The Department of Conversation with Pat Brittenden

Leighton Clarke (a.k.a. Uncle Tics) shot to fame during the Covid-19 lockdown period through his TikTok channel, Uncle Tics - Living with Tourettes. The channel now boasts over 1 million followers. Leighton is an advocate for Tourettes in New Zealand and also suffers from the syndrome himself.

He is a professional videographer and the go-to man for Hamilton's nightlife and music events.

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Kim Crossman is an actress, author, presenter, producer, writer, director, dancer, stand-up comedian and cheerleader who is best known for her role as Sophie McKay on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She is the co-founder of Joyable, a global hub for funded collaborative gifting.

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Winston Peters has served since 2017 as the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was previously Treasurer of New Zealand and Deputy Prime Minister from 1996 to 1998.

Peters has led the populist New Zealand First party since its foundation in 1993. He has been a member of Parliament since 2011, having previously served from 1979 to 1981 and 1984 to 2008

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Julia Deans is a singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer of rock band Fur Patrol.

Deans also released the solo album, Modern Fables, released in 2010. It was well received and was short-listed for the Taite Music Prize, with single "A New Dialogue" long-listed for the APRA Silver Scroll award.

Deans has dipped her fingers in many more creative endeavours including being a part of The Adults whose 2011 self-titled album which was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2012 New Zealand Music Awards and in 2012 embarking on a theatrical project, starring with Jon Toogood in Silo Theatre's production of Brel: The Words and Music of Jacques Brel.

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Suzy Cato is a New Zealand children's entertainer. She is best known as the host of several New Zealand children's television programmes, most notably Suzy's World and You and Me.

In April 2020 NZ's Ministry of Education and TVNZ 1 shoulder tapped Suzy to be involved with the new Home Learning TV - Papa Kāinga TV. An initiative that ensured every child had at least one way of accessing the NZ school curriculum while they couldn't attend school or early learning because of Covid-19.

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A.J. Hackett is a New Zealand entrepreneur who popularised the extreme sport of bungy jumping. He made a bungy jump from the Eiffel Tower in 1987 and founded the first commercial bungy site in 1988.

In the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours, Hackett was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to adventure tourism.

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Danielle McLaughlin is an author, a lawyer and a liberal. She is an analyst in legal issues and political commentary on Fox News, Fox Business, MSNBC, TV3, TVNZ 1. Danielle also has written for many publication including the SundayStarTimes.

Danielle resides in New York so has a first hand account of the world of US politics right now...and how the US is operating under a Trump presidency.

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David Pakman is an American political pundit and academic. He is the host of the internationally syndicated political television and talk radio program The David Pakman Show. In addition to hosting The David Pakman Show, Pakman has appeared on numerous national, regional, local, and international media outlets providing political commentary.

Pakman is an adjunct professor at Boston College. Pakman also works as a new media consultant, often working with independent programs and broadcast platforms.

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Director Anna Marbrook came to the screen from an extensive theatre background. More than 150 episodes directing on Shortland Street laid the groundwork for a run of factual work, focused on Pacific themes: including food series Real Pasifik, award-winning waka documentary Te Mana o te Moana - The Pacific Voyagers, and reality series Waka Warriors.

The films of Jim Marbrook include feature-length documentaries on speed chess maestros (2003 award-winner Dark Horse), psychiatric hospitals (Mental Notes) and environmental issues in New Caledonia (Cap Bocage). Marbrook also lectures in screen and television at Auckland University of Technology.

Anna & Jim Marbrook's New Zealand International Film Festival film is 'LOIMATA, The Sweetest Tears.' The story of the last voyage of the great waka maker, sailor and mentor Ema Siope, whose journeys between Aotearoa and Sāmoa in search of healing, and her family's reckoning with systemic abuse.

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Michael Hurst ONZM is a British-born New Zealand actor, director and writer, mostly on stage and television. He is probably best known internationally for playing Iolaus in the television programs Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and companion series Xena: Warrior Princess. Most recently, he is known for his role in directing the popular Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Ash vs Evil Dead.

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