The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The Government’s this week announced it will give police the power to issue move-on orders in town centres across the country to people who are displaying disorderly, disruptive, threatening or intimidating behaviour.  It has caused quite a stir. No doubt it was welcome news to many people who live and work in the city centres where this behaviour has become an issue.  The new laws give...

Acclaimed Australian director Baz Luhrmann is the man behind films like The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge, Romeo and Juliet - and he's spent time exploring Elvis Presley's work. Luhrmann directed the 2022 Elvis biopic, and it was during that production process that he discovered hours and hours  of unseen  Elvis   concert   footage down a Warner Brothers salt mine.   He used...

The Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz. This is the latest in the series of thrillers about Evan Smoak, otherwise known as Orphan X - who was trained by the Government from childhood in the art of black ops but has since left the scheme and now uses his skills and talents to do good. He goes by the name of The Nowhere Man and when people in distress call on him he goes to their aid, his only stipulation be...

The final piece of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia has been laid in place. This brings the church to its maximum final height 144 years after work began. BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton explained the significance of this development. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Whakaari/White Island exploded around tour guide Kelsey Waghorn, she was convinced this was the end of her life. Waghorn is among the 25 people who were seriously injured but survived the December 9 eruption in 2019 - while 22 were killed in the eruption. She shared a full account of her story in her new book, Surviving White Island. "You look at the video of the eruption - and it's the first t...

This week on The Sunday Panel, journalist and editor, Jo McCarroll, and host of The Front Page podcast, Chelsea Daniels joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was recently arrested after being accused of sharing confidential information with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein while he was trade envoy for the United Kingdom. What does...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 22 February 2026, acclaimed film director Baz Luhrmann is returning to the world of Elvis with a stunning new concert documentary. Baz talks about finding hours of unseen footage in old Warner Brothers salt mines and the arduous job of bringing the King back to life no the big screen. When Whakaari-White Island erupted in Dec...

Spiced passata sauce   Cook time: 30 minutes  Prep time: 5 minutes  Serves: 4-6 12-15 ripe tomatoes  2 sticks rosemary  10 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed slightly  1 tbsp flaky salt  2 tbsp sunflower oil   1 fresh chili, stalk removed and cut in half 1 tbsp honey Start by turn on your oven to 220*c Cut the tomatoes in half and lay onto a roasting tray, sp...

A bonobo named Kanzi was sitting at a table across from a researcher. On the table are two completely empty clear cups and an empty clear jug. The researcher pretends to pour juice into both cups. Then she pretends to dump the juice out of one of them, turning it upside down and shaking it as if to show it’s empty.  Then she asks Kanzi, “Where’s the juice?”  There is no juice, but most o...

William Shatner is set to boldly go in a new musical direction with his latest project. The 94-year-old Star Trek actor confirmed he's got a heavy metal album in the works, featuring original songs and covers from Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.  Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall explained the project further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police are continuing to raid Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's former home - Royal Lodge. The former Prince was arrested and accused of sharing confidential information with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein while he was trade envoy for the UK. The Government's considering removing him from line of succession to the throne. He is eighth in line. Royal Editor at the Mirror Russell Myers says some are...

The Conservation Minister says National wants more consistent policy for Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.   National says it will ban commercial fishing in all 12 high protection areas and 5 sea floor protection areas.  It will also review the rules which allow bottom trawling in some corridors.  Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says some activities would still be allowed under these chang...

US President Donald Trump is pushing ahead with another round of global tariffs, just a day after being told last year’s levies were illegal. In a post on social media, Trump confirmed he’ll lift the tariffs to 15 percent, higher than the 10 percent rate he announced yesterday. The move comes after a Supreme Court ruling found his sweeping trade measures from last year were unlawful. Former US Und...

Well, there is absolutely no question what the biggest story in the world was on Friday. Words used to describe the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, were 'historic', 'jaw dropping', and 'stunning'. It has been described as a huge moment in the history of the modern royal family.  But there were other royal commentators who weren’t surprised at all with how Andrew’...

Miriam Margolyes, Judy Davis and Jacki Weaver are teaming up to star in an unconventional road trip comedy set in 1970s New Zealand. Three elderly nuns set off on a mission in their car powered by God to track down a lost boy in search of heaven, and the film promises to be entertaining and heartfelt. Miriam Margolyes says she's delighted to be involved in this film and she's enjoying working with...

Dr Lucy Hone is well-regarded as a resilience expert and she's got plenty of personal and academic experience with devastating grief. Grief comes in many forms - not just with death, but divorce, estrangement, dementia, redundancy, and Hone's put her findings into a book. She says some people are more 'mentally agile' than others and that learning how to balance emotions is a key skill. "They're a...

Spies and other Gods by James Wolff. This spy thriller is set apart from others by being narrated by a kind of collective voice of MI5 - it’s the spies watching the spies. Sir William Rentoul, head of the service, takes great umbrage when an anonymous whistle-blower lays a complaint and a smart young parliamentary researcher is brought in to investigate. MI5 are particularly adept at ensuring she...

With the new year getting underway, blogger and travel expert Megan Singleton revealed how to make the most out of your next big trip. She's revealed how to save money on international bank fees, how to prepare for airport security and what to do if your luggage gets damaged. Read more of her tips and tricks here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills and Director at Capital, Ben Thomas, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Does the Government need to move with urgency to get CAR T-cell therapy publicly available as soon as possible? Do we have faith they'll move quickly enough? Safety's been called into question after a collision at yester...

New research has revealed the best predictors of daily movement and exercise, and it goes deeper than willpower. Researchers followed and analysed 70,000 people over 3.5 years to challenge some of the most  common assumptions about motivation and discipline. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained the results. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 15 February 2026,   British Australian actress Miriam Margolyes chats her upcoming new film Holy Days and pushes back on rumours she might not have long left to live. We often think of grief as death but we all experience living losses too. Dr Lucy Hone is a specialist in resilience psychology and talks to Francesca abou...

Lamb in a bag  Cook time: 45 minutes  Prep time: 10 minutes  Serves: 6 1 leg of lamb, bone out  2 onions, peeled and diced  4 cloves garlic, peeled  2 tsp tumeric  2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted and crushed  2 tsp coriander seeds, roasted and crushed  2 tbsp honey  2 tbsp sweet chili sauce  2 tbsp soya sauce  Juice of 1 lemon 2 tbsp sunflower...

If you’re holding a cup of coffee or tea right now, here’s a small piece of encouraging news.  A large study published in the journal JAMA suggests that people who drink two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or tea a day have about a 15-20 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to people who avoid these drinks altogether.  The researchers analysed data from more than 130,00...

Following the release of their 2025 album, More, Pulp are set to play a long-awaited gig in New Zealand. This visit will be the band's first in over 13 years, and they'll be playing Auckland's Spark Arena next weekend. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the end of an era for iconic music festival Splore, with the event concluding for good this year. The festival's organisers confirmed that declining ticket sales forced them to pull the pin on the event. Splore festival director John Minty says it was important to wrap things up on a high note, but it's been sad for the crew. "We've created a family and a beautiful sort of community - obvious...