Kiwi Yarns

Welcome to Kiwi Yarns - those yarns you have where you sit down, put the kettle on, pour a whiskey or crack open a beer I honestly don‘t mind. Anyway! We‘re sitting down and we’re yarning to some great New Zealanders, their back stories, their front stories, even stories where they went sideways, we will go there. It’s a place where we celebrate the great people of this glorious nation.

Episodes

Veteran activist Tāme Iti on racism, te reo Māori, protesting, and how art saved his life

October 12, 2025 • 87 mins

For more than five decades, Tāme Iti has been at the forefront of the pursuit of Māori rights in Aotearoa. From being silenced from speaking te reo as a child, to finding strength in protest and tackling challenges head-on in remarkable ways, he has never stopped questioning the status quo. Tāme is as well known and respected for his art as for his activism, and says the former saved his life and played a vital role in his healin...

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Jon Bridges on the rising distrust in the media, being a middle-aged man in lycra, and the correct use of an apostrophe

October 5, 2025 • 77 mins

I hope Jon Bridges takes this the right way when he reads it - he’s genuinely one of the good guys in New Zealand media. With a television career spanning more than three decades, the comedian-turned-producer of some of the country’s biggest shows says it’s largely down to him saying “yes” to the jobs people ask him to do. And who in the Gen-X/elder millennial age bracket could forget Bridges’ luscious locks on Ice TV in the late...

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Rebecca Nelson: from street busking to singing for King Charles and being shoulder-tapped by the Navy - and the All Black who thought she was miming

September 28, 2025 • 51 mins

Today’s guest shares an incredible story of never giving up on what you love. Rebecca Nelson is practically on speaking terms with King Charles, having wowed him with her singing voice five times. Most of her gigs - from performing the national anthem at Gallipoli to entertaining a sell-out, rugby-mad crowd at Twickenham - grew out of her time busking on the streets. Rebecca now serves in the Royal New Zealand Navy and is the fo...

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Slingshot founder Annette Presley on helping young women, ambition, Telecom battles and the cost of success

September 21, 2025 • 59 mins

This week, we meet tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Annette Presley. Annette started her first business at 24, co-founded one of New Zealand’s earliest internet providers, Slingshot, took on Telecom in the early 2000s (and won), and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and women. Her latest mission? To support women and children through health, education, leadership, and wellbeing pro...

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Matt Watson’s painful epiphany that changed the course of his career - and what he’d do to overhaul New Zealand’s commercial fishing industry

September 14, 2025 • 86 mins

Today’s guest is probably the most famous fisherman in all of Aotearoa. Matt Watson only ever wanted to fish, and the kid who used to drag his dinghy up a steep boat ramp for the hour-long walk home has turned his passion into a remarkable career. Matt is such a brilliant storyteller that you’ll be hooked on this one (see what I did there). But truly - what a guy!

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Dame Jacinda Ardern on leadership, religion, kindness, the state of the world, and Rhythm and Vines

September 7, 2025 • 57 mins

It's taken seven years of asking (I'm very patient), but I finally get to sit down with our 40th Prime Minister, Dame Jacinda Ardern. She's beaming in from the other side of the world, but we manage to squeeze in just under an hour to discuss her book, A Different Kind of Power, which is enjoying success across the globe. We discuss her leadership and having no regrets about departing when she did. Jacinda shares her insights in...

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Meet Val Smith – New Zealand’s most-capped athlete and two-time lawn bowls world champion

August 31, 2025 • 73 mins

When you talk about (or even Google) celebrated athletes in this country, rugby players usually come up first. But I want you to meet New Zealand’s most-capped athlete, who has played an astonishing 667 international matches for her country. She is Val Smith, one of New Zealand’s most successful lawn bowls athletes. She’s a two-time world champion and has another nine world championship medals to her name. She’s also one of the ...

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Trailblazing drum and bass artist MC Tali on how her fighting spirit drives her past all the people who say no: 'Proving people wrong has always been satisfying'

August 24, 2025 • 76 mins

This week, we're with the trailblazing drum and bass star, award-winning vocalist, MC, producer, composer, music mentor and author - MC Tali, aka Natalia Sheppard. The girl from rural Taranaki became Aotearoa’s - and one of the world’s - first drum and bass MCs, despite coming up against an industry and people who told her she couldn’t. We will probably all learn a thing or two about how hard it is to MC a live gig! Tali is an ab...

