The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Creatine is the latest wellness trend for building muscle and boosting brain health, but is it really all it's pumped up to be? It’s primarily considered a fitness supplement, but doctors are increasingly curious about its potential longevity and mental health benefits.   Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

NVIDIA GTC took place last week in San Jose, where thousands of developers and industry experts gathered to discuss the latest AI breakthroughs. The sessions revealed how AI was set to shape every major industry, with plenty of experts discussing the next steps for this new technology. Nanotechnologist Dr Michelle Dickinson was at the event, and she revealed how AI was set to impact the business a...

The 98th Academy Awards took place last Monday in LA, with the major prize going to One Battle After Another. It dominated the night with six wins  - including Best Picture and Best Director, edging out Sinners. Best Costume Design went to New Zealander Kate Hawley for Frankenstein, and the Weta FX team won Best Visual Effects for Avatar: Fire and Ash. Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall...

The Civil Contractors New Zealand Cable Price National Excavator Operator Competition officially wrapped up this weekend. The event took place at Manfeild Park during Central Districts Field Days on March 20-21, where top operators faced off to take home the title. The competition's chief organiser, Greg Lumsden, revealed what makes someone a successful operator in this context.  "We've got a...

A prediction that the New Zealand First leader will be feeling confident heading into a set-piece speech today. Winston Peters will be giving his State of the Nation address in Tauranga today.  Newstalk ZB political reporter Ethan Griffiths says we can expect a policy and an election announcement this afternoon - and that the state of the polls will be giving Peters a boost.  LISTEN...

Fishing host Matt Watson has been quick to voice disapproval with a bill proposing to remove almost all minimum legal-size limits for commercial fishing operators. The proposed laws would apply to a range of popular fish species, including snapper, trevally, butterfish and tarakihi - and recreational fishers will still have to follow all current minimum size limit rules. Watson says this won't add...

The relationship between employers and employees is getting more and more fraught when they come into dispute - and there's growing calls for change. The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) is calling for a review of the employment disputes resolution system, as they've voiced concerns around employment advocates. EMA Head of Legal, Mauro Barsi, says the association has observed that the...

Well, the whole world is talking about petrol, how to get it, and how expensive will it get while the unrest in the Middle East continues. News outlets world wide are warning of hard times to come and leaders are playing a waiting game to see how the cards fall.  But it’s not all doom and gloom.  Rather than waiting for the state to take the lead, citizens are modifying their behaviour....

Crackhead is a new, locally produced dark comedy, and it's getting plenty of positive reviews. Created and written by actress Holly Shervey, Crackhead is loosely based on Shervey’s own experience of addiction and psychiatric care.  Holly Shervey and her husband, director of the show, Emmett Skilton, explained the creative process behind creating the show. "When we finally start to take it off...

Australian author Charlotte McConaghy’s novel Wild Dark Shore has been widely reviewed as one of the must read books of 2025.  It also saw McConaghy named on the longlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.  Ahead of her appearance at the Auckland Writers Festival, she's opened up about the creative journey behind her iconic work. "I was concerned that my sort of level of immersion into m...

Lake Effect by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney. In 1977, just as The Joy of Sex is sweeping through suburbia, neighbours Nina Larkin and Finn Finnegan leave their respective families for a new life together in a seismic betrayal which ripples through their children’s lives and has a profound, ongoing impact on them all. Yet family bonds are not easily broken and somehow seem to stretch, bend and accommoda...

It's spring on the other side of the world, which means it's almost peak cherry blossom season in Washington DC. There's over 3000 cherry blossom trees in America's capital, and BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton says timing is everything when it comes to seeing them in bloom. Megan outlined her travel tips - read more about what she recommends here.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listen...

