Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

A weekend spent in Wellington inspired me to re-create a dish from Ortega Fish Shack’s dessert menu: Crêpes filled with a delicate custard and doused in a caramel orange sauce – I swear they’re the best I’d ever had. This is my attempt at these and they’re very, very good.   Makes 10-12 crêpes.     Ingredients  100g plain flour   a pinch of salt   2 eggs   300ml milk   butter for frying   ½ cup store-bought thick custard   softly whipped cream      Orange caramel sauce   ½ cup caster sugar   3 tablespoons water   zest and juice of 1 orange   a splash of brandy or rum      Method  Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre then break in the eggs and pour in half the milk. Whisk together, gradually incorporating the flour to make a smooth thick batter then stir in the rest of the milk. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.   Heat a little butter in a medium frying pan. P

The Friend   New York City writer Iris finds her comfortable, solitary life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor bequeaths her a Great Dane named Apollo. The huge dog immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Apollo, she begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life.     Jane Austen Wrecked My Life   Desperately single and plagued by writer's block, Agathe gets invited to the Jane Austen Writers' Residency in England. Caught in an unexpected romantic triangle, she must let go of her insecurities to decide what she really wants for herself.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think we are all served best by transparency in government.     Leaders should be accountable for their decisions, and they should be willing to take our questions and answer them in a public format.    But it’s pretty clear to me the Covid Inquiry has fallen victim to bad and even cynical design, shaped by politics rather than a sincere desire to get a full accounting of our response.  It’s a shame, because it threatens to undermine some of the inquiry’s more useful conclusions. It is a missed opportunity.    In my view, there’s plenty of blame to share. I think the first phase of the Covid Inquiry, introduced by the last government, missed some critical elements in its terms of reference. Worst of all was the decision not to include vaccine efficacy. For something so fundamental to the response, and so important to some New Zealanders that they were willing to lose relationships, jobs, and livelihoods over it, I think the effectiveness of vaccines and whatever slim risk

Guy Sebastian is an Australasian icon with a career that’s nothing short of extraordinary.  From winning the first season of Australian Idol back in 2003, to carving out a place on the charts, to mentoring new talent as a coach on The Voice Australia – he's been in the spotlight for over two decades.  And now he’s embarking on a new chapter with the release of his tenth album ‘One Hundred Times Around The Sun’.  The album has taken Sebastian nearly five years to make, a much longer period than the typical six months to two years most artists these days create them in.  He told Jack Tame that in the early stages of his career, he felt pressure to create quickly.  “Don’t take longer than a year,” Sebastian explained. “Or you’ll disappear into obscurity.”  “Then there’s like, the pressure of doing the right thing by the fans, y’know, you don’t wanna make them wait too long.”   It’s a mentality that used to govern much of Sebastian’s process, but one that he’s managed to grow be

Today Estelle Clifford is hitting rewind and taking it back to 2005, looking at some of the iconic albums released before music streaming services really took off. Among the albums nearly old enough to drink in the United States are Bloc Party's 'Silent Alarm', Black Eyed Peas'  'Monkey Business', and Paramore's 'All We Know is Falling' - but that's not the end of her list. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Brooding, imposing, ruggedly beautiful and spilling with forth with a storied history, Edinburgh stirs the senses of even the most jaded traveller. I’ve just reacquainted myself with the striking Scottish capital, as part of a riveting romp around the UK on Trafalgar’s Real Britain tour." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Unlikely Doctor by Timoti Te Moke   Born into love but then thrust into violence, and shaped by struggle, Timoti Te Moke was never destined to be a leader. After an early start as a bright boy in the eastern Bay of Plenty, nurtured by his reo Māori-speaking grandparents, Timoti's life changed sharply when his mother took custody of him when he was six. He survived abuse, state care, gangs and prison, his life marked by trauma and pain. By fourteen, he was behind bars. By twenty, he'd crossed the Tasman, trying to leave his past behind. But it was a moment in a prison cell — a glimpse of blue sky — that sparked a life-altering question: What if this isn't all there is? Through grit and an unyielding drive for justice, Timoti transformed his life. He returned to Aotearoa, became a paramedic and, after facing racism and an unsupported manslaughter charge that nearly derailed his life, became a medical student in his fifties. Timoti is now a fully qualified doctor — proof that brilliance can come from an

