Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

"Nestled on the western flank of the Andes, three hours northwest of Quito, I was swathed in the finery of the Chocó rainforest. Mashpi Lodge is an eco-tourism jewel, a five-star oasis within the wider Mashpi Reserve that serves up a resplendent rainforest encounter with the mighty Chocó. Truth be told, because the reserve traverses a wide altitude range, from 550 metres to 1400m, there’s the rain...

At some point in their life, most women will experience menopause.   It generally impacts women between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age New Zealand women will begin to experience menopause being 52.  At menopause, the ovaries stop releasing eggs and menstrual periods stop. In most cases, if someone hasn’t had a period for 12 months in a row, they are considered post-menopausa...

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 7 June 2025, Nadia Lim celebrates the 10th anniversary of her bestselling cookbook, Easy Weeknight Meals.  Jack considers who will come out on top in the battle between Trump and Musk.   Nici Wickes drops a delicious cookie recipe – with a secret ingredient to keep you satiated.  Mike Yardley has a crush on Ecuado...

There’s been a lot of discussion and concerns about the long-term effects of vaping of late, especially regarding young people. New research has started to uncover potential long-term problems with vaping.    What is the problem with vaping?  It was introduced as a “quit smoking” tool and was accepted to be less harmful than smoking.  Useful as a quit smoking tool, as a substit...

Sometimes I feel like the “Labourer” in our household.   “Darling, can you please dig me a large hole for a Nikau Palm” followed by “pruning the fruit trees” and “covering the soil against blackbirds” or “create a nice pathway”.  Of course I have my own stuff to do/plant/remove/mow, but once I start the Hansa Chipper I am in my element.   Branches up to 2 inches in diameter are turn...

Apple's big developer conference is on Monday US time – what can we expect to be announced?   1. A more unified user experience across all the platforms.  MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS and even CarPlay will all be getting updates to bring everything into the same design scheme based on VisionOS – the software that runs the Vision Pro headset. It's all based around 'digital glass', so expec...

The Survivors  A young woman's mysterious death dredges up the past in a sleepy seaside town, where three young people lost their lives fifteen years ago and tore the town apart (Netflix).    Sara: Woman in the Shadows   A retired intelligence operative haunted by her son's premature death returns to spycraft and allies to unravel the mystery. While navigating old ghosts and da...

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina  An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge after her father's death.    How To Make a Killing   Michel and Cathy, wed for longer than they can remember, lead a quiet but monotonous life in the mountains. When a bear bursts out in front of Michel’s car, accidentally killing two drug dealer...

These are ridiculously good and they just happen to be gluten-free! Chewy, densely rich and very, very moreish. Perfect to make for Coeliac Awareness Week – 9-14th June 2025.   Makes 12–15     Ingredients  3/4 cup sugar   1 cup peanut butter   1 large egg   50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped    1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)     ...

Who could possibly, in their wildest dreams, ever have imagined it?    Who could possibly have foreseen that the world’s wealthiest man and the world’s most powerful politician might blow up their bromance in the most spectacular fashion? Elon on Don? Feuding? Nooooo. Say it ain’t so!    The curious thing is the pair of them do have a few qualities in common. Hypocrisy, for sta...

New Zealand music’s big night out took place this week.  The Aotearoa Music Awards celebrated its 60th year, with our biggest musical stars glitzed and glammed for the red carpet.  Taking out two awards this year —Best Solo Artist and the highly coveted Album of the Year— was Fazerdaze, also known as Amelia Murray.  It’s her first time winning an Aotearoa Music Award, and she told F...

The Government is set to trim hairdressing red tape.  Cabinet has accepted all the Ministry for Regulation recommendations, returning decisions on offering drinks during cuts, and allowing dogs in a salon to the business owner.  Changes come into force in July.  Kevin Milne may not be a huge fan of ACT, but he’ll say David Seymour is good at identifying silliness in rules and regula...