This week on The Sunday Panel, Newstalk ZB host Roman Travers and editor and journalist, Jo McCarroll, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more! The Middle East crisis is getting worse and there's concerns about what it will do to the global fuel supply chain. Do we think the Government is taking this seriously enough? Are we taking any steps to reduce our consum...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 15 March, author Charlotte McConaghy is behind one of 2025s must read books 'Wild Dark Shores'. She joins Francesca to talk about the unexpected success of a book that was very hard to write and the insane research trip she undertook with a toddler in tow. Holly Shervey has turned her story of drug addiction and psychiatric c...

Healing the gut rather than relying on long-term restrictive diets is considered a better approach to manage IBS and bloating than restrictive dieting. Irritable bowel syndrome is very common in New Zealand, affecting an estimated 15–20 percent of the population, or roughly 1 in 7 adults. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara reveals how to work through long-term gut issues. LISTEN ABOVE See...

Hot smoked mussel pate   Cook time: 10 minutes  Prep time: 10 minutes  Serves 6-8 300-400 gm darker fleshed fillets like Kahawai or Trevally  100 gm seasalt  2 cups large manuka wood chips 10 green lip mussels   2 tbsp Dijon mustard 3 tbsp crème fraiche Juice of one lemon 1 tbsp honey Pinch of paprika   Cracked pepper and seasalt 3 tbsp fennel tips & chives,...

Imagine biting into a tomato that smells like freshly buttered popcorn. Research published in the journal  KeAi showed the world’s first tomato plants with a popcorn-like aroma made using gene-editing technology. The goal is part of a much bigger effort to solve one of the biggest problems in modern agriculture: why tomatoes have lost so much of their flavour.  Why tomatoes don’t taste l...

Netflix has recently confirmed it would release a sequel to Kpop Demon Hunters, its most popular film of all time and a two-time Oscar nominee. The film's a big hit with fans all over the world, and it's nominated for two Academy Awards this Monday - Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall explained further, and discussed the other nominees ahead of t...

A Kiwi fashion stylist has turned personal loss into a new purpose. Inspired by her auntie's cancer battle, Lulu Wilcox has created 'Loved by Lulu' a range of headwear for women struggling with hair loss from the likes of chemotherapy.  Wilcox says she wanted to create something that gives back, and offers people comfort during tough times.  "This has come about, Loved by Lulu, and I'm v...

Building relationships is the focus for the Prime Minister, as he departs for Samoa and Tonga today. Chris Luxon will visit the main islands of both countries this week to meet with the pair's new Governments. Alongside him will be his Police and Pacific Peoples Ministers - as well as a business delegation and MPs from other parties. Newstalk ZB political reporter Ethan Griffiths explained why Lux...

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has sparked concerns about global oil shortages, domestic rising petrol and diesel costs, and it's got experts speculating. The Government is working to find a solution, with Energy Minister Simon Watts meeting with his counterparts in Tokyo for the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Forum to discuss the issue. Nathan Surendran is the chair of the Wise Response So...

So, if you were hoping 2026 would be a simpler year than the previous few, you’re probably rethinking your expectations. There’s a bit going on. This week has been about leadership. Domestic and global. The Middle East. Oil prices. And reliving the past with the Covid Royal Commission Report.   Oil isn’t toilet paper, but there’s a weird familiarity between Covid and our oil supply concerns,...

Award-winning journalist Charlotte Glennie's built up a memorable career over the years. As a foreign correspondent, she reported from North Korea, Mongolia, and Russia, she covered monsoon rains in a Bangladesh refugee camp and she witnessed the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people. But before all that, Glennie was in a life-changing accident while in Croatia and los...

Brothers Pene Pati and Amitai Pati began their music careers in South Auckland church halls, but now they've grown their international careers. A new documentary Tenor: My Name Is Pati explored the duo's journey to the opera stages as Sol3 Mio stars - and how they got to train and work overseas. Pene Pati says he was scared on the journey, but knew he would find his way.  "I often think about...

Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubuse. Saoirse is a successful artist living in Ireland with a lovely family and skeletons in the closet that she hopes will stay hidden forever. When she becomes the focus of attention after winning a major art award, her carefully constructed life comes under attack as her deception becomes known, and the public gaze sees only the extent of her lies and not the desperate...