Kiwi Yarns

I'm joined by an absolute legend of the Aotearoa drag scene in the bach this week.  Edward Cowley, better known as the iconic Buckwheat, joins me to mark a massive milestone: the 40th anniversary of the Homosexual Law Reform Act. From the secret nightclub stairs of the 80s to being a Samoan father of three, Edward shares it all with heart and a bit of sparkle. We dig into the grit behind the glamo...

This week we're joined by Olympic gold winning coach Bev Priestman for a deeply personal conversation. Bev opens up about the 'survival mode' she had to endure following the Canadian football team drone scandal at the Paris Olympics. We talk about finding peace in North Canterbury, the challenge of leading our Wellington Phoenix, and why she’s ready to earn back the trust of the game she loves.  ...

Welcome back to Kiwi Yarns, and welcome to our new bach!  We're kicking off 2026 with a man who has clocked up billions of views just by being his gorgeous self.  Louis Davis opens up about the 'delusional confidence' his parents gave him, and how he navigated the jump from a small town in the Far North to rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars like Jason Momoa.   We also speak about the dark side...

What a year it’s been. A huge thank you to all our incredible guests for joining us and sharing their stories. The kōrero throughout 2025 has been raw, real, uplifting, entertaining and inspiring. In this bonus Best of episode, we revisit some of our favourite moments from the past year, featuring Samantha Hayes, Matt Watson, Tami Neilson, Eru Kapa-Kingi, Martin Guptill, Sara Qasem, Jo Kane, Russe...

For the final episode of the year, I thought it fitting to invite someone whose job is literally to explain things, and ask him to put it all into context. Not all of it is good news, but it’s important we reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly in this tumultuous world. Fear not, though - award-winning journalist, good friend and Stuff’s Explainer Editor Lloyd Burr joins me for plenty of laughs...

Ella Monnery is the voice of Christmas in the Park, belts out bangers at Synthony, and takes the main stage at Rhythm and Vines — but it’s only this year that she has focused on her solo career. With the support of her partner - producer and rapper Kings - she’s stepping confidently into a new phase. From The Voice Australia to a nine-month cruise-ship contract, Ella has always been singing - and...

The aura of Matu Ngaropo hits you straight away, which is why it’s easy to see how he’s one of those performers who can do it all - and do it all well. Matu works across film, television, and theatre. He took on one of the biggest roles of his career when he landed the part of George Washington in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, performing across Australia and New Zealand an astonishing 700 times....

Niki Bezzant never set out to become New Zealand’s “menopause woman”, but the journalist, author, and speaker is really leaning into that title now. It was the Healthy Food Guide founding editor’s own experiences that made her realise how little support there was for women. Today we cut through the bullshit and hear how brilliant Niki is at helping us understand hormones, health, and happiness in...

Almost everyone has an opinion on Paul Henry. Good or bad, people have certainly made up their minds about one of the country’s best-known broadcasters. But should we pump the brakes on always thinking about his time on Breakfast? Is there more to Paul Henry than those controversial one-liners from way back when? The new The Chase New Zealand host sits down to chat about all the other things that...

Claire Turnbull is a nutritionist, best-selling author and professional well-being speaker. What makes Claire so powerful is her lived experience. This isn’t some self-proclaimed “guru” pushing an agenda - Claire cuts through the shit and tells it like it is. She cares because she’s been through it too: navigating disordered eating, dyslexia, depression, anxiety, postnatal psychosis, a brain injur...

René Heyde left his 14th school in Year 12 after a teacher told him he was “useless”. He wasn’t. He was a kid surviving a traumatic childhood, just trying to find his way. A few years later, after a chance ride through the streets of Christchurch, René was wearing a New Zealand jersey at the 1974 Commonwealth Games - and bringing home a bronze medal. At the closing ceremony, he and a team-mate eve...

She never set out to be the greatest rugby player of all time - she was just a little girl who loved sport. We’re lucky that girl was Portia Woodman-Wickliffe - a trailblazer for women’s rugby here in Aotearoa and across the world. At 34, she’s the top try-scorer in New Zealand rugby history, but that’s never been her “why”. We talk equality in sport, media coverage (or lack of it), and the future...

