Kiwi Yarns

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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Sara Qasem is a Palestinian teacher and writer who immigrated to Aotearoa at a young age and is now based in Ōtautahi.

In 2019, Sara lost her father, Abdelfattah, who was killed at the Al Noor Mosque by an Australian far-right terrorist who opened fire on two mosques in Christchurch - killing 51 people and injuring dozens more.

Through spoken word poetry, Sara advocates for and raises awareness of the Palestinian people.

Her story, words, and perspective are powerful, moving, and not to be missed.

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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 healing.

This conversation, alongside reading his new memoir Mana, came at an especially meaningful time for me. I hope you enjoy this kōrero.

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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 ’90s?

We talk about the dire state of the media and the public’s distrust, his passion for road cycling, fertility, and the proper use of apostrophes.

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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 founder of Te Kiwi Māia, which provides rehabilitation, recovery, and respite for personnel and first responders who have sustained physical or psychological injuries while serving Aotearoa.

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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 programmes via the Annette Presley Dream Foundation.

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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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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 into the state of the world right now, and why she believes empathy and kindness are more important than ever.

Oh yeah – and that time she tripped over at Rhythm and Vines...

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