Covid-19 took off. One minute he was being rinsed for it, the next, everyone had a travel ban with China. That being said, it is so hard to see how his extraordinary move this week is going to work out as he says it will. Overnight, China has reacted to the tariff plan and share markets around the world have continued to shed trillions of dollars in value. Today is not the day for checking your KiwiSaver balance! But even as the US Federal Reserve says America should expect slower economic growth and higher inflation, the White House insists his plan is working. One of the curious things about this term is how little he's seemed to care about the stock market. In his first term as President, anything that hurt share prices elicited an immediate backdown, and Trump constantly bragged about how he had the strongest economy ever. It's going to be extremely difficult to make that argument when almost everything costs more. Still, if we've learnt anything from the past it shouldn't be that sometimes Trump is right to buck conventional wisdom, it's that in the absurd polarised world we live in, personality and teams are more important than facts. This applies to many of his opponents as well – people on the absolute opposite end of the political spectrum. But Trump's keenest cheerleaders are so slavishly loyal, many refuse to even acknowledge the most obvious objective failings. So his team accidentally messaged war plans to a journalist? Well, we'll just insist they weren't classified. So he's slapped tariffs on uninhabited sub-Antarctic islands? Of course he has! Those penguins have been getting away with murder! He's kicked off a global trade war that'll leave a majority of us worse off? Fantastic. All part of the genius. It's a fool's game to try and predict Donald Trump's next move but for the little it's worth, my best guess is that none of these tariffs are set in stone. Countries are going to try and placate him. Companies in the US are going to try and negotiate their own little carve-outs. Trump's gonna absolutely love picking favourites, but his approach will lurch all over the place, defined only by spur-of-the-moment whims and incoherence. Regardless of what happens, he will claim success. His supporters will agree, but the global order looks that much more unstable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Te Pāti Māori have skipped out on their hearing with the Privileges Committee - and it's generated controversy. ACT's David Seymour has recommended their pay get docked, what do we make of this? New research reveals over half of us regret their career choice according to Seek data, mainly due to insufficient earnings. Do we agree with this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're tripping your way around Europe independently, travelling by train is the incomparable transport mode of choice. It's the fast, efficient and faff-free way to travel, with the added bonus of depositing you in the absolute heart of dream European destinations. But across Europe, their grand and venerable railway stations also house some remarkable restaurant experiences – the real hidden treasures housed within these grand-scale transport hubs. So why settle for an underwhelming grab-and-go sandwich when Europe's busiest stations host some brilliant trackside brasseries and bistros? They're also a great way to herald your arrival or departure from some glittering destinations. More and more of these station restaurants have really upped their culinary game in recent years. So where should you go to sample some of the best in class? Starting in London, Booking Office 1869 is located within St. Pancras Station. As the name suggests, it was originally the vast ticket office for the station. Four years ago, the space was redesigned as a Victorian-style winter garden, with towering palm trees and plant-themed chandeliers. Each one of features 275 hand-cut brass leaves! Backed by exposed brickwork, a superb 22-metre-long bar, carved from marble and walnut. Dining? Expect British classics alongside nods to far-flung destinations. The Scottish charcuterie board is perfect for lunch. It's also a great spot for high tea. Paris? You cannot beat Le Train Bleu at Gare de Lyon. Dating back to 1901, this explosion of Belle Époque grandeur fast became a meeting place for artists, poets and playwrights, and the decor was inspired by the Mediterranean coast's most glamorous destinations. The walls are lined with priceless watercolour paintings, while chandeliers, gilt-framed mirrors, frescos and leather banquettes ramp up the luxury. Headlining the delectable menu, Provençal-style octopus stew and the roast leg of lamb, carved tableside. You may recall this is the restaurant from the Bean Movie, where Mr Bean had some trouble trying to swallow the king prawns. For a memorable first-class dining experience in Amsterdam, the Grand Café Restaurant 1e Klas is located by Platform 2 of the Centraal Station. It also embodies the timeless romance of rail travel, with the restaurant preserving its original look and elegant style of the 19th century. It was originally the first-class waiting hall. The extensive menu offers quick turnarounds, while the croquette and bitterbal tasting is very popular. True to the weird and eclectic Dutch sense of humour, a rather talkative cockatoo called Elvis, perched by the bar. Tripping to Spain? Estación Barcelona-Sants station is home to La Mundana. This recent Bib Gourmand recipient serves up masterful takes on Spanish, Japanese and French classics, tapas-style. Artistically plated, it's a stirring dining experience, but also sharply-priced and unpretentious. For steeply-priced posh nosh in Brussels, La