The Chris and Sam Podcast

Summary From AI replacing — then rehiring — human workers to luxury wool wall coverings, solar-powered aircraft, and the curious fate of digital movie ownership. Plus, the latest in quirky Kickstarters and tech nostalgia. Links Measuring Volcanic Emissions with Drone Technology Kea Aerospace Great American State Fair Sony Deleting Items Ford Rehires Workers Kickstart or Dropkick - Sony 80 Kickstar...

Summary From Fieldays 2026 Sam chats with Jacob from the UK delegation about HiFe Plants and their high iron, high zinc crops that could change how we feed people and animals. There’s talk of long nights in the lab, GM vs natural plant breeding, the shocking realities of zinc deficiency in cows, and a missed pitch to Fonterra. Red kiwifruit gets a mention, and there’s some debate about who actuall...

Summary At Fieldays 2026 Sam catch up with Ali from Mid Wales, who's part of a global incubator program supported by Innovate UK and Sprout. We dive into spray drying, microencapsulation, and turning agricultural and animal waste into high-value products like fertiliser. There’s talk of food security, waste valorization, and unexpected Olympic sports. Farm visits, New Zealand connections, and the...

Summary From Fieldays 2026 Sam chats with Marcus from Gyroplant about their innovative reusable root zone architecture for growing plants without single-use substrates.\ There’s talk of growing food for space missions, geothermal greenhouses in New Zealand, and the challenges of changing farming mindsets. Vertical farms, space agency research, and pilot projects all pop up in the conversation. Lin...

Summary It’s a sunny day in Hamilton as discussion turns from the Chiefs rugby game and New Zealand’s run in the Football World Cup to wild Aussie chants and America’s awkward attempts at football fandom. There’s talk of robot mowers at Brisbane Airport, UV robot pest control, and Hamilton’s future $100 million skyscraper. Elsewhere, a record Aussie cocaine bust, crazy government apps, and the min...

Summary A creative shed at Field Days becomes the backdrop for a look into the legacy of David Henshaw, the cartoonist behind the rural favourite "Jock". There’s talk of iconic farming cartoons, the famous calendars, and a peek into a treasure trove of watercolor landscapes and pen-and-ink sketches. The discussion covers curating a lifetime’s worth of art, the “skipped generation” of artistic gene...

Summary This week, there’s a wild group interview at the BNZ Theatre, field days adventures including a run-in with the unofficial podcast sponsor Golden State Coffee, and a surprise golden coin scam that ends with chocolate coins and an arrest. The discussion explores winning two free pairs of glasses, metal detecting gold nuggets, and the mystery behind Riley’s Cookies. There’s also gadget talk...

Summary This episode it's all about New Zealand lawn mower racing from Fieldays, where custom-built ride-ons are tearing up the paddock and the Red Bull Cut it event adds an epic jump and serious style points. We dive into the nicheness of mower mods, talk entry costs, and learn why LEDs and neons are all the rage in the pits. There's talk of VR racing, education with tech, and secret room dreams,...

Summary We catch up after Fieldays, swapping stories about lost phones, near misses with golf carts, and what we saw while we were there. There's a crazy ride with a non-English speaking driver, a Bluetooth speaker that turns a plane around, and the discovery of Christian energy drinks. We dig into weird AI graduation fails, Red Bull-fueled haircut chaos, and plenty of random laughs along the way....

Summary In this chat, Chris sits down with Mick from Forever Harvest to explore a new frontier in food production. They dive into the science of growing fruit and nuts without trees, the rise of lab-made ingredients, and what this means for the future of global food security. Mick also shares the agritech innovations driving their mission and the real-world startup journeys behind it all. Links Fo...

Summary It’s Fieldays 2026 and there’s a new electric farm bike on the scene—the GalvBike. The conversation focused on why this tough, no-nonsense machine isn’t in the innovation tent, what sets it apart for dairy farmers, and how the team’s past experience shaped the brutal simplicity of the design. A key theme that emerged was the value of validation from real farmers—and why the first productio...

Summary Sam is onsite at Fieldays 2026, chatting with Harry from PostMate about their clever invention that makes fence post removal safer and faster. We hear the backstory of how a Kiwi farmer turned a simple idea into a global product, and learn how a once potentially dangerous and time consuming job of fence post removal has been transformed into a fast and safe process, with examples of fence...

Summary From our Fieldays 2026 coverage Sam talks to Elisa about her journey to make a biodegradable plant pot here in New Zealand. Discover how a teenage fundraiser became a full-time eco-entrepreneur, why dirty pots are such an issue, and what it takes to create a locally manufactured solution. There are awards, random questions, and some TikTok fame thrown in. All this and much more. Links eniv...

