The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

2020 has not been a great year for the tourism industry - right from the start of the year with the border closures, international tourism has not been a big feature of 2020.  Megan Singleton would normally spend her last slot on the Sunday Session talking about her big holidays from the year, but the travel blogger has gone a year now without heading overseas. She joined Francesca Rudkin to discu...

Hollywood star Eric Bana has headed back Down Under for his latest movie.  His home country is where he made his film debut in much loved Australian film The Castle before moving on to play the notorious underworld figure Chopper Read in the movie Chopper. Since then he’s appeared in Hollywood films Black Hawk Down, Hulk, Troy, Star Trek, Munich and The Time Traveller’s Wife. Now, Bana is heading...

The next few weeks means plenty of indulgence, with Christmas and New Year's parties adding to a year already dominated by lazing away those lockdown afternoons. Health and wellbeing expert Erin O'Hara joined Francesca Rudkin to share her tips on staying healthy this year: Don't skip meals to save calories or make yourself extra hungry for Christmas dinner Eat until you are satisfied and not stuff...

Parmesan crusted turkey escalopes (serves 6) 600g turkey breast 2 Tbsp plain flour 4 whole eggs, lightly beaten 100ml cream 50g finely grated fresh parmesan cheese pinch salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 50g butter 2 Tbsp vegetable oil Rocket, pear and parmesan salad 1 pkt baby rocket leaves 100g fresh parmesan, shaved 1 pear, quartered and finely sliced 1-2 Tbsp aged Balsamic vinegar Slice t...

With school out for the year and many taking their summer break, many families will be looking for something fun to do over the next few weeks. Google's latest machine-learning game may be one way to pass the time, thanks to Blob Opera. Four actual opera singers — Christian Joel (tenor), Frederick Tong (bass), Joanna Gamble (mezzo‑soprano), and Olivia Doutney (soprano) — recorded 16 hours of singi...

Sia doesn't need much of an introduction. The Australian singer and songwriter is best known as the global pop star usually found performing with her face covered by one of her famous wigs. Next year, the acclaimed songstress adds director to her bow. She has written and made her directorial debut with Music, starring Kate Hudson and frequent music video collaborator Maddie Ziegler.  Sia joined Fr...

The travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia could be in jeopardy. Doubt is being cast over the arrangement, given the recent re-emergence of Covid-19 in Sydney's northern beaches community and the new strain of virus spreading through the UK. Herald Senior Politics Writer Claire Trevett told Francesca Rudkin she can't see a travel bubble being in place before a vaccine is available here. "...

Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky this week, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo's time in the 17th century. Known as a Great Conjunction, the two planets will be visible at their closest to each other on December 22, but also strikingly close between December 19 and 23. Astronomers say so-called conjunctions between the two largest planets in our solar system...

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has reported 23 new cases of coronavirus in the state and will impose a lockdown for the Northern Beaches area from 5pm (local time) yesterday. 21 of the new cases are linked to the Northern beaches cluster and two remain under investigation. The Premier said it is likely the state will see a repeat of those numbers in the days to come and a localised, ma...

Millions of people must cancel their Christmas get-togethers and most shops have to close in London and much of southern England, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday as he imposed a new, stricter level of coronavirus restrictions on the region to curb rapidly spreading infections. Johnson said Saturday that the capital and large areas in southern England already placed under the hig...

The future of Speaker Trevor Mallard is up in the air, after it was revealed tax payer's shelled out almost $334,000 to settle a legal bill. It follows defamation action brought by a sacked Parliamentary staffer who Mallard wrongly labelled a rapist. National got the payment details through a written question to Mallard and says it's lost confidence in him as Speaker. Leader Judith Collins says th...

Lockdown was a stressful time for many, but it has served as the inspiration for The Black Seeds' new summer hit, Raised with Love. Written and recorded during the first lockdown, this is a song about the band’s frontman Barnaby Weir finding so much he was grateful for during that time. The Black Seeds are also about to kick off a number of summer festival dates. Weir joined Francesca Rudkin to di...