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Dame Julie Christie: 37 years of TV, from reality shows to documentaries, and the power of never taking ‘no’ for an answer

August 17, 2025 • 84 mins

Dame Julie Christie remembers the first show she made back in 1988 as if it were yesterday. Her passion for making television is just as strong 300-odd shows later. Her eyes nearly roll to the back of her head when we mention the title "reality TV queen" that’s often thrown around to describe her, but there’s no denying Dame Julie was a global leader in the genre. We discuss the decline of television and what she thinks New Zeala...

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Somatic sexologist Morgan Penn is on a mission to educate about consent - and shares the deeply personal reason why

August 10, 2025 • 81 mins

Morgan Penn is the guest I've been most intimate with (you’ll find out how and why - how’s that for a teaser?). A lot has happened since we last spoke, but Morgan is still out there, openly sharing her journey and educating others. She believes we were never properly taught to value our bodies - and that feeling comfortable in your own skin is one of life’s greatest gifts. As host of the hugely successful Sex.Life podcast, which ...

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Country music queen Tami Neilson on carrying both joy and sorrow, touring with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, and music vs politics

August 3, 2025 • 84 mins

Tami Neilson’s just back from touring the US with her now-dear friend Willie Nelson - and Bob Dylan (yes, you’ll get the tea on what that was like...). She’s also released her latest album, Neon Cowgirl, and shares some truly stunning stories about how it came together - particularly how she’s recently learned to carry both joy and sorrow, in life and in music. Tami doesn’t shy away from a powerful kōrero on the problematic histo...

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Guy Montgomery on cracking Australia, the terror of success, making spelling bees funny, and Sex and the City 2

July 27, 2025 • 90 mins

Guy Montgomery has absolutely nailed it. The Billy T and Fred Award-winning, Logie-nominated comedian, writer, and television host is responsible for making spelling bees funny, doing podcasts long before most (and doing them well), and cracking into Aussie television. He's one of Aotearoa’s most internationally successful comedians, but he's back home with his latest stand-up show, I've Noticed So Many Things, It'd Be Unfair to ...

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Outward Bound CEO Malindi MacLean is 'obsessed' with getting kids offline and outdoors. Hear how she plans to do it.

July 20, 2025 • 75 mins

Today’s guest is Malindi MacLean, the first woman to lead Outward Bound as CEO. She took on the role while seven and a half months pregnant - and shares the many challenges that came with it. Malindi is also the co-founder of B416, a movement calling for a minimum age of 16 for social media in Aotearoa. Remarkably, she’s never had social media herself - and is determined to help shift our habits around screen time. This is a cand...

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EJ Barnes on growing up with 'freak of nature' dad Jimmy Barnes, finding her own voice, and working with Phil Rudd

July 13, 2025 • 45 mins

EJ Barnes is the proud daughter of Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes. In this fascinating episode, she reflects on growing up in a family where music always came first - joining her first band with her siblings at just six years old. And what was it really like having Jimmy Barnes as your dad during the wild years of the ’80s and ’90s?

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Russel Norman: Why he'd rather fight for the planet than hope, neoliberalism, and the attack on democracy

July 6, 2025 • 79 mins

Russel Norman left politics when he stepped down as Green Party co-leader ten years ago - but he still has plenty of skin in the game. In this wide-ranging discussion covering democracy, neoliberalism, the political spectrum, climate change and billionaires, we explore the state of the world - and what Russel believes must happen if the planet is to survive. The introverted kid from Brisbane, who now leads Greenpeace Aotearoa, ne...

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Six60’s Chris Mac on the band’s future, the myth of balance, and why it’s time to ditch tall poppy syndrome

June 29, 2025 • 71 mins

Six60 have been soundtracking Kiwi summers since ages ago - and they’ve got the accolades to prove it. The lads have spent a staggering 586 weeks on the New Zealand Singles Chart and a massive 1,232 weeks on the Albums Chart. In this episode, Chris Mac - the wildly talented, theatrical bassist - shares how five very different musicians (and personalities) have become one of the most successful bands in Aotearoa’s history. There ...

