A Kiwi company is flipping the bird, pivoting from making environmentally friendly wool shoes to AI. 

After years of losses, Allbirds sold all its assets this month and now plans to lease GPUs – chips used to train AI software. 

It's revised its moniker to NewBirds AI. 

Kevin Milne joined Jack Tame to talk about the rise and fall of the company. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

A Kiwi company is flipping the bird, pivoting from making environmentally friendly wool shoes to AI.&nbsp;
After years of losses, Allbirds sold all its assets this month and now plans to lease GPUs – chips used to train AI software.&nbsp;
It's revised its moniker to NewBirds AI.&nbsp;
Kevin Milne joined Jack Tame to talk about the rise and fall of the company.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB.

News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB. News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB.News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Kevin Milne: The rise and fall of Allbirds

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/918cdc90-bb8a-42e1-9fba-b4300021ee4a/transcript

The co-host of the award winning podcast, ‘The Worst Idea Of All Time’, Tim Batt is one of New Zealand’s sharpest comedic minds. 

He’s taken some time away from the festival circuit to raise his children, but has decided 2026 will be his return. 

Batt is bringing his dry humour to the International Comedy Festival with a brand-new stand-up show, ‘Eternal Optimist’, in which he, in his own words, “makes light” of the rising tide of fascism and offers a sincere apology for accidently causing a dire situation. 

He told Jack Tame that while the world’s not looking the best it ever has at the moment, it’s important to keep your chin up whenever you can. 

“For me it comes from a place of like, I wanna be useful, and I think you’re not useful to anyone if you’re sort of paralysed by the world, by all the negativity.” 

Circumstances have been getting tougher and tougher over the years and Batt believes the funk that causes can make people easier to manipulate. 

“We’ve really been put through the meat grinder,” he told Tame. 

“And I think that there are some pretty evil, very wealthy people who have taken advantage of the fact that they've got a lot of power and they've tricked us into thinking the wrong people are our issue.” 

Since everything seems to be getting worse in real life, Batt decided to take a more optimistic approach in his comedy show. Kind of.  

“I went in with a hiss and a roar being like, hey, let’s flip the script a little bit. Yeah, we’ll be radically positive in this one. Is that in the show? A bit!” Batt explained, agreeing with Tame’s assessment that the show would be more “optimism adjacent”.  

His show won’t be over the top “himbo comedy”, he stressed, focusing only on the positives – there will be some gallows and black comedy too.  

“I’ve got a lot of Irish heritage,” he told Tame. 

“I'm certainly down for having too many whiskeys and talking in a, very dark pub about how bad everything's gotten as well.” 

LISTEN ABOVE 

The co-host of the award winning podcast, ‘The Worst Idea Of All Time’, Tim Batt is one of New Zealand’s sharpest comedic minds.&nbsp;
He’s taken some time away from the festival circuit to raise his children, but has decided 2026 will be his return.&nbsp;
Batt is bringing his dry humour to the International Comedy Festival with a brand-new stand-up show, ‘Eternal Optimist’, in which he, in his own words, “makes light” of the rising tide of fascism and offers a sincere apology for accidently causing a dire situation.&nbsp;
He told Jack Tame that while the world’s not looking the best it ever has at the moment, it’s important to keep your chin up whenever you can.&nbsp;
“For me it comes from a place of like, I wanna be useful, and I think you’re not useful to anyone if you’re sort of paralysed by the world, by all the negativity.”&nbsp;
Circumstances have been getting tougher and tougher over the years and Batt believes the funk that causes can make people easier to manipulate.&nbsp;
“We’ve really been put through the meat grinder,” he told Tame.&nbsp;
“And I think that there are some pretty evil, very wealthy people who have taken advantage of the fact that they've got a lot of power and they've tricked us into thinking the wrong people are our issue.”&nbsp;
Since everything seems to be getting worse in real life, Batt decided to take a more optimistic approach in his comedy show. Kind of. &nbsp;
“I went in with a hiss and a roar being like, hey, let’s flip the script a little bit. Yeah, we’ll be radically positive in this one. Is that in the show? A bit!” Batt explained, agreeing with Tame’s assessment that the show would be more “optimism adjacent”.&nbsp;&nbsp;
His show won’t be over the top “himbo comedy”, he stressed, focusing only on the positives – there will be some gallows and black comedy too. &nbsp;
“I’ve got a lot of Irish heritage,” he told Tame.&nbsp;
“I'm certainly down for having too many whiskeys and talking in a, very dark pub about how bad everything's gotten as well.”&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Tim Batt: Kiwi comedian on his return to the festival circuit with 'Eternal Optimist'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/94065228-c8de-484f-8024-b430002a7ee7/transcript

