The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter. This is the second in her North Falls series, set in a small town after the shooting of a woman and her daughter and the subsequent investigation carried out by the local sheriff, which uncovers secrets and lies aplenty. It’s a classic small town where everybody knows everybody else, but don’t necessarily see them as they really are. Very cleverly constructe...

This weekend is July 4th - a big occasion as America celebrates their 250th anniversary since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Despite record breaking temps, it looks the fireworks are all on around the country, with many of the nation's biggest cities planning celebrations. BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Croque monsieur Cook time: 10 minutes  Prep time: 30 minutes  Serves: 4 8 slices of thick white bread or sour dough  1 ltr bechamel sauce  8 slices gruyere cheese  4 slices of smoked ham  2 tbsp Dijon mustard  butter for spreading on bread Bechamel sauce  4 tbsp butter  4 tbsp flour  500 ml milk   Pinch of nutmeg   Salt Preheat a oven to...

Learning a new skill can be deeply frustrating.  Whether you're trying to play your first chord on a guitar, use chopsticks, swing a golf club or simply write your name with your non-dominant hand, the experience is often the same.  You know exactly what you're trying to do, yet your body seems to have other ideas. Every movement feels awkward, clumsy and strangely unnatural.  It's...

21 years after the release of Legally Blonde, Prime Video launched a new prequel series exploring the life of Elle Woods. The show follows a high school-aged Elle needing to adjust to a fish-out-of-water situation after her family moves to Seattle. Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall reviews the series further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 5 July. Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Sunday Panel, host of The Prosperity Project podcast, Nadine Higgins, and Coast’s Lorna Riley joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Liam Dann from the New Zealand Herald says we need compulsory KiwiSaver and National and Labour have to work together to devise a bipartisan solution. What do we make of this? Is making KiwiSaver compulsory a...

Simon Painter is behind some of the world’s biggest live circus and magic shows, and his latest production will be coming to our shores this August. Painter's other works include The Illusionists, Cirque du Soleil, Circus 1903 and the stage adaption of Now You See Me - and his new Cirque Alice show aims to live up to this standard. The show is a reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland,...

Former Shortland Street star Tandi Wright has made the jump to a new big screen role - she's set to star in the new horror film Evil Dead: Burn.  Tandi Wright's made a name for herself in local productions like 800 Words and Nothing Trivial, and she’s also stared in many international shows and films as well. She says the horror genre's evolved over the last few years, which means she can tak...

There's hopes compulsory KiwiSaver can help New Zealand catch up to Australia's economy.  The National Party is campaigning on making KiwiSaver mandatory for all workers, and for gradually raising the matching rate to six percent.  NZ Herald Business Editor at Large Liam Dann says he wants to see a bipartisan effort and for the Labour Party to get on board.  He says people will need...

The Dave Rennie era of All Blacks rugby has started in winning ways with a 34-32 victory over France in the opening match of the inaugural Nations Championship. New Zealand were made to earn their victory against a well drilled French outfit who never looked out of touching distance, and caused a few nervy moments in the Garden City. Former All Black Lima Sopoaga said it was a good start, but ther...

It's a love story...and Taylor Swift said yes. The pop singer and American football star Travis Kelce tied the knot in front of 1000 guests at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Many celebrities were spotted attending the event, with comedian Adam Sandler officiating the wedding.  SiriusXM radio host Ben Harlum says the space was reportedly transformed into a fairy-tale garden - with a separat...

A historic visit is just the latest in a chain of landmark developments that are seeing us forge closer ties with India.  Narendra Modi will arrive in Auckland next week - marking the first time an Indian Prime Minister has ventured to our shores in four decades.  It comes on the heels of our countries signing a free trade agreement.  Political commentator Brigitte Morton says it's...

For a lot of Americans right now, Taylor Swift getting married will genuinely feel like a bigger event than America turning 250.  This sounds absurd. One is a quarter-millennium celebration of a nation founded in revolution, the other is the wedding of a pop star and an NFL player. But culture has never been driven by pure logic. It runs on emotion, attention and what people relate and connec...

Director Justin Zoras walked past a bookstore in a small town in Nova Scotia one night, and this experience went on to inspire a documentary. Elizabeth's Books is run by 83-year-old former seaman Chris Webb and the store only opens at night - sometimes for a few hours or whenever the last customer leaves. Justin Zoras went on to use the store for The Bookstore That Never Sleeps, which is about to...

Michaela Brake is set to make her grand return to the rugby field later this year, having re-signed with New Zealand Rugby through until 2027. She's made history in the world of Kiwi Sevens - as a two-time Olympic gold medallist and the all-time leading try scorer in women’s international sevens history. She's had to step off the field to look after her new baby, Harvey, and she's opened up about...

Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu. This is narrated by Elizabeth Zhang who is a driven,100 percent focused student at Columbia University, desperate to make the right path for herself for which she believes admission into Harvard Law School is a necessity. She’s completely shocked when she doesn’t get in and can’t believe that one of her classmates, Laura Kim, did - and becomes obsessed with Laura,...

New Zealand's first Michelin Guide Restaurant Ceremony is set to take place this week, and there's hope this development could boost tourism. Food tourism is growing in popularity, with more travellers seeking authentic dining experiences that reflected a destination’s national identity.  BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 28 June 2026, Sevens superstar Michaela Brake is preparing to make her comeback after re-signing with NZ Rugby.  She joins Francesca for a candid chat about the realities of early motherhood and why she's desperate to get back on the field. A special bookstore in small town Nova Scotia is the subject of a new film. Direc...

This week on the Sunday Panel, Director at Capital Ben Thomas and host of The Front Page podcast Chelsea Daniels joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Stuff's owner raised concerns over what big tech means for the future of our media. Are politicians petty about the media and is that an issue? Do they need to better support the media? Why aren't they making mo...

Millions of people are turning to conversational AI systems like ChatGPT and Claude to ask questions about symptoms, medications, supplements, nutrition, lab work, and treatment options. This has raised concerns, as research found that using AI for medical decisions tended to provide inaccurate and inconsistent information. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained the research further....

This coming Tuesday marks the beginning of New Zealand's inclusion in the Michelin Guide with the announcements of the stars.   The Michelin star system originated as a marketing ploy by French tire manufacturers André and Édouard Michelin in 1900. To encourage road trips and boost tire sales, they created a free guide for motorists. Today, it is globally recognized as the ultimate benchmark...

Your brain was never designed for this much bad news, according to new research. For almost all of human history, the biggest threats we faced were local - a predator hiding in long grass or a sick child in the village.  Your brain evolved to notice these dangers quickly because missing one could be fatal. On the other hand, reacting to something harmless carried very little cost.  This...

Auckland Grammar is cracking down on the filming of school sports, and other educators have voiced support. The debate over media coverage has come up again, after Auckland Grammar sent a “cease and desist” letter to a website that has broadcasted brief social media clips of the school’s First XV. Shirley Boys High principal and chair of School Sport NZ, Tim Grocott, says schools have a responsibi...

A popular K Road music venue may be looking at a second chance at life. Neck of the Woods took to social media last week to share the 'heavy news' of its closure due to increasing debt. Following this news, a GiveaLittle page dedicated to saving the venue was set up by a group of musicians and promoters - and the fundraiser met its target of $150,000. Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall says...