Real Life With John Cowan

It was the height of Covid-19 in 2020 when Emma Espiner graduated from medicine school. The broadcaster, political commentator and now-surgeon had mixed emotions about being thrown into work at Middlemore Hospital in the middle of a global pandemic. “It was really frightening, but it was also really interesting because I was glad to have something useful to do,” she told Real Life with John Cowan...

Warning: This article contains discusses depression and suicide. Brought up in a family that made its living through gang activity and robbing banks, David Letele wasn’t expected to make anything of his life. The ‘Brown Buttabean’ – who now runs a large and highly successful social enterprise – was born the son of the Mongrel Mob’s Auckland leader. Naturally, in those early days, police were often...

For a long time, all Sarah Page of the Kindness Collective and her husband wanted was a baby. But when she finally got pregnant, she hated the experience. The difficulties continued when their son Max was born in 2012. Page, trying to juggle a career, had a severe case of post-natal depression. But the final hammer blow in a “period of real challenges” was still to come. “I discovered that Max was...

Folk duo Terrible Sons may well be the most famous New Zealand band you’ve never heard of. Hailing from Ōtautahi, husband and wife Lauren and Matt Barus only launched the band seven years ago, but their music quickly garnered international attention. One track has had 20 million downloads on Spotify, and data from the streaming service reveals they have fanbases in Turkey, Finland, South-East Asia...

Te Tai Tokerau boxer Mea Motu is on top of the world after claiming the IBO super bantamweight world title last week, but she knows what it’s like to be at rock bottom. In a new interview, the 33-year-old told Real Life with John Cowan there was a time she wanted to “give up on life” when she was homeless, on the run from her abusive husband, and relying on relatives to look after her kids. Raised...

Deborah Hart is the daughter of Ronald and author Inge Woolf, who arrived in Wellington after fleeing persecution in Europe. Until her death in 2021, Inge was working on a book,   Resilience: A Story of Persecution, Escape, Survival and Triumph,  about her remarkable life story, which was picked up and finished by Deborah and released this month. Deborah has had a varied career. Currently, she is...

“I may as well just grab six-month blocks while I can and use them to their full potential.” After a major health scare, former Tauranga Mayor Tenby Powell is committed to making the most of the life he’s got left. The Kiwi businessman is the director of Kiwi K.A.R.E, a humanitarian organisation providing medical care and evacuation services to people on the frontlines of wartorn Ukraine. He’s hea...

Helen Manson is a multi-award-winning humanitarian photographer and storyteller from New Zealand. Helen’s work has taken her around the world to some of the most challenging environments, documenting famine, refugee settlements, post-war environments, child sponsorship, micro-enterprise, trauma counseling and disaster zones. She’s travelled to more than 45 countries, including places like Iraq, th...

When David Seymour was 17, a fight broke out between his principal and a visiting MP. An enthralled Seymour watched on as his Auckland Grammar headmaster John Morris and Trevor Mallard, then the Minister of Education, went head-to-head over the merits of NCEA. Witnessing that heated argument, something happened. Seymour didn’t know it at the time, but it would be the moment that sparked a passion...

Genevieve is the co-founder and general manager of Voices of Hope, a not-for-profit organisation aiming to break the stigma around mental illness. She spent most of her teenage years battling mental illness, and as part of her recovery, she has made it her mission to offer hope to those fighting mental illness. Along with Jazz Thornton, she published a well-being journal and is currently writing h...

Bree was born and raised in Stanthorpe, Queensland, on an apple farm. She gained a degree in communications and journalism before moving to radio, where she worked with Nova Entertainment for five years. She has hosted several programs on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Bree is one half of Bree & Clint, ZM’s drive show. Previously, Bree hosted Sea FM Breakfast with Daniel Gawned and Week...

Bev has worked in the music industry for over 20 years from music management to event coordination, working alongside Ricky Martin, Janet Jackson, Mick Fleetwood, and many more. She has been on the Homegrown Festival team since 2001 and was director for NZ Street Dance for 8 years, developing the talents of many young dancers and facilitating opportunities to dance for Ricky Martin and   So You Th...