Brasserie de la Gare Brussels Midi has earned the Michelin Guide's stamp of approval. But aside from the cuisine, it's the décor that is the big draw, with antique train lanterns, train timetables and railway workers' hats richly adorning the restaurant. For a bite that won't weigh too heavily on your wallet, whistle up some shrimp croquettes. If you're Itay-bound and find yourself at Stazione Centrale in Milan, check out All'AnticoVinaio. This exuberantly decorated eatery and its owner has become a Tik Tok sensation, with videos galore of him constructing his double-decker Italian subs. Made using the freshest schiacciata bread, sink your teeth into the ‘Favolosa' sandwich, which is stacked with salami, pecorino cheese, artichoke spread and spicy eggplants. If you're after a Golden Arches experience to blow your hair back, Nyugati Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, is home to what is claimed to be the world's most beautiful McDonald's. It has just reopened after a tip-to-toe restoration to the 150 year old building. The antique lamps and painted stucco ceilings have been refreshed, keeping the vintage designs in place, including the huge glass windows that go around the entire building, as well as copper-covered light fixtures. Amid all the neo-Classical glory from the Hapsburg empire, the touch-screen ordering kiosks look curiously out of place. Finally, a newcomer to the star-factor scene of railway restaurants can be found in Athens at Rouf Station. Greek actress Tatiana Ligari founded Wagon Restaurant restoring several vintage train carriages - including the original dining car from the 1926 Simplon Orient Express. A century later, the carriage is a fabulous restaurant and bar once again. The evocative romance of rail lives on. Spending some time in some of these restaurants is virtually worth missing your train for. Grab a ticket to ride on the European railway network with a Eurail Pass. On popular rail routes, it certainly pays to make a seat reservation in advance. Lock in your rail plans ahead of your trip, by booking tickets or a rail pass to suit with Eurail direct. The mobile pass is the way to go. The Eurail app is easy to navigate, packed with helpful information and benefits, network disruption notifications, and enabling you to check timetables, lock-in and change bookings on the go, via your phone. www.eurail.com Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB's resident traveller and can be heard every week on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American rock band Toto are hitting are gracing New Zealand shores next month as part of their global tour. The band was formed in 1977, mixing the right blend of groove and melody that swept up crowds. Band member Joe Williams talks to Jack Tame about their incredible history and visit to our country. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The time was 3.34am on a Wednesday morning and I lay there wideawake. I pressed the screen on my phone to check the time any messages, I wondered? I flipped my pillow, shifted my weight and tried to sleep. The obvious cause of my insomnia was the five-week-old grunting and squirming in his sleep sack, a few feet away from me. But it wasn't the humidity, or the Police helicopter making one of its swoops over the neighbourhood, and this insomnia wasn't caused by a baby. It was caused by Adolescence. My wife and I had watched the final episode, episode four, a few hours earlier. The episode finished, like most of them, in devastating fashion. I sat there, turning over the story in my mind. If you haven't yet caught the Adolescence buzz, the show has had more hype in the couple of weeks since it came to Netflix than almost any other show in recent times. It's broken all sorts of records. After just eleven days, it broke the record for the highest-number of Netflix streams in a two week period. Tens of millions of views Worldwide... with millions more everyday. In a sense, Adolescence is a simple concept. It's a four-episode series set in the U.K about a knife crime. A young woman has been stabbed to death. Every episode Hasan incredibly ambitious production quality in that it's all one shot. The whole thing. 45 minutes or an hour. One take. And in the words of the creator Stephen Graham, it's less of a Who-dunn it than a Why-dunnit? As someone who's worked in the telly for twenty years, I feel I have a pretty good sense of how hard it into make a one-shot show. Technically speaking, it is ridiculously complicated. I don't think most people appreciate how hard it is to light a single scene. But then going from indoors to outdoors to classrooms to hallways to drone shots, a hundred metres off the ground. Sound recording is such a pain. And what if an actor screws up a line 20 minutes in? You start again, that's what. I read a piece which explained many of the crew dressed as extras for the show's production, so if they were caught in the back of shot it would hopefully make sense. A friend reckoned the single-continuous shot thing might be a bit of a gimmick. What's the point? He asked. Personally speaking, I just found it never gave me a chance to subconsciously look away, or to catch my breath. No chance to check my phone. The story didn't pause because the people didn't pause, the scene didn't end until the episode ended. And what scenes. Sheesh. The speed of Episode One. I just love how it had all of the banal procedural stuff, the process. The chaos of Episode Two at the school. It was a stunning vision of a totally dysfunctional space, the teachers yelling to try and control the kids. The teachers who just didn't care. Episode Three? What a brave, bold call. Just two