The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The Covid-19 Alert Level changes are like the plug being pulled on Auckland hospitality businesses. Auckland is at Alert Level 3, with the rest of the country at Level 2, after a 21-year-man and his mother tested positive yesterday. Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois [muh-riss-ah bid-waa] says it's a major blow for our biggest city, with Sundays usually being a busy day. She says...

Dietary supplements are all the rage, and getting our nutrients straight from a pill sounds easy, but supplements don't necessarily deliver on the promise of better health unless they are prescribed correctly at the right dose for your health. Some supplements can even be dangerous, especially when taken in larger-than-recommended amounts. Wellbeing expert and Golden Yogi founder Erin O'Hara joine...

You may have heard of the placebo effect - but have you ever come across nocebo effect. This is where something totally harmlesscan create side effects because you have been told that it will. One drug that is often linked to this effect is statins, which help to lower cholesterol potentially preventing heart attacks and strokes. However, there was a rumour that they caused aches and pains so peop...

In the 30 years Melissa Trueblood has worked in production, she's seen it all -- even if she claims she doesn't have the coolest stories. But 2021 has dealt her one of her tallest orders yet: to help the Golden Globes put on, essentially, three shows in one night. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 78th Golden Globes will be unlike any other in its history. Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and pre...

Rachel House has been a key part of New Zealand’s acting scene for over 25 years, as an actress, writer, coach and director. She’s had many great roles, ranging from Taika Waititi’s films to featuring in Disney productions Moana and Soul. Now House is back in New Zealand with a local film – Cousins, based on the Patricia Grace novel of the same name. She joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss her late...

Aucklanders are waking up this morning to alert level 3, and the rest of the country to level 2. That means a large portion of businesses - hairdressers, gyms and cinemas, among others - will keep their doors shut and operations on hold as trading restrictions are re-implemented in the country's most populous city. Supermarkets, dairies, petrol stations, butchers and greengrocers will remain open...

Scientific experts say two or three key factors specific to Auckland's latest Covid-19 cases forced the Government to impose a seven-day lockdown. The snap move applies from 6am today and follows confirmation of two new Covid community cases. A man, 21, known as case M, went to the GP on Friday afternoon for a Covid test - then went to the gym. His positive test result was confirmed this afternoon...

Finance Minister Grant Robertson has confirmed that since the latest Covid-19 lockdown is more than seven days, business support now kicks in. It comes after a new Covid-19 case was detected in the community yesterday afternoon. Auckland has moved to alert level 3, while the rest of the country is at level 2 for a week from 6am today. The latest lockdown triggers the wage subsidy scheme and that a...

The role the Royal Family has in the 21st century has been thrust back into the spotlight this week.  Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have made a final split with the British royal family, telling Queen Elizabeth that they will not be returning as working members of monarchy. The statement from Buckingham Palace comes after the pair suddenly announced they were embarking on a new future, last yea...

A headline on the front page of the Herald yesterday read V-Day. A reference to the first day of vaccinations, and an obvious referenced to another V-Day or VE Day. And like V-day, the beginning of our vaccination programme here in New Zealand is just that; the beginning of a long process to safely re-connect with the rest of the world. Considering no one really knew when the program might start,...

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz The sixth entry in the Orphan X series – prefect for Jack Reacher fans looking for something new. Evan Smoak is Orphan X – taken from his orphanage as a child and taught to become a government assassin. He’s retired and now uses all those skills for doing good. One day he gets a call from someone claiming to be his mother – whom he’d never met as she sent him to the o...

While Napier's Art Deco Festival was officially cancelled over uncertain Covid-19 restrictions, many events plan to go ahead following the regions return to Alert Level 1.Over twenty events will go ahead this weekend at celebrated period venues such as the Mission Estate and Masonic Hotel. Like the plot twist of an Agatha Christie whodunit – rumours of the 1930s-themed festival's demise have been...

In July last year, as their home country was ravaged by Covid-19, New York Times bestselling authors Judy Melinek and TJ Mitchell moved to New Zealand. Melinek, also a leading forensic pathologist, was headhunted by a Wellington company and within two months had relocated the family to our shores. Now the husband and wife team have a new book out, Aftershock, the second book in their detective ser...

It has been a stressful year for many in New Zealand thanks to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.  But there's one simple thing we can all do to calm down: breathe.  While it may sound overly simple, Take a Breath week founder Sarah Laurie says there is a science behind breathing correctly that can help address our anxiety and stress. She joined Francesca Rudkin to explain. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio...

250gm boneless, skinless chicken thighs 3 cloves of garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp salt Juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp grapeseed oil 12 bamboo skewers 500g tomatoes, diced ½ shallot, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tbsp peeled and grated ginger juice of 2 lemons 200g white sugar 1 tsp salt ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground nutmeg 100ml white wine vinegar 2 fresh chili, chopped Instructions: Pr...

Since the pandemic started, many Kiwis are spending more time on screens in place of real-life meetings, filling our time with more streaming platforms. As a result, 'computer glasses' - or blue light blocking glasses - are booming, thanks to Jennifer Lopez and Kylie Jenner promoting them while Drew Barrymore is even selling them on a premise that increased screen time is causing us to absorb more...

Streaming service Disney+ will nearly double the amount of content on their platform next month, as the House of Mouse continues its massive push into online content. From February 23, more than 600 new movies and TV shows will be added to the service under the new Star brand. Disney+ has so far focused on the studio's classic animation alongside the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, but most of th...

Temuera Morrison is a Kiwi acting legend of the big and small screen. He first made his impact at home playing iconic Kiwi characters such as Dr Hone Ropata and Jake Heke and then went onto the international stage as Jango Fett in Star Wars Episode II. At the end of last year, he returned to the Star Wars world as the beloved bounty hunter Boba Fett in The Mandalorian - and, in a big surprise, he...

New Zealand's first MIQ worker to receive the Covid-19 vaccination has spoken of the human cost of working on the frontline battling the deadly virus. Lynette Faiva - who works at the Jet Park managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) centre used for Covid-positive cases - received her jab yesterday as part of the biggest vaccination project in New Zealand history. Shortly after she got her vaccinati...

Screen time is a topic that fills many parents with trepidation. Our children have greater access to devices and the internet than ever before and with that comes the fear of the adverse health and behavioural outcomes from technology use. Now two women have created a series of videos to tackle this problem head-on. Natalie Culter-Welsh and Cathy Mellet have created the I’m Enough series, designed...

Screen time is a topic that fills many parents with trepidation. Our children have greater access to devices and the internet than ever before and with that comes the fear of the adverse health and behavioural outcomes from technology use. Now two women have created a series of videos to tackle this problem head-on. Natalie Culter-Welsh and Cathy Mellet have created the I’m Enough series, designed...

The pressure is once again being put on World Rugby to address it’s “biggest threat” with the launch of a new international lobby group. The group is called Progressive Rugby, a group made up of current and former players, coaches, doctors, administrators and academics. Progressive Rugby is proposing wide-ranging reforms to the game to address traumatic brain injuries among players. One of the key...

One-quarter of all adults are classified as completely inactive, meaning they get less than 30 minutes of moderate activity a week. 1.5 billion people around the world are so inactive they are at a greater risk of illness from the likes of heart disease, diabetes, cancer to depression. Our sedentary living now kills more people than obesity. It's the subject of a new book, The Miracle Pill: Why a...

To celebrate Valentine's Day Travel Blogger Megan Singelton has devised a list of the most romantic destinations in New Zealand.  She joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you having trouble falling asleep and don't know why?  Naturopath Erin O'Hara joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss why you may be having trouble and how to resolve the issue.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.