Kiwi Flees

In this pod I talk to an amazing Japan-based Kiwi duo - businesswomen Jayne Nakata & Catherine O'Connell. Jayne and Catherine, among many other things, co-host the award-winning Jandals in Japan podcast, helping demystify Japan for Kiwi companies interested in breaking in to this amazing country.Jayne and Catherine share their experiences of arriving separately in Japan over 20 years ago, both thinking they'd only be away for a year or two but finding themselves still hooked to their adopted country over two decades later. We discuss their different but also connected lives. Jayne being rurally-based with her family in Fukushima Prefecture which in 2011 suffered a triple catastrophe of earthquake, tsunami, & nuclear disaster. Jayne dispels some of the prevailing myths about Fukushima and shares why she chose to stay. Tokyo-based Catherine has forged a hugely successful corporate and governance career, including being the first non-Japanese woman to serve on the Boards of Toyota and Fujitsu. She is the founder and principal of the first foreign-female-founded boutique law firm in Japan and is a serial award winner, taking out Entrepreneur of the Year, Foreign Lawyer of the Year, and Boutique Law Firm of the Year.During the pod we explore themes including resiliency, the importance of story-telling in Japan, lessons for Kiwi businesses considering entering this market, & some of the more egregious errors they've seen businesses make when trying to break into Japan (and how to avoid them). Both Jayne and Catherine see huge opportunities for New Zealanders to further strengthen our country's relationship with Japan, are keen to help, and are generous in sharing invaluable insights for anyone interested in their adopted homeland.A huge thank you to both Jandals for taking time out to talk with me on Kiwi Flees. Please check out the Jandals in Japan pod wherever you get your favourite podcasts or head to jandalsinjapan.comThank you so much for listening. My huge thanks to the Kiwi Flees for candid conversations, and to my sound-meister Robbie at Matrix Digital (Wgtn) for his commitment to the craft and making himself available at the weirdest of hours to record these conversations from abroad. Thank you too, to Team Kea for promoting the pod. If you're a Kiwi Flee or know someone who should be, please get in touch at: [email protected] Please subscribe, leave a review, and join me in a fortnight for our next episode.

In this pod I talk to Rhodes Scholar, former Mastermind contestant, cleric, and now author, Dr. Richard Major, about his life since leaving Aotearoa New Zealand in 1985. Richard has lived in India, Australia, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Hungary, South Africa, Palestine, and Cyprus…before returning full circle to resettle in Oxford just a few weeks before we spoke. He shares his experience of arriving in Oxford with former All Blacks' captain, David Kirk, climbing an active volcano in tweed to toast the erupting volcano with a glass of Beaujolais before being escorted off the mountainside, his time studying and teaching at Oxford, and his work in the Church across diverse posts including the UK, Italy, and the USA among others. A public service announcement during the pod includes sage advice on why you shouldn't jump into a grave, and observations on embalming 'crimes' in the USA. Richard's life as a diplomatic (trailing) spouse, his writing as a foreign correspondent and book author, and his observations on the future of travel and living internationally are also explored. Lastly, we touch on Richard's current writing project - a guidebook for undergraduate students who are considering studying overseas. The book - called Major's Toolbox - is currently scheduled to be published in the first quarter of 2026. Richard also tutors international students preparing to apply for Oxford or Cambridge and if this sounds like you, or someone you know, he can be reached at [email protected] for details.  Thank you so much for listening. My huge thanks to the Kiwi Flees for candid conversations, and to my sound-meister Robbie at Matrix Digital (Wgtn) for his commitment to the craft and making himself available at the weirdest of hours to record these conversations from abroad. Thank you too, to Team Kea for promoting the pod. If you're a Kiwi Flee or know someone who should be, please get in touch at: [email protected] Please subscribe, leave a review, and join me in a fortnight for our next episode.

