Real Life With John Cowan

Toby attributes his love of comics to his family having moved frequently for his father's army career. He started making his own comics at seven while off school with a broken leg. Toby is the author of The Spinoff's non-fiction comic series The Side Eye, which won the Voyager Media Award for Cartoonist of the Year for 2019. In 2020, his Covid-19 collaborations with Dr Siouxsie Wiles were shared a...

Journalist and broadcaster Toni Street is one of New Zealand's most popular television and radio personalities. Former co-host of top-rating TVNZ current affairs show Seven Sharp, she is currently breakfast radio host on Coast. Toni hosted TVNZ's coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Last month, Toni's book Lost and Found: My story of heartbreak and hope was released. The honest memoir tells h...

Kate Bowler PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and associate professor of "The History of Christianity in North America" at Duke University in North Carolina. Kate has written four books including her monograph The Preacher’s Wife: Women and Power in American Megaministry published in 2020 and Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel in 2013.At age 35, Kate was u...

Jessica grew up in Christchurch with her mother Aileen O'Sullivan, also a director. While studying performance, she realised she was more fascinated with observing actors than being one. Jessica began directing short films in her 20s, during an eight-year stint as an assistant director. After moving to Australia in 1994, she directed Heartbreak High and The Slap, which got her invited to the UK to...

Pio Terei came to fame in 1995 when, after years as a truck salesman, he landed a comedy show Pete and Pio. He shared the show with fellow comedian Peter Rowley but later hosted his own show, with similar comedic skits, called Pio!.  Twice judged best comedy performer at the NZ Film Awards, Pio has also acted in drama film No. 2, and written and acted for anthology series Mataku. In 2009, he took...

Dan Carter's latest position is as the co-founder new NFT studio and marketplace, Glorious. The highest point scorer in test match rugby, Dan played for Crusaders and the All Blacks. He was named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year in 2005, 2012 and 2015 and won three Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders, and nine Tri-Nations and Rugby Championships with the All Blacks. In 2015, Dan...

John Cowan interviews ACT party deputy leader Brooke van Velden. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian psychologist and author Steve Biddulph joins John Cowan to discuss his latest book, 'Fully Human' and how we need to listen to our gut. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born in Bangkok to a Thai Buddhist mother and Irish Catholic father, Tom spent his formative years at a Benedictine monastery school in Yorkshire, England before pursuing a career in film and television. After attending the Northern Film School in Leeds in 1995, he embarked on producing and directing his first feature film project Monk Dawson. Tom returned to Thailand in 2002 and produced multiple...

Matt is an actor, producer, radio host, sports commentator, columnist and musician. He played Danny Parker on Back Of The Y Masterpiece Television. He was guitarist and singer for the 2000s band Deja Voodoo. Matt hosts the Matt and Jerry Breakfast Show with Jeremy Wells on Radio Hauraki. He has been a columnist for The New Zealand Herald since 2014 and provides cricket commentary for The Alternati...

John Cowan interviews activist John Minto. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born and raised in Auckland, former boardsailer Barbara has won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics, a silver medal in 1996, and a bronze medal in 2000. She was the first, and as of 2008, the only woman from New Zealand to compete at five Olympic Games. Barbara was the Oceania athletes' representative on the International Olympic Committee from 2005 to 2008 and was on the New Zealand Olympic...

Studying in London at the Guildhall School of Music, Rae became an accomplished performer, winning the Sheriff’s Piano Prize, the Victor Hoddy Memorial Prize and the Jubilee Scholarship. After returning to New Zealand in 1977, Rae was in high demand as a soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. She recorded for radio and television, and often played with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. In 20...

The sportswriter and broadcaster began his on-air career exactly 40 years ago on an Auckland breakfast show. Up until last month, Phil hosted an afternoon slot on Newstalk ZB alongside Simon Barnett. Phil is also a columnist for the New Zealand Herald and a regular commentator for Newstalk ZB. Phil is an author having published seven books under the name Loosehead Len, a satirical rugby character...

John Cowan interviews Black Caps cricketer Ross Taylor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David’s career has largely been in foreign aid, coordinating humanitarian aid programmes and initiatives for the United Nations and other organisations in a host of countries including Rwanda, Somalia, Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Israel and Lebanon. In 1993 he was named “New Zealander of the Year” by the New Zealand Herald for his work in Somalia and awarded an MBE in the British 1993 Ne...

Mike Pero founded his mortgage broking business in 1991, and in 2011 established a real estate company under the same brand name. In 1999 and 2003, he won the New Zealand Pacific Business Award and was a founding member of the NZ Mortgage Brokers Association. Mike was six times National Motorcycle Road Racing Champion, from 1977 to 1982, twice 350cc & 500cc racing class as well as two times in...

Wendyl Nissen is a journalist, broadcaster and former magazine editor who is the author of ten books, mostly about living a chemical-free, old-fashioned life. She gave up her corporate life 15 years ago and now lives in the Hokianga with her husband, her father, 20 chickens, two cows, two dogs and three stray cats. Wendyl's most recent book, My Mother and Other Secrets tells stories of mothers and...

John Cowan interviews The Casketeers funeral director Kaiora Tipene. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Cowan interviews MP for Kaipara Ki Mahurangi Chris Penk. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Cowan chats with political commentator Shane te Pou. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Cowan interviews retired Judge and author Rosemary Riddell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand netballer Sulu Fitzpatrick joined John Cowan for Real Life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Cowan chats with founding member of the band America, Gerry Beckley. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Cowan interviews former Governor-General of New Zealand Sir Jerry Mateparae. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.