First Up

Minister of Fruit and Veg Glenn Forsyth with Nathan

"I think we had to sing Stand By Me once back in the day, remember that one Nathan? I had to get the guitar out..." Lovely chat with Sir Michael Jones about Thursday's rural telethon.

Big Feed telethon raising money for foodbanks Here in Aotearoa we love a good telethon... and this Thursday there's a huge one! The Big Feed Telethon kicks off at 6am and will be running 14 hours - live online - til 8 o'clock on Thursday night. It's run by Meat the Need - that's meat with an A - a rural group who donates milk and mince to food....

14 holes in one…Wow.

National mini golf champion reflects on big win We like sports of all shapes and sizes here at First Up, and chances are you've played this next one. MINI GOLF! A go to date option for many, a school holiday staple, a bit of fun in the sun, but its not all fun and games for some. Last weekend the New Zealand Mini Golf Open was contested in Lower....

A proud Aucklander who was sick of hearing people complain about the lack of things to do in the city has put his ideas into a passion project.

'Auckland is awesome': Local shares interesting experiences around city

Christmas Tree farms - yes, they're real! And our Leonard Powell went to see what's on offer. 🎄

Pining for the real thing - Christmas tree farms still thriving It's nearly December, and the Christmas music has well and truly begun trickling over the speakers at the mall. People are counting down the days til the end of the year. And its the season for people to pop up a Christmas tree and start putting presents underneath it. While many use artifical chris...

The GOAT of women's bench press Ashleigh Hoeta - just wow! Some mighty (an heavy) ambitions in future! 🤩🏋️

Ashleigh Hoeta breaks world record bench press 317.5kg If I need to pick up anything heavier than the remote I probably need to call some friends to help with the lifting. Our next guest has no such problems, she broke the WORLD RECORD for female bench press on the weekend, a whopping 317.5 KG! The equivalent of 154 two-litre bottles of milk She's Ashle...

We've got a book for you guys to check out by former Tall Black Nick Horvath - here's the interview about "Sledge vs The Labyrinth"

Former Tall Black fulfills dream of becoming an author The journey from professional basketballer to published author isn't the most common pivot you'll see. But thats exactly what Ex Tall Black Nick Horvath has done, fulfilling a dream he says he's had his whole life. The book is named Sledge vs The Labyrinth and without giving too much away - Nick let...

Who are you at pub quiz? The historian? The sports nut? The 'watched every movie ever' one?

Believe it or Not is the biggest name in the game when it comes to pub quizzes in New Zealand, producing over 250 quizzes annually to around 350 venues nationwide.

Our reporter and sports nut Leonard Powell went to meet the team at Believe it or Not on their 25th birthday to find out what makes a good quiz.

'Believe it or Not' pub quiz celebrates 25 years The good ol' pub quiz team. An Avengers-like squad melded together by a collection of retained trivia. There's the 'historian', the 'sports guy', the 'been to Europe' one, the 'watched every movie ever' one, the 'one who can tell Bronte sisters apart'. The pub quiz has become a mainstay in weeknight...

If there was a template on how to not peak too soon in life, Steve Alker could write the book...

Steve Alker on achieving wins in the senior golf tours If there was a template on how to not peak too soon in life, Steve Alker could write the book. After battling away on various golf tours without ever breaking through, the 52-year-old golfer has gone from strength to strength on the US Champions tour - which is the over 50's circuit. Steve just notc...

Who's staying up to watch the semi final?

Black Caps Rachin Ravindra's proud dad on CWC World Cups have been plentyful but our nation's success in the marquee events has not. But tonight, we get one more shot at standing atop the dais as champions of planet earth at something. Tonight is Semi Final time at the Cricket World Cup. New Zealand a cricketing David of 5 Million taking on the...

You can help Jhalena and her whanau by donating through this link https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/tautoko-jhalena-through-leukaemia

Wairoa College support student with leukaemia by shaving hair Heading to the Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa now, where staff and students at Wairoa College are shaving their heads to support one of their own. Fifteen year old Jhalena Lafaiki has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of cancer. In the past few weeks she's gone from a happy everyday life, t...

It's long been described as "the race that stops a nation", but is the Melbourne Cup as popular as it once was?

To bet or not to bet - is the Melbourne Cup still popular? It's long been described as "the race that stops a nation", but is the Melbourne Cup as popular as it once was? Whilst it's been criticised for exploiting horses and their jockeys, it's also the TAB's biggest day of the year, with Kiwis splurging $13.4 million yesterday. That's the highest ever turn...

Did you know the man behind the Melbourne Cup started out in Australia having fled gambling debts in England, only to end up selling illegal liquor, before somehow becoming Victoria's Police Commissioner?

That's only part of the crazy story. Listen to Titus O'Reily from the Sports Bizarre podcast explain it all.

The bizarre story behind the making of the Melbourne Cup It's Melbourne Cup Day, and to finish the show we've got a special treat for you. Titus O'Reily is the co-host of Sports Bizzare podcast, who made a must listen episode about the outrageous history behind the man who started the Melbourne Cup. Titus was kind enough to share the short version of the....

In a world of fast fashion, its getting rare to see the 'Made in NZ' tag on an item of clothing.

Once upon a time we boasted about a hundred footwear makers, now that's down to less than 10.

One of those manufacturers is Neville Brunker, keeping the family business of 70 years going all on his own, and sending his hand-made boots to loyal customers all over the globe. First Up's Leonard Powell paid him a visit.

In the shoes of a bootmaker In a world of fast fashion, its getting rare to see the 'Made in New Zealand' tag on an item of clothing. Once upon a time we boasted about a hundred footwear makers, now that's down to less than ten. One of those manufacturers is Neville Brunker, keeping the family business of 70 years going all on...

