Kiwi Yarns
Kiwi YarnsSubscribed: 785Played: 26,830
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© 2024 rova | Brodie Kane Media
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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.
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What do you do when you're staring down a $700,000 mortgage and suddenly lose your job?
For beloved broadcaster Brodie Kane, redundancy at the start of the pandemic was the push she needed to build her own media empire.
We talk about the reality of being your own boss, redefining home ownership by buying with her mum, and why she still identifies as a girl from Waikuku Beach.
This episode was made possible thanks to our friends at enable.me. Financial coaching and strategic advice. Pay down debt. Grow wealth. Retire well.
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The media landscape in Aotearoa is changing at breakneck speed and we’re all feeling the noise. Brodie sits down with The Spinoff’s Toby Manhire to talk about the reality of the newsroom today. From the closure of Newshub to the rise of AI, Toby shares why he’s still optimistic about journalism in an election year. Plus, he gives us his personal plan for avoiding total news burnout.
Find out more about Toby's upcoming event, 'Breakfast with Papers' here.
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This week I'm joined by yoga teacher and dancer Renee Stewart, who opens up about forging her own path from the global dance stage to the world’s most remote corners. If there was ever a competition for 'coolest parents' at parent teacher interviews, Renee could be a front runner with Rachel Hunter and Rod Stewart.
Renee shares what it’s really like to cross the terrifying Drake Passage to reach Antarctica, and the pull back to her Kiwi roots. It’s a warm, honest chat about movement, mental tools, and finding your own flow.
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Hello there beautiful listeners! Brodie, Gracie and Tegan here with some exciting news to share and, we wanted you to be the first to hear it from us.This year, we're bringing you Let Her Finish. The podcast will appear right here, so nothing for you to do.
We cannot wait to see you all in a couple of weeks xxx
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I'm joined by an absolute legend of the Aotearoa drag scene in the bach this week.
Edward Cowley, better known as the iconic Buckwheat, joins me to mark a massive milestone: the 40th anniversary of the Homosexual Law Reform Act.
From the secret nightclub stairs of the 80s to being a Samoan father of three, Edward shares it all with heart and a bit of sparkle.
We dig into the grit behind the glamour, why Pride is still so vital in 2026, and the power of a really good headpiece.
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This week we're joined by Olympic gold winning coach Bev Priestman for a deeply personal conversation. Bev opens up about the 'survival mode' she had to endure following the Canadian football team drone scandal at the Paris Olympics.
We talk about finding peace in North Canterbury, the challenge of leading our Wellington Phoenix, and why she’s ready to earn back the trust of the game she loves.
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Welcome back to Kiwi Yarns, and welcome to our new bach! We're kicking off 2026 with a man who has clocked up billions of views just by being his gorgeous self.
Louis Davis opens up about the 'delusional confidence' his parents gave him, and how he navigated the jump from a small town in the Far North to rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars like Jason Momoa.
We also speak about the dark side of social media, and Louis shares his mission to change the stereotype of Māori men.
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Imagine being responsible for a heart no bigger than a walnut.
This week I sit down with Dr Kirsten Finucane, the legendary former Chief Surgeon at Starship, to talk about a career spent performing life-saving miracles on New Zealand’s most vulnerable children.
Kirsten opens up about the grit it takes to handle high-stakes surgery and why she finally decided it was time to trade the operating theatre for conservation work in Central Otago.
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What happens when two very different minds click in all the right ways? The Rock's Jay Reeve and Duncan Heyde (aka Jay and Dunc) on the special relationship that’s powered their success on-air and beyond.
From side hustles to global podcast growth, and maintaining healthy relationships while staying busy, the lads open up about how they navigate it all. There’s plenty of honesty around mental load, family life, and the general chaos that comes with chasing every opportunity that life throws.
We also discuss what keeps the lads grounded! We talk about the power of strong connections, strong partners, and being good dads.
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From growing up in South Auckland to performing on the world’s biggest opera stages, Pene Pati shares a wonderful yarn of the long road (including all the speed bumps) that got him there.
His is a story about resilience, family, identity, and the challenges he still faces before he walks out infront of an audience. He opens up about the pressure of the industry, the reality of rejection, and why he still sometimes feels like an outsider in the traditionally European opera world.
Let's not forget the great joy he brings us with being one-third of our beloved Sol3 Mio! We talk the sacrifices that come with living overseas, and the big dreams he still carries. One day, he hopes the world’s biggest opera houses will be singing Māori and Samoan songs too.
Tenor: My Name is Pati is out now in New Zealand cinemas.
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What a year it’s been. A huge thank you to all our incredible guests for joining us and sharing their stories. The kōrero throughout 2025 has been raw, real, uplifting, entertaining and inspiring.