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Jo Kane - my mum, my inspiration, and the funniest woman I know

June 22, 2025 • 88 mins

This week’s guest is a little bit special. Actually - she’s very special. My mum swam the Cook Strait at 40, has completed multiple marathons and Ironman events, and now, as she nears 70, she’s preparing for yet another epic physical challenge. And she did it all while raising my brother and me. In this episode, the lines blur a bit over who’s interviewing whom, as we chat about our endurance achievements, mental toughness, futur...

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Shorty Street star Theo Dāvid on playing Romeo - the original 'F-Boy' - fatherhood, and the theatre of WWE

June 15, 2025 • 58 mins

Theo Dāvid is currently deep in rehearsals for Auckland Theatre Company’s Romeo and Juliet - and even if you’re not a Shakespeare geek, he shares some beautiful insights into why this 400-year-old writer and his works are still so relevant today. A proud Samoan who grew up in South Auckland, Theo now lives in Mission Bay (his mates give him plenty of stick for that) with his beautiful partner and their two young boys. But the plac...

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Tanita Garnett beat cancer twice as a young girl - now she's chasing a Black Ferns jersey

June 8, 2025 • 55 mins

Tanita Garnett is 22 years old and has already beaten cancer twice. She picked up a rugby ball at 14, and by 16, she’d made the Tasman Mako training squad. Now recovering from a tough ACL injury, Tanita opens up about the physical and mental challenges of rehab - and what keeps her going. She’s also a qualified joiner, choosing a trade to support herself while chasing her rugby dreams. Tanita is a remarkable young woman. Her sto...

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Changing the fear around menopause - and why we must Fix Iron First: A conversation with Dr Libby

June 1, 2025 • 82 mins

Today’s guest is Dr Libby Weaver - a thirteen-time bestselling author and internationally acclaimed nutritional biochemist. For years, Dr Libby has dedicated herself to empowering people to take control of their health through education and practical insights. Her current focus is on raising awareness about iron - one of the most overlooked yet essential aspects of wellbeing. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to b...

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Kiwi Yarns

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Veteran activist Tāme Iti on racism, te reo Māori, protesting, and how art saved his life

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Jon Bridges on the rising distrust in the media, being a middle-aged man in lycra, and the correct use of an apostrophe

Rebecca Nelson: from street busking to singing for King Charles and being shoulder-tapped by the Navy - and the All Black who thought she was miming

Slingshot founder Annette Presley on helping young women, ambition, Telecom battles and the cost of success

Matt Watson’s painful epiphany that changed the course of his career - and what he’d do to overhaul New Zealand’s commercial fishing industry

Dame Jacinda Ardern on leadership, religion, kindness, the state of the world, and Rhythm and Vines

Meet Val Smith – New Zealand’s most-capped athlete and two-time lawn bowls world champion

Trailblazing drum and bass artist MC Tali on how her fighting spirit drives her past all the people who say no: 'Proving people wrong has always been satisfying'

Dame Julie Christie: 37 years of TV, from reality shows to documentaries, and the power of never taking ‘no’ for an answer

Somatic sexologist Morgan Penn is on a mission to educate about consent - and shares the deeply personal reason why

Country music queen Tami Neilson on carrying both joy and sorrow, touring with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, and music vs politics

Guy Montgomery on cracking Australia, the terror of success, making spelling bees funny, and Sex and the City 2

Outward Bound CEO Malindi MacLean is 'obsessed' with getting kids offline and outdoors. Hear how she plans to do it.

EJ Barnes on growing up with 'freak of nature' dad Jimmy Barnes, finding her own voice, and working with Phil Rudd

Russel Norman: Why he'd rather fight for the planet than hope, neoliberalism, and the attack on democracy

Six60’s Chris Mac on the band’s future, the myth of balance, and why it’s time to ditch tall poppy syndrome

Jo Kane - my mum, my inspiration, and the funniest woman I know

Shorty Street star Theo Dāvid on playing Romeo - the original 'F-Boy' - fatherhood, and the theatre of WWE

Tanita Garnett beat cancer twice as a young girl - now she's chasing a Black Ferns jersey

Changing the fear around menopause - and why we must Fix Iron First: A conversation with Dr Libby

Popular Podcasts

Veteran activist Tāme Iti on racism, te reo Māori, protesting, and how art saved his life

Jon Bridges on the rising distrust in the media, being a middle-aged man in lycra, and the correct use of an apostrophe