The Mountain Club Podcast

What happens when a family farm runs out of reasons to keep raising sheep, but the family refuses to give up the land?
Host Paddy sits down with Annika Grant, co-founder of Country Lane, a working farm on the outskirts of Queenstown reimagined into a 28-tenant boutique village built from salvaged and relocated buildings, including the old Queenstown District High School and cabins rescued from the demolished Lakeview Holiday Park.
Annika shares how it began with her sister-in-law sewing a children's clothing line in a converted hay barn, why the hand-picked Country Lane Collective is built on short-term leases and a strict no-chain-stores rule, and what's coming next: ten hot pools on the farm's hillside overlooking Lake Johnson and Coronet Peak, a holistic health hub, and the restoration of the farm's original homestead. She also weighs in on Queenstown's growth, the proposed gondola crossing the family's farm hill, and why she would rather build somewhere people linger than somewhere built for stop and shop.
A grounded, honest listen on place-making, community-first development, and building something that lasts.

What begins as a walk often becomes something far greater. Clare sits down with Matt Claridge, Chief Executive of Te Araroa, New Zealand’s 3,000 kilometre pathway stretching from Cape Reinga to Bluff. More than a track, it weaves through cities, backcountry, and communities, offering a deeply personal journey for those who step onto it.
Together, they explore the evolving role of the trail, from tourism and sustainability to community connection and access to the outdoors. The conversation moves beyond logistics into meaning, unpacking why people walk and what they discover along the way.
Through stories from the trail, we discover how Matt is helping shape Te Araroa into more than a national asset. It is a growing movement, encouraging more New Zealanders to reconnect with the land and discover what exists beyond the everyday.

Host Paddy Kluts sits down with Drew Knowles and Dr Simon McKenzie-Nickson, the duo behind the Augmented Human Series, for a conversation on burnout, busyness, and the biology underneath both. Drew brings three decades across behavioural consulting, stress physiology, and human performance. Simon brings a PhD in neuroscience and deep flow state research.
Together they trace the exhaustion so many ambitious people are quietly carrying back to its roots in the nervous system, hormone biology, and behavioural patterns that were never built for the 50 gigabytes of input a day we are currently taking in.
The conversation cuts through hustle culture and quick-fix biohacks to land somewhere more useful, a biology-first framework for performing at a genuinely higher level without burning out in the process.
A grounded, science-led listen on stress, sleep, focus, and the upstream shifts that change everything downstream. Book workshops 2 and 3 of the Augmented Human Series via the link in the external links in this episode.

What happens when entrepreneurship shifts from starting businesses to acquiring and growing the ones already built? Paddy sits down with Pete Seligman to explore the growing momentum behind entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) across Australia and New Zealand, and why it is becoming an increasingly compelling path for operators, investors, and aspiring business owners.
Together, they unpack the foundations of a successful ETA ecosystem, from community and investor alignment to the relationship between an operator and the business they choose to lead. The conversation explores succession planning, long-term ownership, and the opportunities emerging across both sides of the Tasman.
Set against the backdrop of Queenstown, Pete also reflects on why places like this are attracting ambitious people looking to build businesses differently - balancing growth, lifestyle, and meaningful connection.

Clare sits down with Mat Woods, Chief Executive of Destination Queenstown, and Mike Casey, CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa and Central Otago's electric cherry orchardist, for a live episode recorded for Electrify Queenstown. Together they unpack what it really means to lead the world on electrification, and why Queenstown is uniquely placed to do it. The conversation moves from the economics of running a country on its own energy, to the stories behind the shift, to the everyday decisions reshaping how New Zealanders live, work, and travel. Mat and Mike explore how a small district at the end of a single power line could become a lighthouse for a much bigger national transformation.