Real Life With John Cowan
John Cowan hosts ‘Real Life’, a weekly nationwide chat show on Newstalk ZB featuring a different high-profile guest every week. John talks with them about their life, their upbringing, their passions and their view of the world.
Episodes
Judy joined the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation in 1971, working as a reporter on news and current affairs programmes. She presented the regional news with John Hawkesby for Auckland from 1980 to 1987 in the programme Top Half. Judy went on to front ONE News, the highest-rated evening television news programme in New Zealand, for twenty-six years. On leaving TVNZ, she presented Māori Television's ANZAC Day programme for many y...
Graeme has recently retired as the New Zealand director of Mercy Ships, an international faith-based organisation that operates hospital ships that sail worldwide and deliver free healthcare to countries with little or no access to safe surgical care.
Graeme began at Mercy Ships in 1983 initially taught the crew's children on board the ships, working his way up to executive leadership roles, goi...
Archdeacon of Tamaki Makaurau
Until 2010, Dr Lyndon Drake was a Vice President at Barclays Capital, trading government bonds and interest-rate derivativ...
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack says she “nearly ended up in a cult” as a teenager, but escaped after just a few weeks after growing suspicious with the group’s “dodgy” behaviour.
The Labour politician was briefly a member of the International Church of Christ, a religious sect known for its aggressive proselytising, while attending Auckland University in 1998.
In an interview with Newstalk ZB’s Real Life with John Cowan on Sunday night,...
Comedian Guy Montgomery was born and raised in Christchurch and went on to study at Victoria University of Wellington. He moved to Canada in 2010 to start his comedy career. He then returned home (partly to co-host Late U) before moving to New York City. Together with Tim Blatt, Guy is co-host of the podcasts Worst Idea of All Time, Friendzone, and 'Til Death Do Us Blart.
Guy won the Billy T Awa...
Italian-Kiwi Vince worked as a civil engineer from 1990 to 2000 before developing his IT company, Cocurullo’s Ltd, which still operates today. In 2005 Vince became very ill with what turned out to be mercury poisoning from amalgam fillings in his teeth. As a result of this, he experienc...
Tommy was born in New South Wales, Australia. He received his first guitar in 1959 (at age four) and was taught by his mother to accompany her, playing lap steel guitar. By age six, he was a working professional musician after his father created a family band, sold their home, and took his family on the road. Tommy would go on tour with country music star Buddy Williams and record several albums with Buddy William...
Gary Chapman, born in a small town in North Carolina, USA, has become widely known for his work in the realm of relationships, particularly in marriage and family counselling. He has written more than forty books with The 5 Love Languages, one of his most popular titles, topping various bestseller charts for years. He also hosts radio programmes A Love Language Minute and Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapm...
As a child, acclaimed illusionist and mentalist Scott revelled in mystery. Born and raised in Glasgow, he found a mentor in the owner of a magic shop in Glasgow. As a teenager, he took a hypnosis course in Milan and went on to study drama and performance at the University of Edinburgh.
Scott is making his New Zealand debut in March 2024 at the Auckland Arts Festival with his show ‘Wonders’ playing at SkyCity Theatre.
See omny...
After working as an English teacher and then as an Anglican clergyman near Liverpool, UK, Peter and his wife Miranda moved to Portugal in 1983 to establish and run A Rocha, a global family of conservation organisations working together to live out God’s calling to care for creation and equip others to do likewise, and the first field study centre and bird observatory were established. In 1995, they moved to Franc...
Dave Brebner grew up with undiagnosed and debilitating Tourette Syndrome. Despite the hardships of his teenage years, as a person who was not going to fit the mould of a standard high school education without difficulty, he has gone on to complete an electrical trade qualification, a Bachelor's Degree of Education in Adult Vocational and Workplace Training, and two Master's Degrees in Educational Neuroscience and ...
Ella Harris is a 25-year-old New Zealand professional cyclist, currently riding for UCI Women's Continental Team Lifeplus Wahoo. She won the Zwift global stationary trainer competition in 2018, which earned her a contract with Women's World Tour's Canyon SRAM team. At home, she won the national under-23 time trial in 2020 and has earned a number of heralded performances internationally.
Ella started cycling at 10 years old w...
Educated in Sri Lanka, Selina Kumar went on to study in the Philippines and the United States. She then returned to Sri Lanka to work with underprivileged children. After a 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka left thousands widowed, homeless and without livelihoods, Selina wanted to help smallholder dairy farmers out of poverty. She created something sustainable that would help her community, and her journey began with encouragement fro...
Mikey Havoc first became a DJ on the University of Auckland's 95bFM radio station in the early 1990s. He was on the breakfast show from 1996 to 2002, winning Best New Broadcaster at the 1997 New Zealand Radio Awards and later moved to the afternoon-evening "Drive" show. He once again took over as the breakfast show host in 2006. In 2010 Havoc returned to his Drive slot and in 2012 joined rock station Hauraki on weeknights 7-10 pm. ...
Dr Claire Achmad is an advocate for children, having worked in various areas relating to children's rights. She was appointed as the Deputy Chair of the Children and Young People's Commission in July 2023 and, from November 1st, took up the role of Chief Children's Commissioner and Chair of the Commission for a five-year term.
From 2021 to 2023, Claire served as Chief Executive Officer of Social Service Providers Te Pai Ora ...
Shane Hales, known by the stage name Shane, grew up in Surrey, England, before moving to Australia and then New Zealand. He started his career in 1966 as a member of the Australian band The Pleazers before forming his own band, Shane. He became a regular singer on the television pop programme C'mon and was part of the C'mon 1968 national tour. His cover of Terry Knight's Saint Paul flew to the top of the charts an...
Dr Phil Bagshaw was an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Otago Christchurch until he retired in 2010. He practised as a specialist General Surgeon, did research and taught surgery. In 2007, he opened the Canterbury Charity Hospital for patients who can’t access public hospital care and can’t afford private care. He is chairman of the Trust that runs it and works as a volunteer.
Phil and his wife Dame Sue Ba...
Benedict is a political journalist working for 1News in the Wellington press gallery. He has a strong interest in covering anything to do with illicit drugs and enforcement. He's covered punitive drug-testing sanctions applied to beneficiaries, attempts to legalise pill-testing at festivals, the 2020 cannabis referendum, and, in 2018 helped expose a meth-testing scandal.
This month, Benedict's book Mad on Meth: ...
Craig is a former banker from Dunedin who started his music career in the late 1960s. After involvement with the bands Klap and Fantasy, Scott joined the band Revival who won a Battle of the Bands contest in May 1969. Their song Viva Bobby Joe which peaked at #14 on the related singles chart.
After leaving Revival, Craig released a series of commercially successful singles. Smiley reached #3 on the New Zealand pop chart, Sta...
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