The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The wait is finally over for No Time To Die, Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond. The film will start screening from October 7th outside of Auckland. Unfortunately for Auckland audiences, it won't be released on streaming services as theatres around the world start to reopen. Elsewhere, the new BBC submarine thriller series Vigil has hit our screens. The six-part series is made by the same p...

A venture capitalist thinks it's possible for humans to live to 200 years old and it's possible to do it well. Sergey Young is the founder of the Longevity Fund, which invests in health tech companies who focus on defeating ageing. His goal to help 1 billion people around the world lengthen their healthy life spans.  He’s detailed his thoughts in a new book The Science and Technology of Growing Yo...

Covid vaccination is a hot topic at the moment.  But it can be an incredibly divisive and difficult discussion to have, particularly when dealing with friends or family who are vaccine-hesitant.  Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw told Francesca Rudkin about 20 per cent of people have some hesitancies about the vaccine, but they aren't a predictor for whether someone will get vaccinated or not. "People's atti...

It’s finally the school holidays and it comes as a great relief to parents, students and teachers alike, particularly in Auckland after 7 weeks of online learning.  But the impact of online learning for students in Auckland and what it’s going to take to get them back up to speed is something to question.  Secondary Principals Association President Vaughan Couillault told Francesca Rudkin Auckland...

It’s been an interesting week in Level 3. ‘Fractious’ would be the way I’d describe Auckland at present - we’re ever so gently pulling apart at the seams.  This week I’ve heard of teenagers catching up with their mates at the park, kids having sleep-overs, friends going on walks together. Being in level 3 and double vaccinated some bubbles are growing faster than they should. In other neighbourhoo...

Editor of NZ Gardener magazine Jo McCarroll discusses some common problems with citrus plants and how to remedy them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Megan Singleton continues to find ways to travel during lockdown. This week she's found a way that involved extreme exercise. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After meeting at University Alec Renehan and Bryse Leske both developed an interest in investing.  Realising others were facing the same challenges entering the investing scene, they decided to share their journey of learning to invest, and the Equity Mates podcast was born.  They now run the number one finance and investing podcast platforms in Australia with a simple focus: to make investing acc...

It’s time to spring into daylight savings.  But it can leave you feeling groggy and irritable. Studies have found that both heart attacks and fatal car accidents increase after the spring shift to Daylight Saving Time.  Erin O’Hara suggests adjusting yourself to the time change in 15-minute increments.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 day marinated spring lamb (serves 6-8)  Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes  1 boned and rolled lamb shoulder, cut into long strips 1 cup of yogurt 2 tbsp of spice powder, I used curry powder but you can use Harissa powder, chipotle powder, American style rub or just some smoked salt  Marinate the lamb in a bag pressing out all the air, this ensures all the meat is totally covered and...

Another week of working from home for many of us, and science says we might be pretty exhausted by now.  The reason: "Zoom fatigue" - a feeling of being drained and lacking energy following a day of virtual meetings.  The research published a study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that it's not the virtual meetings that are tiring, but having your camera on during a virtual meeting that...

New Zealand’s own film-maker Jessica Hobbs has won an Emmy for her work on smash hit Netflix show The Crown.  Hobbs won for her directing work on the episode "War", the finale of the show's fourth season, which tells the story of the unravelling of the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Hobbs started out directing here, working alongside the likes of Jane Campion before moving to Austr...

Lana Del Ray is seeking public acknowledgement from kiwi singer Lorde over similarities between their songs.  She claims Lorde’s single Stoned at the Nail Salon is a dead ringer for her songs Wild at Heart and Hope is a Dangerous Thing For a Woman Like Me to Have.  You may remember Primal Scream spoke of how “flattered” the band was that Lorde was influenced by their song 'Loaded' for her single S...

Former Prime Minister Sir John Key slammed the government's Covid-19 response today, saying they're trying to terrorise people. He says they're trying to inject fear into people [to get vaccinated] because they're realised you can't keep borrowing a billion dollars a week to fund lockdowns and stop people going about their daily lives. He thinks they way forward is to provide incentives for people...

Mental Health Awareness Week kicks off tomorrow, and over the last week the government has had quite a bit to say about mental health. Not all that was put up was as positive as the government made out. We saw the government's Implementation Unit – which monitors their delivery of certain projects - release a review of its $1.9 billion Mental Health and Addiction package, and claim it’s making str...

Tomorrow Cabinet faces probably the toughest decision they‘ve had to make since the country entered a lockdown in August. Does Auckland stay at Alert Level 4, or move to Level 3? I’ve spoken to a lot of people over the week and for those in Auckland, this week - week 5, was the week people just gave up. They’ve given up on home schooling (if they’re persevering they’ve at least given up pretending...

Editor of NZ Gardener magazine Jo McCarroll tells you which vegetables you should plant today and why it's not yet time to plant the tomatoes. Vegetables Jo recommends:- beetroot- carrots- rocket LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Megan Singleton talks about an online exhibit from the Louvre, which you can visit from the comfort of your home. Historians and artists at the Louvre have x-rayed and scanned the Mona Lisa - painted on poplar wood, not canvas - and revealed Leonardo da Vinci's painting techniques.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2005 a small auction house in New Orleans sold a painting for just over a thousand dollars. On taking possession, the new owners were blown away. They began a process of establishing the painting’s provenance, which lead them to believe it was the Salvator Mundi, a long-lost masterpiece by Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci.   In 2017, the same painting became the most expensive ever sold at...

One of the thing many of us are guilty of is spending too much time looking at screens. Digital eye strain can result in headaches, neck tension, dry eyes and blurry vision.  Erin O'Hara talks about how you can help prevent it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Research published in the journal Nature this week has found that listening to Mozart can lead to a decrease in epileptiform discharges, the brain waves that can cause seizures.  The research was carried out on 16 patients who were hospitalised with epilepsy as they did not respond to medication.  The researchers played two classical pieces to volunteers while measuring their brainwaves to look at...

Uber Crispy Chicken burger with Fennel Slaw (makes 4 burgers)   6 boneless skinless chicken thighs 1 cup yogurt 1 cup milk 100g cornflour 100g plain flour 2 tsp chilli flakes or powder 1 tsp dried thyme 2 tsp oregano  ½ tsp cracked pepper 2 tbsp sweet paprika  2 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tsp ground coriander 4 tsp salt 1 tbsp garlic powder (optional) Oil for frying  6 burger buns Cos leaves  Chilli sa...

Steve Newall talks about what to expect from the Emmy's this year and which shows are likely to pick up an award. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Jess Quinn was nine years old she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, cancer of the bone, in her right femur.  Chemotherapy failed to stop the cancer and Jess’ leg had to be amputated.  What followed was a physical journey of learning to walk again but also an emotional one of accepting her new body.  20 years on, Jess is now a model, brand ambassador and social media influencer who is trying to...

Community cases jumped to 20 yesterday, but only one of those is unlinked. The Ministry of Health says fluctuations at this stage of the outbreak are perfectly normal. Tomorrow Cabinet will decide if Auckland will shift to level 3. One of the concerns if Auckland remains in level 4 is lockdown fatigue: the mental health and economic impacts as well as the likelihood that people will no longer foll...