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Alison Curtis is joined on Weekend Breakfast by Rhys Darby — best-selling author, storyteller, comedian, actor… and yes, “leg model” too — ahead of his return to Ireland with the Unhinged Tour.Rhys chats about his love of Galway (cobblestones, pubs, street musicians, and unforgettable comedy festival crowds), and what it's like raising Kiwi kids in LA as they edge closer to leaving home.He also gives a taste of the new show: middle-age mayhem, memory lapses, the trouble with AI, plus why he reckons he'd make a brilliant Q in the new James Bond and a lovely tribute to his late friend and fellow Kiwi the great Sam Neill.The Unhinged Irish Tour 2026 - 7 Dates across the country· Tues 20 Oct | Craic Den Comedy Club, Dublin· Wed 21 Oct | Limelight, Belfast· Thurs 22 Oct | The Lark, Balbriggan· Sat 24 Oct & Sun Oct 25th | Galway Comedy Festival· Tues 27 Oct | Cyprus Avenue, Cork· Wed 28 Oct | Dolan's, Limerick· Sun 01 Nov | Sligo Live Festival (Hawk's Well)Book tickets now from rhysdarby.com, Ticketmaster or from Local Venues
In the next 25 years, $1.6 trillion is predicted to pass to the next generation Fair to say, there are plenty of us out there who are either writing our wills or being written into one. But how much does the average Kiwi understand about the legal labyrinth of succession law? To help us chart our way through, we've got lawyer Holly Egerton - she's a general practice lawyer but also helps demystify the legal world through social media.
GUESTY & MATT WELLS CHAT FISHING, GEAR, LIFE & MEGA KINGFISH OFF THE KAYAK.
Netflix's new miniseries East of Eden will be on Kiwi screens in just a couple of weeks. For stunt co-ordinator and horsemaster Dayna Pomare, it's the latest in a string of big projects, and she's been kept busy since filming wrapped on the adaptation.
We're back into our A to Z of Aotearoa .. this is our series where we pick something quintessentially Kiwi for each letter of the alphabet and dive into its history with the people who know it best. We've had P for Pies, S for Silver Fern, K for Kauri, and today it's Y is for Yachting. Yacht designer Brett Bakewell-White and coach and successful sailor Bruce Kendall join Jesse.
Am I behind? It's the question everyone wonders, and almost nobody can answer. So, we paid Stats NZ to crunch the net-worth-by-age data that no one else publishes.In this episode, Ed and Andrew reveal the median wealth at every age and what the numbers really mean.You'll learn:What the typical Kiwi is worth in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyondWhy whatever you build by 60 is roughly what you retire onHow a single good asset can move you two decades up the tableThe honest takeaway? You're probably less behind than you think, but the early decades matter most.Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a voice message on the Property Academy HotlineFor more from Opes Partners:Sign up for the weekly Private Property newsletterInstagramTikTok
TAMAKI UNFILTERED 14.1 - ROGUE POLITICIANS WANT TO TURN NZ INTO AN EASTERN HELLHOLE.ISLAM IS DANGEROUS…NEW PODCAST OUT NOW!Before you get angry at the title…watch the podcast.First they're coming for Christians…then they're coming for you!I'm not saying every Kiwi has to be a Christian.That's 100% your choice.But I make the case for why Christianity is the best protection for New Zealand…even if you're not a Christian.I share facts and information many Kiwis probably don't know.And I show why we cannot just turn a blind eye to what is happening around the world.Kiwis deserve to know what is growing in our country.You don't have to agree with me.JUST HEAR THE CASE. TAMAKI UNFILTERED 14.1
A New Zealander delivering aid in Ukraine says their vehicles have been directly targeted by Russian drones, with multiple destroyed, and team members injured. Tenby Powell is Chair of Kiwi K.A.R.E a humanitarian organisation that has been operating on the ground in Ukraine since 2022. He spoke to Guyon Espiner.
Questions to Ministers 1. DAVID MacLEOD to the Minister of Finance: Does the Government intend to introduce a capital gains tax? 2. Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? 3. Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? 4. KATIE NIMON to the Minister of Housing: Is the Government considering removing interest deductibility on residential property? 5. Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by all her statements and actions? 6. MILES ANDERSON to the Minister of Agriculture: Is the Government considering a land tax on farms and orchards? 7. Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL to the Minister of Health: Does he agree with the Minister of Finance's statement that "We're currently recruiting for 2,300 new nurses"; if so, what is the expected growth in nursing FTE from recruiting these nurses? 8. Dr DAVID WILSON to the Associate Minister of Police: What recent announcements has she made about fighting organised crime? 9. DAN BIDOIS to the Minister of Revenue: Is the Government considering ending Investment Boost? 10. ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: Why does he defend sustainable price rises when one in three Kiwi households are struggling to afford food? 11. DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? 12. CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions?
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we sit down with Palisa Anderson, restaurateur and founder of Boon Luck Farm, to explore how a childhood in her mother's Sydney kitchens turned into a life spent growing the ingredients she once had to search the country for. Palisa shares her family's story — born in Bangkok, raised in Sydney by a mother who arrived as a newly single parent and built the now-iconic Chat Thai from nothing, working every job along the way from a factory machinist to McDonald's, all while quietly saving up for the restaurant she always knew she'd open again.We dig into Palisa's own decade abroad in Hong Kong, London, New York and Tokyo — where she met her Kiwi husband, Matt, and his surfboard — and the pull that eventually brought them both back to Byron, a place she'd loved since her teenage years. Palisa talks candidly about buying land in the Byron hinterland with zero farming experience, surviving Cyclone Debbie tearing their brand-new netting structures clean out of the ground, and building Boon Luck Farm into a working, organic supplier for her family's now six Sydney restaurants. She finishes with her favourite local spot — not a tourist destination at all, but her own farm at sunset, harvesting dinner with her dog.If you'd like to share your story or provide feedback, please contact us via email at chrishanley@byronbayfn.com
The Sidebars go full debate mode! Will they convince the various powers-that-be in the Air Kingdom to reunite the denizens of the Vapour Vaults with those above?Featuring the persuasive talents of:Erika Jayne as Taryn GrimSeverin Gourley as Dexter ClementineKasia Wayfinder as Granny Sabinkaand Julz Burgisser as DMVisit www.fateofisen.com to learn more.Fate of Isen is one of the Feedspot top D&D podcasts in the world! Check out Feedspot here.If you like the show, please feel free to follow us on social media (@fateofisen) or support us on Patreon! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ Intro, outro, and recap music by freesound user, Tyops, and ambient sound by TabletopAudio.comThis episode features the songs "In the Court of Anise and Lavender" and "Eyka's Song" by Will Savino (www.wsavino.com)
What do you do when your wedding venue suddenly becomes completely inaccessible just days before your wedding? This week I’m chatting with Chandni about a wedding story that really proves you can plan all you like, but sometimes you just have to roll with it. Chandni and her partner had planned two wedding celebrations, including an outdoor wedding in Whangamatā. But when the weather took a dramatic turn just days before the big day, everything had to change. What followed involved some very quick decision-making, a few unexpected venues, incredible friends and vendors, and one particularly wild solution involving a helicopter... And somehow, despite all of that, they ended up having two really special days. We chat about:
The silent epidemic harming Kiwi kids - and the survivor determined to end it.For the first sixteen years of her life, Gloria Masters endured abuse most New Zealanders would refuse to believe happens here. She survived - and went on to become a teacher, a child psychotherapist and a communications trainer, dedicating her life to breaking the silence around child sexual abuse and giving parents the tools to protect their kids.In one of the most confronting and important conversations we've had on the show, Gloria shares how she found hope in the darkest place imaginable, why she chose to hand the shame back to where it belongs, and the practical signs every adult should learn to notice.⚠️ This episode contains discussion of child sexual abuse and suicide. Please take care listening.If anything in this episode raises something for you:Safe to Talk – Kōrero mai (sexual harm): call 0800 044 334 or text 4334, free and confidential, 24/7Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any timeWorried about a child? Oranga Tamariki: 0508 326 459In an emergency, call 111If you want to get in touch with Gloria and her Charity for support here: https://www.gloriamasters.com/Between Two Beers is proudly brought to you by One New Zealand. We believe that One NZ connects New Zealand, while Between Two Beers connects New Zealanders. And together, we are NZ's most trusted connection platform.Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by Barkers Clothing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coffee is something of a staple here in New Zealand, but China has traditionally been better known for its tea drinkers. Liz Garton meets a couple of coffee aficionados and learns about China's expanding coffee culture and the kiwi crossover.Find out more about The MQ Coffee tour to its farm in Yunnan China via its instagram page @mqcoffeelab.And if you're keen to know more about homegrown coffee, check out this Country Life story.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Most property accountants tell people what to do. Peter Taylor actually does it himself.Starting just after the GFC, he's built a portfolio of 19 residential and 10 commercial properties over three decades. In this episode, Ed and Andrew sit down with accountant Peter to hear how he did it.You'll learn:How this property accountant built a portfolio of 30 properties The biggest wins and toughest lessons from 3 decades of investing The one thing every property investor should knowPeter's edge wasn't a secret strategy. It was buying well, paying down hard, and doing it consistently for 30 years.Want to share your story on Case Study Sunday? Send us a message, email ed@opespartners.co.nzFor more from Opes Partners:Sign up for the weekly Private Property newsletterInstagramTikTok
Music 101 producer Tony Stamp joins us to reveal the runners up in the 2026 Kiwi Cover Song Contest. The winning song will be revealed on Monday's show.
