Let’s Hope The Weather Holds podcast

1:04:10

I speak to Pascale Lubbe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Ecology, at the University of Otago about how current loss of forests, loss when people arrived in New Zealand and loss of forest during the ice age have an effect on native birds and on bird colonisation. An interesting read is the article Pascale collaborated on that was published in The Conversation .…

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Everything Antarctica with Jonny Harrison 1:01:58

15 weeks ago1:01:58

1:01:58

I speak to Jonny Harrison who has done three trips to Antarctica as an electrician and group leader. He also hosts the Everything Antarctica podcast with Matty Jordan. Jonny tells me about how water is sourced, how you get a job in Antarctica, staying alive and more. Podcast link YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingAntarctica Link to, a book Jonny says is a must read 'The Worst Journey in the world'…

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Fonterra's net zero farm 37:59

17 weeks ago37:59

37:59

Fonterra and Nestle are running a project trying to achieve a net zero farm. The pilot, run with Dairy Trust Taranaki, aims to create New Zealand’s first commercially viable net zero dairy farm within ten years. Since 2022, the Fonterra-owned 290ha farm has achieved an approximate 27% reduction in absolute emissions and a 5.5% reduction in emissions intensity. I spoke to Talia Grala, environment programme manger at Fonterra, about the project. Have a look at a press release about the project here .…

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Duck decoy obsession with Jacob Smythe 1:11:42

18 weeks ago1:11:42

1:11:42

I speak to Resource Management Officer at Southland Fish & Game Jacob Smythe about his duck decoy collection. We talk handmade decoys, the gear you want vs. the gear you need, old shotguns, perceptions about abundance, habitat and more. I suggest visiting my Instagram to look at the photos of the decoys we discuss. An FYI, you can hear chairs creaking and we have deafening bouts of laughter.…

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Fishing Mongolia with Rob Vaz a.k.a Rob Fish 57:39

23 weeks ago57:39

57:39

Rob Vaz is a well known New Zealand fishing guide. He talks to me about his background and a trip he recently took to fish Taimen, the biggest Salmonid in the world, known as river wolves, in Mongolia. He talks fly gear for Taimen, how crazy the trip was, and lots more. Rob's website https://www.robfish.co.nz/ His Instagram https://www.instagram.com/robfish.co.nz/…

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The sportspersons nutritionist - Mikki Williden 1:01:16

25 weeks ago1:01:16

1:01:16

This episode is basically a consult by legendary sports nutritionist Mikki Williden as she advises me about nutrition as I train for the Luxmore Grunt 27km trail run. Topics we cover is her background and her own adventures, nutrition for older athletes and those upping their game, sugar, protein and salt intake, mental fitness and more. We geek out a bit about how cool podcasts are and more. Book an appointment with her at https://www.mikkiwilliden.com/ or listen to her nutrition advice on https://podcast.mikkiwilliden.com/episodes…

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The roe deer guy 1:41:00

26 weeks ago1:41:00

1:41:00

This podcast is another collaboration between myself and Ryan O'Connor from the Stag Roar podcast . In this episode Ryan talked to Ben who previously worked as a hunting guide/culler in Scotland. Ben's instagram page is a way of getting people to appreciate the necessity for responsible wildlife management and that hunting maintains healthy animal populations for future generations. Thanks again to Ryan for the collaboration.…

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Rescue in the mountains - Land Search and Rescue NZ 1:15:26

27 weeks ago1:15:26

1:15:26

This podcast is from two interviews I did with local Land Search and Rescue team members based in Queenstown. I spoke to Tarn Pilkington, a volunteer with Wakatipu Search and Rescue Alpine Cliff Rescue team about a rescue he was involved in when two climbers needed help on the Remarkables in poor weather. I also spoke to Chrissy Schreiber who is a volunteer with Wakatipu Search and Rescue, about what Land Search and Rescue does, lost person behaviour, the challenges of a volunteer organisation and more. They both tell me about their own outdoor adventures and Chrissy gives me advice for the upcoming Luxmore Grunt. I made attempts to contact the two climbers that Tarn helped rescue, but after speaking to police and mountain clubs I was unsuccessful, so Tarn's story will have to do. Link to a story about the rescue . A special thanks to Johnny Franklin, General Manager Partnerships at New Zealand Land Search and Rescue for organising the interviews.…

