The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

There’s a lot of angst around these days – that strong feeling of being worried or nervous or just anxious about life. Gwendoline Smith, known as Dr Know, is a clinical psychologist, speaker, blogger and author of bestselling books The Book of Knowing and The Book of Overthinking. The third book in her self-help range, The Book of Angst, is out now. Smith joined Tim Beveridge to discuss angst and...

Wellbeing expert and Golden Yogi owner Erin O'Hara joined Tim Beveridge this week to discuss her 10 simple tips for ​making your diet healthier and helping you to lose weight: ​Limit snacks Slow down when eating meals Don't drink your calories - Limit alcohol & sugary drinks Drink enough water - Are you thirsty or hungry? Eat real whole food and avoid "Diet foods" Eat more greens - lunches and din...

There is a long weekend coming up for the country (with one already underway for those in Auckland) and many will be looking for somewhere to visit. Travel blogger Megan Singleton has the perfect suggestion for many of us: The Bay of Islands. She joined Tim Beveridge to discuss all the things to do up north, including visiting Waitangi and Russel.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Girl A by Abigail Dean This is a novel loosely based on the story of the Turpin family whom you might recall from a few years ago when they were found to have imprisoned, neglected and abused their many children in a suburban house in California. One of them managed to escape and alerted the authorities. In this book, one of the siblings also escapes and the kids are freed – but it starts after th...

As we get closer to the Hollywood awards season, a new international film hits cinemas that could pick up Oscar gold in April. Mads Mikkelsen stars in Another Round, a Danish production that sees a group of high school teachers start 'micro-dosing' alcohol to help get them through the day - with messy results. And next year's Oscar hopefuls are getting their chance to shine at the Sundance Film Fe...

With people still hanging on to those New Year's Resolutions and trying to be healthier in 2021, a new study has shown the best way to juice your fruits and vegetables. Juicing is seen as a healthy and easy way to get your '5 Plus a Day' - but the different juicing methods can have different benefits.  New research out this week has analysed three different ways of making juices - a blender, a hig...

Mikes Karaage style fried chicken with mint slaw 400gm boneless, skinless chicken thighs 4 garlic glove, crushed 4 tbsp ginger, crushed 4 tbsp soya sauce 4 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine) 1 tsp seasalt 6 cups potato flour Mint Slaw 1/2 white cabbage, finelly sliced 1 white onion, finelly sliced 1 red pepper, deseeded & sliced 1 cup mint leaves, chopped 1/2 cup gherkins, chopped 1 tbsp scriracha chili...

The Climate Change Minister says we're learning to deal with the slow-moving nature of the climate crisis. James Shaw is looking forward to today's first-ever draft advice from the Climate Change Commission. It'll include three emissions budgets, projecting ahead for the next 15 years. Shaw says when you think about human evolution - we're well equipped to deal with clear and present dangers. Mean...

There are over 2101 trees lining the shores of Lake Wanaka. Tom Sainsbury wants to know why you'd take another picture of "that Wanaka Tree." The Kiwi comedian is concerned that many New Zealanders are being led astray "under the social influence" of much-repeated photos online. The Wanaka willow has appeared in over 63,000 Instagram photos and counting, the nearby Roy's Peak has been tagged 70,00...

New Zealand could be making its own Covid-19 vaccine - but we'd need to put our hand in our pocket to achieve that. This comes as vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca has warned the EU it can't provide all the doses it had promised, because of production issues. It's led to concern here about what the shortage could eventually mean here. Vaccine Alliance Clinical Director Dr Fran Priddy told Tim Bever...

The Wiggles hit the news this week. Turns out they had a few issues with their visa application, and by the time it was granted, there were no more MIQ vouchers left for the children’s entertainers, meaning, the Wiggles might not make their tour dates. I thought this may have been the best news of the week for some parents. but apparently not - over 40,000 tickets have been sold. Simon Bridges got...