Maria is a lecturer and researcher at Auckland University of Technology. She works in the School of Clinical Sciences and has a background in social work, Māori-centered research, and history. Her work has particularly focused on Māori experiences of whāngai and adoption. Her PhD, Closed Stranger Adoption, Māori and Race Relations in Aotearoa New Zealand, was the first doctoral research undertaken...

Byron Clark is an activist from Christchurch who has been involved in various forms of activism since his teenage years. Since 2019, he has focussed on the re-emergence of the far-right and spread of misinformation online, much of his activism taking place on YouTube as video essays. Byron recorded an oral history of the ‘Occupy’ protest in 2011 and has written for Fightback, Overland and David Fa...

Born in Gisborne, Peter attended Victoria University of Wellington, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws with an Honours Degree. He was appointed as a District Court Judge with a specialist Family Court warrant in 1988 and in 2004, he was appointed as the Principal Family Court Judge of New Zealand. In 2012 he was appointed a Law Commissioner, and in 2015 was appointed as the Chief Ombudsman for New Zeala...

Born in Auckland, Claudia's father was a fluent speaker of te reo Māori, knew Āpirana Ngata and joined the Department of Māori Affairs in Gisborne. She trained and practised as a dental nurse for 15 years before starting university studies, completing her PhD in 1984 at the University of Auckland. From 1975 to 1983, she was a history lecturer at the University of Auckland. She was the general edit...

Tony’s radio career started at Auckland’s 95bFM, hosting a variety of shows which highlighted new music. He produced and hosted three seasons of   Inside Track , and   True Fan , both focussing on local music and its surrounding ecosystem, playing nationwide on the Student Radio Network. Tony has also written and co-presented a science fiction film show for Sky TV, and for a while was an agony unc...

Andrew was born in Dunedin and grew up in Auckland. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Public Management. Andrew joined the New Zealand Police in 1997 and has worked in both frontline and investigative roles. Prior to his appointment as commissioner, he was Auckland City Area Commander, South District Commander, and the acting Deputy Commissioner: Strategy & Partnerships. He has serve...

CEO of Te Whatu Ora Margie's parents were Samoan emigrants from Savai'i and Apia, and she grew up in Otara, Auckland. She gained a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland and a Master of Public Policy from Victoria University of Wellington. Margie has held positions as Deputy Director General in the Ministry of Health, and executive roles at Capital and Coast District Health Board, th...

Carolyn attended Wairarapa College and Victoria University of Wellington, where she gained a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Sociology. Carolyn held her previous position as chief executive of Netball Central Zone for nearly five years. In 2018 she left to become chief executive of Special Olympics, an organisation which celebrates achievements of children and adults with intellectual disabiliti...

Mike was born in Gore, and his family lived in the small town of Waikoikoi until he was nine years old. He started working in radio and television after he finished high school and attended NZ Broadcasting School. From 1995 until 2015, Puru was a radio DJ on The Edge. In October 2012, he became one of the inaugural TV presenters on New Zealand's first Yesshop home shopping channel. In 2015 and 201...

A theology graduate of Laidlaw College, AJ is a Youth Development Worker and housing advocate, working in the Youth Housing and Homelessness space. He leads a service supporting rangatahi experiencing homelessness and is an advocate working collectively to end youth homelessness in New Zealand. He is also the curator and creator of the blog and podcast   When Lambs Are Silent , where he explores t...

TVNZ's Sports and Events General Manager, Melodie played rugby union at an international level, winning two world cups with the Black Ferns. Playing blindside or openside flanker, she played in 18 tests with the Ferns from 1996 to 2002. While playing rugby , she gained a BA from the University of Otago, as well as studying Journalism in Wellington. Her first job was in radio – working at the press...

Lorna is currently the 9-3 host on Coast FM. She has been a three-time finalist at the NZ Radio Awards, and has done voiceover and acting work for Shortland Street and Interrogation. Earlier this year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time; first was six years ago, and again in May. After surgery to remove the tumour and 18 lymph nodes, she is now part-way through chemotherapy,...

Chris is in his third term as a Member of Parliament and is National’s Spokesperson for Housing & Infrastructure. He is also the Shadow Leader of the House and National’s Chair for the 2023 Election Campaign. Previously he was the MP for Hutt South and is now a National List MP based in Hutt South, and has also served as National’s Spokesperson for Transport, Regional Development, Police, and...