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Dr Gary Fettke, orthopedic surgeon on food, being cancelled and why you eat what you eat 1:47:23

28 weeks ago1:47:23

1:47:23

This podcast is a content collaboration with Ryan O'Connor who runs the Stag Roar Podcast. The Stag roar is interviews Ryan has with people about how they become successful and the challenges they face. This is a recording of an interview he did in 2019 with Orthopedic Surgeon Dr Gary Fettke. Fettke was silenced for his view on diet and meat consumption, but has since been redeemed, off course. Fettke talks about diet, the Seventh Day Adventists and their involvement in the western diet and more. Check Gary's work HERE Follow The Stag Roar: Life Less Ordinary…

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Ryan O'Connor from the Stag Roar podcast - A life less ordinary 1:02:32

30 weeks ago1:02:32

1:02:32

I speak to optometrist Ryan O'Connor from the Stag Roar podcast about podcasting, optometry, what tech will change the way we see, starting hunting later in life, the western diet and its influences on different cultures, I admit to being a chocoholic, we talk Seventh Day Adventists influence on the modern diet (I kid ya not!), me freaking out in the bush, my English also dries up so I blabber a lot, Ryan tells me about his interest in herd history in New Zealand and more. The Gary Fetke interview with Ryan on the modern diet, carbs and more is worth a listen. https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-stag-roar-life-less-ordinary/id1257836237?i=1000429186527 The Stag Roar: Life Less Ordinary https://www.stagroar.co.nz/…

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Canoeing Kiwi saves dog and gets stalked by wolves on 5000km Canada canoe trip 1:07:05

31 weeks ago1:07:05

1:07:05

Kiwi Tom Hudson speaks to me from Winnipeg where he is taking a few days break from a 5000km canoe and land trip across Canada. We talk about how he became a traveler, being stalked by wolves, being in bear country, the time he saved a dog from sure death and ended up on Canadian news, and more. His YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@WhatInTheWorld_Tom CBC Manitoba report on Tom rescuing the dog form sure death https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQSlSn2LpHE Tom's Instagram profile https://www.instagram.com/whatintheworld_tom?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==…

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Deane Parker on adventure film-making and regenerative farming 57:12

32 weeks ago57:12

57:12

What does regenerative farming and adventure film making have in common? It has Deane Parker in common! Deane talks about bikerafting, the film festival scene, regenerative dairy farming and healthy soils. Check out his Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deaneparker_adventurechannel?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and his website https://www.deaneparker.nz…

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Jurgen Schwaneke - hunting, poetry, pest control and film making. 53:37

33 weeks ago53:37

53:37

Jurgen Schwaneke talks to me about hunting in New Zealand, back country poetry, guiding hunts in the USA, his work as pest controller and the challenges the industry faces and outdoor film making. His YouTube channel Strider Media has some cool philosophical ramblings on hunting and good outdoor adventure videos of a man with his dog. https://www.youtube.com/@strider_media His Instagram account instagram.com/strider_adventures…

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Erin Forsyth - the natural history illustrator 53:24

34 weeks ago53:24

53:24

In this episode botanical and wildlife illustrator Erin Forsyth talks about how artists can be facilitators for better understanding of nature, we talk about indigenous, christian and science perspective of nature, she walks me through her process, she tells me how she thinks of her work as part of a greater tradition and talks about art seen in perpetuity, documenting biodiversity from a science perspective and ties to colonialism, the shift in cultural understanding away from particular interests married only to western science, citizen science, how to include te reo Māori, respecting indigenous people in your work and the influence of her own cultural history. Her website: http://www.erinforsyth.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erin_forsyth/?hl=en…

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45 Tahr Pink eye project with Francesco Formisano 54:10

35 weeks ago54:10

54:10

Veterinarian Francesco Formisano tells me about the Pink eye project where, with the help of New Zealand hunters acting as citizen scientists, the prevalence and spread of Infectious Keratoconjunctivitis in New Zealand Tahr herds were studied. Franco also tells me about hunting roe deer in France, his vet practice and the possibility of more research projects in New Zealand. Download the 14 page report on pink eye here: https://nztahrfoundation.org.nz/project-pinkeye Franco's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/altitudeandtrails/ Thar are artiodactyl ungulates related to goats and sheep. The New Zealand Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) are an introduced species but have now become part of the landscape.…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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44 Better grazing means better meat, milk, soil and animal health 45:31

36 weeks ago45:31

45:31

In this episode Pablo Gregorini, Leader of the Lincoln University Pastoral Livestock Production Lab, tells me about a trial where animals were given a choice of what to eat and how it improved animal health, soil health, the quality of meat and milk, and was also better for consumers.

