A Very Tall Man
Bob Gass: The Man Behind The Word for Today
Gary digs out an old TV chat with Irish preacher Bob Gass - the man behind the wildly popular daily devotional, The Word for Today. Turns out those bite-sized daily thoughts start life as 400-500 words scrawled longhand on a yellow legal pad, whittled down to exactly 285 (every word's a worker, app…
16:03
Bob Gass: Grief, Faith and Writing The Word for Today
Part two of Gary's chat with Bob Gass, the man behind that little devotional you've probably seen lying around - The Word for Today - now read in a dozen-plus languages and beamed out across the globe. Recorded in front of a UK studio audience (plus a few Facebook questions thrown in), Bob gets int…
22:08
Riley Chance: Thrillers That Ask "What If NZ?"
Gary reckons a good thriller gets better when it's set just down the road - and The Target ticks that box, with the Picton Ferry, Havelock and Wellington all getting a look in. Author Riley Chance joins him to chat about weaving real New Zealand history (like the 1984 Trades Hall bombing) and curre…
14:48
Bill Gaither on Songs, Grace and Southern Gospel
Gary sits down around the piano in Belfast with a genuine gospel music legend: Bill Gaither. If you've ever hummed along to "He Touched Me" or "Because He Lives" without knowing who wrote them, well, now you do. Bill unpacks the stories behind his best-loved songs, from Larry Gatlin's "Greatly Bles…
24:55
Elegant Leadership: Kris Cooper on Leading Well
Ever wondered if you're actually a leader, or just someone with a fancy title? Gary sits down with Kris Cooper, author of Elegant Leadership, to unpack what leadership really means - and why "elegant" isn't just a fashion word. They natter about humour, courage, forgiveness (yes, forgiveness), and …
27:33
Shaun Hendy: Inside NZ's COVID Response, and What's Next
Remember when we weren't supposed to mention the jab at parties? Well, Gary's going there anyway with physicist Shaun Hendy, one of the scientists who helped steer New Zealand through COVID and copped plenty of hate mail for it. Shaun's written a book about the whole saga - the good calls, the mist…
31:35
Forgiveness After Tragedy: Rev. Dr. Paul Blackham
Charlie Kirk's assassination made headlines - but it was his wife's forgiveness of the shooter that really got people talking. Gary sits down with Rev. Dr. Paul Blackham (a "modern-day John the Baptist", locusts optional) to unpack why forgiveness is so much harder than the Sunday School version we…
14:31
Hans Gruber: The Man Behind MMP
Ever wondered who actually brought MMP to New Zealand? Meet Hans Gruber - born in Germany near the end of WWII, lawyer, world traveller, and the bloke with a big hand in giving us the voting system we've got today. Gary sits down with him to unpack MMP versus first-past-the-post, and Hans doesn't h…
27:12
David Schnauer: Why Your Super Might Be at Risk
Election year prezzies, paid for on someone else's credit card - sound familiar? Gary sits down with retired lawyer David Schnauer, author of Uncomfortable Economics, to ask the awkward questions about New Zealand's long-term economic drift, our obsession with house price gains, and why KiwiSaver (…
19:06
Stan Walker on Faith, Fame and Growing Up
This week’s guest is NZ music royalty. You may have seen the TV reality show, been shocked when he shared his ‘growing up’ years and it will come as no surprise that there is already a book about his life. This week’s guest on AVTM the podcast is Stan Walker. Both he and Gary were both the same w…
33:41