In this bonus Best of episode, we revisit some of our favourite moments from the past year, featuring Samantha Hayes, Matt Watson, Tami Neilson, Eru Kapa-Kingi, Martin Guptill, Sara Qasem, Jo Kane, Russel Norman, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Paul Henry.
We can’t wait for more outstanding yarns in 2026.
Mā te wā.
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For the final episode of the year, I thought it fitting to invite someone whose job is literally to explain things, and ask him to put it all into context.
Not all of it is good news, but it’s important we reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly in this tumultuous world.
Fear not, though - award-winning journalist, good friend and Stuff’s Explainer Editor Lloyd Burr joins me for plenty of laughs, a dose of therapy, some wisdom and advice, and a proper go at brioche buns.
Thank you, as always, for your wonderful support. Look out for Kiwi Yarns highlights over the next few weeks, and I’ll see you for more yarns with brilliant Kiwis in 2026.
Mā te wā!
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Ella Monnery is the voice of Christmas in the Park, belts out bangers at Synthony, and takes the main stage at Rhythm and Vines — but it’s only this year that she has focused on her solo career. With the support of her partner - producer and rapper Kings - she’s stepping confidently into a new phase.
From The Voice Australia to a nine-month cruise-ship contract, Ella has always been singing - and loving it. But challenges remain, including vocal surgery next year.
And yes, we’re dressed as Christmas decorations for this delightful chat in honour of the season!
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The aura of Matu Ngaropo hits you straight away, which is why it’s easy to see how he’s one of those performers who can do it all - and do it all well.
Matu works across film, television, and theatre. He took on one of the biggest roles of his career when he landed the part of George Washington in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, performing across Australia and New Zealand an astonishing 700 times.
We geek out over what it takes to do something like that - and look ahead to another major role he has coming up in New Zealand next year, in & Juliet.
A fabulous kōrero with a wonderfully talented human!
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1Niki Bezzant never set out to become New Zealand’s “menopause woman”, but the journalist, author, and speaker is really leaning into that title now.
It was the Healthy Food Guide founding editor’s own experiences that made her realise how little support there was for women.
Today we cut through the bullshit and hear how brilliant Niki is at helping us understand hormones, health, and happiness in menopause, midlife, and beyond (which is also the name of her best-selling book!).
And for my lovely male listeners - yes, this one’s absolutely for you as well.
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Almost everyone has an opinion on Paul Henry. Good or bad, people have certainly made up their minds about one of the country’s best-known broadcasters.
But should we pump the brakes on always thinking about his time on Breakfast? Is there more to Paul Henry than those controversial one-liners from way back when?
The new The Chase New Zealand host sits down to chat about all the other things that make up Paul Henry.
Your mind may or may not change about him - but give it a crack!
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Claire Turnbull is a nutritionist, best-selling author and professional well-being speaker.
What makes Claire so powerful is her lived experience. This isn’t some self-proclaimed “guru” pushing an agenda - Claire cuts through the shit and tells it like it is.
She cares because she’s been through it too: navigating disordered eating, dyslexia, depression, anxiety, postnatal psychosis, a brain injury, and now parenting a neurodiverse child.
Hearing Claire speak earlier this year was a game changer for me - and I hope this episode can be that for you too.
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René Heyde left his 14th school in Year 12 after a teacher told him he was “useless”.
He wasn’t. He was a kid surviving a traumatic childhood, just trying to find his way.
A few years later, after a chance ride through the streets of Christchurch, René was wearing a New Zealand jersey at the 1974 Commonwealth Games - and bringing home a bronze medal. At the closing ceremony, he and a team-mate even stopped the Queen’s Land Rover in its tracks.
Fifty years on, at 70, René cycled nearly 4,000 kilometres across Australia to raise money for Cholmondeley Children’s Centre - the place that helped him through his toughest years.
René’s story is a reminder that no matter where you start, it’s never too late to grab life by the handlebars and ride it for all it’s worth.
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She never set out to be the greatest rugby player of all time - she was just a little girl who loved sport.
We’re lucky that girl was Portia Woodman-Wickliffe - a trailblazer for women’s rugby here in Aotearoa and across the world.
At 34, she’s the top try-scorer in New Zealand rugby history, but that’s never been her “why”.
We talk equality in sport, media coverage (or lack of it), and the future of the game - plus Barbies, babies, curly hair and midwifery.
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Award-winning journalist Lisette Reymer is Stuff’s senior correspondent and author of No, I Don’t Get Danger Money.
Lisette spent three years as Newshub’s Europe Correspondent - and it’s fair to say what she witnessed and covered during that time is almost hard to comprehend. Eight trips to Ukraine during the war, Donald Trump’s indictment, the October 7 attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, the Queen’s death, the Tokyo Olympics - and that’s just the beginning.
A former Breakfast colleague of mine and a girl who grew up on a Waikato dairy farm, Lisette tells some incredible yarns!
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