Kiwi Yarns

Lisa Perese-Cullen won TikTok Creator of the year in 2024 - and has over a million followers across social media channels. What makes her a breath of fresh air in the loud, crowded and saturated space where everyone's vying for likes and follows is that since her unexpected rise to viral fame, she hasn't changed, put on a persona, or done anything differently. Lisa also has a very healthy take on...

This week is a Kiwi Yarns first. There's a guest - well actually there's two guests - but it's the same person...(let's see how this goes!) Australian comedic performer, improviser and writer Heath Franklin is with us. But first, you will see or hear the character he has brought to life - Chopper - based on the notorious Australian criminal Mark ‘Chopper’ Read- for 20 years. Then, we whip off...

Jo Cummins and her co-founder, Viv Conway, created their powerhouse female-focused sex toy company Girls Get Off with a desire to create a spaces for women to feel empowered about pleasure and sexual wellbeing. It all started with a socially distanced drink in the driveway in 2020. Thousands and thousands of sex toys sold later - the duo has been instrumental in helping Kiwis change their attitude...

This week, meet the Two Raw Sisters - Margot Flanagan and Rosa Power. One of the remarkable things about these two and their hugely successful brand - is that really, it was born out of both of them having to deal with their own health struggles head on. The Christchurch sisters are NZ’s biggest selling plant-based cookbook authors and have just released their sixth cookbook - How We Cook. Fu...

Sir John Kirwan returns to Kiwi Yarns for an in-person catch-up with Brodie. JK opens up about his recent chat with a Buddhist monk, uncovering informal meditation, and how phone fasting transformed his energy levels by keeping "Bob the Monkey" in check. We dive deep into the pressure facing our rangatahi today, the importance of learning resilience through failure, and why we need to focus on man...

Kathryn Wilson wants every woman to feel empowered in a pair of shoes. That simple concept, combined with Kathryn's infectious passion and humility, has made her one of the most respected and loved designers here in New Zealand. We talk about all the challenges thrown the industry's way, and how a brand like hers continues to evolve whilst staying true to its values. The mother-of-two uses he...

JessB is in for a yarn on how one transforms from professional netballer to becoming a central figure in Aotearoa's hip-hop scene. We talk about how hard it is in the music industry to measure "success", but why SHE no longer measures it by streaming numbers. Off the back of a very loud week in the music industry globally - with the fallout over Macklemore being dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour beca...

Much loved comedian Chris Parker is just back from performing at Edinburgh Fringe, with a fresh batch of bed bugs to accompany a hugely successful UK Tour. We've spoken a couple of times before (because he's Chris Parker), so expect a chaotic ride through his new anti-tech movement, the good and bad of being a millennial, his irrational rages and the joy of unplugging from social media....

This week we catch up with news anchor, marathon runner, and the recent business owner, Wendy Petrie. The mother of three talks about how she is constantly reinventing herself to take on challenges - six years after her very public redundancy from TVNZ. Wendy talks about the importance of motherhood, why she loves doing hard things, and provides an inspirational insight into how it's never to...

Jake Bailey is a name and face many will remember from 11 years ago - where - as head boy at Christchurch Boys High School he gave a speech at graduation. That speech was brilliant in its own right. But the delivery, from a young man, sitting in a wheelchair, who just a week prior had been told he had an extremely aggressive form of cancer and potentially weeks to live if untreated—was what reverb...

Sam Gibson, better known as Sam the Trap Man, drops by for a proper yarn about life in the bush. He opens up about how nature saved him from a wild patch in his youth, the harsh reality of professional trapping in Fiordland, and using native plants like koromiko as bush medicine. Plus, he breaks down why getting people back outdoors is the secret to fixing our environment. Learn more about your ad...

This week we're bringing back a favourite episode from 2025. In light of legendary fisherman Matt Watson's huge impact on protecting our oceans over the past year, this yarn is more relevant than ever. Matt shares his journey from childhood dinghies to wild TV stunts, and his crucial message about marine conservation. He opens up about the brutal reality of bottom trawling, the hidden truth behind...

Journalist, podcaster and Pop Sock Media co-founder Melody Thomas joins me for a big, honest conversation about sex, relationships, burnout, business and what it means to be human. From launching an independent media company during COVID to creating the award-winning The Good Sex Project, Melody shares how burnout reshaped her life, why radical rest matters, and what she's learnt after years of ta...