Nights' Dan Slevin, is one of the best film reviewers in any medium, consistently convincing, insightful, unpretentious, perceptive, thoughtful and articulate. He joins us every Thursday night, and here's what's caught his eye this week. Nights' resident screen critic joins Mark Leishman to review:IN CINEMASHope (produced, written and directed by Na Hong-jin). Epic South Korean sci-fi about a small fishing town attacked by a mysterious, powerful and aggressive monster.PAID STREAMING - Apple TVMayday (written and directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein). Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh star in a Cold War action comedy about an American pilot shot down over the Soviet Union needing help from a retired KGB agent to get back across the border.FREE STREAMING - KanopyThe Quiet Earth (directed by Geoff Murphy, 1985). Kiwi classic sci-fi as Bruno Lawrence wakes one morning to find he is the only creature left alive on the planet and roams the empty streets of Auckland looking for the reason why.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Send Us A Message! Let us know what you think.New Zealand's major banks have officially lifted variable mortgage rates following the Reserve Bank's latest 25 basis point OCR hike. What does this mean for your home loan, and how are fixed rates holding up? In this episode of the Week in Review, Debbie Roberts (Owner & Financial Adviser at Property Apprentice) breaks down the biggest property and finance headlines across Aotearoa. From National's proposed $300,000 income threshold for 5% deposit First Home Loans to Barfoot & Thompson's latest August sales figures signal an Auckland market tipping point, we deliver the practical insights you need to navigate today's property market. In This Episode:Floating Mortgage Rates Shift: All five major banks (ANZ, BNZ, ASB, Westpac, Kiwibank) have raised variable rates by 25bps. Discover why 92% of Kiwi borrowers remain insulated on fixed terms and what ASB's customer repayment data tells us about household resilience. Lessons From Australia's Property Market: Australian home values fell for a fifth consecutive month, led by Sydney (-7.1% from peak). We analyze why persistent construction bottlenecks mean structural supply shortages remain unresolved across the ditch. National's 5% Deposit Scheme Expansion: National proposes raising the First Home Loan income cap to $300,000, potentially opening low-deposit options to over 90% of households. We weigh the benefits against the 1.2% government mortgage insurance fee. Auckland Market Tipping Point: Barfoot & Thompson sales dropped to their lowest August volume since 2022 while median prices edged up to $955,000. What this stabilization means for active buyers and sellers. KiwiSaver Loophole Closed for Rural Workers: A new amendment bill will finally allow farm staff, rural teachers, and police officers in employer-provided housing to access their KiwiSaver for a first home or farm purchase. Free Financial Education & Events Want to build a resilient, cash-flowing property portfolio using proven, independent strategies? Join Debbie Roberts at our next live, free online event: How to Succeed with Property Investing.
Self-driving taxis have hit the streets of London, and a New Zealander has made it happen. Alex Kendall co-founded Wayve in 2017 and as of last week 15 of its autonomous vehicles have been available to book on Uber in London. Kendall spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
Tomorrow marks 25 years since the September 11 attacks on the United States. New Zealand journalist Lauren Quaintance was reporting from within the police cordon that day. Lauren spoke to John Campbell.
Cybersecurity expert on ZenTech data breach; Can you tell where your bacon or ham actually comes from?; Businesses gear up for opening of City Rail Link; Kiwi journalist who spent 9/11 inside police cordon; Helen Clark discusses being PM during 9/11 attacks
Time for NZ Sporting History, where we dig into the great names and moments in Kiwi sport. Today though, we're keeping it contemporary, because New Zealand athletics is having a moment right now. At the recent Commonwealth Games our track and field team came away with medals across sprints, jumps and throws, while a new generation of athletes is rewriting national records and making themselves known on the world stage. The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is taking place in Budapest this weekend, bringing the international season to a close. So, it feels like an appropriate time to ask: is New Zealand becoming a force in athletics once again? Sports journalist Grant Chapman has followed New Zealand sport for decades.
Tonight, Kiwi and I crack open our paranormal passports and head to Cuba. A lot of tragic stories on this small island that is rich in history.