Summary This week, Chris gears up for field days while plotting an unusual Auckland road trip with a mystery driver, and Sam sets off 24 days of birthday surprises with the help of a 24-sided die. There's talk of AI stealing podcast voices, disembodied brains being used in biotech startups, and a Kickstarter cooling blanket that costs more than a night out. The discussion explored sky-watching gad...

Summary Sam loses a mouth guard in the night, while Chris navigates the aftermath of too much Captain Morgan. TEDx talks lead to surprise opportunities—and million-dollar phone calls—for a local speaker. A decades-old school rowing controversy resurfaces, Kickstarter projects get critiqued, and Sam reveals the wild world of the Enhanced Games. AI hijinks, swatted grandmothers, and blanket innovati...

Summary This week, podcast day moves to Wednesday and there’s plenty to catch up on. We hear about anti-snoring mouth guards that are life-changing, and the wild concept of launching bulldozers into orbit with a giant cannon. There’s a supermarket sending its freezer manager off in style (under the freezer), AI agents causing digital chaos, and a look at the latest in Kickstarter projects. Links L...

Summary This is a special announcement episode to say we will be moving to a Wednesday release schedule. You can find us on all good podcasting apps. We also cover to Kickstarter projects and try and work out if we would fund them or not. See you next Wednesday for a regular episode. Links Kickstarter - Flossr Kickstarter - BookScan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summary Chris faces a tough week with job woes and family health drama, while Sam brings back insights and swag from the final NZ Podcasting Summit—including debate over the best day to publish podcasts. We discover an overlooked artistic prank involving Telecom, talk about ultrasonic fire suppression tech, and hear about robots taking over warehouse shifts. FIFA ticket prices spark outrage, James...

Summary From butter chicken at the night market to robots beating humans at table tennis, plus sperm racing world championships, AI in the FBI, and a bizarre school fight club scandal. Links Tenants to keep paying rent after drug dealer goes to jail Steven Segal being a dick again Sony makes expert table tennis robot 2026 Sperm racing championship Teacher arrested over fight club FBI Using all of...

Summary We've got tales of cockroaches in rowing machines and a bizarre car insurance scam update. We hear about a woman weaponizing bees during an eviction, the world's biggest dinosaur costume gathering, and a deep dive into AI gone wrong with lost customer data. Plus, there's talk of rising condom prices, ridiculous Kickstarter gadgets, and the man who laughed himself into a lifesaving diagnosi...

Summary This week, Sam shares a real-life scammer story that hits close to home and reminds us how clever modern bank scams can be. Chris talks about a blind marathon runner using AI glasses and tech to run untethered, while Air New Zealand brings lie-flat bunks to economy class. We also laugh at FBI directors foiled by caps lock, high-stakes legal drama, warships tracked by Bluetooth, and some qu...

Summary This week, Chris and Sam dive into viral dog poo videos, Amazon dropping billions on satellites, and why Allbirds is pivoting hard to AI. There’s talk of chimpanzee civil wars, terrible passwords, and a CEO blaming his mum for a PR disaster, plus a look at the wild world of short content clips. Find out who’s buying GI Joe comics for thousands, the latest in Amazon warehouse drama, and wha...

Summary Chris forgets his wallet and has to brave the cyclone for baked beans, while Sam declines a Civil Defense Centre gig ahead of a stormy weekend. We dive into the KitKat heist, ponder the wisdom of homemade bird submarines and skydiving parrots, and laugh at improv mishaps involving Swedish twins. There’s talk of AI nonsense, including caveman hacks and chatbot congressional grilling, plus p...

Summary Chris battles tech gremlins while Sam revels in April Fools pranks, with AI-generated gags leveling up the mischief this year. Thieves make off with 12 tons of Kit Kats, black market cigarettes are on the rise, and the world's only NZ Black Hawk helicopter makes a cameo. AI gets it wrong in a shocking wrongful arrest case, a goldfish sets a bizarre world record, and Chris recounts birthday...

We hear about boombox nostalgia, mysterious AI gadgets, and a honey recall with a cheeky side effect, before things get weird with toe-sucking burglars and stalkery exes. Plus, news from the world of Meta’s AI CEO ambitions, suspicious market moves, and attempts to make future AIs nicer to humans. Links Professional Cornhole Player Charged with Murder Boner Bear Honey Recalled Kickstarter - BB-777...