Advertise on podcast: Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Kiwi ecologist and best-selling natural history author Robert Vennell is back with a new book.  He published his first book seven years ago – 'The meaning of Trees' looking at the history and use of New Zealand's native plants.   Since then, he's published 'Secrets of the Sea', 'The Forgotten Forest', and just last month released 'Song of the Birds', looking at the history of our native birds.  In the book, Vennell looks at both how humans have impacted and shaped the lives of birds, and also how birds have shaped the lives of humans.  "They've shaped our culture, and our, our language, and our worldview in lots of different ways," he told Jack Tame.  "The book kind of explores the influence of birds on Te Ao Māori, sort of through the culture, through how birds have influenced the language, through whakapapa, through waiata and poetry..."   "But also how birds have come to be this kind of shared New Zealand identity, a big part of how we think about ourselves is these kinds of distinctive, unique creatures in this little island in the South Pacific."   LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has a conundrum.   The Election is officially one week away on November 7th. Also on November 7th is his wife Linda's birthday.  This puts Kevin between a rock and a hard place, as he loves watching the Election Night coverage, whereas Linda's not so keen.  He put it to Jack Tame whether he should join her and their daughter for celebrations, or spend the night in front of the television.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five years after releasing his debut album, Kiwi musician TEEKS is back with something new.  'Lovers Comet' explores desire, intimacy, identity, and love through the lens of celestial bodies and cosmic phenomena.   Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the album.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Ōamaru and the Waitaki District is undoubtedly having a moment. It is basking in the global spotlight. Not only has the destination been lauded as a must-visit in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2027 guide, but set-jetters will be stimulated by the town’s gorgeous historic district, as lavishly depicted in the major Netflix production, East of Eden.   "I have long believed that Ōamaru stands tall as one of New Zealand’s finest towns, with its stately and seductive good looks, stirring local wildlife, astonishing heritage treasures, and alluring artisan verve. And it’s all anchored with a striking sense of community pride and passion. Even the public gardens are next-level, with so many artistic flourishes, including the much-loved Humpty Dumpty wall statue. The heritage streetscapes are bewitching, housing a hive of temptations, from the science fiction meets Victoriana fun of Steampunk, to the creatives, craft brewers and boutiques within the harbourside precinct." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child   Jack Reacher is a hard man to track down. And that’s just the way he likes it.  But General Susan Turner, based deep inside the Pentagon, has the means, and the motive, to do so.  She needs his help. A member of her team has been brutally murdered on covert duty. She can’t trust anyone she works with, not even her deputy. She needs someone from the outside. Someone who solves problems and disappears without a trace.  Reacher heads to Summertown, Colorado. A town as remote and bizarre as it gets. One diner, one motel, five massive data centres, two giant solar farms humming away in the dust. Total population: four people. And one of them is watching him.  But Reacher isn’t built to run. He’s built to finish things.  General Turner knows: if they come for him, they'll regret it - all the way to the top of the chain.    London Station by David McKloskey   A new US administration has taken office, installing a brash and unconventional CIA director skeptical of old alliances and determined to disrupt the Agency. When the axe falls on the chief of London Station, the agency veteran decides to spy for the Brits―a betrayal uncovered by his replacement, Artemis Aphrodite Procter. Caught between a turncoat spymaster and a ruthless new boss back at Langley, Procter must now navigate a tense environment as old friends become adversaries and no one knows whom to trust.  Adding to the chaos is a new breed of private intelligence agency: a secretive and powerful company run by a reclusive billionaire with a very different agenda than the two old allies who are suddenly at each other’s throats.  When assets begin dying, Procter and her team in London Station must find out who is leaking the sources’ identities―and why―before both agencies go blind. Soon they will have to decide whether loyalty to the Mission means disobeying the Agency they serve. Immersing readers in the technological revolution upending intelligence tradecraft, London Station explores the changing nature of the spy business and what happens when politics threaten to destroy the special relationship between America and Britain.    LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paracetamol is one of the most widely used over-the-counter medications we have and most of us probably use it for common things such as headaches, muscle aches, etc. Unlike anti-inflammatory medications which work directly at the site of pain by reducing inflammation, paracetamol acts on our brain and nervous system to reduce our perception of pain or the strength of the pain response in our brains.   Given it works directly on our brains, it may not be surprising that if could have other effects on us as well, for example, impacting our emotional response to pain. In fact, previous research has found that paracetamol reduces emotional responses to things like their own social rejection and empathy for others' pain.   New research looked at how paracetamol might impact people’s sense of fear, an emotion which is linked to pain, as it can keep us safe by making us more careful around potentially dangerous situations.   To test this out, researchers gave participants either paracetamol or a placebo an hour before doing a task. Their task was to play a VR game called “Richie’s Plank Experience”. In this game people go up to the 80th floor of a skyscraper and walk as far as they can along a 2-metre plank. To make it even more real, the researchers got people to walk on an actual plank while playing the game. In the game itself you can jump off the plank and fly around the city putting out fires.   The researchers measured a variety of characteristics indicative of fear and found that those people who took paracetamol:   Stepped onto the plank sooner   Walked across the plank faster   Had a smaller increase in heart rate while on the plank   Interestingly, participants did not report dramatically lower fear levels when directly asked how frightened they felt. However, their behaviour and physiological responses suggested they were reacting less cautiously to the threatening situation.   The researchers believe that paracetamol may influence brain regions involved in evaluating the significance of events. If dangers seem less threatening, fear responses may become weaker. This could explain why people on paracetamol moved more quickly and appeared less cautious when doing this task.   The findings raise an important question: if paracetamol reduces fear-related caution, could it influence behaviour in real-world situations?   Fear often serves a protective purpose. It encourages people to:   Slow down   Assess risks carefully   Avoid dangerous situations   Pay attention to threats   If a medication reduces some of these protective responses, it could theoretically affect decisions in situations such as driving, operating machinery, working at heights etc.   BUT – it's important to say not to stop using paracetamol based on the strengths of this one study! Nor should people try and use more as a way of self-medicating, as there are considerable dangers in overusing paracetamol, particularly liver damage.   However, it is interesting to be aware that side effects of a common medication could be much wider than we initially think and it’s good to understand these.   Here’s the reference in case anyone is interested: Behavioural consequences of blunting fear with acetaminophen. Emotion, 26(6), 1315–1322.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday October 31 2026, Kiwi ecologist and best-selling natural history author Robert Vennell joins Jack to explain how you can train a tūī, what pūkeko tastes like, and the things he's optimistic about with the future of our native bird life.  Jack casts his vote in favour of getting onboard with Halloween.  We hear Francesca Rudkin's take on the psychological thriller films Clayface and Primetime.  We're off to sample what Oamaru has to offer with our travel buddy Mike Yardley.  And our book reviewer Catherine Raynes gives us a debrief on the newest instalment of the Reacher series: Lee Childs' 'Chain Reaction'.  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.

Earlier this week, the Reserve Bank voted to hold the Official Cash Rate at 2.75% instead of raising it.  The decision was counter to what many economists were expecting – so why did they decide to stick with it?  Ed McKnight joined Jack Tame to dig into the details that likely drove the decision, and discuss where interest rates could go next.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quite a few years ago we lived in Meadowbank, Auckland, with a wonderful garden designed and kept in great condition by my Julie.   A row of Olive trees were doing quite well – they were still smallish in size (the width of the Main trunk). One of them started to show troubles with yellowing and leaves going down-hill.   