Podcasts about Jack Tame

Mighty Manhattan is best savoured in bite-sized chunks, to really get a feel for the essence of its respective neighbourhoods and a sense of its soul. Greenwich Village is a star specimen for leisurely inspection, embodying so many classic elements of the Big Apple. Mike Yardley joined Jack Tame to chat about his stay in the area. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recycling is common practice in New Zealand, but are you doing it correctly? Kerbside recycling rules were standardised across the country on February 1st, 2024, but many people are still unaware of what can and can't go in the bin. Kate Hall joined Jack Tame to discuss a few of the things people incorrectly chuck in the recycling, and the impact contamination can have on the system as a whole. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American ska punk band has released a new album. Coming thirty years after their last release, ‘Until the Sun Explodes' is the first to feature singer and guitarist Jakob Nowell – replacing his father Bradley who died in 1996. It's the band's fourth and final studio album and a tribute to the late lead singer. Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suzy Cato is a cornerstone of Kiwi children's entertainment. Her TV shows and podcasts are beloved by children and adults alike – ‘You and Me' in particular holding a special place in the hearts of the audience who grew up with it. It delivered over 2000 episodes since it began in 1993, and is credited as one of the first children's programmes to weave te reo Māori into everyday conversation. And now, 33 years later, Cato has released a brand-new season of the beloved show on YouTube, saying it's needed in an increasingly fast-paced world. “We've had so many parents say, oh I wish there was something like ‘You and Me', that was slow and gentle and conversational, and would provide kids an oasis the way they had as children,” she told Newstalk ZB's Jack Tame. They've released nine new episodes over the last month or so, and Cato says they've already been getting amazing feedback from parents. “So many of our kids are, you know, so used to, to a faster pace,” she said. “We are getting feedback that the programme is still engaging kids, so that they will be zooming around the room and then they'll come to sit down and actually enjoy some interaction with Auntie Suzy.” 33 years is a bit of a gap, but it was easy enough for Cato to get back into the swing of things when making this new season. “We were very, very lucky – Rex Simpson was an amazing creator,” she told Tame Simpson was the executive producer and director behind programmes like ‘What Now', ‘Play School', and of course, ‘You and Me'. “[He] created such good templates,” Cato explained. “So it was easy to use that template, and we didn't have to change a thing basically." Suzy received a little birthday surprise when she came in for the chat. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tell you what, there aren't many times in sport I find myself supporting an Australian team. By not many I mean basically none – usually, I'd be delighted to see them getting pumped. The Football World Cup is maybe the only the only occasion I feel differently because it's about the only time the Aussies feel like genuine underdogs. They've had a tough few hours, this morning. The underdog dynamic is one of the unique joys of a Football World Cup. Take Cabo Verde. I'd guess most people wouldn't have the faintest idea where to start trying to find them on a map, and yet they held Spain, the talent-stacked and one of the obvious favourites for the title, to a nil-all draw. Who would've thought scoring no goals could be so exciting?! Another unique joy I love about the World Cup —and I know this sounds bad— is the advertising. You just get biggest brands in the world, with the biggest creative budgets, combining with the biggest icons in the sport. And because football is so simple, it lends itself to really clever little concepts. Take McDonalds. I know, I know, I know... But they posted an ad the other day designed for the TikTok generation – vertical video, designed for phones. I don't even think it's on TV. But it's honestly genius in its simplicity. Lamine Yamal, the Spanish wunderkind, just 18-years-old and one of the biggest names in world sport, sets up a phone camera in front of a McDonalds, the golden arches on a pole behind him. Ronaldinho, the Brazilian icon steps into shot. Both of them are in casual clothes. You'd swear they'd just bumped into each other on the street. They toss up a football and each casually juggle it a few times. The shot never changes. It looks exactly like it would look if you or I leaned our phones against the curb and recorded it. After a few seconds, Yamal kicks the ball high and it juuuuust misses the McDonalds golden arches. Another ball immediately rolls into shot, they each juggle it again, and Ronaldinho kicks it up, perfectly slotting the ball through the little gap in the McDonalds ‘M'. They laugh, and that's it. No words. No meals. No biting cheeseburgers. So simple. So shareable. And from a creative perspective, honestly, so clever. The third thing I love about Football World Cups —aside from the football— are the fans. I just don't think there is another sporting contest where you have huge, organised groups of fans coming from all corners of the planet. The Olympics might attract people from all over, but they're not organised in the same way. And I love how different nations have their own quirks and traditions. The Scottish fans have completely taken over Boston. An estimated 20,000 