Reports of this summer's Tokyo Olympic Games being canceled due to Covid-19 are "categorically untrue", the International Olympic Committee said in a statement to CNN on Friday. The Japanese government also said on Friday that it is determined the Games will go ahead following an unconfirmed report that a cancellation might be imminent. On Friday, the Times of London, citing an unnamed senior memb...

The Push by Ashley Audrain. A novel set around the nature/nurture debate. The Devils You Know by Ben Sanders. A Kiwi author, with the book is set in California. Really good thriller. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the borders still closed, there's plenty of time for us to get out and explore our country. This week, travel blogger Megan Singleton is in Christchurch, and she joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss what she's getting up to down there.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actress Claire Chitham has been a household name in New Zealand for two decades now - most famous for her roles as Waverley on Shortland Street and Aurora on Outrageous Fortune, and more recently Penny on Fresh Eggs. What many won't know though is has been struggling behind the scenes with chronic and incurable Crohn’s disease. Chitham has documented her 20-year journey managing the autoimmune dis...

Tomorrow the much talked about new food and safety rules for Early Childhood Centres come into force. New food rules for early childcare centres which aim to prevent choking come into force next week and mean centres which provide food are no longer allowed to give children nuts, large seeds, hard or chewy lollies, crisps, hard rice crackers, dried fruit, sausages or saveloys, popcorn and marshmal...

As the world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, we are also becoming more anxious of being disconnected. Hence the rise of Nomophobia - an abbreviation of 'no-mobile-phone-phobia'. Do you experience anxiety or panic over losing your phone? Are you obsessively checking for missed calls, emails, and texts? Wellbeing expert Erin O'Hara joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss how people can we man...

Summer is an exciting time for most people - but one downside is the sudden prevalence of flies in your house every year.  They can also be so hard to get rid of - and new research explains why that it!  Research released this week suggests their modified hind wings play an important part in launching them into a speedy takeoff so they can get away right before you swat them.  Michelle Dickinson j...

Larry King, the longtime CNN host who became an icon through his interviews with countless newsmakers and his sartorial sensibilities, has died. He was 87. King hosted "Larry King Live" on CNN for over 25 years, interviewing presidential candidates, celebrities, athletes, movie stars and everyday people. He retired in 2010 after taping more than 6,000 episodes of the show. A statement was posted o...

Jacki Weaver is an Australian acting legend with a career spanning back to the 1970s. However, it wasn't until 2010 that Weaver launched into Hollywood and global stardom after her role in Animal Kingdom – which earned her an Oscar nomination at the age of 63.  Since then, Weaver has been one of Hollywood’s most prolific character actors, scoring her second nomination two years late for her role i...

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern might have dubbed 2021 the "year of the vaccine" – but she has put fixing New Zealand's housing crisis right at the top of her political to-do list. "We can't stand by while house prices increase at the unsustainable rates we saw in 2020." Speaking to media in Nelson during Labour's annual caucus retreat, Ardern spoke of the "urgency" needed from the Government to "ti...

Google says it will shut down its search engine in Australia if a controversial bill designed to benefit the news media becomes law. At a Senate hearing in Canberra on Friday, Google Australia Managing Director Mel Silva said the draft legislation "remains unworkable," and would be "breaking" the way millions of users searched for content online. "If this version of the Code were to become law, it...

So this is our final show of the year, and what a year it’s been. 2020 has brought uncertainty, and challenged us emotionally, mentally, financially and physically, but we’ve made it through. This week my kids have been socialising, we’re watching cricket and have been wowed by the America’s Cup Christmas Series, we’re packing for trips away and planning Christmas Day – a day we can spend with as...

A Promised Land by Barack Obama Impossible: My story by Stan Walker Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction by David Enrich Searching for Charlie: In Pursuit of the Real Charles Upham VC and Bar by Tom Scott LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As 2020 comes to an end, New Zealand remains the envy of the world amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. While our Christmas will be free of restrictions, the UK and New South Wales are facing a grim prospect for the holidays, with the ongoing surge in England while Sydney is battling a new cluster.  As we all settle down for the summer, our Sunday Panel gathered for the final time and reflected on just h...