Award-winning journalist Lisette Reymer is Stuff’s senior correspondent and author of No, I Don’t Get Danger Money. Lisette spent three years as Newshub’s Europe Correspondent - and it’s fair to say what she witnessed and covered during that time is almost hard to comprehend. Eight trips to Ukraine during the war, Donald Trump’s indictment, the October 7 attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Ga...

Sara Qasem is a Palestinian teacher and writer who immigrated to Aotearoa at a young age and is now based in Ōtautahi. In 2019, Sara lost her father, Abdelfattah, who was killed at the Al Noor Mosque by an Australian far-right terrorist who opened fire on two mosques in Christchurch - killing 51 people and injuring dozens more. Through spoken word poetry, Sara advocates for and raises awareness of...

For more than five decades, Tāme Iti has been at the forefront of the pursuit of Māori rights in Aotearoa. From being silenced from speaking te reo as a child, to finding strength in protest and tackling challenges head-on in remarkable ways, he has never stopped questioning the status quo. Tāme is as well known and respected for his art as for his activism, and says the former saved his life and...

I hope Jon Bridges takes this the right way when he reads it - he’s genuinely one of the good guys in New Zealand media. With a television career spanning more than three decades, the comedian-turned-producer of some of the country’s biggest shows says it’s largely down to him saying “yes” to the jobs people ask him to do. And who in the Gen-X/elder millennial age bracket could forget Bridges’ lus...

Today’s guest shares an incredible story of never giving up on what you love. Rebecca Nelson is practically on speaking terms with King Charles, having wowed him with her singing voice five times. Most of her gigs - from performing the national anthem at Gallipoli to entertaining a sell-out, rugby-mad crowd at Twickenham - grew out of her time busking on the streets. Rebecca now serves in the Roya...

This week, we meet tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Annette Presley. Annette started her first business at 24, co-founded one of New Zealand’s earliest internet providers, Slingshot, took on Telecom in the early 2000s (and won), and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and women. Her latest mission? To support women and children through health, educati...

Today’s guest is probably the most famous fisherman in all of Aotearoa. Matt Watson only ever wanted to fish, and the kid who used to drag his dinghy up a steep boat ramp for the hour-long walk home has turned his passion into a remarkable career. Matt is such a brilliant storyteller that you’ll be hooked on this one (see what I did there). But truly - what a guy! Learn more about your ad choices....

It's taken seven years of asking (I'm very patient), but I finally get to sit down with our 40th Prime Minister, Dame Jacinda Ardern. She's beaming in from the other side of the world, but we manage to squeeze in just under an hour to discuss her book, A Different Kind of Power, which is enjoying success across the globe. We discuss her leadership and having no regrets about departing when she did...

When you talk about (or even Google) celebrated athletes in this country, rugby players usually come up first. But I want you to meet New Zealand’s most-capped athlete, who has played an astonishing 667 international matches for her country. She is Val Smith, one of New Zealand’s most successful lawn bowls athletes. She’s a two-time world champion and has another nine world championship medals to...

This week, we're with the trailblazing drum and bass star, award-winning vocalist, MC, producer, composer, music mentor and author - MC Tali, aka Natalia Sheppard. The girl from rural Taranaki became Aotearoa’s - and one of the world’s - first drum and bass MCs, despite coming up against an industry and people who told her she couldn’t. We will probably all learn a thing or two about how hard it i...

Dame Julie Christie remembers the first show she made back in 1988 as if it were yesterday. Her passion for making television is just as strong 300-odd shows later. Her eyes nearly roll to the back of her head when we mention the title "reality TV queen" that’s often thrown around to describe her, but there’s no denying Dame Julie was a global leader in the genre. We discuss the decline of televis...

Morgan Penn is the guest I've been most intimate with (you’ll find out how and why - how’s that for a teaser?). A lot has happened since we last spoke, but Morgan is still out there, openly sharing her journey and educating others. She believes we were never properly taught to value our bodies - and that feeling comfortable in your own skin is one of life’s greatest gifts. As host of the hugely su...

Tami Neilson’s just back from touring the US with her now-dear friend Willie Nelson - and Bob Dylan (yes, you’ll get the tea on what that was like...). She’s also released her latest album, Neon Cowgirl, and shares some truly stunning stories about how it came together - particularly how she’s recently learned to carry both joy and sorrow, in life and in music. Tami doesn’t shy away from a powerfu...