In this pod I catch up with the indefatigable London-based CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Katie Sadleir.Katie is a Kiwi Olympian & Commonwealth Games medallist who has lived and breathed sports & then sports administration for most of her life. She left New Zealand initially for Ireland in 2017 where she took on the role of General Manager, Women's Rugby, with World Rugby, before taking on the CGF leadership role in 2021.In 2022, Katie became a recipient of the Kea World-Class New Zealander Award. Two years later she was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sports governance and women. Katie talks to me about some of the challenges faced and wins achieved while in charge of lifting women's participation, leadership, and governance of rugby globally. We touch on the progress made in women's rugby in countries as diverse as India and Iran. Moving to her role at the CGF, Katie highlights what she faced on taking on the job, how she and her team responded to Victoria's 11th hour pull-out of hosting the 2026 Games, and how in some respects this forced a creative, innovative, and sustainable response to shape Commonwealth Games of the future.Lastly, Katie shares with me just some of the reasons she believes New Zealanders succeed internationally, painting a picture of opportunity for global Kiwis due, in part, to our reputation, our way of doing things, and our ability to take on challenges and walk and work with people from all backgrounds, cultures, genders, age, or status.A huge thank you to Katie for agreeing to spend some time with me as she and her team prepare for the 2026 Games in Glasgow.Thank you so much for listening. My huge thanks to the Kiwi Flees for candid conversations, and to my sound-meister Robbie at Matrix Digital (Wgtn) for his commitment to the craft and making himself available at the weirdest of hours to record these conversations from abroad. Thank you too, to Team Kea for promoting the pod. If you're a Kiwi Flee or know someone who should be, please get in touch at: [email protected] Please subscribe, leave a review, and join me in a fortnight for our next episode.

In this pod, I talk to Paul Spiers, Ngā Mahanga a Tairi, a global keynote speaker, author, leadership, & culture coach living in Britain, & working across the UK & Europe. Paul works with and coaches leading global brands on the relationships between leadership, culture, technology, & innovation, helping them navigate & succeed in the age of AI.His podcast, The New P&L, now sits in the top 5% of podcasts globally, being listened to in hundreds of countries globally. ­Paul shares his experiences of landing in London, setting up his first agency, finding the seeds of triumph in disaster, the alchemy to be found in curiosity & creativity, the deep connection between music and surfing, while all the while highlighting the value to companies committing genuinely to a new P & L - where P stands for Principles and L stands for Leadership.I'm grateful to Paul for taking time out to talk to me as he runs a ferocious schedule between family, speaking engagements across Europe & the UK, and his consultancy and coaching work in London and beyond.To get in touch with Paul, please head to his LinkedIn profile here, or go to his website - principlesandleadership.com - for more.Thank you so much for listening. My huge thanks to the Kiwi Flees for candid conversations, and to my sound-meister Robbie at Matrix Digital (Wgtn) for his commitment to the craft and making himself available at the weirdest of hours to record these conversations from abroad. Thank you too, to Team Kea for promoting the pod. If you're a Kiwi Flee or know someone who should be, please get in touch at: [email protected] Please subscribe, leave a review, and join me in a fortnight for our next episode.

In this pod, actress, singer, and writer, Ellie Smith (MNZM), shares what she's been up to since leaving New Zealand in 2009. From her time in Madrid teaching curmudgeonly Spanish bankers how to speak English, the personal impact of travelling to Kenya, the sometimes heart-breaking sometimes hilarious connections made performing in UK care homes pre-Covid, and on becoming a grandmother. We also talk about Ellie's return onto the NZ stage for the first time in 17 years to perform her London sell-out solo show, Life on a Loop.Ellie has worked as an actor, singer, director, and drama teacher in professional theatre in Britain and New Zealand for more than 30 years, taking lead roles in the original London productions of The Rocky Horror Show & Chicago, starring in Shirley Valentine, Mortimer’s Patch, Worzel Gummidge, and Piaf, among others.She is a Kiwi gem and I'm deeply appreciative that Ellie agreed to join me on this inaugural episode of Kiwi Flees. Life on a Loop is on at the Q Theatre, Auckland, 11-16 November 2025. Head to qtheatre.co.nz for tickets.Thank you so much for listening. My huge thanks to the Kiwi Flees for candid conversations, and to my sound-meister Robbie at Matrix Digital (Wgtn) for his commitment to the craft and making himself available at the weirdest of hours to record these conversations from abroad. Thank you too, to Team Kea for promoting the pod. If you're a Kiwi Flee or know someone who should be, please get in touch at: [email protected] Please subscribe, leave a review, and join me in a fortnight for our next episode.