How can you use AI to research, edit and handle admin and marketing tasks while still writing every single word yourself? How can you double down on being human and reach readers on a personal level? Anna McPhee shares her perspective as a software engineer, author and creative technologist. In the intro, How to Write, Publish, and Market Short Stories out now. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community and get articles, discounts, and extra audio and video tutorials on writing craft, author business, and AI tools, at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Anna McPhee is an author, software engineer, professional speaker, and creative technologist. Her latest book is What Machines Can't Replace: Why AI Makes Us More Human. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Why writing code is creative work, and what it shares with writing books How AI changed Anna's job as a software engineer without taking her employment The difference between AI assistance and generation How to use custom skills for editing reports, research and repeatable tasks Why the rise of AI makes us crave slow, imperfect, physical things Responding to a negative review by showing up as a human You can find Anna at Anna.kiwi and her new book at WhatMachinesCantReplace.com. Transcript of the interview with Anna McPhee Jo: Anna McPhee is an author, software engineer, professional speaker, and creative technologist. Her latest book is What Machines Can't Replace: Why AI Makes Us More Human. So welcome to the show, Anna. Anna: Hi, Joanna. Thank you so much for having me. Jo: Oh, this is going to be a fun conversation. First up— Tell us a bit more about you and your background in technology, as well as how you got into writing. Anna: I have been in all of these things my whole life, as long as I can remember. When I was just a little girl, writing was my favourite thing, writing stories. It was the whole reason I went to school, to be honest. I always pictured myself as a writer before anything else. My dad was a lecturer in software development, so when I was little, he would teach me how to code. So I've always done both, for as long as I can remember, and my mum is an artist. That's been my upbringing, at the intersection of technology and art, and then writing is my own personal passion. It's naturally flowed throughout my life. I've been in and out of some other careers and chased all the things that have made me feel interested and passionate, but writing has always been there in the background. It's something I do, whether it's been for a hobby or for a profession, so it's always been there. Jo: But you work in software, right? Anna: I do. I work in software, which came to me by chance. I set out as a digital nomad about 15 years ago now. I sold everything I owned and started travelling. The way I thought I was going to fund this was through freelance writing, which I was very optimistic about. We all know now that's a very challenging way to make an income, especially when you don't have a background in it or a portfolio. I did have this childhood background in software engineering and coding. So I set out to be a writer and travel the world as a writer, and actually what I ended up doing was building websites and writing software, because that's what people would pay me to do. So I fell into both at the same time through this chance I took. Jo: I think sometimes people think that programming and software development and these more technical fields are not creative. My husband was a programmer for a long time, and essentially programming is a language. Well, there are lots of languages, but you are creating in a language with computers, right? So is there that much difference? How do you fix these two things in your mind separately, or are they the same thing? Anna: They're so related. Many people might put writing into more of an art, and computer development and programming more into a maths or a science, but I just think there's so much creativity in writing code, in how you choose to structure things, in the language you select for something, the way you approach it. It's very similar to writing a book, I think. I've found a lot of things that are very similar about it, to do with architecture even. When you look at the basics, some people might write a book with no idea where it's going and see where it ends. It's the same with software. People might go into it and not have a plan. Most people will architect their software, or they'll architect their story in the same way. I think there's a lot of crossover between the two. Jo: And there's editing, and doing the “does this do what I want it to do?” I think with software perhaps it's more obvious when something doesn't do what you want it to do than with a book. Anna: Perhaps. Although with AI now, it's becoming a little more vague, because you can think your software's doing what you want it to, but it might not be. It might just look like it is. I think those lines are getting a bit blurrier as technology changes. There's a lot of things in software development that are very similar to writing. We don't have an editor, but we will have unit tests or code reviews, and maybe the CI tests, and we've got all these structures in place that are very similar to writing. Jo: I also think what's interesting, and this has been in the last maybe decade really, is that it used to be you would get a job in the old way, but— Now it seems like your GitHub page, which is almost like your author platform, your programmer platform, can make a real difference in how people find you and your work. So maybe talk a bit about that, because you have a GitHub page, don't you? Anna: I do have a GitHub page, and I've spent a lot of time on it, because you can set up your README file and make it a bit like a website, and introduce all of your projects and what you're working on. Just to combine it a little bit, actually, I use GitHub for my writing. I use it for version control so that I can go back and see the changes that I've made to the things that I'm writing. Even with my book, I had a copy of it backed up in a private repository on GitHub where I could track changes and never lose a backup. I have so much faith in GitHub that it extends beyond the software I write and into everything I do. I keep a copy backed up in GitHub. Jo: That's actually quite funny because, coming into AI in the author community, one of the things that's now talked about is how do you prove that your book is not a one-click generated book? And what you've actually got there is evidence of your process. Anna: Exactly. Jo: Which is kind of hilarious in many ways. Well, let's get into this, because there's so much fear and witch hunting right now and negativity in the author community. As somebody who's grown up with both art and the software side, where do you think those attitudes come from, and how have they changed in different ways? Anna: Oh, people are really afraid. I've got a very moderate perspective, and I think I sit in a very similar position to you. A large number of people that I hear from are either incredibly pro-AI, let it do everything for them, everything, everything, do it for absolutely everything you can think of. Or they're completely terrified and very, very negative about it, and won't use it for anything at all. I can only assume this is going to stabilise with time. There's been a huge amount of outrage against other technologies in the past, even calculators. All technology has come with scepticism and people scared that it's going to take their jobs. I think there's a lot of misinformation out there as well, people who think that AI is trained on books, which it is, and that's a totally valid concern with the copyright and things. I think there's a lot of misunderstanding around what training an AI model actually means in that regard. It's not taking someone's prose and reusing it. It's looking at the underlying mathematical probability of, if you have this word, what is the probability of the next word being this? It's broken down into numbers. I'm not 100 percent sure, but from my perspective of seeing it, the witch hunt comes from a place of fear. I saw an author in a group I'm in recently who said, “Oh, I've written so many novels, and I've run out of ideas for names for my characters. I've used every person I've ever met, I've used their name. That's how many books I've written. How do I get more names?” Someone suggested, “Well, why don't you ask AI for some other names?” “Oh, no, no, no. I could never let AI take over my work like that.” And it was just over the idea of using it to ask a question. So I think there's a feeling that if you let it do one thing, next thing it's going to be doing everything, and it's going to erase you, and your ideas, and your way of doing things. Jo: Just on that, it is interesting, though, isn't it? Because I am trying to use it, like I use Claude Code, and I'm trying to use it for more, and more, and more. I started off using ChatGPT the day it came out in 2022, and have increasingly tried to give the AI tools all the things that will free me up to do the things I love to do. Making lists of names is not on my list of things I love to do. Anna: Yes, exactly. I feel the same way. Jo: So that's the thing, isn't it? The fear is really interesting because we all have fear. One very visceral time I remember feeling very scared was in the pandemic, in those early days when there wasn't a vaccine. That's really the only reference I think I have for it, because like you, I feel like I've grown up with technology, and so I've never felt it that way. I'm hoping that as with COVID, as with things developing over time, and obviously again, misinformation is rampant, but— I guess we got used to it. Is that the best we can hope for with AI? Anna: I hope it's better than that. I hope we can hope for better, that people can learn how to use it in a way that supports them. As people become less fearful, like with COVID, they experiment a little bit here or there and start to see that there are ways to not let it take over. In general, people are really bad at identifying AI-generated content. There are so many studies done on it, and it's 50/50 at best. Good AI now produces stuff that a lot of people don't recognise. So it's more about the idea than the reality of it. There's this whole idea around it that AI will take our jobs, and I get asked all the time, “Well, when do you think AI's going to take your job? You work on a computer.” Well, it can take my job, and it has. I used to write code all the time, and now I write almost no code. I work for a very large software company, and we use a lot of AI in our development protocols, and I don't write any code now, more or less, and a few years ago I did all day. So my job has changed completely, and AI has taken my job, but it hasn't taken my employment. I found a new way of being, which is I'm more of a project manager. I review code. I make sure nothing bad gets put out into the world. My role has changed, but it hasn't been taken away. I hope that as people start to see that this new technology is not taking their jobs, it's taking the parts of their jobs off them that are so repeatable, and giving them more room to do more with the things that they are uniquely good at. Jo: Absolutely. So let's get into that, because you did just say there that you're not writing any code, which is different to your writing for books. In your book, What Machines Can't Replace, you talk about how you used AI assistance and how you did things in different ways. I've been explicit about being AI-assisted since May 2023, so I absolutely am on board with the difference between what is assistance and what is generation. One-click generation of a complete book, while some people