travelled to the city for their teams matches against Haiti and Morocco. The US media is awash with stories about the Scottish fans literally drinking bars dry around the city. After their first World Cup win in 36 years, they marched across the city, led by pipers, and completely took over Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox. It was so funny watching it... American baseball fans outnumbered in a stadium by Scots in kilts, singing Flower of Scotland. But then add to that the fans from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of them were singing and dancing in the stands, but they have a tradition where one man stands as a perfect statue for all of his team's game. He commemorates his country's first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, the man who helped lead Congo to independence from Belgium. He wears beautiful bright clothes and amidst the frenzy of the activity around him, even when his team scores, he stands above the masses, perfect and almost unsettlingly still for the whole game. Still, how you could go past the Japanese? I'm not sure there's a greater act of soft power in all of world sport than having fans who carefully collect all of the rubbish and clean up the grandstands at the end of every game. For all of the controversy and all of the appalling grift, there can be no denying it is the global game. I haven't even mentioned the football. But I for one am utterly absorbed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Labour Party - the biggest party in Opposition, maintaining a tight lead in this year's polls - has decided to open its election year campaign with a public transport fare cap policy: $20 a week in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and $10 everywhere else. Labour's transport spokesperson, MP for Palmerston North Tangi Utikere, says the policy delivers cost-of-living relief at a net cost of $65 million a year. He joins Jack Tame for the first time. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Does Labour's public transport fare cap policy add up? The Labour Party - the biggest party in Opposition, maintaining a tight lead in this year's polls - has decided to open its election year campaign with a public transport fare cap policy: $20 a week in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and $10 everywhere else. Labour's transport spokesperson, MP for Palmerston North Tangi Utikere, says the policy delivers cost-of-living relief at a net cost of $65 million a year. He joins Jack Tame for the first time. Locals fear "low-probability catastrophic event" if LNG terminal built near city The Government is pushing ahead with plans to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in New Zealand as a security buffer for when locally-made, renewable energy sources dry up. Reporter Whena Owen travels to Taranaki, the proposed site of the facility, to ask residents how they feel about having LNG in their backyard. "Between one week and five years" to repair Strait of Hormuz The United States appears poised to sign a deal to end the war in Iran following three and a half months of global disruption from the closed Strait of Hormuz. Energy analyst David Keat joins Q+A to discuss how the conflict has permanently changed energy markets. Why prison numbers will surge: Writer Asher Emanuel New Ministry of Justice projections forecast a 35 percent growth in New Zealand's prison population over the next ten years, with those kept in remand - people who have been charged but not convicted, or convicted but not sentenced - set to swell by nearly fifty percent. Asher Emanuel, a public lawyer and author of bestselling book The Valley: Crime and Punishment in a New Zealand City, says the trend doesn't necessarily reflect more crime, but a deliberate policy decision to put more people in prison. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Olivia Rodrigo is switching things up for her third studio album. Where her two previous albums leaned more on upbeat pop-punk influences, ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love' shifts between indie-pop and emotional ballads. Rodrigo describes the album as a “time capsule of a relationship in all its highs and lows,” with the A-side, ‘Girl So in Love' representing the honeymoon stage, the intense building emotions of a new relationship, and the B-side, ‘You Seem Pretty Sad', covering the downfall. Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jo Frost —of Supernanny fame— is throwing herself behind a social media crack down in the UK. Their Government is looking to ban social media for under 16's. Our Government has made moves towards the same, although the legislation is on hold. Frost told Jack Tame governments need to do something, because children are dying. She says there are real families burying their kids because of big tech companies, who are profiting off of children. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We don't know much but from what we do know, it was typically Kane. New Zealand's greatest-ever batsman – and arguably our greatest-ever cricketer. One of the modern game's finest called his teammates for a mid-tour coffee and a chat. No big press conference. No farewell tour. No New Zealand summer or Boxing Day test at the MCG. No standing ovations. No fans. Not even one more single, measly game. In an action typical of the man's famously understated nature, Kane Williamson retired from international cricket. If you're not really a big cricket fan, all good. But if that's the case, it's easy to under-appreciate just significant Kane Williamson's impact has been. I think there's a good argument to be made that on name recognition alone, Kane Williamson is the single most-famous New Zealander on the planet. Not Peter Jackson or Lorde or Jacinda Ardern. Kane Williamson. I remember backpacking through Punjab with my brother a few years ago. Everywhere we went, the locals wanted to ask the New Zealander travellers about a little bearded guy from Tauranga. In South Asia, he's a true household name. Cricket is a game that lends itself gloriously to statistics. For Kane Williamson, the numbers are amazing, but they will never tell the full story. The sport is as political as any other and at the end of the day it's driven by money. Consequently, compared to England, Australia, and India, the Black Caps are starved of tests. Kane Williamson is already considered one of the Fab Four, the greatest batsmen of his generation, but compared to the others, he played far fewer games on average each year. So many memories. Test centuries in eleven countries. Centuries at the Basin. A century at Lords. And a loss in an ODI World Cup final on a boundary count-back after a tie, and a tied super over, surely among most absurd defeat in sporting history. Kane responded with a wry smile and "it's a bit of a shame the ball hit Stokesy's bat." Yeah, you don't say? No athlete has ever had a better claim to bitterness and declined it so completely. Two years later, without the benefits of a home crowd, he captained the Black Caps to the World Test Championship. Redemption. In some ways, Kane Williamson has given us a different model of New Zealand male sporting greatness. He's small. He's soft-spoken. In an age where cricket has increasingly become a contest of brawn and power, he has distinguished himself with guile, wit and temperament. I'll never forget his celebrations when he scored his first test century, because there were none. While his Australian counterparts would scream and whoop and leap and wahoo every time they crossed the threshold, Kane would calmly remove his helmet, gesture once or twice at the crowd and shake his batting partner's hand, wipe the sweat from his brow, and retake his stance. Forever spinning that Grey-Nicolls as the bowler ran to the crease, perfectly balanced, with so much time, watching the ball right under his eyes. Williamson said he stepped away mid-series to “allow other leaders to emerge.” He denied himself the ceremony and the celebration. It might have come as a surprise to those of us who woke up and saw the headlines from overnight, but in many ways, it was the most Williamson thing imaginable. I think I speak for every New Zealand Cricket fan when I say I will miss his presence keenly, but man, I'm so grateful for everything he represented and achieved.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union 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! Do we think Labour's proposed public transport fare cap will get votes? How much of the country will this policy really help? And why wasn't Labour at Fieldays? Are we surprised Stewart Island is still fully reliant on diesel? Should we get rid of Crown limos for former Prime Ministers when they're hardly using them? What do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast with Andrew Dickens for Wednesday, 10 June, 2026, Labour Transport spokesman Tangi Utikere insists the party's got its numbers right with a plan to cap how much public transport users pay each week. We talk to Remuneration Authority chair Geoff Summers on more than $300,000 being spent for former prime ministers to use Crown cars they barely call. Stewart Island Rakiura Community Board chair Aaron Conner on why they can't wait for a solar farm to get up and running. And on The Huddle, Jack Tame and Jordan Williams question why Labour's made its policy announcement in Auckland but is absent from Fieldays. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast with Andrew Dickens for Wednesday, 3 June, 2026, Wellington mayor Andrew Little says he agrees with amalgamation but thinks the government's set an unfair timeframe. We talk to the Hospitality NZ chief executive about a dramatic rise in closures in the industry. Football commentator Jason Pine now fears for what England will do to the All Whites after a humiliating loss to Haiti. And on The Huddle, Jack Tame and Maurice Williamson debate whether the Te Huia train trip between Auckland and Hamilton is worth it after a fares increase. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson 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! Does Andrew Little have a point about the deadline for council amalgamation being unrealistic? Could the Government have given councils more time? Is increased fares the last thing Te Huia needs as it goes into the last year of its trial? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered her third and final Budget Day speech for the parliamentary term this week. A Budget delivering investment in health, infrastructure and defence, the Minister has described it as "responsible" - while Opposition voices have criticised the lack of stimulus for ordinary New Zealanders facing cost-of-living pressures. The big bonus is a forecast return to surplus in financial year 2028/29, one year earlier than previously forecast, using the government's favoured forecasting tool, OBEGALx. Five months out from the general election, Nicola Willis joins Jack Tame to discuss the government's record on economic stewardship, why the new bank tax won't be passed onto consumers, and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's "freeloaders" comment on New Zealand's defence spending. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