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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43 Tracking a whale carcass 56:35

37 weeks ago56:35

56:35

Research Fellow in Marine Science, at Griffith University in Australia Olaf Meynecke talks to me about tracking a whale carcass around the ocean to map how wind and tides affect its movement. This research will hopefully be used so that beached whales are not taken to landfill but that they can be towed to out to sea and their nutrients returned to the ocean without colliding with ships. He talks about his latest paper 'Dead on the Beach? Predicting the Drift of Whale Remains Improves Management for Offshore Disposal', the role the nutrients of a dead whale plays in the ecosystem, the challenges they faced, why this cheaper option is not the current way of doing, he tells me about sitting in whale carcasses for arthritis treatment, the software they used to map the whale's 150km drift path, the sharks that fed on the carcass and more. His paper https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/12/7/1156 All music by Jacques van Wyk…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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We desire GMO food, said no consumer ever! 55:02

39 weeks ago55:02

55:02

In this interview Hans Eisenbeis, Director of Mission & Messaging at the Non-GMO Project talks about farms and farmers in the US, how the Non-GMO Project operates, disagreements in science about the health of GMO's, how systems transitions look, he talks about the unique position New Zealand is in as a Non-GMO nation, soil health, externalising costs from GMO's, he asks if we are short-cutting our way out of existential crisis, the innovation fallacy and more. Have a look at their work on https://www.nongmoproject.org/…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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Takahe, merganser, dodgy museum practices and evolution of birds 53:28

40 weeks ago53:28

53:28

Associate Professor Nic Rawlence, director of the Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, talks to me about the extinct fish eating merganser duck and Takahe research, dodgy museum collecting practices of the 1800’s, how New Zealand has a much more cosmopolitan makeup of biodiversity than previously thought, how the data we have make us form weird relationships that seem implausible, population bottlenecks and more.…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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Slaughtering a bison with stone tools 58:28

45 weeks ago58:28

58:28

In this episode Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Kent State University in Ohio, USA, Metin Eren tells me about how he, his department and the Meateater crew slaughtered a bison with clovis tools. The trial was followed by a paper that describes their techniques, questions and results in depth. Metin tells me about flint knapping, new ideas in archeology, clovis people, life 13,000 years ago, what we know, what we thought we knew, what we don't know...you'll get it once you listen to the podcast. We agree that the clovis story is the story of all of us. For images go to my Instagram account.…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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#39 The biggest fight for NZ hunting in 60 years - The Forest & Bird lawsuit 29:01

47 weeks ago29:01

29:01

I speak to Roy Sloan, General Manager of the Fiorldand Wapiti Foundation about the lawsuit Forest & Bird has brought against the foundation and against the Department of Conservation, and about the consequences it might have for all hunters in New Zealand. All deer species are introduced into New Zealand. Hunters say they have to be sustainably managed, with lobby groups saying they have to be removed as much as possible, often via poison bait or by helicopters operators who shoot them, as they destroy native flaura. FYI folks, we had connectivity issues and the sound is quite poor at times.…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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#38 Book on Chamois to reveal new DNA and historic evidence - Gwyn Thurlow 1:02:48

48 weeks ago1:02:48

1:02:48

I speak to Gwyn Thurlow, Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel at the New Zealand Deer Stalkers, about new DNA evidence on the origin of New Zealand chamois, and new historic finds on the history and practicalities of their translocation after local and Austrian newspapers were digitized. Gwyn is working on a book he hopes to publish in a year with the evidence and his years of Chamois hunting as topics. We speak abou local herds, how they were caught in Austria, how they were shipped and almost perished on their trip, what they were fed and loads more. He gives me Chamois hunting tips.…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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#37 Frederic Leroy - The campaign against meat 1:02:16