might choose to do that, that's not what you and I are talking about. So tell us— How did you use AI tools and these assisted processes for this book? Anna: Right. So I used AI extensively for this book. However, I wrote every single word. I don't want AI to take over my voice, and that is one area where it differs from writing code in a big way. One-click generation, maybe one day AI will actually be very good at it, and we won't be able to tell the difference. But currently, I definitely can. If I start reading something that is one-click generated, it becomes very obvious to me very quickly. I use AI extensively in my day. I use a Claude plan which is the Max 20x, the biggest allowance plan, and I run out of limit every week. So I spend a lot of time seeing how it forms sentences and the kind of thing it says, so I think I'm quite sensitive to when I see it. So for now, it's not good for that, and I don't think I ever want it to be. When I put something out in the world that is software, the thing that's uniquely me is the concepts behind it or the way it functions. It's not the code itself. When I put writing out there, when I put a book out there, the words are the thing that's me. They're my signature, they're my style. So I used AI assistance for everything else. I used it to help me research, but then I would verify the sources myself, but it was so good at finding things. I used it to transcribe my words. I would go out for long walks, and my ideas come to me when I'm out walking, like so many people. So I'd just pick up my phone and voice record, “Oh, hey, I was thinking, years ago I heard about this study, and I think that would be really interesting, but I don't really know the details of it. Can you make a note of this?” Then my AI could go and research it, come back and say, “Oh, I think you're talking about this research paper, and here's a link to it.” It could add it into my notes, and I could still verify it and read it, but it saved me hours of manual trawling through Google Scholar looking for things. So as a first step I used it for research, but I also used it all the way through the writing process. I've set up a lot of custom skills for all the different editor types. I've got a developmental editor, a line editor, a copy editor. None of them are allowed to make any changes. They are only allowed to create reports of what they find. So I could check for consistency, or did I reference the right thing for this chapter? Does this flow okay? I could ask it questions about my work without it actually touching the words. Another way I used it is I'd make more voice recordings, and then it would transcribe them and suggest where in my book they would fit best, and then copy and paste my exact words, word for word, into the right spot, and then I could edit it in. So I used it for almost everything except the actual words, which remain mine, and the design as well. I value designers a lot, so I paid a cover designer to design my cover. Jo: Yes, and all those things you were talking about, I also do. How do you explain skills? Because I have like 100 skills now. I do skills for everything. I'm struggling to explain what that is to people who don't really understand. Anna: Yes, skills are amazing, and it is difficult to explain. It's like a little package, and it can contain prompts, it can contain scripts, it can contain information, and it can be called only when needed. So if I created, for example, my developmental editor skill, it might be a folder that's consumed by Claude and Claude Code, and only when it's asked for, then it uses all of the stuff in its context and follows a set of instructions. They're just more powerful than a prompt because they're reusable, and they live there, and it can be clever and know when to use ones without you invoking them directly as well. I have another skill that's just me, about me, and I keep it up to date with information about what I'm working on and who I am. If I'm doing something, I can say, “Well, don't forget, check the About Me before you answer this.” Or, “I'm working on this project I haven't worked on in a while, but I created a skill to reference it. Before we start work on this, can you go and check in with the skill?” Kind of like a library. Jo: It's interesting, you're talking about quite expansive skills, and I do have some of those, but a lot of my skills are really quite specific. Like, do a Shopify product in the way that we did Shopify products last time. Or, this is how Joanna Penn wants the sales description for Amazon, so write the Amazon sales description for this. And then, say, on ChatGPT it'll be like, right, do A+ content for this book. That kind of thing. So it can be really, really specific, almost like a little program, right? Then it can be, as you say, with memory and all this different stuff. Anything you want to do more than once, I think. Anna: That's a really good way to describe it. Also, because of my technical background, I trust code a lot more than I trust AI at the moment. I really love AI, but the results vary, and you can run the same thing five times and get five different results, whereas if you run a code function five times, you will always get the same result if it's a well-written function. So for anything like that, I add code into my skills so that I can say, “When this is called, run this script,” and I know it's always run the same way. You can get quite complex with skills and build some real programs inside them, or it can be just a few lines. Do this, this way. I've got one I really enjoy at the moment I created called Research Me. I have so many ideas, always hundreds of ideas. So many of them are terrible. Some of them are good, and some of them are already done. I just type Research Me, and then I just put my thought. It might be a word. It might be a line. It might be more than that. Then it goes away and looks it up and sees if someone's done this thing, and if it's valid to me, and then creates a report and saves it in my knowledge base for me to look at another time. Jo: I guess it's not really a skill, but it's more like part of the memory. I just say, put that in the backlog and bring it back in a month. Anna: Oh, that's so nice, too, being able to set schedules and reminders. Like, right now is not a good time, but I don't want to let this idea go, so can you bring it back to me at this time? And it will. It's wonderful for that. Jo: It is good. Oh, and we should also say, you don't have to write a skill. If you do something with Claude or ChatGPT or whatever, you can then say, “Create a skill for this,” and it will write it, and you can have a look at it, but you don't have to sit there typing out how to do stuff. I think often people think that you have to drive it a lot more, where it's just so much of a conversation now, isn't it? Anna: Yes, it can be done completely with conversation. You don't need to write out any instructions or any code, anything at all. You could have a really positive experience doing something with Claude Cowork and then get to the end of that process and think, “Oh, that was wonderful. I definitely think I'll do that again.” So you just say, “Oh, that was great. Can you make that a skill so we can do it again the same way next time?” And it'll create it, and you just click a button, say Add the Skill once it's done, and that's it. Jo: There are so many things. Now, just coming back to your book, you do have at the end of each chapter some prompts, although I don't like the word prompt anymore, because I feel like prompt is from the old way, when you would type in a certain prompt and then something would come back and that would be done. Whereas now it's much more of a conversation. So a prompt is almost a starting point. So you've used questions, I guess. What are your recommendations for authors who want to get more into this but are still apprehensive and are worried about getting it wrong somehow? Anna: Okay. Yes, I agree with you on prompting. That was a real buzzword for a while there. Everyone was going to be a prompt engineer, and the future of AI was prompting, prompt design. The systems are so much more capable now that it's not what it was. It is definitely more of a conversation. I think that is the good place to start, to just have a conversation with the AI about your work. It doesn't have to touch your work. You could just ask for its opinion on something. If you don't want it to consume your whole book, there are privacy settings, and you can stop it from training on your material if that's the concern, or you could use a local model. You could give it some of your writing and ask its opinion and start a conversation. One thing about AI is that people forget you can just say to it, “What's the best way to use you? Hi, I'm new here. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm a writer. How can you help me?” And it will tell you. Jo: I think one of the other ways, if people don't even want to use it for creative stuff… This morning, as we record this, I've been delving into the back end of my YouTube channel, which I've just ignored for years, actually, and Google Search Console, and there are all these errors everywhere. I'm like, “I don't understand that message.” Or I had an error on one of my files on Draft2Digital, and I was like, “Okay, ugh.” So now I just put those errors into Claude and say, “Right, how do I fix this?” Or, “Maybe you could fix this.” That helps so much, because as author publishers or self-published authors, we do have a lot of technical things to do. Sometimes, well, all the time now, I think, getting help with it rather than ignoring it can be great. Anna: Absolutely. It's so good for that administrative stuff as well, especially with the addition of being able to use Claude, and a lot of the other ones as well, in your web browser now. So it can do things for you. It can fill out forms. There's a lot of repetition in publishing a book. You have to enter your ISBN in five million places, and you want to make sure that your information is aligned and that you have the same data in numerous different places, and you can ask it to check. You can ask it to check your metadata on your website and say, “Does the author information for me align with what you're seeing on Goodreads, or what you're seeing on StoryGraph, or in Wikidata? Do you see any gaps that I need to address?” It's really good at that stuff. Or you can open a form and say, “Can you fill it out for me? I'm sick of typing.” And it will. It's so good for the admin. Just amazing. Jo: So good for admin, exactly. This is the thing, this whole “AI's going to take my job.” Yes, please take 95% of my job and leave me with the bit I want to do. Let's get back into the book, because— You also say in the book, “The more I worked with AI, the more I wanted the slow, imperfect physical things.” So tell us about that. Anna: Yes. So AI swept me up. I've been, also like you, an early adopter, and absolutely obsessed with it right from day one. I just started to notice I needed more and more breaks, and I was valuing different things than I used to, and I was consuming and purchasing different things than I used to. I started to see this changing, and I would spend more and more time out in the garden. I love my garden anyway, I'm a gardener. I was just starting to recognise this feeling, and at first I couldn't really put a name to it. What is this? Why am I searching out these things? Why do I want to create more than I did even before with my hands? So I started looking into it, and it was very much a global phenomenon. Everyone seems to be doing this. There's been a really strong link between the introduction of AI into the world and things like record sales or sourdough baking, although that one also came during COVID, so