Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

The drive was only three hours but we knew we’d have to distract him. It’s not his fault! 6-year-olds simply do not have the biologicial composition for sitting still in place for more than about 14 seconds. And even a relatively simple drive, Auckland to Rotorua, is an almighty test for the first weekend of the school holidays. When I was a kid, my parents used to try and placate us with food. Ah...

With her tenth studio album, “chemistry,” the singer turned talk-show host drills into the specific heartbreak of a marriage’s end.   In 2020, after filing for divorce from her husband of nearly seven years, Brandon Blackstock, Clarkson hinted at new music, claiming that she was writing the “most personal” album she’s ever made.    Last year, she said that she’d been working on the record for two...

Lusciously located at the confluence of the mighty Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers, the very name Phnom Penh conjures up an image of the exotic. I recently visited Cambodia’s capital with Emerald Cruises on their magnificent week-long float from Ho Chi Minh City. From the fluttering saffron robes of passing monks to the glimmering spires of the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh struts its Buddhist stripes at e...

We hear lots about “mindfulness” – it seems to be everywhere. But what actually is it and what does it do?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the common queries from the Garden involves the phenomenon of leafcurl on the leaves of peaches, nectarines, apricots, almonds …. STONE FRUIT in other words. It is caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans. The leaves (especially in spring) are discoloured and contorted (if there is such a word) disfigured and looking quite awful. Colours vary from pale green to pink and deeper purple colours...

BOB’S BEST BUYS  Wine: Neudorf 2022 Tiritiri Chardonnay, Nelson $28  Why I chose it: - Neudorf is one of the country’s top chardonnay producers  - It is less than one/third of the price of Neudorf’s top chardonnay  - “Special occasion” wine  What does it taste like?  - Appealing, accessible chardonnay with an initial hint of fruit and alcohol sweetness leading to nicely integrated acidity that hel...

What are your kids up to on Instagram and Messenger - you can now find out more than ever   Just how much time are they spending chatting to friends? The new "Messenger Supervision Tools" will show that and lots more. Parents will be able to see contacts lists, who messages with their child and who can see their Stories. They can't however see the actual messages themselves. These are available no...

This week Kevin Milne joined Jack to chat about his win in the Lotto draw this week, and what he’d do with $33 million dollars. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hijack: Idris Elba stars in this drama about a negotiator who has to use his professional skills when his flight from Dubai to London is hijacked (Apple TV+).    The Witcher: The popular dark fantasy series sees Henry Cavill return for a third season as a monster-hunter available for hire, navigating a world where people are more wicked than beasts (Netflix).   Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorise...

Jimmy Chin is responsible for capturing some of the most famous outdoor photos and documentaries of our time alongside his wife, Chai.  The pair shot the Oscar winning documentary Free Solo, following climber Alex Honnold conquering the 900 metre vertical rock face of El Capitan in Yosemite… without any ropes.  Jimmy and Chai have a new project that’s been picked up by Disney called Wild Life.  It...

This beautiful fruit is in abundance right now, and it’s a great ingredient to work with given it lends itself to both sweet and savoury dishes. Often paired with blue cheese, I recently enjoyed it at a fab restaurant in Wellington, High Water on Cuba St, where they paired it with fresh burrata. This is my version of that dish.  Serves 2    Ingredients: 3 tablespoons currants, soaked in boiling wa...

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny   Daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter, he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who works for NASA.       The Last Rider   American cyclist Greg LeMond wins the 1989 Tour de France to complete one of the greates...

Sir Isaac Newton missed a trick. Albert Einstein did no better. Archimedes was good, sure. But he still failed to describe one of the most obvious principles defining almost every aspect of our mortal existance: There’s no such thing as a free lunch. So far as I’m concerned, the Theory of No Free Lunch applies to every aspect of our lives. It’s the rule of payoffs. The rule of compromises. Sure, y...

Returning with their first album of new material since 2019's chart-topping Run Home Slow, Melbourne's The Teskey Brothers have unveiled their third official long player The Winding Way.   They’re playing in NZ later this year.   “Our old recording studio was on a street called Winding Way in Melbourne. We moved out of that house in 2021 just before recording this album,” Josh explains. “When we w...

The Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese    From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine.   Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India's Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one perso...

Mike Yardley joined Jack Tame to chat about his recent trip cruising down the Mekong Delta, taking in the sights of Vietnam. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The next phase of the government’s plastic ban is kicking in from July, with single use plastic straws, tableware and cutlery, and plastic bags all being phased out. Kate “Ethically Kate” Hall joined Jack Tame to chat about the ban, what it’ll mean, and how people can get ready for the changes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to winter! So you want to grow that tropical Pomegranate? Punica granatum is likely to have originated from Persia or Central Asia; a closely related ancestor ( Punica protopunica ) came from Yemen. The Pomegranate was quickly transported by humans throughout the Mediterranean basin, California and Asia; that was made possible by the fact that these trees are extremely adaptive to various...

Money Personalities. The Retirement Commission this week released a study which identified 5 main Money Personalities – an enterpriser, a minimalist, a socialite, a realist, and a contemporary.  Hannah McQueen has seen thousands of clients over the years, does this hold true, and does it matter?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

News is disappearing from Facebook in Canada   Canada's Online News Act passed on Thursday which forces tech companies to negotiate with news publishers to link to their content. There's even a provision for binding arbitration if needed. Meta isn't happy. They said back in May that it's "like asking email providers to pay the postal service because people don’t send letters any more". Meta's argu...

Class of ’09: An American thriller that follows a group of FBI agents in three distinct time periods as they grapple with the changes to the US criminal justice system as it is altered by artificial intelligence. (Disney+)     Black Snow: When a time capsule is unearthed at a Queensland high school, a small town is forced to confront the past and an unsolved murder of a student. (TVNZ+)      Carpo...

‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz was the song of the year back in 2008, going on to achieve the relatively rare diamond status the next year, and going platinum a total of ten times. The US artist has had a successful career, with worldwide tours, multiple Grammy wins, and is a Songwriters Hall of Fame honoree. Jason has released a brand new album called Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride, and join...

It’s soup season and this has got to be one of my absolute favourites because it’s rich with flavour but so cheap to make!  Serves 1-2    Ingredients: 1 tablespoon each butter and oil  2 onions, sliced thinly (see note)  1 scant tablespoon plain flour  3 cups beef, chicken or vege stock (or water)  Splash of white or red wine (optional)  1 bay leaf  ½ tsp sea salt  ½ tsp brown sugar  Decent grind...

No Hard Feelings    On the brink of losing her childhood home, a desperate woman agrees to date a wealthy couple's introverted and awkward 19-year-old son before he leaves for college. Starring Jennifer Lawrence.     My Sailor, My Love   A retired sea captain and his daughter must reassess their strained relationship after he begins a new romance with a widowed housekeeper.     LISTEN ABOVE See om...

This week Kevin joined Jack Tame to say goodbye to one of New Zealand’s most endearing stars: Piggy Sue. She was adopted by Kevin and his wife Linda after starring in Vodafone ads back in 2015, but recently had to be put down after an illness. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.