Time to talk ! Black Cap Jimmy Neesham spoke to Nathan about their four opening wins and that last loss against Australia at the magnificent ground at Dharamashala.

Black Cap Jimmy Neesham on Cricket World Cup so far The Rugby World Cup is gone now .. like Elsa said in Frozen "Let it go, let it go - turn away and slam the door" But just like that .. we peel the magnetic signs off the sides of the Kiwi sports bandwagon and replace them with 'Black Caps World Cup. 2023' The Caps lost a nailbiter to Australia over....

This morning National's deputy leader and likely the new Finance Minister Nicola Willis told us she wants a third supermarket competitor to break up the current duopoly, following the collapse of online grocer Supie.

Nicola Willis says she'll take action against big supermarkets This Friday the official results of the election are revealed - including all those special votes. From there - the National party will form a new coalition government... And how those special votes land will determine how much National needs New Zealand First. National's deputy leader Nicola Willis...

A good catch up this morning with the outgoing Deputy Prime Minister on the last couple of weeks and what's planned for the future.

Outgoing Deputy PM Carmel Sepuloni on Labour's tough losses It's been nearly two weeks since election night, and we're still waiting for the official results once those special votes are counted. It's been a tough time for Labour, and outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni, who joins Nathan Rarere for the regular catch up.

"It's just been wonderful to see some of the smaller teams get up and tip over some of the big teams." - Former Black Cap Peter McGlashan has been staying up overnight to follow the latest in the Cricket World Cup. He joined us this morning.

Black Caps have got a good thing going at the Cricket World Cup 2023 is the Year of the World Cup and the Black Caps have got a good thing going at the Cricket World Cup in India . A lot has been made of the small crowd sizes, but on the pitch, New Zealand have made a strong start to the event. They're sitting pretty at second on the table, with four wins from f...

Rotorua teen turns AI against pest wallabies Fourteen-year-old Cameron Moore has designed a pest trap that uses artificial intelligence to tackle the increasing threat.

Brodie Retallick's Mum Jo had a chat with Nathan this morning, she's a very proud mum and just back from the trip of a life time to see Brodie play at the World Cup in France.

Jo Retallick looking forward to watching son Brodie from home Well the All Blacks have made it to another Rugby World Cup Final.... They're still in France after crushing Argentina 44 to 6 on Sunday... Unfortunately though, two people who are not there, are the parents of legendary All Black centurion Brodie Retallick. Mum Jo Retallick told Nathan Rarere they'...

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania - voted a world young leader for 2023! - we heard from him while he’s over in Belfast.

Far North mayor Moko Tepania is world's top politician of 2023 To Belfast in Northern Ireland now - where Far North mayor Moko Tepania has been presented with an award naming him one of the world's top young politicians of 2023. Moko's a bit of a legend - he made history last year when he was elected the youngest and first Maori mayor of the Far North District....

We got the scoop on the white powder mystery…

Ranfurly Shield repairer suspects white powder is plaster Now for the latest development in the Ranfurly Shield saga - we may have the answer to the mystery of the white powder that was seen in photos of the damaged taonga... The famous shield was broken in half during celebrations after the Hawke's Bay Magpies beat Wellington 20-18 on Saturday. Social med...

Early voting officially opens on Monday, and while you must be 18 years or older to vote in Aotearoa, you can never be too old... Leonard Powell visited a local retirement home to hear older voters' views on what matters this election.

Cops, climate change, healthcare - range of political views at Epsom rest home Early voting officially opens on Monday, and while you've got to be 18 years old to vote in Aotearoa, you can never be too old. Leonard Powell paid a visit to his local retirement village to get a temperature check ahead of the election.

"There is an expectation that no one passes on the first round. It's almost a given, which surprises me, because it's a lot of money."

Truth to rumours - is it hard to pass restricted driving test? There are many urban legends around **Police have a quota for speeding tickets **the soft serve machine is broken **carrots make you see in the dark... and many people are adamant that there's another. You won't pass your restricted driving license test on the first attempt. Rumours are rife on soci...

The Bay of Plenty has been dealt a good hand this year, with an event that has brought 600 rather intelligent tourists to the region.

NZ Bridge holding 37th national congress in Mt Maunganui The Bay of Plenty has been dealt a good hand this year, with an event that has brought 600 rather intelligent tourists to the region. New Zealand Bridge is holding its 37th National Congress in Mt Maunganui. But it isn't just a gathering of NZ players, plenty of international big bridge names are al...

You might've been hearing about NZ First in the news lately. This morning we caught up with Northland candidate Shane Jones.

NZ First's Shane Jones on the Northland campaign To politics now, and we're joined by the second in command at NZ First - Northland candidate Shane Jones.

"Confidence and belief... they knew their assignment." - Wise words from Monty

Monty Betham on the secret to the Warriors' success The Warriors drums will be banging in Brisbane this Saturday - where they take on the Broncos for a shot at the NRL Grand Final. More than 52,000 fans will pack into Suncorp Stadium - as the Warriors make a push for their elusive first premiership title. Nathan Rarere spoke to Warriors legend turned...

"The men fish around here. But you know, women, we gotta do what we gotta do to get a feed. Around here the dads do everything for us. they go diving, they get the fish for us and they go hunting and they get everything. So that's why we are just breaking the stereotype… women can be gatherers too."

'Women can be gatherers too' - hopes, dreams in Tokomaru Bay The picturesque East Coast beach town of Tokomaru Bay was once a busy port, a long time ago. Now it's a more quiet settlement - which is usually about an hour's drive north of Gisborne. But with damaged roads after storms and slash - that trip is now more like two hours, locals say. Our reporter Leo...