that one's a bit tricky to measure. But lots of other things are just getting more and more popular as the market gets saturated with AI-generated content. People want to see things that a human has touched. The harder it becomes to actually see that in AI-generated content, the more people want other signs. If you can't just read a piece of writing and know 100 percent sure a human wrote it or an AI wrote it, you start looking for other ways to tell. So I really felt that in myself, and it was a very unsettling feeling, as someone who's been very, very technology-forward all my life, to start valuing more and more things that weren't technology. Jo: Yes, I absolutely get this, and I think there's also another aspect, which I feel you must feel too. There are some days, if I use AI a lot, I almost feel like a hangover. Because the speed at which I can now work means that my human wetware brain is overloaded. That feeling is both exhilarating and amazing, but also totally exhausting. Anna: Yes. There's a huge comedown from it. To me, in the beginning, it started feeling like eating a lot of sugar. Really, really great eating all these lollies. “Oh, this is amazing. These are so good.” And then afterwards, “Oh, I still feel hungry. I don't feel fulfilled. I'm surrounded by lolly wrappers. What is this?” It felt a lot like that to me, where it's just creating all this stuff, and it felt like I was the master of the universe. Wow, I can create anything and everything, and let me do this and that and this and that. Then I'm like, well, but all of the stuff I've created isn't that great, because it doesn't feel that good, and I didn't really make it. I just pushed buttons and said yes. It's a weird disconnect kind of hangover feeling if you spend too much time and create too much that way. Jo: It makes me think of the BCI, the brain-computer interface. With Neuralink now, there are people who are paraplegic for whom it is absolutely amazing, but the thought of plugging something into my brain that would try and make my brain go even faster, I'm like, I don't think that our human brains are designed to go this fast. I just can't. Anna: That's fair. Jo: I can't see that happening. Anna: It's a tough one. Personally, I have ADHD, so already the distractions are something I have to rein in, and then with this ability to create so many things all at once, it's hard to have some self-control. I think with time that, for me, has gotten much easier, but in the early days it was a lot. It was very overstimulating to have so many things happening so quickly, all at the same time. Jo: Yes, and actually I'm quite grateful for the usage limits. I primarily use Claude Fable, which I just love, but I keep an eye on my usage limits, and then I almost use that as a way to stop myself from using it too much at once, and that is actually very freeing. The other thing, I mean, you mentioned it there, creating all the things and then realising, you said, they're not that good. I think that they are becoming incredibly excellent, but for me it was like, okay, well, now, for example, I could do TikTok. I could get AI to do loads of TikTok videos and pump them out every day, but I don't want to do that. So why would I? Anna: Yes. I really want things that go out to feel like me, and I feel when I generate anything, whether it's content, whether it's pictures, or software as well, that AI will very quickly get me 80 to 90% of the way there, and very well these days. But the last 10 to 20%, I really put so much of myself into, and that's a really active choice. So I end up with all these other things that I've gotten to that 80% very quickly and then thought, “I don't know if I really want to invest myself in this and what I need to get it to a place where I would put it into the world.” So I end up with a sort of graveyard of these mostly finished projects that I'm not quite happy enough with to put out there, but I don't really want to put in the work myself, because I have limited time, and you choose your things. No human can really polish up 100 things. You have to prioritise what you want to. Jo: That is exactly it, and this is what I want people to understand. Everything you're saying and everything I'm saying, we are talking about feeling a lot. We're excited on the one hand and we're doing stuff, and then there are other things we're not excited about. You can feel the difference in your body, in your mind, when what you are working on excites you, and I think we just have to trust that. So people listening, what excites you to do with these tools, and what doesn't excite you? Just trust that feeling and put things in the world where you're like, “Wow, this is fantastic,” or, “I love that it's helping me with that.” I mean, you can just tell the difference in our conversation, right? Anna: Right, and you don't have to put everything out there as well. Just because you build something with AI, or you use it to help you in something, it's an experiment. Treat it as an experiment. If you get to 80%, 90% and think, “I don't want to put my name to this,” then don't. Move on. It was an experiment, and you learned something from it. Jo: So I guess on that then, if we do put things out in the world, like we've talked about, we're happily AI-assisted, and the things we do put out we're really proud of— How can we communicate these aspects of imperfection, the story behind the object, this real person with a real history, so that people know our humanity, basically? Anna: I really encourage people to share their humanness behind everything they're creating. If you're writing a book, you can share the process on socials, for example. It's becoming very desired to see the not-polished, everyday videos of someone's creative process. That's just one really small way. I think just by nature, by creating it, by not letting AI do the creation work for you, you will show through in the work that you're doing. You can use AI to support you and to do the admin and to take away all the stuff that's boring or repetitive, but if you are doing the work, it is going to be visible to people. I know we're not very good as humans right now at necessarily distinguishing AI-generated content against not, but you can tell when someone is writing about a human experience. AI has not had a human experience. It has not had a body. It doesn't have this embodiment that leads to so much of human creativity and ideas. It is a very clever predictive text tool, and it is very, very good at it, but it does lack true human creativity. So I think what all creatives can keep in mind is that if they're putting themselves into it and creating new things and following their passions and their interests and their art in what they're putting out there, it will show through. Jo: Also, I think just on the marketing side, you mentioned your garden, for example. Now, I know you're a mum, but anyone can share pictures of their garden without privacy issues for their children or their family or anything. So I think sharing human, even like your hand in the dirt with some flowers or something, is still a very human image. So people can share more human elements around their life. I mean, I almost have in my Instagram a sort of proof of humanity at this point. Anna: Yes, I think that's becoming more and more important. A few weeks ago, I got a horrible review on my book, and I know everyone has to face this, but it was someone who clearly hadn't read my book. They just said it was all AI-generated crap, pretty much. It was a waste of time, and it should've come with a warning that it was entirely AI-generated, which is so far from the truth. I put so much time into that book that I was really quite hurt by it. My first thought was, “I need to get rid of this. I need this review to go away. I need to complain. I need to report this review because it is false.” And once I recovered from those feelings, instead what I did was I emailed my mailing list and said, “Hey, this person reviewed this, and this is why it hurt me, because I'm a person.” I got a really nice response. I got a lot of people writing to me like, “That person is an idiot. You're great. Your book's wonderful.” And it was so nice. It was quite challenging to be vulnerable, and instead of trying to sweep this thing under the rug, I just showed up with my humanness to my list and said, “Hey, this is me, and this hurts because I'm a person.” It was really validating in the end to just put some humanness out there. Jo: This is what I really hate about all this witch hunting, is that people seem to have forgotten that there are actual humans behind this, and I know how you feel. I remember, in fact, it was 2023, I was in New Zealand. We should have said, you're in Australia, if people are wondering about your accent. Anna: I am. I'm from New Zealand originally. I'm a New Zealander, but I'm living in Australia. Jo: But I remember walking along the waterfront from the Viaduct. I still remember it, because I was being absolutely hammered on social media and comments and all this, and I said to my husband, “I think I have to leave the internet.” I felt like people just don't understand this, and I was getting so much hate. But as you say, it was about communicating that with my community, who are listening, and basically changing my Patreon to put a lot of it behind the Patreon paywall. I also topped doing a lot of interviews like this because of the negativity. Now, I'm hoping that we've moved on enough that people can be more open. Doing this interview, for example, is a way of showing people your humanity and mine. I'm just so determined that people understand the difference between assistance and generation. As you said at the beginning, it seems to be all or nothing, but that's just not true. Anna: Right, and there's a huge spectrum of what AI support is. A huge, huge spectrum, and I don't think they're understanding. I think it will get there, but right now people say, “Well, that was AI-generated,” or it wasn't. That's just not how it is. Maybe it was partially AI-generated. Maybe it was fully AI-assisted, but not at all AI-generated. Maybe you decide to use AI to make your book cover, but you just make components with AI, and then you assemble it using Adobe Illustrator into a cover. Is that AI-generated? It's a very grey area. No, it's definitely assisted. Pieces of it might be AI-generated, but it as a whole conceptually fully came from your creativity and from your mind. It's the same with writing. If you use Grammarly to autocorrect any spelling errors in your book, it would now get flagged as AI-assisted content. But some people see that as AI-generated, and they're two very, very different things. Jo: Well, I think your book is great. It gives some very grounded advice on things, but also you do share, like you mentioned, a lot about being a mum, about being a gardener, about life, about the human aspect. So I highly recommend What Machines Can't Replace: Why AI Makes Us More Human. Where can people find you and the book online? Anna: Thank you so much. My book should be just about everywhere books are sold online, and if not, WhatMachinesCantReplace.com is the website for my book. My personal website is Anna.kiwi, A-N-N-A dot kiwi, because I'm a Kiwi, and I am very happy with that domain. I have a blog and general contact information there. I'm also all around the internet on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, everywhere. So I'm really happy to chat to anyone anytime about all things engineering, software, AI, books, toddlers, gardens, everything. Jo: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Anna. That was great. Anna: Thank you so much. The post What Machines Can't Replace: Why AI Makes Us More Human With Anna McPhee first appeared on The Creative Penn.
