- Section
- National
Finish line looms for bridge to reconnect Coromandel
- Type
- Read article
Real Life
7:30PM-8PM Sun
John Cowan hosts ‘Real Life’, a weekly nationwide chat show 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.
John Cowan is an accomplished author, media producer and seminar presenter. He's been a hospital scientist in neurophysiology, a youth worker, a social worker, minister, and parenting expert, but his primary passion is communication: mainly as a speaker to live audiences, and as a writer. His wit and humour have been enjoyed by tens of thousands of people in live-audiences around the country.
Â
Subscribe to the Real Life with John Cowan Podcast
-
The new Children's Commissioner tells John all about her vision for New Zealand's tamariki
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...
-
'St Paul' singer Shane Hales talks to John all about his career
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...
-
Phil Bagshaw talks to John about the Christchurch Charity Hospital, his son Andrew, and how his faith guides him through it all
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,...
-
1News Chief Political Reporter, Benedict Collins, talks to John about NZ's history with Meth
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...
-
Musician Craig Scott talks to John Cowan about his family and how he navigated the limelight
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...
-
Chris Tse tells John Cowan about his path to becoming NZ's youngest ever Poet Laureate
Chris was born and raised in Lower Hutt and studied film and English literature at Victoria University of Wellington, where he also completed an MA in Creative Writing...
-
Author and accredited coach Nikki Bray talks to John about the power of forgiveness amidst loss
Together with her husband Andy, who passed away suddenly in 2018, Nikki has been a Co-Founding Director of FamilyLife NZ, a Christian charitable trust. For 25 years,...
-
Auckland Museum curator, Robert Vennell, takes John Cowan on a trip through New Zealand's forests
Robert Vennell is an ecologist and best-selling natural history author. His first book, The Meaning of Trees, was listed as one of the best non-fiction books of...
-
ZM Drive host Clint Roberts talks to John Cowan about life in Rotorua, The Parenting Hangover, and his run in with Dizzee Rascal
Born in Rotorua, Clint is co-host of ZM's drive show, Bree & Clint, with Bree Tomasel. Clint started working at The Edge in 2006. After filling in on the breakfast...
-
2023 Chef of the Year Zennon Wijlens shares with John his journey to the top of the hospitality sector in NZ
Zennon walked out of school at 16 years old and talked himself into a job in a restaurant kitchen at Titirangi’s Barossa. After six months, he moved to Auckland's...
-
Youthline CEO Shae Ronald tells John Cowan about what draws her to help youth with their mental health
Shae Ronald is the CEO of Youthline
-
Comedian Michèle A'Court speaks with John about the NZ Comedy Guild, sexism, and her "third and final husband"
Michèle trained in journalism and has a degree in English literature and drama from Victoria University of Wellington. She started doing stand-up comedy in the 1990s...
-
Broadcaster Matt Gibb on why he chose Cancer Society as his Celebrity Treasure Island charity
Born and raised in Christchurch, Matt attended Burnside High School. He performed in the improvisation comedy Scared Scriptless.Matt started as a teenager presenting...
-
Fair Go reporter Kaitlin Aldridge talks to John about her TV career, her Christian faith, and meeting her husband
Kaitlin completed a Bachelor of Broadcasting Communications in Journalism at the New Zealand Broadcasting School. She was a newsreader and editor at Mediaworks from...
-
Todd Muller reflects on his time in Parliament, what he learnt, and what's next
Todd was born in Te Aroha and was raised in Te Puna, north of Tauranga. He attended Tauranga Boys College before earning his Master’s Degree from the University...
-
Petra tells John about not realising she had quit the TV industry, the 'Grey Areas' podcast, and being a chaplain for the media
Petra has worked in TV and radio for over 30 years. She grew up in Christchurch and attended the University of Canterbury, where she completed a Bachelor of Fine...
-
Alfred talks to John about his faith, re-entry into politics, and his link to OMC's Pauly Fuemana
Alfred Ngaro was raised in Te Atatū where he attended the local schools, played for the local Rugby clubs and was an active Te Atatū St Giles Church member. He trained...
-
Australian journalist Antony Loewenstein's latest book criticises Israel for exporting 'the Technology of Occupation'
Born in Melbourne, Antony Loewenstein is an Australian-German freelance investigative journalist, author, and filmmaker. He co-founded of Declassified Australia in...
-
Masterchef Australia winner Julie Goodwin tells John about her family and her life before and after winning Masterchef
Since becoming the first-ever winner of the competitive cooking reality show MasterChef over a decade ago, Australian mum-of-three Julie Goodwin has become a household...
-
Economist Brad Olsen tells Real Life about his high school success, community service, and the importance of having good friends
Originally from Whangarei, Brad completed his undergraduate studies at Victoria University of Wellington, finishing with a BCom and BA. Brad joined Infometrics in...
-
Dr Wood talks to John Cowan about social studies education, youth involvement in civics, and being bombed in the Golan Heights
Bronwyn has a background in social science education and textbook, curriculum and resource development. She researches in the fields of education policy, citizenship...
-
Dr Rangi Mātāmua tells Real Life about Matariki, it's relationship with western science, and his love for Bon Jovi
Rangi's career in Māori astronomy began in 1995 when he asked his grandfather about Matariki. He went on to write his MA thesis on traditional Tūhoe weaponry, and...
-
Te Papa CEO Courtney Johnston tells John about her job and what makes Te Papa special
Courtney Johnston took up the role of Tumu Whakarae | Chief Executive at Te Papa Museum in 2019. Raised on a dairy farm in Taranaki, Courtney has lived and worked...
-
Green List #6 Lan Pham talks to John about her ecological training,Raoul Island, and what role spirituality played growing up
Lan is a proud mother who grew up in Wellington and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in ecology from Massey University before moving to the South Island to work...
-
‘Rampant inequality’ in supply chains makes it impossible to be an ethical consumer in NZ – Tearfund CEO
The CEO of one of the country’s most prominent international aid agencies believes “rampant inequality” in our supply chains makes it near-impossible to make totally...
-
-
- Section
- National
Settled and warm: 10 days of over 20C highs for much of NZ
- Type
- Read article