In Budget 2026, Treasury published New Zealand's latest child poverty statistics. It's a grim picture, and one that isn't improving much: the number of households in material hardship is estimated to be 14 percent, with a 2028 target of six percent. Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad joins Jack Tame to lay out the cost of persistent child poverty and discusses the workability of a forthcoming ban of social media for under-16s. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Five months from the election, immigration is being framed by political parties as a critical election issue, with the Prime Minister warning the wrong policies could damage social cohesion. In New Zealand in 2026, migration is the main source of population growth, with the nation's fertility rate slumping to 1.6, below replacement levels. Is an immigration backlash the inevitable response to a globalising world? Jack Tame speaks to author and CEO of geospatial analytics company AlphaGeo Dr Parag Khanna. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

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.

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.

Return to surplus? Nicola Willis charts economic recovery Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered her third and final Budget Day speech for the parliamentary term this week. A Budget delivering investment in health, infrastructure and defence, the Minister has described it as "responsible" - while Opposition voices have criticised the lack of stimulus for ordinary New Zealanders facing cost-of-living pressures. The big bonus is a forecast return to surplus in financial year 2028/29, one year earlier than previously forecast, using the government's favoured forecasting tool, OBEGALx. Five months out from the general election, Nicola Willis joins Jack Tame to discuss the government's record on economic stewardship, why the new bank tax won't be passed onto consumers, and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's "freeloaders" comment on New Zealand's defence spending. Children's Commissioner: The cost of child poverty In Budget 2026, Treasury published New Zealand's latest child poverty statistics. It's a grim picture, and one that isn't improving much: the number of households in material hardship is estimated to be 14 percent, with a 2028 target of six percent. Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad joins Jack Tame to lay out the cost of persistent child poverty and discusses the workability of a forthcoming ban of social media for under-16s. Why populist nationalism won't stop immigration Five months from the election, immigration is being framed by political parties as a critical election issue, with the Prime Minister warning the wrong policies could damage social cohesion. In New Zealand in 2026, migration is the main source of population growth, with the nation's fertility rate slumping to 1.6, below replacement levels. Is an immigration backlash the inevitable response to a globalising world? Jack Tame speaks to author and CEO of geospatial analytics company AlphaGeo Dr Parag Khanna. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