From his early days at Elam to his distinctive public sculptures and the creation of Zealandia Sculpture Garden, his work has become an important part of Aotearoa's artistic landscape.
Send us Fan MailShirley Robertson Talks All Things Aero with All Star America's Cup Trimmer Joey NewtonThis month Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast hosts one of the sport's big name trimmers as Australian multiple America's Cup campaigner Joey Newton joins the double Olympic gold medallist for a look at his life as a professional sailor. A regular on the pro-sailing circuit for decades now, the young Joey Newton grew up miles from the coast, in central Queensland, but was quickly drawn to the sport. By 2000 Newton was sailing in his first Cup, and campaigned in every edition since, until finishing in the Auckland 2021 Cup...:"There's a small group of us that did those Cups from 2000 through to my last one, was 2021, and were so fortunate to have sailed all those classes and have been through from the Version 3 Cup boats...the Version 5 monohulls, the huge multihulls and the start of the foiling boats and then to finish off...on a version of (the current America's Cup boats)."As a child, Newton professes to have grown up obsessed with sailing, and remembers as a five year old, witnessing a moment that would go on to live in America's Cup folklore...:"I distinctly remember being pulled out of bed and stuck in front of the TV and (my Dad) was like 'You should watch this' and it was the final run of Australia II and Liberty, and I still remember it."The pair discuss Newton's progress through early days of sail design, and the pathway to becoming a professional trimmer, through the match racing circuit and the pressures of needing the prize money, to the early days of his America's Cup career.Moving from Syd Fisher's 2000 team "Young Austrlia" though the 2003 Cup with "One World Challenge" and 2007 with "Luna Rossa" by 2010 Joey was trimming one of the largest sails ever built for Cup competition as he sailed the 2010 Cup with Oracle Team USA's USA 17 giant trimaran...:"I still kind of think in five or six knots they might be the fastest boats around....and that's when they were really cool, when they were super light. in fifteen, seventeen knots, they were terrifying!"2010 marked Newton's first Cup win, a feat he would repeat in the much fabled 2013 Cup with Oracle Team USA, but not before some difficult times at a fractured team under intense scrutiny..""With all of that going on, and the court case going on, it was literally people inside the team against people inside the team, it was horrific." Newton remembers the approach to the Cup and disciplinary hearings that envloped the Team, before recounting the fabled comeback in that famous win on San Francisco Bay.Robertson and Newton discuss the 2013 Cup, and the difficulty of getting the AC72s foiling against the New Zealand Team, before of course getting on to the biggest comeback in sailing history...:"I remember in our (meeting) the mood was really positive and everyone was confident and chatty and talking about what would happen in the day and we walked past the Kiwi one and it was like death...I know all of those guys, they are fantastic sailors but they were already beaten by that point it felt like."Newton talks through his move to the British team for the 2021 campaign in Auckland, before discussing the progression of the yachts competing in the Cup and Newton's current roles in the grand prix sailing scene.This edition of the podcast is in two parts and is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley's own website - www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and aCast. The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt - for further enquires, please contact podcast@shirleyrobertson.com.Support the show
Send us Fan MailShirley Robertson Talks All Things Aero with All Star America's Cup Trimmer Joey Newton - Part 2This month Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast hosts one of the sport's big name trimmers as Australian multiple America's Cup campaigner Joey Newton joins the double Olympic gold medallist for a look at his life as a professional sailor. If you've not listened to Part One give that a listen first.A regular on the pro-sailing circuit for decades now, the young Joey Newton grew up miles from the coast, in central Queensland, but was quickly drawn to the sport. By 2000 Newton was sailing in his first Cup, and campaigned in every edition since, until finishing in the Auckland 2021 Cup...:"There's a small group of us that did those Cups from 2000 through to my last one, was 2021, and were so fortunate to have sailed all those classes and have been through from the Version 3 Cup boats...the Version 5 monohulls, the huge multihulls and the start of the foiling boats and then to finish off...on a version of (the current America's Cup boats)."As a child, Newton professes to have grown up obsessed with sailing, and remembers as a five year old, witnessing a moment that would go on to live in America's Cup folklore...:"I distinctly remember being pulled out of bed and stuck in front of the TV and (my Dad) was like 'You should watch this' and it was the final run of Australia II and Liberty, and I still remember it."The pair discuss Newton's progress through early days of sail design, and the pathway to becoming a professional trimmer, through the match racing circuit and the pressures of needing the prize money, to the early days of his America's Cup career.Moving from Syd Fisher's 2000 team "Young Austrlia" though the 2003 Cup with "One World Challenge" and 2007 with "Luna Rossa" by 2010 Joey was trimming one of the largest sails ever built for Cup competition as he sailed the 2010 Cup with Oracle Team USA's USA 17 giant trimaran...:"I still kind of think in five or six knots they might be the fastest boats around....and that's when they were really cool, when they were super light. in fifteen, seventeen knots, they were terrifying!"2010 marked Newton's first Cup win, a feat he would repeat in the much fabled 2013 Cup with Oracle Team USA, but not before some difficult times at a fractured team under intense scrutiny..""With all of that going on, and the court case going on, it was literally people inside the team against people inside the team, it was horrific." Newton remembers the approach to the Cup and disciplinary hearings that envloped the Team, before recounting the fabled comeback in that famous win on San Francisco Bay.Robertson and Newton discuss the 2013 Cup, and the difficulty of getting the AC72s foiling against the New Zealand Team, before of course getting on to the biggest comeback in sailing history...:"I remember in our (meeting) the mood was really positive and everyone was confident and chatty and talking about what would happen in the day and we walked past the Kiwi one and it was like death...I know all of those guys, they are fantastic sailors but they were already beaten by that point it felt like."Newton talks through his move to the British team for the 2021 campaign in Auckland, before discussing the progression of the yachts competing in the Cup and Newton's current roles in the grand prix sailing scene.This edition of the podcast is in two parts and is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley's own website - www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and aCast. The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt - for further enquires, please contact podcast@shirleyrobertson.com.Support the showSupport the show
Labour leader Chris Hipkins discusses party's drop in polls; Auckland doctor discusses high levels of demand on hospitals; Fiji experiencing fast-growing HIV epidemic; Documents reveal problems at former charter schools; Seven-year-old Kiwi footballer picked for UK trial.