I had a look and discovered that a pūriri moth caterpillar had decided to create its tunnel right in the middle of that olive tree   Their modus operandi is quite amazing: the caterpillar will chew the trees underneath its leaves. You can only see the action when you peel off the leaves' cover. The caterpillar hides in its tunnel inside the trunk of the tree, and it will sit there for at least five years as it grows.    In our case, the damage was fatal – Julie was quite upset! But there’s little you can do about these native, endemic moths.  When the moth finally emerges, that huge insect will fly around for a night, finding a partner, mating, and dropping hundreds of eggs like a B52 Bomber.   This is a female, who often have patterned wings.    Pūriri moths are the largest moths in New Zealand, and the males are slightly smaller than the females, and are often far more yellow in colour.    This year it feels like the pūriri moth is having a great time out there.   After walking around some native forests in Auckland with a group of teachers, we came across many signs of native trees with native caterpillars creating native signs and stories.  The remnants of the old pūriri moth tunnel systems often become a perfect “second hand home” for our native tree weta.   Which just shows you there might be "damage”, but every critter is part of our wonderful Native Ecosystem!    LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can't believe we're talking about this again, but it's been ANOTHER dangerous week on the internet. This time billions have been stolen in Crypto It took just 20 minutes to steal $6.3 billion.   This was a super sophisticated and planned attack, with preparations starting 36 hours beforehand. It's suspected to be linked to a North Korean hacking group, but that hasn't been confirmed.   The initial investigation suggested it "involved a compromised laptop, however, our subsequent investigation has uncovered additional points of breach", so possibly taking information from that laptop to be used in their services and infrastructure. It's thought the attackers instructed Binance's internal tooling to approve the unauthorized withdrawals.   Binance has pledged to cover all losses – it thinks it has/can recover $3 billion in funds. But it’s also saying that it's seeing sophisticated and seemingly automated transactions to launder this money. Secret Service investigators are also “working around the clock” with the private sector to recover stolen funds. The same day, Polymarket was also attacked, with 700 users drained of $2.7 million in funds.     Apple adds touch to the MacBook   About time. This is the feature I've been waiting for. The critics will say your laptop isn't meant to touch, but those people haven't lived. Yes, it's not something you do all the time, but the ability to quickly tap the screen to fill in a form, or to scroll on a webpage is really nice! I haven't had a Microsoft Surface in years, but I miss that!   Does this mean we're one step closer to a single operating system across all the devices?    LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love It or List It   The iconic property series hits our shores! Will Kiwi homeowners love it or list it when The Block NZ winner Alex Walls pitches a stunning renovation, while real estate agent Paul Glover offers a selection of greener pastures? (TVNZ and TVNZ+)     Minimum Wage   Teens struggle to run a local pizzeria while juggling school, a manic boss and minimum wage in this series based on the hit social media shorts (Netflix).    LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clayface  Matt Hagen’s meteoric rise from Gotham street kid to Hollywood leading man is tragically cut short when a local crime boss’s actions leave him horribly disfigured. Abandoned by his team and with nothing left, Matt seeks out a cutting edge treatment that miraculously returns him to his former self… but also unexpectedly affects his grip on reality, spiraling him down a destructive path of all-consuming revenge.     Primetime   In 2006, To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history, turning an undercover investigation into one of the most controversial cultural phenomena of the decade.    LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m always caught short for Halloween with no treats in the house. Not this year! Kids love this slice crunchy chocolatey treat and it’s super easy to make.   Makes 16-20 pieces    Ingredients   Base and topping  4 cups crushed cornflakes  1 cup desiccated coconut  3 tbsps. dark cocoa powder  1 cup icing sugar  200g pure coconut oil, melted  Caramel Filling  200g (about 2/3 of a can) sweetened condensed milk  85g butter  2 tbsps. golden syrup  ¼ cup brown sugar    Method  Line a Swiss roll tin with baking paper.  Make the base: in a large bowl, crush the cornflakes with the base of a jar or mug. Add coconut, cocoa powder and icing sugar.   Pour in the coconut oil and stir until everything is well combined.  