"After taking in the retro charms of Route 66’s on a romp across northern Arizona, the desert was calling. I pointed the car south, driving through the achingly gorgeous Oak Creek Canyon route to Sedona, bound for Scottsdale. Towering red sandstone cliffs and an undulating quilt of ponderosa pine create a riveting scenic medley.

"Situated on the eastern flank of the sprawling Phoenix metroplex, Scottsdale has been dubbed “the Beverly Hills of the Southwest” and “a desert version of Miami’s South Beach.” It’s desert chic, unmistakably stylish and manicured, but it’s also stimulating, creative, and rugged. The singular beauty of the landscape is sublime, inspiring Frank Lloyd Wright to set up shop here, ninety years ago. It’s the same reason artists have been swooning over Scottsdale ever since – drawing inspiration from rugged nature and the soft light. And all of that derives from the Sonoran Desert, one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems."

Read Mike's full article here.

LISTEN ABOVE

"After taking in the retro charms of Route 66’s on a romp across northern Arizona, the desert was calling. I pointed the car south, driving through the achingly gorgeous Oak Creek Canyon route to Sedona, bound for Scottsdale. Towering red sandstone cliffs and an undulating quilt of ponderosa pine create a riveting scenic medley.
"Situated on the eastern flank of the sprawling Phoenix metroplex, Scottsdale has been dubbed “the Beverly Hills of the Southwest” and “a desert version of Miami’s South Beach.” It’s desert chic, unmistakably stylish and manicured, but it’s also stimulating, creative, and rugged. The singular beauty of the landscape is sublime, inspiring Frank Lloyd Wright to set up shop here, ninety years ago. It’s the same reason artists have been swooning over Scottsdale ever since – drawing inspiration from rugged nature and the soft light. And all of that derives from the Sonoran Desert, one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems."
Read Mike's <a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/lifestyle/travel/mike-yardley-style-and-splendour-in-scottsdale-arizona/">full article here</a>.
LISTEN ABOVE

Mike Yardley: Sizing up Scottsdale, Arizona

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/aad37b96-b58b-4e80-847c-b43000211f1a/transcript

English singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone has released her second studio album, ‘Cruel World’. 

It’s a shift for the artist, delving into a more upbeat pop sound, whilst dealing with themes of belonging, steadiness, repair, and discipline. 

The atmospheric style and intimacy of Humberstone’s musical style has seen her compared to artists like Lorde and Bon Iver, and she herself has described her style as “quite self-exposing". 

Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to give his thoughts on the new album. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

English singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone has released her second studio album, ‘Cruel World’.&nbsp;
It’s a shift for the artist, delving into a more upbeat pop sound, whilst dealing with themes of belonging, steadiness, repair, and discipline.&nbsp;
The atmospheric style and intimacy of Humberstone’s musical style has seen her compared to artists like Lorde and Bon Iver, and she herself has described her style as “quite self-exposing".&nbsp;
Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to give his thoughts on the new album.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Chris Schulz: Holly Humberstone - Cruel World

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/32ab3bd0-faf0-4d77-9d6a-b430001f694d/transcript

Kevin Milne: The rise and fall of Allbirds

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