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.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 27 May, 2026, Reserve Bank governor Anna Breman gives us details on the close vote to keep the official cash rate at 2.25%. Wellington Mayor Andrew Little tells us how he's managed to keep a rates increase at less than 6%. Why tradies are being urged to do warmup workouts before work. And on The Huddle, Jack Tame and David Farrar debate if New Zealand First MP Andy Foster claiming thousands of dollars in accommodation allowances for a house he lives in Wellington is a rort. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog's 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! The Reserve Bank has left the OCR in place at 2.25 percent, but it's likely a rise is in the cards within the next few months. When do we think things will change? Should an MP get $36,000 to stay in a home he's owned for 26 years? Do some rules need to be adjusted? Should we help keep Moana Pasifika alive? Can we afford to? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deputy Prime Minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour is welcoming the reduction of New Zealand's public service by 8700 staff over the next three years. He joins Jack Tame to discuss a new map of New Zealand's 267 different regulators from the Ministry for Regulation. With less than six months to the general election, and the party polling slightly lower than its 2023 performance, David Seymour speaks to his new policy of tougher English language requirements for visa-holders and introducing an overstayer enforcement unit within Immigration New Zealand. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson will resign after 13 years in the job, board chair Jim Mather announced this morning. Mather says while the decision for Thompson to resign at the end of 2026 was made in December of last year, the announcement has been pulled forward by "recent unhelpful external commentary about his future". Deputy prime minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour, who is also a shareholding minister in RNZ, has criticised the public broadcaster's board and chief executive in recent months, and speculated earlier in the month that Thompson "won't be answering the call at RNZ for much longer." David Seymour joins Jack Tame. Watch more of Q+A's interview with David Seymour on Sunday.

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.

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.

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.

World-renowned biologist and writer Richard Dawkins is embarking on a speaking tour to mark the 50th anniversary of his first book, The Selfish Gene, a seminal text on the nature of genetics. He joins Jack Tame from his home in Oxford to reflect on how science has progressed, and shares his impressions on whether artificial intelligence technology can be considered 'conscious'. Richard Dawkins will be speaking at Auckland's Kiri te Kanawa Theatre on Friday 20 November and Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre Monday 23 November. Tickets are on sale now. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

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.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 20 May, 2026, we ask Regulation Minister David Seymour if 267 regulators in New Zealand is too many. Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson tells us if it's landed three more Air New Zealand international flights because Auckland Airport is charging too much. In an exclusive interview, we hear why new Breakers coach Gordon Herbert was attracted to the NBL. And on The Huddle, Jack Tame and Maurice Williamson tell us why they want more detail on plans to slash public servants. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson 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 Government has confirmed there's more public service cuts to come ahead of Budget 2026. What do we make of this? Do we think AI can really replace all these jobs? What are the chances of Auckland Council's rates rise being kept to less than 7.9 percent? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the 21st anniversary of the debut album from iconic Kiwi band Fat Freddy's Drop, ‘Based On A True Story'. And to mark the occasion, they're setting off on a world tour – kicking things off with three performances in Auckland. Chris Schulz was at the first show last night, and joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He's been described as “the John le Carré of his generation” and a “megastar of the genre”. British spy writer Mick Herron has earned millions of fans around the world and delighted critics with his thrilling plots, rich characters, and dry humour. He's won dozens of awards for both his Slough House series, his stand alone works, and his short story collections, and ‘Slow Horses' and ‘Down Cemetery Road' have both been adapted to the screen. Herron's on our shores for the Auckland Writers Festival, in which he'll introduce the latest addition to his iconic series, ‘Clown Town', set during the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. ‘Slow Horses' was originally released in 2010, and wasn't particularly successful, especially when compared to the acclaim both the book, and Herron's work as a whole, now holds. Herron told Jack Tame things changed one day at a time, so it doesn't feel like that big of a difference. “It was a low slow process, and it's one in which, I mean, my part in it has been that every – well, most days, not every day, most days I just sit down and get on with the book that I happen to be writing.” “Everything else goes on around me really,” he told Tame. He attributes his success to his publishers, the people working in marketing, those who run festivals, and so on. “I just respond to invitations and very happily turn up.” Over four million copies of his books have sold around the world, but Herron isn't quite sure what it is about his work that people connect with so much. “I don't intend to investigate it too closely,” he said. “It's a feeling that if I did, I might break something without meaning to.” “I just carry on doing what I'm doing and hope I'm doing it right ... I just do what I've always done, which is write the novel that's inside me that I need to write.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Erica Stanford: NCEA, immigration and "anti-Māori" criticism Minister for education and immigration Erica Stanford joins Jack Tame to discuss the new scheme replacing NCEA, facing down public criticism over removing school boards' Treaty of Waitangi obligations, and why the National Party is toughening its rhetoric on immigration. She also pushed back on education ministry plans to remove ESOL funding for year 0 and year 1 students in the second half of this year, saying the ministry had “got ahead of itself” and that wouldn't now be happening. Stanford also touched on the government's pause in rolling out a social media ban for under-16s, saying there was a legislative programme still under way, and that the National Party was still committed to moving something on age verification. Where's the policy? Chris Hipkins on Labour's election plans Less than six months out from a general election, New Zealand's highest-polling party has only revealed a handful of policies. On big issues like the cost of living, fuel security and immigration, Chris Hipkins says the Labour Party will be sharing their vision for the country after Budget Day. Chris Hipkins joins Jack Tame for his first appearance of 2026 to discuss his flagship education policy of the previous government, Fees Free - now set to be cancelled, with a price tag to date of $2 billion. He also considers whether Labour in New Zealand can take any lessons from Sir Keir Starmer's turmoil in the UK. “Oligopoly”: How a lack of competition hurts public pockets OECD economist David Haugh joins Q+A with Jack Tame to talk about a major new report detailing the weak state of competition in the New Zealand economy, and why ordinary New Zealanders are being economically hurt by the structure of key markets. His report also critiqued the government's LNG plans, and he responds to an assertion from PM Chris Luxon that those sections of the report are “a load of rubbish”. The “global Goliath” and risk of worldwide societal collapse Cambridge researcher of existential risks Luke Kemp talks to Q+A about the threats facing the continued survival of humanity, why wealth inequality is such a major risk factor, and how in such a globalised world, a collapse would be much more difficult to survive than previous societal collapses. Kemp's book is Goliath's Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse, and he's been in New Zealand as part of the Auckland Writers Festival. Join Jack Tame and the Q+A team and find the answers to the questions that matter. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