Boh Runga comes from one of the country’s most loved musical families - her contribution to the music industry over the years has been a joy to witness. The Stellar* frontwoman, is looking ahead to Atomic 3.0 - the ultimate femme rock supergroup’s return to the stage.  We also look back on the meteoric success of Violent and the Mix album, why it only feels like yesterday but a life...

This week, we take you to Brodie’s live shows in Rotorua with ultra-marathon swimmer Jono Ridler, New Zealand’s favourite internet Dad, How To Dad. And, then we are down the motu to hear from My Food Bag Founder Nadia Lim, Farm 4 Life legend Tangaroa Walker, and rising star musician Sam Cullen. Someone may have an accident on a rugby field, there may be a chicken caravan, and can How To Dad swaddl...

Brodie is taking a well-deserved 40th birthday sabbatical this week, so we are throwing it back to one of our absolute favourite chats. The brilliant Samantha Hayes is in for a massive yarn about her incredible two decades in broadcasting. From her early days walking out of small-town Milton into the big smoke to fronting the news, Sam has seen it all. We dive into the absolute chaos of her early...

Brodie Kane on turning 40, falling in love, running a media business. As told to mentor, Ali Mau. This episode is a little bit different. Best-selling author and award-winning journalist Ali Mau has been a career mentor and dear friend of Brodie’s since they first worked together at TVNZ in 2012. Ali takes the interview seat as Brodie reflects on life at 40, her continued success with Brodie Kane...

This week on Kiwi Yarns, I sit down with legendary New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera. From The Whale Rider to The Matriarch, Witi's work has shaped generations of readers. But at 80 years old, he made a remarkable decision: to return to school and immerse himself in te reo Māori. The conversation moves from language and identity to climate change, leadership, ageing, courage and the importance of l...

What happens when you end your live show tour in Christchurch on a Sunday night in-front of a sell out crowd with one of the most loved faces on television (Jason Gunn) and a true queen of radio (and former princess of Dargaville Lana Searle)? An endless supply of stories that might have you taking out an ACC claim because your cheeks will suffer from laughing so much. Period. Learn more about you...

This week, Wayne Cameron from the Little Ardroy Beef Company pops into the bach to chat about his massive year. From a simple farm concept to launching in over a hundred supermarkets, Wayne shares exactly how he made it happen as part of New World Emerge. We dig into what ethically raised beef actually means and why sometimes you just have to wing it to chase your dream.   This episode was brought...

Joel Little works right at the top of the music industry. But, his latest and most challenging project is much closer to home. He and his wife Gemma co-founded and built BIG FAN - is a not-for-profit, world class multi-purpose music space in central Auckland, just down the road from where he and Lorde wrote Pure Heroine. He wants to foster the talents of musicians, songwriters and those behind the...

Have you ever thought about quitting your secure day job to become your own boss? This week, I yarn with Allie Hemmings, the former primary school teacher who did exactly that. Allie created ButterLuxe Co and won the 2025 New World Emerge startup award.  After discovering her son had a nut allergy, Allie set out to create a delicious, nut-free alternative. Through plenty of kitchen trials and shee...

This week, sit down and get your eye and earholes around this. The first of Brodie’s nationwide live tour of Kiwi Yarns begins in Auckland, with our beloved Comedian Tom Sainsbury and our one-of-a-kind, out-the-gate yet beautiful singer-songwriter Anika Moa. There are wigs, harmonising VERY badly, and an obscene amount of belly laughs and possibly some bits that enter into dangerous territory. Not...

Ash London is an Australian broadcaster who now calls New Zealand home, and works at The Edge Radio Station, on a show that is literally her name - that’s how good she is. Not only is she good, the talented broadcaster talks about why she sees it as her duty to protect the radio industry for future generations, making sure she helps the young women who will eventually replace her. How refreshing i...

What happens when you release your first album in eight years, open a sandwich shop, move back to New Zealand, and navigate a separation all at once? This week on Kiwi Yarns, we sit down with Gin Wigmore for one of the most honest conversations we've ever had. Gin opens up about heartbreak, rebuilding after divorce, raising two boys, and why she throws herself headfirst into everything she does. F...