The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Where are we at with the protest? How long do the Police feel they can maintain this kind of presence? We’re seeing protests growing around the country – protesters walked over the Harbour Bridge yesterday, tents are going up in the Auckland Domain – is there a sense you can just do what you want these days.  NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan joined Francesca Rudkin.  LISTEN ABOVE See omn...

From 11.59 pm tonight, border changes in New Zealand will allow vaccinated Kiwis in Australia to return home and self-isolate – rather than go into MIQ.  Grounded Kiwis spokesperson, Martin Newell joined Francesca Rudkin from Melbourne.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are signs of desperation across Ukraine ... locals are trying to leave the country, and particularly the city of Kyiv, as the Russian invasion advances.   New Zealand journalist Tom Mutch has overnight fled Kyiv by train and joins me now.  He joined Francesca Rudkin.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Amber’s Wake by Christine Leunens, who of course wrote the book on which the movie Jojo Rabbit was based (it was called Caging Skies). Local author. It’s a romantic drama set in New Zealand during the 1980s. Ethan Grieg, a film student, is in love with his close friend Amber Deering, an environmental activist, who lives at her family’s seemingly picture-perfect stud farm. Amber loves Ethan dear...

Commentator and TV producer Irene Gardiner and acting Newstalk ZB HDPA Drive host (as of tomorrow!) Andrew Dickens joined Francesca Rudkin on the panel this week.  They discuss the protests, if there’s a way to end them, and whether we need to rethink how testing is done.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m going to call Queenstown Tourism and have a chat about ‘being closed by Friday’.  I spoke to a friend who lives in Queenstown this week and she described the place as a ghost town. She said it’s a good time to come South!   It’s quiet, sure.  A few cafes and restaurants are closed but QT is most certainly open for business.  The Super Rugby Teams are all based there too now – but in bubbles. ...

Today, February 20, marks exactly 1 year since New Zealand’s Covid-19 vaccination program began – with first shots administered to border and MIQ workers.   We’ve heard a lot about the vaccines in those 12 months, but we don’t know much about the intense and urgent race to develop them or the people behind the science.   Gregory Zuckerman is a special writer and investigative journalist at The Wal...

Erin is the co-founder, director, naturopath and yoga teacher at Golden Yogi.  She holds a Bachelor of Science (physiology) and a Bachelor of Natural Medicine.  Erin O’Hara joined Francesca Rudkin to talk about belly fat and the best way to get rid of it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike’s website – goodfromscratch.co.nz  This week I want to talk about pickling,   Pickling is different to preserving as you are adding a sweet and sour element.  With the gardens producing a huge amount of produce at the moment, there’s no better time than now to set aside some time to pickle some vegetables.  Even if you don't have a vegetable garden, your local vegetable shop is bound to have...

Kitchen Sponges!  New research out this week shows that the structure of your kitchen sponge makes it a better incubator for growing diverse bacterial communities than even a laboratory Petri dish!  It seems that – like humans, some bacteria thrive in a diverse community while others prefer more of a solitary existence. The great thing about a kitchen sponge is that it provides a physical environm...

A superior J Lo/Owen Wilson romcom, Marry Me is in cinemas now.  Meanwhile, J Lo’s beau Ben Affleck will soon release the erotic thriller, Deep Water shot with then-girlfriend Ana de Armas. Not weird at all…  Steve Newall, editor at flicks.co.nz, joined Francesca Rudkin.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New music from Broods, they have just released the first of four singles from their new album Space Island.  The single is called Piece of my Mind.  Indie pop sibling duo Georgia and Caleb Nott joined Francesca Rudkin.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An innovative solution for the huge amounts of pandemic-generated waste has been developed at the University of Auckland.  Hot pressurised water and compressed air is applied to non-recyclable PPE gear – with water and acetic acid being the end-products  Doctor Saeid Baroutian says this could save tonnes of waste being dumped daily into landfills and oceans.  “Not only do you discard masks and oth...

Newstalk ZB chief political reporter, Jason Walls, joined Francesca Rudkin to update us on all the new protest news. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Western leaders have spoken out overnight, warning Russia against any plans to invade Ukraine.   But there are growing fears troops massed on Ukraine’s border could invade at any time.   New Zealand journalist Tom Mutch is based in Kyiv, Ukraine, and has been on the frontline in the last few days.  Tom joined Francesca Rudkin.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve been wondering how life looks living with Covid 19 in the community, and you’ve got kids, you probably got a good taste of it this week.   Since the beginning of the school year, 3 weeks ago, there have been only 4 positive student cases at my kids’ college.   But just 4 cases have had quite an impact when the self-isolating regulations come into play – which are that close contacts self...

Exit.45 by our own Auckland writer Ben Sanders. His hero is a guy named Marshall Grade, and this is a ride through the NY underworld. Living safely here in Takapuna Auckland, I’m never sure how he manages to get his US cities down so well and all the thugs who inhabit them but he’s really good at it. When a former NYPD colleague is shot dead in front of him, private investigator Marshall Grade dis...

I’ve had a chat with Brent Thomas, COO House of Travel today on my Podcast and have some good insights into the status of travel this week:  The quarantine at the border must be dropped. It’s no longer our biggest threat with Omicron now in the community. 15% of cases at the border v 85% in the community.  NZ will miss out on airlines flying here if we don’t set a date for that to happen out now....

Jason Pine joined Francesca Rudkin to talk about the Israel Adesanya v Robert Whittaker fight. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the Panel discussed the anti-mandate protest, Grant Robertson considering more hospitality funding and the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.  Lorna Subritzky and Liam Hehir joined Francesca Rudkin on The Sunday Session.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Filmmaker Mike Mills is an Oscar nominated writer and director.  His Oscar nomination was for 20th Century Women, a story based on his mother, Mike’s other notable film, Beginners, is a story about his father coming out late in life.  Keeping with the family theme, Mike’s new film is a story inspired by becoming a dad, and it’s already being mentioned in award circles, it’s called C’mon C’mon star...

Erin is the co-founder, director, naturopath and yoga teacher at Golden Yogi.  She holds a bachelor of science (physiology) and a bachelor of natural medicine.  Why don't we talk about humidity?   * Can high humidity cause health problems?  * What is the optimal humidity level for our health?  * Humidity and sleep  * Mould, spores, fungi - contributing to nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing...

Mike’s website – goodfromscratch.co.nz  Happy Valentine's Day  Such a cool day and it couldn't have come at a better time.  Everyone has a different Valentine's Day. Some people may not need to even consider it, some take it very seriously and some like me are so busy we struggle to figure out what to give our lovely partner.  Flowers are out of the question for me, sorry but I'm not paying $150 f...

Beautiful new research out this week contributing to the ongoing debate about whether or not animals have empathy.  For the first time, scientists have observed chimpanzees in the west African nation of Gabon making a band aid out of insects to treat wounds. What's interesting is that the apes not only treated their own wounds but also the wounds of their peers.  The research published in the jour...

Annah Stretton is an entrepreneur, fashion designer, manufacturer, retailer, philanthropist, author, and if that’s not enough she’s also in the middle of a Master's degree, one she decided to start after hitting 60!  This year marks two big milestones for Annah. The first is celebrating an incredible 30 years in the fashion industry.  The second, 10 years since she began her charitable work throug...