It's one of the many cruelties of motherhood. You can love your baby unconditionally. You can grow them. You can literally sustain them with your own body. But at the end of the day, you can only do so much for your child. You can change their nappy or feed them a few spoonfuls of kumara mash. But you can't take their first step for them. You can't say their first word. At first, I thought it was a fluke. There I was, standing over our son and gazing into his eyes as I wrestled his arms out of his pyjama sleeves, when suddenly he blurted it out. “DAD.” Not Dada. Not bad. Dad. If I'm totally honest, it wasn't totally clear what he meant with his utterance. Was he using my name? Was he calling me? Impressing me? Or just turning shapes over in that sweet, slobbery little mouth. “Can you say Dad?” I asked. “DAD.” He said. “DAD. DAD. DAD.” “He doesn't know what it means,” said my wife. But then, as if disbelieving her own words, she stood above him and had a crack. “Can you say Mumma?” she said. “Mumma?” “MUUUUMMMMMMMA.” He studied her lips. The way they pressed together. The way the air came out her nose. He thought about it. Thought about it. And replied. “DAD.” Oh, sweet heaven on Earth. She can search speech and language development and come up with any physiological explanation she likes. Maybe the “M” sound is a bit more complicated than a D or a B. There's a reason so many kids say duck or dog as their first word. Mava reckons he's actually at the point where he uses the word to mean the both of us. But of course, I have to disagree. I'm confident our son is so brilliant and bright that he's approached his linguistic development with purpose and intent, and when it comes to his vocabulary, he's implemented a strict prioritisation. We're now a few months in. The more our son says “Dad,” the more he's understood he gets a reaction. He can offer a few sounds. He knows a sheep says ‘Baaa' and a snake “ssssss,” and he uses “RaRa” to mean his brother. But he still only really has the one proper word. Do you want more food? We'll ask. DAD. Look at that! We'll say... as a beautiful border collie runs past us in the park. DAD. And best of all, still, can you say mumma? DAD It won't last forever, obviously. And on balance I'm willing to concede that's probably a good thing. Kids grow quickly. One minute you're swaddling them in one of those cute little hooded towels, the next thing they're queueing up to renew a driver's license. But when the Plunket nurse filled out his book this week, recording his development for all eternity, I was pleased to see her as an independent party settle any household debate once and for all. Our son has one word the Plunket book says. He says it often. Three letters. One syllable. DAD. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ads we see on social media promise us a great many things, but how many of them are as good as they seem? Ed McKnight was recently served an ad on Facebook promising rental investment with great returns that set off a few alarms. He joined Jack Tame to break down the ad and explain the concerning signs to look for if you spot an investment ad that seems too good to be true. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 13 May, 2026, a warning from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon that there'll be no treats in this month's Budget - we ask senior correspondent Katie Bradford how much is going on the credit card. Sociologist Paul Spoonley on why there's not really a brain drain. We talk to Retail New Zealand chief executive Carolyn Young on why Kiwi shoppers are loyal to local when they could get cheaper foreign goods. And on The Huddle, Jack Tame and Phil O'Reilly on whether the All Blacks should travel business class - but premium economy if they lose. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners 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! Chris Luxon made a speech to a Business NZ audience in Auckland ahead of the 2026 Budget. He's indicated that this year's Budget won't splash the cash despite the ongoing global conflicts impacting New Zealand. Are we surprised by this? The idea of the All Blacks being downgraded to premium economy has been floated in order to help bring down NZ Rugby's costs. What do we make of this idea? Do they need to stay in business class? How can Waitaki District Council justify a 45 percent rates increase? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clint, Meg and Dan kick off Monday with their first take the edge off call that pays for Natalie’s daughter’s $325 ball dress. They unpack Mother’s Day expectations and share hall of fame/shame stories, then debate a study claiming the average time a man lasts in bed is 16 minutes, with a lesbian caller saying sessions can last hours. Jack Tame joins to discuss his TV special “You, Me and Aussie” about whether moving to Australia is worth it, followed by listeners who moved and returned. The team covers Rihanna’s kids’ scribble tattoo, listeners’ regrettable tattoos, an AMA with Summer Roberts about gigantomastia and we get the latest episode of Dans Diary 02:01 Mothers Day Chaos 05:33 Scandal Headlines 07:13 First Call of the day 10:57 Naughty 6:40 18:58 Take The Edge Off Call 21:07 Jack Tame talks "You me and Aussie" TV special 25:12 Aussie Move Regrets 30:09 Rihanna's new tattoo 33:29 Tattoo regrets 38:27 Gigantomastia AMA with Summer Roberts 42:21 Big Boob Problems 45:09 Dans Diary 47:53 Attenborough Turns 100 51:45 Are you the black sheep of your family? 56:47 Mothers Day hall of fame or shame 01:04:07 Met Gala Bicker 01:07:20 Wrap Up And Goodbye

Today on the pod we talk about Split Enz, haggling, and Iraq. then we talk to TVNZ's Jack tame about his new show "You, Me & Aussie", which airs Monday night, 8.40pm on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+ Follow The Hauraki Breakfast Show on Instagram Subscribe to the podcast now on iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts! Featuring Jeremy Wells and Manaia Stewart, "The Hauraki Breakfast" a radio show like no other weekdays from 6am on Radio Hauraki. Guaranteed to teach you bad new habits, raise your eyebrows, and make you smirk on a regular basis. News, sport & music that rocks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Approximately 73 thousand Kiwis left New Zealand in the past year, and over half of those moved to Australia. Indeed it seems like every day there is another article about New Zealanders moving across the Tasma for better jobs, better money and a better lifestyle, but is that really true? Well TVNZ's Jack Tame is investigating that very question for a new show airing on Monday night called You, Me & Aussie and joins Jesse to discuss. You, Me & Aussie is on Monday 11th May on TVNZ1 at 8:40pm and TVNZ+. [picture id="4KGB12Q_31681878_751954_png" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

Government moves to bin the BSA, Voyager awards bin sponsor, Jack Tame's empty chair & Wayne Brown says 'don't go there' Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details