An aspiring seven-year-old footballer from Dunedin has been handpicked to take part in a trial in the UK. Nese Su'a will get the chance to train against Manchester City and Manchester United youth academies next month. He was scouted at a showcase event in Brisbane after playing football for just two seasons.But his trip will come at a cost and his parents have started a fundraiser to get them there. Mother, Kelly Dickson, and Nese spoke to John Campbell
The Reserve Bank of NZ has hiked the OCR (official cash rate) twice off the lows and says the recovery has “most likely resumed, but remains uneven.” Headline inflation is 4.1% because of fuel, but if you take that out, you're at 2.9% (inside the target band). I think the question is simple: can the Kiwi economy handle the hikes, or do we get a forced cut and a longer grind? My guest is Jarrod Kerr, chief economist at Kiwibank.Book in a free 15-min phone call with Darcy Ungaro (financial adviser).Sign up to the fortnightly newsletter!Thank You Swyftx: With over 1 million customers across New Zealand and Australia. Ask yourself …”Where can crypto take you?". Check out Swyftx.Affiliate Links!The Bitcoin Adviser: Plan for intergenerational digital wealth.Hatch: For US markets.Revolut: For a new type of banking.Sharesies: For local, and international markets.Loan My Coins: Bitcoin lending product.Exodus: Get rewards on your first $2,500 of swapsGet Social:Follow on YouTube , Instagram, TikTok: @theeverydayinvestor, X (@UngaroDarcy), LinkedIn, or subscribe on Substack.www.radicalinvestment.co.nz________________________Disclaimer: Please act independently from any content provided in these episodes; it's not financial advice, because there's no accounting for your individual circumstances, and nothing we say is intended as a recommendation. Do your own research, and take a broad range of opinions into account. Ideally, engage a financial adviser / pay for advice!
No matter where you go in the world, you'll find toilets. But Lonely Planet editor Jessica Lockhart has discovered that not all toilets are made equal. In the new edition of Lonely Planet's Toilets of the World, she catalogues the weirdest and wildest loos a traveler may find in their sojourns. That includes Kiwi loos with magnificent views, latrines where toes may lap in the blue Mediterranean, and commodes older than the countries they are in. Lockhart joins Saturday Morning to answer the question - what do our loos say about us?
Humanitarians in war zones are constantly looking at the sky as drones deliver their deadly weapons indiscriminately - in some cases they're targeting aid workers A Kiwi humanitarian says it's time we re-think the rules of war and have discussions around arming aid workersFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Stonecroft Gewürztraminer 2025, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke's Bay. RRP from $29.00 Gewürztraminer: Backwards, this grape reveals its origins in three words: er= from; tramin (Italy) = the original home; gewurz = herbaceous or spicy. The wine: An elegant bouquet of white fleshed fruits from pear to apple, quince to white apricot. As the wine touches the palate, the textures of satin and crème fraîche are contrasted by the acid line – fine fruit tannins with a gentle push of phenolics. Core fruit flavours that reflect the bouquet are persistent and ripe. Delicious and fresh, a subtle-elegant expression. The food: Because this is a drier style it works surprisingly well with most fish dishes, pastas with a touch of cream, and seafood like salmon. Think creamy or oily food – satin-cream textured wine. Also good with semi-hard to hard cheeses. Definitively not good with spicy foods – this wine is not sweet enough for that. The season: The 2025 harvest in Hawke's Bay is one to remember because of its warm, dry spring, excellent flowering overall, and an early start to the growing season. While summer was a bit cooler than a traditional Kiwi summer, the fruit developed well and evenly overall. It also led to one of the earliest harvests for some. The quality of the grapes ranges from very good to outstanding. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
One line, right across the Cook Strait, sums up what's happening in the Kiwi housing market. So what's driving the split... and the other shifts quietly reshaping where we live?In this episode, Ed and Andrew count down five housing trends every investor should have on their radar in 2026.You'll learn:Why the South Island is bouncing back while much of the North keeps fallingWhy do we need far more homes even without any population growthWhere the real growth is happening (hint: follow the roads)The market is quietly reorganising itself. The investors who spot it early are the ones who benefit.Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a voice message on the Property Academy HotlineFor more from Opes Partners:Sign up for the weekly Private Property newsletterInstagramTikTok
This weekend - the New Zealand Warriors face off against the Sea Eagles at Go Media Stadium. It's their last chance to fill Kiwi fans with confidence, and get those bandwangoners on board, before the NRL finals begin. According to reports, flights from Auckland to Sydney ahead of the big grand final in early October, are already selling out ... so fans are feeling VERY hopeful. So could this really be the Warriors year and what will the next few weeks hold? Joining me now is an expert on all things Warriors - it's RNZ's Liam Swiggs.
(00:00) Intro (00:46) SLP - Are yiou a grower or a shower? (05:54) Nicole Kidman Wicthy Hack (09:00) Top 6 - Diets for blokes (13:00) Hayley's saving money for the company (18:45) Morgan Penn Interview (24:40) Swiftie wedding update (29:00) Kiwi drinking is down (32:55) Who gave you terriable advice? (43:51) Gay vs Straight Quiz (48:17) We're now in the late 2020's (53:24) Fact of the day (1:00:20) What did you have to learn post break up? (1:10:42) Miley Update (1:14:05) Are you young and scammed (1:26:15) The happiest and saddiest places in NZ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pakistan cricket is in meltdown, and a Kiwi is suddenly at the centre of the rescue mission. Former Black Caps coach Mike Hesson has been parachuted in to take over Pakistan's test side after two crushing defeats to England. It comes amid a chaotic 48 hours for the team with seven players and two coaching staff sent home from the tour. Sports editor Dana Johannsen spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.
Reserve Bank Governor, Anna Breman says falling house prices were contributing to Kiwi households feeling nervous about spending. John Ross, managing director of Professionals Lower Hutt has been in the industry for over 40 years and spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
Questions to Ministers KATIE NIMON to the Minister of Housing: Is the Government considering removing interest deductibility on residential property? Hon CARMEL SEPULONI to the Minister for Auckland: Does he stand by all his statements and actions? Dr CARLOS CHEUNG to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economy? Hon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she stand by all her statements regarding main benefits and supplementary payments being wrongly suspended since the Social Security (Mandatory Reviews) Amendment Act 2025 came into force? CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by her statement, "In the absence of the international oil shock, inflation would have been back in the target band"; if so, what actions, if any, has the Government taken to reduce our economy's dependence on fossil fuels? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister for Economic Growth: Does she stand by her statement, "Our Government is determined that New Zealanders who are seeking work can find it"? ANDY FOSTER to the Associate Minister of Health: What updates can she provide about upgrading our emergency helicopter fleet? CARL BATES to the Minister of Revenue: Is the Government considering implementing a capital gains tax on small businesses? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Minister for Building and Construction: Are builders who operate as sole traders or small businesses better off today than they were three years ago? Dr VANESSA WEENINK to the Minister for Women: What recent announcement has she made regarding cervical screening? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Minister for Economic Growth: Does she stand by her statement that "grocery prices are high by international standards and Kiwi shoppers are being poorly served by a market effectively dominated by just two major players - Foodstuffs and Woolworths"; if so, what will she do to address this poor service for Kiwi shoppers? INGRID LEARY to the Associate Minister of Housing: What advice, if any, has he received about changes to the Government's retirement village repayment policy following the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon's statement that there would be a "surprise" retirement village announcement?
