Latest news with #LeighHart
NZ Herald
19-06-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Inside Leigh Hart's bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi
Imagine one man trudging across New Zealand with a singular, absurd mission: to personally hand-deliver one SnackaChangi chip to each and every one of the country's 5.31 million residents. Not a bag, not a handful, but a singular crisp per person. That man is Leigh Hart, and his unhinged campaign for SnackaChangi is just as hilarious as it is utterly impractical. Chatting with Hart about this logistical nightmare, it's clear he's approaching it with the kind of Kiwi grit that might make Sir Edmund Hillary nod approvingly (or more likely take on Everest as the easier mountain to climb). Hart, known for his comedic antics on Sports Cafe and for spawning the SnackaChangi brand (loosely inspired by a whimsical moment in Bali), is no stranger to bold ideas. 'The chips are pretty good, you know,' he says with a grin. 'We think once you try one, you'll never go back. So why not get one to every Kiwi?' A noble sentiment perhaps, but the reality is a gloriously chaotic mess. The plan is to package each single chip in tiny individual packets and physically deliver them door-to-door. Sure enough, Hart quickly realised he'd bitten off more than he could crunch. 'I wish I never started,' he laughs. The first hurdle? Data. He tried accessing census information, only to find it less reliable than a 1987 telephone directory he scavenged from MOTAT. 'Have you ever tried to find a phone book?' he demands, exasperated. 'Took me two weeks!' Then there's the sheer scale of it. New Zealand's population is growing faster than Hart can keep up. 'Every time I deliver one, someone else is born,' he says. His initial alphabetical approach – delivering to an Auckland Smith before jetting to a Dunedin Smythe – was a disaster. 'I'd deliver two chips and spend a day travelling,' he groans. But then switching to a geographical strategy didn't help. 'People don't immigrate alphabetically, and they don't stay put like a census day.' Jolly inconsiderate of them, certainly by Hart's measure. The result? A comical inequity crisis. Some lucky Kiwis have received multiple chips, while others remain chip-less. 'I've had heated discussions at doorsteps,' Hart confesses. 'A guy wants chips for his wife and kids, but if they're not on my list, I have to plan a return in three weeks.' It's not an exact science, he concedes, and there can be collateral damage which, as in the above example, Hart has directly encountered. 'When Dad gets a chip but Mum's left in the cold… let's just say there can be familial discontent!' Hart's record-keeping is as old-school as his tattered telephone directory. He's crossing names off a list and tracking progress on an Auckland billboard that 'clicks over' with each delivery – though he suspects a disconnect between his vision and execution. 'Sometimes the number goes down,' he says, baffled. Undaunted, the quest rolls on, racking up some impressive wins. As of June 18, he'd delivered a whopping total of 17 chips. For a campaign that launched two days earlier, that's… a start. The logistics are mind-boggling. Hart's crisscrossing the country on motorbikes, steam trains, and anything else he can commandeer, meeting 'real Kiwis' along the way. 'I've been on a journey of personal discovery,' he says. 'To find myself, I need to lose myself – and maybe lose myself again.' But the physical toll is real. He's trekked kilometres into the bush only to find empty huts or, worse, learn the intended recipient has passed away. 'I have to take that chip back to the printers, repackage it, new name, reassign it,' he sighs. 'That's not really fully in my skillset.' Desperate for efficiency, drastic measures are making their way onto his personal whiteboard. 'I might get in an airplane, give a crop-dusting approach a go. Sort of a chip bomber,' he muses. Where history tells us frogs and even fish have occasionally rained down from the heavens, chips are lighter. Offering a better consistency, he nevertheless observes that wind direction could make accuracy a nightmare. 'I could drop them here, and they'll land there – probably on someone who's already had one.' Logistics may fail Hart, but optimism never does. 'We do these things not because they're easy, but because they're hard,' he says. With a 96% chance of 'something' happening (he won't specify what), Hart's pressing on, fuelled by the hope of connecting with Kiwis and maybe, just maybe, converting a nation to SnackaChangi. For now, he's back on the road, chip in hand, ready to meet the next Kiwi on his list. We suggest a chip to the moon may be easier.