Care to swap your 9-5 for an office in the outback? As the Tasman travel channel goes into action, some spectacular opportunities have also opened up for Kiwis looking for a challenge and a change in scenery. How about a desk-free role with uninterrupted views of Uluru, or a chance to WFH in the white sands of the Whitsundays? Tourism Australia has launched a new jobs board with a difference. Aime...

The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly The Lincoln Laywer is back – when Mickey Haller is pulled over by a copy and a body is found in the boot of his car, he knows he’s been set up and is in deep trouble. Especially when a vindictive judge posts his bail @ $5m. The Searcher by Tana French Cal is an ex Boston cop who’s having a midlife crisis and buys a rundown place in the Irish countryside to...

A new study out this week suggests that you should avoid binge-watching your favourite show.  New research out this week Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business shows that people who binge-watch shows on streaming services like Netflix enjoy it less than those who stagger how they watch a series. "When people are allowed to consume enjoyable experiences like TV shows at their own pa...

Coffee is something that a lot of people can't start the day without - but do we need to reconsider how much we consume? Naturopath and wellbeing expert Erin O'Hara joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss how people are using caffeine as a medication, and why it's time to reconsider it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weta Workshop has arrived in Auckland with an experience bursting with creativity, colour and fantasy. In true Weta-style, the company's latest project has taken over a floor at SkyCity, starting with a massive 65-metre mural on what was once a blank foyer wall. Weta Workshop Unleashed - which will open to the public on Tuesday - is a big move for the Wellington company and the first venture of it...

In May, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed that a Trans-Tasman bubble with Australia could realistically be in place by September. At the time, Ardern said she's been careful not to put a specific date on when the two countries will allow travel between each other, but her and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison want to open up the borders as soon as it's safe. As Queensland, the Sunshine...

Cherry glazed Christmas ham ½ free-range cured & smoked Christmas ham 2 x 330ml crisp or granny smith apple cider 2 cups cherries (stones removed) 2 Tbsp wholegrain mustard 500 gm demerara sugar Preheat a oven to 180 C. Slice the skin of the ham and score the fat in a diamond pattern. Combine the cider and sugar in a pot and bring to the boil, reduce until syrupy (bubbles will increase in size and...

Ronni Kahn is a social entrepreneur and former corporate events executive turned food waste warrior. Once upon a time, Kahn’s events company was a contributor to Australia’s huge food waste problem, but an epiphany in 2004 led to her founding food rescue charity OzHarvest and sparking a fight against the global food waste problem. Fast-forward 16 years and OzHarvest is rescuing 180 tonnes of food...

Cook Island businesses are struggling to stay open, during the long-wait for a travel bubble. The dream of an island resort getaway might be on the cards with New Zealand and the Cook Islands having agreed to open a quarantine-free travel bubble by end of March 2021 The Prime Ministers of the two countries, Jacinda Ardern and Mark Brown, have said officials are working together to safely arrange t...

Speaker Trevor Mallard's false 'rape' claim about a Parliament staffer has cost taxpayers more than $333,000 to resolve and National says it has now lost confidence in him. The bill included a $158,000 ex-gratia payment to the former staffer to settle the defamation claim - and more than $175,000 was spent on legal fees. Mallard issued a public apology to the staffer this week, which was released...

The rise and rise of craft beer companies in New Zealand has seen unprecedented demand for shares in one of our top companies. Auckland based Behemoth Brewing set out with a crowdfunding target of $1.8 million. After initially making the offer to current shareholders, the capital raise offer went public and sold within 20 minutes. It not only set a record for investment platform Snowball Effect bu...

Parliament has officially declared a climate emergency in New Zealand – a move Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called an "acknowledgement of the next generation". It was a "declaration based on science," she told MPs in the House before the vote earlier this week. After she moved the motion – which was opposed by National and Act, but supported by the Greens and the Māori Party – Ardern announced a...

Being in a rut, going through a hard time, we’ve all been there. The situation facing writer Lauren Keenan was relatable and familiar – how she reacted to it was anything but. Life wasn’t working for Lauren so she decided to take action. She made a resolution to try 52 new things in 52 weeks. Being a writer, she naturally documented her year and has now turned it into a book – The 52 Week Project:...