Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

I’m generally sceptical of conspiracy theories.    Call me old fashioned, but I’m pretty sure we landed on the moon. I think 9/11 was al-Qaeda, not an inside job. I think climate change is real.    But I’ve got to admit, I’ve been captivated by the information released in the Epstein files. And while I still don’t think it reveals a coordinated paedophile ring, the trove of information released so far has been far more enlightening than I ever anticipated it would be. Truthfully, I thought it would be a nothing burger. I was wrong.    It’s not that the files necessarily prove greater illegality. Many people thought the dump would reveal a client list of the global elite: a black book of politicians, billionaires, CEOs, celebs, and royalty who’d committed the most appalling crimes and would be rounded up and brought to justice.   So far at least, it doesn’t have that. But it has illuminated a web of connections and relationships among the wealthy, connected, and powerful that

It Was Just An Accident   In Iran, a man bumps into the man he believes to be his former torturer. However, faced with this person who fiercely denies having been his tormentor, doubt sets in.    Melania   Twenty days before the 2025 presidential inauguration, Melania Trump navigates the complexities of the White House transition as she prepares for the role of first lady once again.      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes we forget about trusted old favourites in favour of the latest trend or new fancy ingredient, but can you remember your first blueberry muffin? The joy and juiciness of each bite, the fact that they’re very likely better on day two, and that buttering them will change your life. Make the most of late season blueberries this weekend.    Makes 12 regular muffins       Ingredients  2/3 cup white sugar + extra for topping   ¼ cup lightly packed brown sugar   2 medium eggs   ¾ cup plain yogurt   120g melted butter or oil   1 ¾ cups plain flour   1 generous tsp baking powder   ½ tsp sea salt   ½ tsp baking soda   1 tbsp lemon zest,    1 tsp vanilla extract   1 punnet fresh or frozen blueberries      Method  Preheat oven to 180C. Line 12 standard muffin tins with liners or baking paper or grease well with oil.   Beat sugars with eggs in a large bowl and then whisk in yoghurt and butter

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are just one week away.   New Zealand’s presence at the Games is growing, with 17 athletes set to compete this year.  And though he won’t be competing this year, two-time Winter Olympic medallist Nico Porteous knows how they’ll be feeling.  At age 16, he won the Bronze at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, and four years later, took the Gold in Beijing.   But last year he decided to shift focus, stepping away from the Olympic-level competition.  Porteous had been in high performance and competitive environments since he was ten years old, and felt it was time for something new.  “We’re lucky that in our sport, competition isn’t everything,” he told Jack Tame.  “With the support of sponsors, we can move into different areas such as, y’know, making films and doing one off projects, so that areas has always really excited me and inspired me.”  And with two Olympic medals under his belt, a raft of other titles, and even a New Zealand Order of Merit

Privacy has been a big topic of discussion this week, and it got Kevin Milne and his wife Linda thinking about the old Yellow and White Pages.  There was a time where every household had their own copy, and while they haven’t been discontinued entirely, they are a lot less common nowadays.  But one notable year, some workers at Yellow Pages pulled a Banksy, and the doodle wasn’t noticed until much too late.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fifth studio album from NZ indie-rock quartet Yumi Zouma, ‘No Love Lost To Kindness’ is a turning point for the band.  In this album they made a deliberate effort to shed the soft-focus production of their previous works in favour of a heavy and more emotionally exposed feeling  ‘No Love Lost To Kindness’ was recorded in Mexico City, and tackles themes of confrontation, diagnosis, disillusionment, risk, and honesty.   Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the album.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"For Kiwis heading to Asia or onwards to Europe, Singapore can feel like the gateway to the world. But rather than just transiting at Changi Airport, breaking up long-haul flights with a restorative layover in the Lion City is one of my tried and trusted ways to minimise the insidious scourge of travel fatigue. For Kiwi families travelling with children, I strongly recommend threading a stopover on Sentosa Island into your long-haul plans to combat jetlag. It’s like a holiday within a holiday, a destination within a destination. Some of the youngest members of my wider family recently enjoyed a wondrous time on Sentosa – and it far exceeded their expectations." Read Mike's full article. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dear Debbie by Frieda McFadden   Sometimes, enough is enough…  Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction.  Or at least, she did.  These days, Debbie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie’s done being the bigger person. She’s done being reasonable and practical. It’s time to take her own advice.  And now it’s time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most.     Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven   For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman

We’re all guilty of buying things we don’t need sometimes, but there are ways to curb that behaviour and make things a little bit more sustainable.  Kate Hall has a list of things she’s not buying in 2026, paper towels, seasonal decor, and fast fashion just a few, but instead of giving them up entirely, she’s figured out a few alternative options.  She joined Jack Tame to discuss her full list of swaps.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For one reason or another, many people don’t think about what will happen when they die. What will happen to their belongings, their money, their assets.   But in a world where blended families and complicated dynamics are becoming increasingly common, it’s becoming more and more important to ensure you have a will organised.   Ed McKnight joined Jack Tame to discuss the importance of having a will – telling a story of how the lack of one tore one family apart.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 31 January 2026, two-time Winter Olympic medallist Nico Porteous joins Jack to discuss his decision to step away from high-level competition, how Kiwi athletes will be feeling in the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and who he has his eyes on as ones to watch.  Jack considers the parental juggle.  Jack's success at growing a singular pomegranate is being celebrated! Chef Nici Wickes uses it to transform kūmara from side dish to star performer.  And Ruud Kleinpaste shares tips on growing pomegranates of your own.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing Pomegranates is not a very popular gardening subject in New Zealand, yet, once you get into it you might be surprised what the shrub looks like and how the fruits taste when fully grown and mature.  Punica granatum is the one with red flowers that hails from the Mediterrané and Tropical and Sub-Tropical regions.  The Socotran Pomegranate hails from the Socotra Island (Yemen) and has pink flowers but less sweet fruit when it ripens.  My research tells me they grow well in warm regions, but I saw them growing well in Canterbury too, as long as the frosts aren’t too extreme.  Plant in winter…  Generally speaking, plant in a sunny spot (regular sun-light for most of the day) with a large area of well drained fertile soil of good depth (50 cm deep is a good start). Regular watering (not over-watering!) is appreciated and will allow the plant to move upwards.  Citrus fertiliser (with a decent amount of Potash in the N-P-K ration) is a great boost from springtime till autumn. E

