The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The Slow Roll  by Simon Lendrum . The author is an Aucklander – used to work in advertising and is now CEO of something called The Commercial Communications Council. The lead character is a guy called O’Malley who’s a poker player (hence the title) and is known for doing favours for people, so no surprise when he’s bailed up by a desperate father saying he needs O’Malley’s help to find his daughte...

Travel blogger Megan Singleton was interacting on Twitter with someone on a sports trip now having to isolate with Covid at a motel at their own expense. The lack of travel insurance in this situation has highlighted whether we need to have travel insurance for domestic travel. Megan Singleton joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Editor and commentator Jo McCarroll and Business Desk Investments Editor and Cooking the Books host Frances Cook joined Francesca Rudkin for the Sunday Panel. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parenting teenagers can feel like a rollercoaster, can’t it?  Add to it that the world our teens are growing up in is just so different from what we grew up in.  The challenges they face, and we face as parents, can be so overwhelming.  However, there is help in a fantastic new book called The Kids Will Be All Right: A Guide to Raising Teens In a Complex World.  The authors are nurse and educator...

Saying – for every one bad thing you might think about yourself, it takes 7 good thoughts to make up for it – or something along those lines. So why do we self-sabotage ourselves? Wellness expert Erin O’Hara joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to believe the holidays are now over and the kids are back to school, yeah!   These holidays we didn't have a huge amount of time with the kids as we were working but I'm hoping this recipe will bring everyone together when time is precious!    So this week I want to bring you a fast and delicious family dish that the whole family can enjoy!     Super tasty school night Dinner   Cook tim...

This week we are chatting about science that I can't personally get involved with - the research that shows that touching your food with your hands then chewing it with your mouth open is the best way to eat!  Professor Charles Spence from Oxford University came out with the statement which claims that this method maximises flavour and squeezes as much enjoyment out of a mouthful as possible.  Now...

Editor of flicks.co.nz Steve Newall joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss a last pick of the NZ International Film Festival, the new Netflix thriller The Gray Man and music documentary This Is Gwar. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime writer Karin Slaughter is back with another thriller this month – Girl, Forgotten. Karin is a best-selling author, she’s written 22 books, sold 40 million books across 120 countries.  You may also have seen the TV adaptation of Karin’s 2018 hit Pieces of Her which is now on Netflix.  Karin Slaughter joined Francesca Rudkin.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZ Herald Political Editor Claire Trevett joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss how the Green Party leadership vote will play out, Parliament's return after the recess and getting back control of cost of living and local government. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday, in front of huge media attention, the All Blacks announced their squad for the Rugby Championship. And that was about it. Almost a week since the Irish won a historic series here in New Zealand, the coach’s morning after press conference was cancelled – probably causing more harm than if it had just gone ahead - and New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson voiced his displeasure at the All B...

Final judging is underway in the annual New Zealand Ice Cream and Gelato Awards this morning.  Yesterday the judging panel tasted their way through 300 entries and this morning will narrow those down to find this year's winners.  The final round of tasting will take place at Onehunga High School. Ice Cream and Gelato Awards Chief Judge Jackie Matthews joined Francesca Rudkin.  LISTEN ABOVE See omn...

The second round of consultation on adoption law reform is now open for public consultation.  The new legislation will replace the 1955 Adoption Act, which has been regarded as outdated.  However, there is no guarantee these reforms will be retroactive – which leaves 100,000 adopted New Zealanders with no answers.  One of those is an expert in the field of adoption and the author of Tree of Strang...

Girl, Forgotten – the latest by Karin Slaughter who writes brilliant thrillers. Her last one was Pieces of Her which is now a major Netflix series. In 1982, Emily Vaughn gets ready for prom night but she has a secret and by the end of the evening she’ll be dead. Forty years later, with the murder still unsolved, a woman arrives in town to find justice for Emily – and to uncover the truth before th...

Travel blogger Megan Singleton was preparing for Rarotonga and seems to have lost her mojo when it comes to packing. This week, it’s all about the art of packing and how to avoid overpacking for the Pacific Islands. Megan Singleton joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bit of inspiration for you today.  There’s a lot of talk around creating side hustles for extra money or looking for jobs that provide the all-important work-life balance, and Vanya Insull has turned her hobby into a full-time job – all through social media. She is the woman behind foodie social media page VJ Cooks.  Vanya has gone from magazine art director - to full-time Mum - to running a six...

Host of The Front Page podcast Damien Venuto and 1News Senior Reporter Katie Bradford joined Francesca Rudkin for the Sunday Panel. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sore throat makes it more difficult to eat, drink, sleep, talk and generally function — and who wants that? Wellness expert Erin O’Hara joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are pretty excited as we have just started to harvest our Brassica's from the gardens. Which is amazing as last year we just fed the possums!  There are so many uses for Broccoli, cauliflower and Baby broccoli or Broccolini and are fantastic buys right now.   The recipe today focuses on Broccolini, which is a hybrid of Broccoli and Gai lan or chinese kale. With its long stems and smal...

Have you ever stood in front of a row of wine bottles at the supermarket wondering which one to buy?  Well this week science might be able to help you with your decision, if looking for white or rose wine, don't buy the ones in the clear bottles!  It's been known for a long time that light (sunlight and fluorescent supermarket lights) can damage chemcials in wine which change the taste and smell o...

Editor of flicks.co.nz Steve Newall joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss the highlights of the NZ International Film Festival and Part 2 of the final season of Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you are a fan of Where the Crawdads Sing I don’t think you will be disappointed with the film adaptation. It’s a complicated book – it’s a legal drama, a love story, a story of survival – and it’s all there and bought to life by actors Daisy Edgar-Jones and Taylor John Smith, who star as Kya and Tate. Where the Crawdads Sing is in cinemas this Thursday and is Reese Witherspoon's adaptation of t...

It’s 11 days until the Birmingham Commonwealth Games where 4,500 of the world’s top athletes from 20 sports will gather to compete in one of the biggest sporting competitions on the planet.  Katie Sadleir represented New Zealand in Synchronised Swimming at Olympics and Commonwealth Games in the 80’s and since then has amassed an impressive CV in the sports world.   Most recently she was with World...

Newstalk ZB Deputy Political Editor Jason Walls joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss if we will ever move back to Red, Luxon’s dip in the opinion polls and the Pacific Islands Forum. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WARNING: This interview discusses suicide. Helplines can be found at the bottom of the page There are calls for intervention on alcohol, and the damage it can cause.   An Otago University study has found just over a quarter of suicides involve acute alcohol use. It was found to be a contributing factor, especially for Maori, Pasifika and younger people.  Lead Author Dr Rose Cross-in says this rese...