people in an empty room nothing of visual interesting. Just two actors in conversation; the volatility, the brinksmanship, the unravelling. And episode Four, all that was lost. The desperation. The performances in Adolescence, especially Stephen Graham, were astonishing. I immediately became that person annoyingly texting all of his friends and group chats and asking who had seen it. We think of movies as being art. Well, film, cinema! We probably don't think of TV as being art in quite the someway. Or at least as often. But how do you define good art? Surely it's a creative work that makes people feel.. that affects them that sticks with them that has them tossing and turning in bed at 3.34am in the morning, replaying scenes in their head. It's been a long, long time since a TV show affected me like Adolescence. As a story, it was devastating. But as a TV drama, it was close to perfect.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Car safety ratings are important when buying a new car, but are they too harsh? Kevin Milne is in the market for a new car for his daughter and talks to Jack Tame about it. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! World Athletics will introduce DNA tests for female track and field athletes to prove their sex. What do we make of that? Should the Olympics follow suit? Tauranga Council's coffee bill is sparking criticism - is it outrageous to have a nice coffee machine in the workplace? Green MP Tamatha Paul is under fire over her criticisms of police - what do we think of this? Were her comments out of line? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jennie is emerging from BLACKPINK's shadow, with the release of her debut album as a solo K-pop artist ‘Ruby'. While she's known as a rapper in the industry, Ruby showcases her talent as a vocalist, with lush R&B infused tracks showing off the full range of her voice. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to share her thoughts on Jennie's debut album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi icon Lucy Lawless has shifted her focus. She's made the move from actor to director – her debut film a documentary about Margaret Moth, an unconventional war correspondent. The documentary ‘Never Look Away' premiered at last year's New Zealand International Film Festival and is coming to Rialto Channel today as a special celebration of International Women's Day. Lawless told Jack Tame she was approached by Moth's best friend to make the documentary, and was immediately swept up by the idea. “I wrote back immediately, I mean, within 90 seconds, making all these crazy promises,” she told Tame. “Saying, I will find the money, I will find the producers – the story has to be told.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite the polls, I reckon the last two weeks have been among the best for Christopher Luxon in his time as Prime Minister. Sure, the numbers aren't showing him and his government much love. School lunches still have their issues and the Treaty Principles episode is far from over, but at a time when Luxon faces significant pressure on the domestic front and a pretty grumpy voting public, you can't deny his efforts at the Infrastructure Investment Summit and in India represent a full-court press in the government's push for economic growth. I know we don't have big tangibles yet. I know we don't yet have a Free Trade Deal. I know that if we do get one negotiated and signed, our biggest primary export sector may end up with very little. But at a time when most of us are feeling really glum about the economy (despite this week's GDP figures), when unemployment continues to rise, and when our second-biggest trading partner and world's biggest economy is being led by an erratic and highly-unpredictable President, the welcome that Luxon and his delegation received in India and the resumption of negotiations were meaningful. Sure, it's a stretch to think get a comprehensive deal signed in the next 18 months, but you can't argue we're not in a better position today than we were when Luxon took over. It's my view that on several occasions as National's leader, the Prime Minister has suffered from having a bad political radar. I think he's made some misjudgements that perhaps MPs with more political experience would have been able to avoid. But of his many public-facing responsibilities, I think he's probably at his best when he's alongside international business and political leaders in salesman mode as it were, hustling. I was at APEC in Peru with him last year. It was the same. The PM flew in and flew out. The time zone was a dog. He was only the ground for about 48 hours. There were breakfasts and dinners, official meetings, multiple bilaterals all across town and twenty different leaders to meet. I just remember that when he landed, before he even went to his hotel or had a shower, after 17 or 18 hours in the air, Luxon insisted on swinging past the Australian delegation from an impromptu visit to Anthony Albanese. By anyone's measure, it was a gruelling schedule with no down time, and Luxon always had to be ‘on'. And I asked him just before he flew home how he was feeling. ‘You must be exhausted?' I said. Honestly, it was as though the possibility had never crossed his mind. ‘Huh?' He said. ‘No... I love this!' he said. I believed him. There are plenty of levers governments can pull that impact economic conditions. This government's critics will argue that a part of New Zealand's current economic malaise is the result of its policies. Nonetheless, at a time when the world's biggest superpower is spraying around tariffs and speedily retreating from its traditional international role, I do think there's value —symbolic or otherwise— in a Prime Minister overtly hustling for his country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson and Jack Tame, host of ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Former All Black Ali Williams, his billionaire wife Anna Mowbray and US billionaire Bill Foley want to build a new stadium in Auckland's Western Springs. They promise it won't cost ratepayers anything. Do we need this? Do we think employees should be free to tell their co-workers their salary? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone has heard a Train song. Their signature blend of rock and pop was a staple of the 2000's - the band winning multiple Grammy Awards and selling more than 10 million albums worldwide. They're most well-known for ‘Drops of Jupiter' and the iconic ‘Hey, Soul Sister'. Train has recently celebrated their 30th anniversary, and are making their way down under to tour New Zealand and Australia. Frontman Pat Monahan told Jack Tame he's very excited to be coming back to our shores. “I think it's been too many years.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Canada will never be part of the United States!” That was the defining line of Mark Carney's first speech as Canada's new Prime Minister overnight. It was not said in jest or as a joke. It said as a statement of firm defiance, a serious response to Donald Trump's ‘51st State' taunts. I can't think of a time in my life where so much in the World was changing so quickly, where so much we took for granted was being tipped on its head. I bet Mark Carney can't either! Just a few weeks ago, his party was 25 points behind Canada's Conservatives in the polls. He wasn't even a politician! Now he's Canada's Prime Minister. There it is, I suppose... the power of Donald Trump. It's interesting how differently Mexico and Canada have approached the Trump Presidency. Mexico was kind of used to Trump's hostility from his first term and its government has taken a softly-softly-gently-gently approach, delaying retaliation and hoping that negotiations will spare them the worst of the economic pressure. They've been surprisingly quiet. Canada's opted for a much more combative response, from its big retaliatory tariffs to the ice hockey fans booing the US National Anthem, and the nationwide coordinated campaign not to buy American-made stuff. The irony of Mark Carney's rapid rise to Canadian Prime Minister is that his party's support has come at the expense of a political opposition in Canada that was arguably much more closely aligned to the US Republicans and Donald Trump. It's so ridiculous – Canada's opposition leader has effectively been reduced to posting social media videos, insisting ‘Donald Trump hates me too!' Fundamentally, no country is going to out-muscle the US in an economic fight. Not Canada, not Mexico, not Australia, and certainly not New Zealand. And I reckon what's lacking at the moment is a more forceful, coordinated international response. Most countries are sucking up to Trump while keeping their heads down and hoping not to attract Trump's ire. As Canada is bashed by tariffs, it seems absurd their King could possibly go ahead in welcoming Donald Trump to the UK for an official state visit. Winston Peters is in Washington DC this week. From New Zealand's perspective, I reckon there's probably no better person for the job at this moment. And in those meetings, for now, we will no doubt continue to try and maintain a low profile. That makes sense for now. You just have to hope that behind the scenes, like-minded countries are quietly coordinating on a longer-term strategy. Playing a small target game only makes sense until for whatever reason you do catch the President's attention. It could be something so minor: a dumb tweet, a viral video, or an ill-advised comment from a diplomat. The temptation for leaders around the World is to shut up and hope their countries can slip by, unnoticed. But in the long term that's no way to defeat a bully. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Kiwiblog's David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Where to we see this short-term Russia-Ukraine war ceasefire going over the next few days? Will Russia agree to it? All eyes will be on the Government's big Investment Summit tomorrow. Should we be expecting anything much? Whanganui Council has decided to dump plans for its food scrap bins. Do we agree with this? Should other councils follow suit? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reviewers are saying Lady Gaga has dialed back to her purest form in new album ‘Mayhem'. The singer is drawing on the simplicity of her 2008 debut ‘The Fame' that played with the idea of pop music. Estelle Clifford talks to Jack Tame about the new album. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Locally grown fruit and vegetable boxes are often seen as the more expensive option as opposed to buying produce from the supermarket. Sustainability expert Kate Hall is setting the record straight and debunking that myth. Kate tells Jack Tame buying non-organic produce from the supermarket would have cost her $22.13 more than getting an organic fruit and veggie box delivered right to her door. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

World famous in New Zealand, Dick Frizzell is a defining force in our art scene. You will know his work on Kiwiana icons like the Four Square man with moko and Mickey to Tiki. He has worked across many mediums and is about to release a memoir titled, Hastings: A Boy's Own Adventure. Dick Frizzell joins Jack Tame to discuss his iconic work and upcoming book. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.