The ninth album to come from Miley Cyrus, ‘Something Beautiful’ is a concept album centred around the theme of healing.   The popstar says it’s “an attempt to medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music”, and when discussing the inspiration behind the music, Cyrus said "the nastiest times of our life do have a point of beauty. They are the shadow, they are the charcoal, they are the sha...

"As Arrowtown glowed in its golden, fiery blaze of autumnal hues, it was a thrill to be back in this treasure-chest township, cradled by nature’s splendour. It’s one of my all-time favourite holiday playgrounds and I was eager for a fresh dip from its glorious offerings." Read Mike's full article here . LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly   wo sisters living on Martha's Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club - a spectacular novel inspired by true events from the bestselling author of Lilac Girls.   2016: Fresh from her mother's funeral, Mari arrives on Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts...

The Department of Conservation is currently seeking feedback on its Predator Free 2050 strategy.  The current strategy aims to completely eliminate five predators from New Zealand: rats, stoats, ferrets, weasels and possums.  However, they’re now asking whether feral cats should be added to the list as well.  Predator Free NZ Trust CEO Jessi Morgan told Francesca Rudkin that there’s...

The next few months we’ll be “in the dark” so to speak – the shortest days of the year puts us in front of the Low Emissions Burner, keeping warm while reading gardening magazines.   What kinds of plants give us colour at this time?   Go and visit your local Botanic Garden and take a note book with you – I often look at the stuff that Julie plants at our place.  Tree Dahlia are huge...

Ha Ha Merlot 2023, Hawkes Bay. RRP $19.00   Ha Ha means – to ‘Catch your breath’ in te reo Māori   A palate of plums and blackberry fruit scents, there’s a light violet touch and generous fruity core. Fine tannins with medium+ acid line to frame the flavours of plums and red berry fruits. Balanced and refreshing with decent length and lots of style. Best drinking from 2025 through 2028....

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 31 May 2025, hot off her big win at the Aotearoa Music Awards, Fazerdaze aka Amelia Murray joins Francesca Rudkin to discuss how it felt to bag her first AMA.  Francesca's championing an ACT policy.   Karl Puschmann discusses the brand-new film from Jesse Armstrong, Mountainhead .  And chef Nici Wickes delivers a...

Instagram isn’t just for square photos anymore   You can already post images with a rectangular aspect ratio of 4:5, but with 3:4, your photo won’t be cropped at the ends. You can still post a square too.   My theory is that this is in response to the resurgence of people taking photos on actual cameras again. The tourists in NYC seems to love a dedicated camera - and I don't mean a DSLR...

Department Q   Carl, a former top-rated detective, is wracked with guilt following an attack that left his partner paralysed and another policeman dead. On his return to work, Carl is assigned to a cold case that will consume his life (Netflix).    The Better Sister    Chloe, a high-profile media executive, lives a picturesque life with her husband Adam and son; her estran...

If you ever need to produce a celebration cake, this is it!     Serves 8-10     Ingredients:   Sponge cake    130g unsalted butter, softened   1 cup caster sugar   2 teaspoons vanilla extract    3 large eggs    2⅓ cups self-raising flour   1 pinch salt   1 cup milk      To decorate    1/3 cup raspberry j...

Mountainhead   A group of billionaire friends get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis.     Captain America: Brave New World   Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with President Thaddeus Ross. He must soon discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seei...

It’s not often you will hear me unreservedly champion an ACT policy, but I am all in when it comes to their concern and policy response to sexually explicit deepfakes.   The US and UK are leading the way with legislative changes on this, New Zealand law lagging well behind.   ACT MP Laura McClure has prepared a bill to restrict the generation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfak...

After a decade of chart-topping hits, sold-out tours, and almost 300 million streams, Mitch James is stepping away from music for good. He's set to take the stage  one last time for The Final Show – an emotional send-off at the Christchurch Town Hall on Saturday 24 May. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to share her thoughts on Mitch James's final album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listen...