Apple makes a surprise acquisition   Apple isn't known for being an M&A machine, but has made a $2 billion deal (according to the FT) to purchase an AI company – surprise, surprise. Q.ai is a four-year-old startup in the speech detection space, which can understand whispered speech and improve speech detection in noisy environments. They also have a patent to read your lips and understand micro-expressions on your face. I'd expect to see this new tech deployed on the Vision Pro and the AirPods. Q.ai has 100 employees – that's $20m of value per employee.     Apple beat Wall Street’s expectations   They announced $143.8 billion in revenue for Q4, which was about 4% higher than expected. CEO Tim Cook said the iPhone 17 was seeing “unprecedented demand”. The stock didn't pop, with fears around memory prices surging, supply chain issues, and Apple's seeming lack of AI strategy.     Amazon let 16,000 people go  A staggering number, and it was done by email. Some woke at 3am to

Wonder Man  Hollywood actor Simon Williams is thrust into the world of superheroes as he gets powers of his own, and becomes the new superhero Wonder Man (Disney+).     Memory of a Killer   Losing one's memory is a devastating hammer blow for anyone, but for Angelo, the stakes couldn't be higher. His hit man job would be perilous enough, but there's an added pressure: Angelo lives two totally separate lives -- fearsome NYC hitman, and sleepy upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father.   Having built and maintained a brick wall between his two worlds, Angelo has seamlessly juggled and compartmentalized for years. But now that's all about to change, because Alzheimer's is a foe he can't outrun, and he knows too well how this ends, as his older brother is already lost to the condition (Neon).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Secret Agent   In 1977, Marcelo, a technology teacher, moves from São Paulo to Recife during Carnival to escape his violent past and start over. He finds the city full of chaos, and his neighbours begin to spy on him.    Nouvelle Vague   The story of New Wave icon Jean-Luc Godard making Breathless, told with the same rule-breaking, freewheeling style he used to make it.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This dish magically transforms kūmara from side dish to star performer, and I can’t get enough of it.    Serves 2-4      Ingredients   2 orange kūmara, halved, skin on   2 tablespoons olive oil    1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses    1 teaspoon smoked paprika   ½ teaspoon sea salt   4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds   Small handful of mint & coriander   ½ cup fresh pomegranate arils/seeds   Yoghurt Dressing   ½ cup Greek yoghurt    1 tablespoon tahini   1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses   ½ teaspoon sea salt      Method  Heat oven to 180C. Line a tray with baking paper.    Mix oil with pomegranate molasses and paprika and rub/brush all over the kūmara. Lay out on the prepared tray, sprinkle with salt and roast for 45 minutes or until soft and cooked through.   Toss in the pumpkin seeds in the final 5-10 minutes and they will toast and puff up.   To make the yoghur

In our house this week, the juggle gets real.  After a year’s maternity leave, my wife is heading back to work. With a nearly-one-year-old and a nearly-nine-year-old, we’re balancing the two kids with two working parents. Every day is logistical jiu jitsu.   My wife has been making this point for ages, but as we’ve counted down the days to the new normal, I’ve come to appreciate its salience more than ever. Even though young people are the key to our future, economic and otherwise, somehow we’ve created a society that makes things incredible tricky for many young families.  First of all, to have a reasonable middle-class, home-owning life, most households need two working parents. There are exceptions of course, but I reckon most need two working parents. It’s my sense that this didn’t use to be the case. In the post-war years it was quite normal to have households with one working parent. It wasn’t that families were flush with cash! It’s just that relative to incomes, housing and the cost of

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a globally acclaimed celebration of military tradition, music, ceremony, and cultural performance.   It has been running for 75 years and in that time has only ever been performed overseas on five occasions.   And for the first time in a decade, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will return to New Zealand – performing for the very first time at Auckland’s Eden Park in February with the theme ‘The Heroes Who Made Us’.    Staff Sergeant David Fiu is a standout member of the NZDF Army band and will be taking part in what is set to be a phenomenal event.  He told Jack Tame he’s been fortunate to attend the Tattoo in Edinburgh seven times during his career with the NZ Army.  “I certainly do not take that for granted,” Fiu said.  “I really check myself when I’m there because it’s probably easy, midway through the season, to sort of get a little bit complacent.”   It’s a bucket list moment for many, Fiu explained to Jack Tame, and many

An ode to a Kiwi-created sport.  The Manu World Champs are currently underway, with the Grand Final taking place in mid-March.   It’s such a quintessentially Kiwi sport, and Kevin Milne would love to see it grow even further.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

January is nearing its end, but there’s plenty to come throughout the rest of the year.  Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to preview some of the albums set to release this year, and delve into some of the rumours floating around the music scene.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.