Winter can feel drab and we often end up reflecting that feeling in what we wear.   Layers on layers can leave you feeling like there’s not a lot of room to play. So, how can you keep things feeling fun while staying warm... and sustainable?   Creative connoisseur Evie Kemp joined Jack Tame for a chat about livening up your winter wear while still keeping things sustainable.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Chris Woakes the English cricket batting star dislocated his shoulder in the England-India test, then yesterday came out to bat with a dislocated shoulder at number 11 to try and save the test! Very brave stuff!     What is a shoulder dislocation?   The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body.  It’s a ‘ball and socket’ joint, however sockets aren’t deep enough so the joint is supported by tendons and muscles.  Occasionally the ball can come completely out of the socket – a dislocation.  It can dislocate forward, which is common, or backwards, which is less common.    How do they happen and what are the signs?   Generally an accident that puts severe force on the shoulder can cause dislocation.   For example:   Falling from ladder and holding on it.   Collision in sport or falling onto an outstretched arm.   Car accidents.  Some people have very flexible shoulders and can dislocate with simple things like rolling over i

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 9 August 2025, Australian idol legend Guy Sebastian joins Jack in studio for a chat about releasing album number ten, and gives a very special performance of a brand new track.  Jack considers his experiences with the NYC subway compared to Auckland's new CRL.  A hearty recipe for the weekend, Rosa Flanagan of Two Raw Sisters shares a how-to for her Slow Cooked Moroccan Lamb and Pumpkin dish.  Ruud Kleinpaste reckons it's about getting warm enough to get back into the garden.  Plus, Catherine Raynes shares details on a brand new Kiwi tale of resilience, The Unlikely Doctor by Timoti Te Moke.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a weird winter – cool and often wet. Indeed, I grew a few edibles in my tunnel house after most of the tomatoes had been removed.    With rubbish weather I tend to divert to bird hobbies, rather than vegie-garden maintenance. But in early August things become a bit more positive, and today that was highlighted when I visited my old mate Mike (a Scottish builder with heaps of Scottish humour).  He had already planted small strawberry plants under a cover of dense pea-straw – yes, next summer’s fruit extravaganza: STRAWBERRIES! New Zealand Gardener usually gives you the latest varieties available.  I had totally forgotten that I could have planted them a month or so ago, here on the port hills! Time to become a lot less lazy!  Friable, well-draining soil with heaps of organic material in the top layers. Some granular, general fertiliser (not too much – just a bit) so that the roots will lick their food on the warmer, early-Spring days. The pea-straw (and mulch) protects plant

Chat GPT-5 is here – what does it mean? What does it do?   They claim it's the best yet at creative writing and coding, and apparently just feels more human-like in its responses. It will also make information up 25% less than GPT-4. Importantly, they've trained the model to fail gracefully when posed with tasks that it cannot solve, which is better than it taking shortcuts or lying about finishing it. It is much better with health related questions too, according to its benchmarks.   Users can pick from four preset personalities—Cynic, Robot, Listener, and Nerd.   Something you'll notice if you've never paid for ChatGPT, or used another provider, is a new thing called "reasoning". This is effectively where the AI talks to itself a little, and spends time "thinking" through the question before answering.     ChatGPT is huge   They say they now have 700 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, 5 million paying business users, and 4 million developers utilizing the API. The company