In the aftermath of world-changing events for the various peoples of the Air Kingdom, the Sidebars split the party in an effort to gather as much information as they can about what's really going on and what they need to tackle next. Fans of Fate of Isen Book 1 will enjoy some serious throwbacks in this one!Featuring:Erika Jayne as Taryn GrimSeverin Gourley as Dexter ClementineKasia Wayfinder as Granny Sabinkaand Julz Burgisser as DMVisit www.fateofisen.com to learn more.Fate of Isen is one of the Feedspot top D&D podcasts in the world! Check out Feedspot here.If you like the show, please feel free to follow us on social media (@fateofisen) or support us on Patreon! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ Intro, outro, and recap music by freesound user, Tyops, and ambient sound by TabletopAudio.com
Kiwi businesses are slower to adopt AI than those in Australia but once they do, they make bigger gains.
The All Blacks weren't the only New Zealanders dealt a loss in South Africa at the weekend. A large number of fans were turned away from the stadium in Cape Town after being caught up in a ticket scam. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.
The 365 Days of Astronomy, the daily podcast of the International Year of Astronomy 2009
Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org From January, 2026. Today's 2 topics: - New Zealand's 4.5 million people are concentrated in three major population centers which to various degrees suffer from the modern plague of light pollution. However, most of New Zealand's large rural areas and land reserves, covering an area as large as the UK, have unpolluted natural night skies. A completely unique place to experience New Zealand's natural night sky is the Aotea-Great Barrier Island International Dark Sky Sanctuary. It encompasses New Zealand's, 110 square mile, sixth largest island, which is located about 62 miles from central Auckland. It is easily accessible by boat or a short airline flight. - In less than 24 hours, while observing with the Catalina Sky Survey's 60 inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon, Arizona, I discovered two 25 foot diameter space rocks that can theoretically pass less than a quarter of the Moon's distance from us. After I posted my discovery observations on the Minor Planet Center's Near Earth Object Confirmation page one of them received immediate attention, as an incoming object, and was tracked by observers at 14 different observatories around the world. Scientists at the Minor Planet Center used these data to calculate its 926 day orbital path around the Sun, estimate its size, and give it the name 2017 TH5. We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations. Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.
How much does the average New Zealander earn, owe, and actually have saved? The real numbers are more sobering than you'd think.In this episode, Ed and Andrew run through the numbers on income, debt, savings and KiwiSaver ... and what each one means for you. You'll learn:8 jaw-dropping money stats about the average Kiwi Whether you're ahead of the pack … or behind the average Kiwi The money moves you can make todayThe numbers are confronting. But knowing where the average sits is the first step to getting ahead of it.And click here to see who is on the Opes Top 10 financial advisers in NZ list .For more from Opes Partners:Sign up for the weekly Private Property newsletterInstagramTikTok
Kiwi jr. – Blowin' UpEagles – Doolin-DaltonEagles – Outlaw ManElizabeth Cook – Girls of Atomic CityThe Mystix – Country Blues (feat. Larry Campbell)Sheryl Crow – Freedom Bus (feat. Jesse Welles)The Ozark Mountain Daredevils – RosalieThe Family & Dylan LeBlanc – Wicked Kind (feat. James LeBlanc, Angela Hacker, Bay Simpson & Brad Crisler)Stevie Ray Vaughan – Riviera ParadiseLeon Bridges – IllusionIsrael Nash – Rain PlansSpoon – Pink Up
Patrick moves through questions of faith, morality, and the unsettling intersections of Catholic tradition and modern confusion—grappling with everything from Islamic symbols on Catholic gravestones to the troubling logistics of in vitro fertilization and the subtle manipulation wafting through social media campaigns against data centers. He considers the uneasy presence of convicted criminals on parish grounds and peels away the surface of everyday choices, whether in entertainment or in regular Confession, tracing each back to conscience and personal responsibility. Quietly, beneath it all, Patrick threads a sense of urgency: stay awake, stay honest, keep questioning even when comfort tempts retreat. Mary (email) - A headstone appeared next to my brothers in a Catholic cemetery with the Islam symbol of a crescent moon and star and no images representing Christianity. (00:35) Jeff - My family is very pro-Catholic, but they don’t understand why Catholicism is against invitro fertilization (IVF). How can I explain this to them? (03:55) Earl (email) – We have a pedophile that had recently been released from prison living on church grounds. (12:04) X finds Chinese bot farm of 200,000 accounts influencing American politics against data centers - https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2093139809346658523?s=20 (18:31) Kate - Why is it necessary to go to Monthly or weekly Confession? (31:45) Mary - The Data Centers create a lot of light pollution and take from farmland. (36:21) Kiwi (email) - The Ron Swanson frozen yogurt audio reminded me of a question I have for you. I love the show Parks and Rec, but there were a couple of episodes where they mocked God/Christianity. Since then, I feel guilty whenever I watch the show. Am I being too scrupulous about it, or are we in general supposed to avoid shows, or any entertainment material for that matter, at one point mocked God. (39:46) Catherine - Pride is a capital sin and is far worse than a venial sin. You are wrong. (44:54)_ Elli (email) - If a person who committed murder is found not guilty by reason of insanity, where does he/she go at end of life?
Jay and Dunc sit down with absolute Kiwi rock royalty, Jon Toogood. From almost pursuing a career in cricket to fronting Shihad for over three decades and earning the ultimate respect from legends like Dave Grohl, Jon has seen it all. We dig into the wild yarns from his new memoir Home Again, including supporting AC/DC, blowing up PAs, and why he is finally stepping back to focus on family. Hit us up and get all our links: https://linktr.ee/notforradio Become a Sniper Elite: https://plus.rova.nz/] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is the Birch Luxe Natural the best organic mattress of 2026? In this honest Birch Luxe mattress review, I test this organic latex hybrid across 5 categories — comfort, cooling, support, non-toxic materials, and value — and give it a final score. If you're shopping for a non-toxic, organic mattress made from natural latex, cotton, and wool, watch this before you buy.
Our esteem for Big Walk gets bigger this week, we run through a block of older roguelikes including Noita, Slay the Spire, Darkest Dungeon, and, uh, Quake, Sony still doesn't know when the PS6 is coming out, Warren Spector's august career is coming to a close, there are levels of sleepmaxxing we didn't even know about, the rules around Kiwi weed (Kiwiid?) are pretty strict, and more.CHAPTERS(00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.(00:00:10) Intro(00:04:28) I've been watching so much Columbo...(00:10:14) Big Walk | [Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2] | Aug 04, 2026(00:26:59) First Break(00:27:00) The Incident at Galley House | [Linux, Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows)] | Jul 14, 2026(00:29:57) Slay the Spire | [PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Linux] | Jan 23, 2019(00:39:10) Noita | [PC (Microsoft Windows)] | Oct 15, 2020(00:47:12) Darkest Dungeon | [PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac] | Jan 19, 2016(00:53:28) Quake | [PC (Microsoft Windows), DOS] | Jun 22, 1996(01:23:21) Second Break(01:23:22) Sony and a bit about the PS6(01:36:09) Netflix shuts down Night School(01:39:48) Compulsion Games is now self-publishing South of Midnight?(01:43:28) Is there some news about The Simpson's Hit & Run?(01:51:50) Warren Spector says he's retiring.. for real this time(01:59:15) Emails(02:10:27) Wrapping up and thanks(02:12:20) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts(02:14:33) See ya!