Real Life With John Cowan

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Sophie Gray is the face and inspiration behind "destitute gourmet", the ‘dg’ cookery series and is a popular speaker, teacher, and regular contributor to Food and Taste magazines. She leads an international community of followers through her active Destitute-Gourmet Facebook page, as well as Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and an upcoming money-saving app. Sophie shares family-friendly rec...

Nadia Reid is a New Zealand singer-songwriter whose fourth album, Enter Now Brightness, marks a clear evolution in her decade-long career. Following the release of Out of My Province in 2020 and the disruptions of the pandemic Reid adjusted her creative approach, taking more time in the studio and developing ideas collaboratively with longtime guitarist Sam Taylor and producer Tom Healy. Stepping...

Heather has been at the helm of Diabetes NZ since 2017. She has a strong background in not-for-profit organisations. Since working at Diabetes NZ she has completed a full national unification of the organisation, driving positive change and engagement around the country. Heather has the experience to ensure Diabetes NZ continues to grow its reach into communities and through key stakeholders to im...

Qiulae has built her career on pursuing better ways to do business and now brings that drive to politics. Raised in One Tree Hill, Auckland, she studied law and politics before working in human rights and ethical business with Be. Accessible. Her time in London included roles with the Ethical Fashion Forum, co-founding the sustainable tech start-up Common Objective, and leading the Impact team at...

Jon became CEO of Consumer NZ in 2020. Jon has enjoyed a varied career in the consumer protection field, including roles as Assistant Privacy Commissioner, Head of Trust & Safety at online marketplace Trade Me and as a Senior Investigator at New Zealand’s competition authority, the Commerce Commission. Jon and his team also keep traders honest by calling out illegal or unethical conduct when i...

Sonya is a former TV reporter who became a writer, charity founder, and author. After more than 20 years in broadcast journalism — reporting and presenting for programmes such as One News, Breakfast, 20/20, and Sunday — she completed a Master of Creative Writing at the University of Auckland. There she wrote Spark Hunter, an adventure-fantasy novel for readers aged ten and up, set in Fiordland Nat...

Sophie has been elected Mayor of Dunedin, becoming only the second woman to hold the role in the city’s history. An incumbent councillor, Barker secured 16,001 votes, finishing 726 votes ahead of runner-up Andrew Simms in the preliminary results. In her post-election message, Barker expressed gratitude to the community for their support, saying she was “humbled and honoured” by the trust placed in...

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Chris has lived and worked in West Auckland for most of his life, serving the Te Atatū community for 15 years as its Member of Parliament and as a government minister. Well known for his commitment to representing all constituents regardless of their political views. His priorities remain focused on being responsive to community concerns and ensuring residents receive fair and effective Council se...

Nadia Lim is a New Zealand chef, nutritionist, and farmer who lives and works on Royalburn Station — her family’s high-country farm on the Crown Range in Central Otago — with her husband Carlos and their three sons. At Royalburn, Nadia leads a regenerative approach to food production, growing grains and seeds, producing pasture-raised eggs, honey, and vegetables, and raising what she proudly calls...

David Bussau, founder of Opportunity International Australia, began life in an Anglican boys’ home and started his entrepreneurial journey at 15 with a rented hotdog stand. After building several successful businesses, he turned to aid work following Cyclone Tracey and an earthquake in Bali, where he realised traditional aid didn’t break poverty cycles. Pioneering microfinance, he gave a $50 loan...

Creed Bratton is an American musician and actor, best known for playing a fictionalised version of himself on NBC’s The Office. A former member of the 1960s rock band The Grass Roots, he has also released several solo albums. He studied drama at the College of the Sequoias and Sacramento State College before leaving to travel and pursue music. His acting credits include films such as Mask and The...

Greg Murphy is a NZ motorsport icon whose impact on V8 Supercars is indisputable. Known for his fearless approach and ability to perform against the odds, he has earned a reputation as one of the sport’s greats, with over 400 race starts, multiple Bathurst 1000 victories, and stints with some of Australasia’s top teams. Beyond the track, Murph has become a familiar voice and face as a commentator...

This week, John's guest will be Alex Walls co-host of Love It or List It. Alex Walls is a New Zealand interior designer best known as one half of Alex & Corban, co-founder of A&C Homestore (also known as achomestore), and a familiar face from The Block NZ and Love It or List It NZ. With over a decade of experience in residential design, Alex is also the founder of Walls Studio—a boutique i...

Andy Robinson is the Acting Head of Fragile and Developing Contexts, International Partnerships for World Vision New Zealand See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Gibson, better known as  Sam the Trap Man , grew up beside the Hamanatua Stream in Tairāwhiti Gisborne. From an early age, the bush was where he truly belonged—hunting, fishing, trapping and living wild. As a teenager starting to go off the rails, a unique deal between his parents and teachers let him swap school for the outdoors. It was a turning point that not only kept him out of troub...

Author, literary advocte and founder of Verb Wellington, joined John on Real Life this week. Claire Mabey won the NZSA Best First Book at the recent New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults earlier in 2025, and spoke to John from the Edinburgh International Book Festival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ian Foster is a New Zealand rugby coach and former fly-half born in Putāruru. He played a record 148 games for Waikato and 28 for the Chiefs, also appearing for the NZRFU President’s XV in 1995. Foster began coaching with Waikato before joining the All Blacks as assistant coach in 2012, helping win the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He became head coach in 2020, leading New Zealand to multiple Bledisloe Cu...

David Squire (MMus (Hons), PGDipMus, BMus, DipTchg) is one of New Zealand’s leading choral conductors and Music Director of the New Zealand Youth Choir. Under his direction, the choir has toured internationally to high acclaim, with standout performances at Notre-Dame in Paris, Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, and major wins at the International Festival of Academic Choirs in the Czech Republic. Wi...

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Jared Savage is an investigative reporter for the  New Zealand Herald  and has won more than a dozen national and international journalism awards, including being named New Zealand’s best reporter twice. He lives in Tauranga with his wife and children. He began reporting in 2004 after completing a Bachelor of Communications at AUT and landing his first job at an Auckland suburban newspap...

Fraser Grut is the kiwi filmmaker behind the '10,000 Dreams' project, his plan to record and publish the aspirations of 10,000 individuals. The project started as a bet with a friend, and has now ballooned into a globe-trotting project. At age 27, Fraser was broke and going through a divorce when a call came from The Wiggles asking him to film a music video with them and Richie McCaw. That video l...

Jon joined the Kiwibank Board as Chair in November 2019. He has had a distinguished career and has held senior roles across a diverse range of commercial and not for profit organisations in several countries, including chair of SkyCity, deputy chair of ASB Bank and Sovereign Assurance Company, director of Mighty River Power and Air NZ, a trustee of World Vision New Zealand, CEO of Brierley New Zea...

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