Wednesday  Tim Burton’s quirky Addams Family drama is back for a second season.   Nevermore is back in session as Wednesday tangles with a new principal, a devious campus stalker and a waning grip on her psychic powers (Netflix).    Outlander: Blood of My Blood   A romantic saga that unfolds across time. From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, intersecting in surprising and unforeseen ways (Neon).    Stolen: Heist of the Century  In 2003, a gang of thieves rob the impenetrable Diamond Center, Antwerp; who was behind one of the world's biggest heists and how did they pull it off? (Netflix)    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne is off this afternoon, flying down to Christchurch for a very special event.  He’ll be a guest speaker at his old college’s, St Bede, 100th Annual Old Boy’s Dinner.  This is a special moment for Kevin, as he wouldn’t describe his time at the college as the most successful.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Margo Flanagan, one half of the Two Raw Sisters, is offering up a delicious recipe for slow cooked Moroccan lamb and pumpkin.  Serves: 6  Time: 2.5 – 3 hours — 150 mins    Ingredients  2 tbsp cooking oil   1 red onion - thinly sliced  1 carrot - diced   4 cloves garlic - crushed and chopped  2 tbsp tomato paste  1 tbsp freshly grated ginger   1 tbsp cumin seeds   1 tbsp smoked paprika  2 tsp ground turmeric  1 stick of cinnamon   ½ - 1 tsp chilli flakes  1 cup dried prunes  400g canned tomatoes  2 cups vegetable stock  4 lamb shanks OR 1x 400g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained   2 cups chopped pumpkin - deseeded and skin left on  Herby Lemon Millet   1 cup millet  2 cups water   1 cup herbs - chopped  1 lemon - zest and juice  2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil  ½ cup almonds - roasted and chopped    Method  Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  

Weapons    When all but one child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.     Mr Burton   The story of the wild school boy Rich Jenkins, son of a boozy miner and an English teacher who recognised his talent, Philip Burton.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I first moved to New York, I spent my first year living in a railroad apartment above an Ecuadorian fruit shop on Second Avenue.   It was a character-building experience. I went weeks without heating or hot water in winter, and my windows had almost no effect whatsoever in keeping out the ceaseless sound of trucks thundering past my bedroom enroute to restock the city.    When I arrived they’d just start construction on the Second Ave subway, a few blocks from my home. The project was hitting a few speedbumps. Bedrock turned out to be deeper than anticipated, a worker nearly died after being stuck in waste-deep slop on site, and what was supposed to be a controlled explosion sent rocks flying all over a busy Manhattan intersection.  Curiously, the Second Ave subway route was first proposed in the 1920s, which Wikipedia tells was about the same time that planners first mused over the possibility of the Morningside Deviation, a train tunnel in central Auckland.    Stage One of

Are you better off than you were two years ago?    Are you bathing in the soothing waters of the long-promised economic recovery? Is your future more secure? Is your food more affordable? Your insurance? Your rates? Is your road smoother? Are your children better educated? Is your water less polluted?  Or do you think some of our most senior leaders’ time and attention is better used fussing over measures like the order of words on our passports and the transfer of payWave fees from a surcharge to the main bill?   The latest folly, announced by our Foreign Minister on a week in which Gaza was stricken by starvation, and the US thanked us for opening an FBI office here by increasing proposed trade tariffs, seeks to enshrine the name ‘New Zealand’ in law.    Ah yes, what a pressing issue. Tell you what, between that and the passport reordering, those tens or hundreds of thousands of kids who’ve fled to Australia are gonna be clambering over one another to get back home.  Here’

A man of many talents, Cliff Curtis is a Hollywood star hailing all the way from Rotorua.   He’s known for his metamorphosis, carving out credits in a mixture of major franchises and more personal productions, and his latest project feels like a blend of both.  Curtis is starring in Jason Momoa’s ‘Chief of War’, which tells a tale of the turn of the 18th century, when the four kingdoms of Hawai’i were at war.  He told Jack Tame he’s very proud and humbled to be a part of this production.  “As a storyteller in the screen industry for the last three decades at least, we’ve managed to tell a variation of stories from our small corner of the world,” Curtis said.  “But you know, this series, when led by the likes of Jason Momoa and his co-creator Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, they can bring scale to the narrative.”  “It's a big deal for us.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The debut album from Australian musical group Folk Bitch Trio, ‘Now Would Be a Good Time’ is filled with beautiful harmonies and dark wit.  Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on the album and the way the trio puts their own spin on the genre.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.