Press two thirds of the mix firmly into the bottom of the lined tin. Chill it to set while you make the caramel.  Make the caramel: in a small pot over low-to-medium heat, combine the condensed milk, butter, golden syrup and brown sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for about 2 minutes stirring to prevent it catching on the base of the pot.   Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.  Pour the warm caramel evenly over the chilled cornflake base.  Spread the remaining cornflake mixture over the top and chill down again until completely firm.  Cut into squares to serve. Yum!  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s October 31st.    Whoop whoop. You know what that means. That half-finished box of Favourites wedged into the back corner of your pantry since Christmas two years ago could be about to have a very exciting afternoon. Let’s hope the neighbourhood kids like an Old Gold or a Turkish Delight.  I have absolutely no data to back this up, but I feel like Halloween is a bigger deal today than when I was a kid. At least in the stores, right? Any marketing hook will do if it means hawking a few more ultra-processed goodies or topping up the micro-plastics in the Pacific.   But then again, maybe not. In my neighbourhood at least, you still don’t see huge numbers of kids trick-or-treating. My wife is always desperate for them to visit our house. She thinks it’s cute and exciting. But for the last few years we haven’t had a single visitor. She’s put out Halloween decorations and gone back and forth between the couch and the letterbox, scanning the street. In the end, we’ve cut a pathetic image, the two of us, sinking into the couch at about 8.30pm and eating the goodies ourselves. But the end I’ve eaten so much that I’m really not enjoying it, I’m just eating.    When I lived in the States, Halloween was a huge deal, of course. I remember my first Halloween, waiting for my apartment’s buzzer to ring with a bucketful of candy for the Spanish Harlem kids.   They never arrived either. It was only in Year Two that I realised no one was going to walk up the stairs to get to my apartment. Instead, a lot of my neighbours would get a few drinks and park up in deck chairs on the footpath instead... having a few beers and handing out candy at the same time.   You may well be a misery guts when it comes to Halloween. It’s very easy to chalk it up as nothing more than a shameless money grab. No better than Valentine’s Day! Worse, even – an Americanised excuse to separate you from your dollars. But if every commercial occasion is being squarely judged on what it actually involves, Halloween isn’t so bad.  For starters, a good Halloween outfit requires a bit of creativity. Who doesn’t love a good dress up?  It’s a chance to stretch a creative muscle and while most people don’t, I’m always tickled when I see a really clever Halloween outfit. The best ones are always homemade. If you bought it whole or rented it, I’m afraid it doesn't count.    In this day and age of isolation, I suppose it’s also a reasonable opportunity to get to meet the neighbours. I figure Halloween is the only time that some people who live on the same street would ever find themselves knocking on their neighbours’ doors.  And if you disagree, you think Halloween is plain dumb, just wait until you turn the calendar over tomorrow morning and realise we’re in the first week of November. If it’s ultimately a choice between my neighbours’ kids putting on some costumes and knocking on the door and my neighbours firing off $300 worth of fireworks on a blustery night... sorry, but it’s a no-brainer.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuart McKenzie describes his latest play as a "theological road trip".  'After God' is the latest work of theatrical power couple Dame Miranda Harcourt and Stuart McKenzie – a verbatim play about a search for meaning and discussions with theologists.  "I think people are kind of searching for meaning, for a sense of what makes their lives tick. There's a lot of darkness and a lot of uncertainty in the world, as there always is," McKenzie told Jack Tame.  "I think it's more amplified at the moment, of course, but there is a feeling of what else is there? What am I here for? So 'After God' is a play to answer that question, but it does it with humour."  Both he and Harcourt directed the show, and she told Tame they came at it from very different angles.   "It's like a post-ethical theologian and an atheist walk into a room together. I'm an atheist, Stuart's a post-ethical theologian," Harcourt explained.  "My staunch atheism has not been challenged, but I really understand Stuart's perspective a lot more having worked on this play."  "And that's what I would offer the audience, is that you understand a lot more about yourself and the people around you once you've seen this play."  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.