49 weeks ago1:02:16

1:02:16

Podcast live. The campaign against meat. In this episode I speak to Prof. Dr. Frédéric Leroy about the campaign against meat. Frederic is part of a research group in industrial microbiology and Food Biotechnology at the Department of Bioengineering Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels. He talks about the the intricacies and politics of the EAT Lancet diet and its stakeholders, he tells me about one liners, hyperbole and simplification of the meat and livestock argument, climate and the vilification of meat, we talk about why he took to Twitter to tackle misinformation about meat, how studies about meat’s place in healthy diets have been inaccurate, why a UN environmental group says meat is our most pressing issue, we talk about fermented meat, issues with the Global Burden of Disease study, why the fight against CO2 has left the building, and the influencers in the campaign against meat. Frederic on Twitter/X @fleroy1974…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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#36 Category 3 fly company - work your fingers to the bone 1:05:58

50 weeks ago1:05:58

1:05:58

In this episode I talk to Sean Andrews, founder of the New Zealand based Category 3 Fly Company. C3 supplies flies world wide. He tells me about ice fishing for trout with flies and a hand line in Sweden, how he learned to fly fish on chalk streams in the UK as child on the same rivers Frank Sawyers was a river keeper, how difficult it is to find a tying partner, who the greatest fly tyers in the world are, why tying a hare and copper commercially is difficult, he speculates that the 101 is the perfect fly, recruiting people for fly tying who needs a leg up in life, paying royalties for new fly patterns, how you get space in a fly shop, the politics in the fly industry and the challenges the industry faces. https://www.category3flycompany.com For those interested to read on some of the UK father of fly fishing Sean mentions go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sawyer_(writer) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._E._M._Skues…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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#35 Cactus Outdoor - Outdoor gear meant to last 48:29

51 weeks ago48:29

48:29

I speak to Ben Kepes from Cactus Outdoor about making hard wearing outdoor gear locally, how climbing bums become business owners, 30 years of Cactus Outdoor, their ethos of gear that last vs. gear that has to be constantly replaced, a ethical business model that is not seasonal, his outdoor missions, other companies he admires, how to make profit when you make quality and not quantity, what is legacy and more.…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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#33 Fish & Game CEO Corina Jordan 49:41

1 year ago49:41

49:41

I speak to Corina Jordan, chief executive of New Zealand's Fish & Game. She tells me about shotguns that kick, training deer and pheasant dogs, the work Fish & Game does to rehabilitate create and save habitat for fish and game birds, what type of horse she wants for hunting, taking time out to get outside, the type of people Fish & Game has in its arsenal of talent, hunters as examples for other hunters, conservation, utilisation, social license of hunters, the role influencers play in the industry, broken bones and scars and much more.…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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#32 Johann du Preez fishing artist 54:30

1 year ago54:30

54:30

Artist, fly fisherman, fly guide and conservationist Johann du Preez talks about fishing mad spots like Sudan, Sette Cama and Guyana. We talk about conservation, tropical diseases, having your passport taken, sucking as a client, the Indifly Corps, creating livelihoods for small communities and of course his amazing art and the techniques he uses. Follow him on instagram @johanndupreez_art https://www.instagram.com/johanndupreez_art/ For indifly go to https://www.indifly.org…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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#31 Is precision fermentation and alternative proteins coming for milk? 55:39

1 year ago55:39

55:39

In this episode I talk to Navigate founder Anna Benny about her view that precision fermentation is a threat to the New Zealand dairy industry. We talk about how changing climate policies play a role in the possible disruption of the dairy industry. We talk about why meat possibly won't face a big disruption from novel proteins. We praise milk for its nutritional properties. We talk about how she is perceived in the industry as a result of sounding the alarm bell to possible threats. We theorise how the dairy market will look in future. We talk about regenerative farming. She talks about her views about what will happen on her farm in future.…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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#30 Catching rabbits with ferrets 44:43

1 year ago44:43

44:43

Ferreter James Curry tells me how he uses ferrets to catch rabbits in New Zealand where rabbits are an introduced pest. He talks about how he got into ferreting, training ferrets, how an obsession became a job, getting permits to transport ferrets, that are also an introduced pest and why his ferrets are named after psycho killers. Find him at www.jimsbunnyhunters.com…

Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

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Cassava needs a place amongst rice and potatoes 57:24

1 year ago57:24