NZ Herald
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Media Insider podcast: Inside the media and business mind of Leigh Hart - from That Guy and chaotic speed-cooking, to a snack empire
Leigh Hart admits he was a bit of a 'control freak' when it came to establishing his groundbreaking comedy stunts. Hart - aka That Guy, and multiple other comedic personalities - opens up in this week's Media Insider podcast on his three decades in the TV, radio and newspaper industry,
Scoop
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Leigh Hart Returns To Radio With New Show On Radio Hauraki
Press Release – NZME. Premiering this Friday 6 June, Paid to Talk, builds on Harts reputation as one of New Zealand's most distinctive comedic voices and provides listeners with more of his unique perspective, trademark humour, and unconventional approach. Legendary Kiwi media personality Leigh Hart is returning to radio with a brand-new radio show on Radio Hauraki and a corresponding podcast, New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) announced today. Premiering this Friday 6 June, Paid to Talk, builds on Hart's reputation as one of New Zealand's most distinctive comedic voices and provides listeners with more of his unique perspective, trademark humour, and unconventional approach. In addition to the Friday radio broadcast, the show will be available as a catch up podcast, with exclusive bonus content created specifically for podcast listeners. Todd Campbell, Content Director for Radio Hauraki says 'We are so excited to have Leigh Hart back 'on-air' at Radio Hauraki. He'll be joined by his great mate Matt Ward who is well known to the Hauraki audience. It's instant chemistry with these two, and a great way to kick off the weekend with some big laughs with Paid to Talk at 3pm and The Big Show from 4!' Sarah Catran, NZME Head of Digital Audio says: 'We're thrilled to be collaborating with Leigh on his exclusive podcast, an opportunity that brings his unparalleled talent to the forefront and an established fan-base to our NZME digital platforms. 'The innovative dual-format approach exemplifies NZME's commitment to bridging traditional radio and digital audio experiences. This showcases NZME's continued efforts to redefine the audio landscape with bespoke products that seamlessly connect terrestrial and digital platforms, setting new benchmarks in the industry,' she says. Leigh Hart says: 'Although I have been in the New Zealand radio wilderness for a while, I have kept my hand in as the breakfast, drive time, late night talk-back host and newsreader on Caliente FM in Peru. 'This was of course a challenge as Spanish was very much a second language to me. So I am excited to be back on the New Zealand airwaves in Paid to Talk with Matt Ward, better known as 'Lobo de Noche' or the Night Wolf. The show is called Paid to Talk, unfortunately however the listeners aren't paid to listen, this will be offset by giving away air-fryers!' Paid to Talk debuts this Friday 6 June on Radio Hauraki at 3pm, with the podcast available on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
Scoop
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Leigh Hart Returns To Radio With New Show On Radio Hauraki
Legendary Kiwi media personality Leigh Hart is returning to radio with a brand-new radio show on Radio Hauraki and a corresponding podcast, New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) announced today. Premiering this Friday 6 June, Paid to Talk, builds on Hart's reputation as one of New Zealand's most distinctive comedic voices and provides listeners with more of his unique perspective, trademark humour, and unconventional approach. In addition to the Friday radio broadcast, the show will be available as a catch up podcast, with exclusive bonus content created specifically for podcast listeners. Todd Campbell, Content Director for Radio Hauraki says 'We are so excited to have Leigh Hart back 'on-air' at Radio Hauraki. He'll be joined by his great mate Matt Ward who is well known to the Hauraki audience. It's instant chemistry with these two, and a great way to kick off the weekend with some big laughs with Paid to Talk at 3pm and The Big Show from 4!' Sarah Catran, NZME Head of Digital Audio says: "We're thrilled to be collaborating with Leigh on his exclusive podcast, an opportunity that brings his unparalleled talent to the forefront and an established fan-base to our NZME digital platforms. 'The innovative dual-format approach exemplifies NZME's commitment to bridging traditional radio and digital audio experiences. This showcases NZME's continued efforts to redefine the audio landscape with bespoke products that seamlessly connect terrestrial and digital platforms, setting new benchmarks in the industry,' she says. Leigh Hart says: 'Although I have been in the New Zealand radio wilderness for a while, I have kept my hand in as the breakfast, drive time, late night talk-back host and newsreader on Caliente FM in Peru. 'This was of course a challenge as Spanish was very much a second language to me. So I am excited to be back on the New Zealand airwaves in Paid to Talk with Matt Ward, better known as 'Lobo de Noche' or the Night Wolf. The show is called Paid to Talk, unfortunately however the listeners aren't paid to listen, this will be offset by giving away air-fryers!' Paid to Talk debuts this Friday 6 June on Radio Hauraki at 3pm, with the podcast available on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
