The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Captain Scott Barrett is praising the fresh faces for injecting some enthusiasm into the All Blacks for the season-ending 52-26 win over Wales in Cardiff. Barrett says the 12 changes to the starting line-up ensured there was no baggage carried over from the England loss. Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith says the All Blacks can head home happy for the end of the year, but there's still s...

Yesterday my son’s contract with his Canterbury University hall came to an end.   He was officially a hall member for 41 weeks, but when you take into account the mid-semester and semester breaks he was only there for 32 and a half weeks. So that was about $20,000 for 32 weeks.   This and fees around $9000, depending on what you’re studying, mean the cost of a University degree is q...

For the last 25 years, the Jubilation Choir has been bringing together singers from all walks of life, and some Kiwi music powerhouses are set to appear next Sunday. Next week, the choir will be joined by Julia Deans, Bella Kalolo and the one and only Anika Moa.  Anika Moa says she's done plenty of collaborations, but appearing in the Jubilation Choir will be a career first. "It's nice to be...

The Detective by Matthew Reilly: Matt Reilly is well known for the thrillers he’s been writing for many years now, but this one is quite a departure. It’s based in the American South and is the story of many women going missing over a period of 150 years, starting back in 1877….and the investigators looking for them all also disappeared. It’s set in the nexus of Louisiana and Texas, where a quirky...

Megan Singleton's been working her way through the US - and she concluded her latest adventure with a few days in New York. The winter season is getting underway, meaning people are flocking to the city to take in a New York Christmas. Megan unveiled her highlights, check out more here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Coromandel is well-regarded as one of New Zealand's top holiday hotspots, but it's got more to offer adrenaline junkies than it lets on. Adventure Racing Coromandel co-founder Andy Reid's been leading the charge in this development, having helped create the K2 bike race and the Kauri Run - among others. Reid's taken his findings and experiences and put them in a new book - Are You Trying to Ki...

This week on The Sunday Panel, editor and journalist Jo McCarroll and Newstalk ZB host Roman Travers joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! A damning police watchdog report from last week found numerous failures in how police handled complaints a staff member made against disgraced former deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. How bad does this look for t...

I had a lovely Saturday morning. Lying in bed, drinking a coffee, reading the weekend Herald and listening to Jack on ZB say that he’ll ditch his wallet by next year as everything he needs will be on his phone.  I was thinking - keep up, lad. I ditched the wallet during Covid. The phone has become ubiquitous and if not the phone, then a card in a pocket in the phone. It’s debatable whether th...

On the Sunday Session with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Sunday 16 November 2925, Anika Moa is in the final stages of making her first album for adults in a decade, but she reveals it might not be the Anika Moa we are used to. Andy Reid is the co-founder of Adventure Racing Coromandel, his new book 'Are You Trying to Kill Us' is out now and Andy shares the wild stories from his events. The...

The holiday season means more gatherings and Christmas parties - and with it, more opportunities to binge-drink. Recent data shows  one in every five New Zealand adults were hazardous drinkers, placing themselves and others at risk of harm. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara reveals how Kiwis can be mindful and stay safe this holiday season. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

For decades, most medical and biological research has been conducted primarily on male volunteers and male animals in laboratory studies. One of the main reasons was convenience - male hormone levels are more stable, whereas female hormones shift across the menstrual cycle, introducing variability that researchers historically preferred to avoid.  But that convenience has come at a cost.&nbsp...

Roasted carrots with mint emulsion and spiced chickpeas  Cook time: 45 minutes  Prep time: 20 minutes  Serves: 12 20 carrots cut in half   2 tbsp sunflower oil   Flaky sea salt   Miso emulsion   2 soft boiled eggs   1 tbsp miso paste   4 tbsp orange juice  Juice of 1 lemon   1 cup coriander leaves and stalks   10 mint leaves   1 tbsp...

Auckland's hotels will be completely full next Wednesday - as the city welcomes 57,000 visitors ahead of two major events. 40,000 are expected from Metallica fans alone, with the rock band set to perform at Eden Park. Meanwhile, nearly 4,000 international delegates are gathering at Aotea Centre for New Zealand's largest ever academic conference, celebrating indigenous education over five days. Fli...

The summer holidays are getting closer, meaning more Kiwis will be leaving their offices for breaks - but research shows they might not fully disconnect. New research shows fewer than half of New Zealand workers are fully disconnecting from the job when they’re on holiday, putting them at risk of burnout. Massey University professor of management Dr Jarrod Haar says it's better for workers to make...

There's discussion over Andrew Coster's future with the police following a bombshell report. An IPCA report came out earlier in the week, revealing senior police staff had failed to properly investigate a complaint against then-Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. The report implicated Coster, as well as other senior leaders. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan unpacked the ongoing discuss...

Kiwi heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker is protesting his innocence, after admitting he failed a drugs test on the day of his defeat to British boxer Fabio Wardley last month in London. News outlets in the UK said the former world champion tested positive for cocaine. Parker says it was a voluntary test and the adverse result was 'a real surprise'. Former professional boxer Junior Fa says this develo...

England is celebrating a first home win over the All Blacks in 13 years. The hosts won 33-19 at Twickenham, despite being 12 points down within the first 20 minutes. Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith says the team made a strong start, but they couldn't keep up the momentum. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2025 marks 30 years since Kiwi dance company Black Grace was formed, and this anniversary will be marked with some new performances. Later this month, the company will stage Paul Taylor's Esplanade , in a double bill with If Ever There Was A Time  - an original work by founder Neil Ieremia. Ieremia says when he first started out, there weren't a lot of dance opportunities for Māori men, and h...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 9 November 2025, Bill Bryson's book 'The Short History of Nearly Everything, is the best selling science book of the 21st century.  This week he tells Francesca why he came out of retirement to rewrite it after 23 years. Neil Ieremia is credited with changing dance in New Zealand. This year his company, Black Grace turns...

Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything has sold millions of copies since its initial publication in 2003, but a lot has changed since then. Bryson had initially retired, but he's since revised his best known work with updated information - and he's set to do a speaking tour, with Auckland and Wellington events to take place in February. He says a massive amount has changed in the 22 ye...

Megan Singleton's travelling through the US, and she spent some time in Boston before heading to New York. She started off in the historic Beacon Hill neighbourhood before moving down to the up and coming Seaport District, and she shared her highlights from both areas. Read more about Megan's experience here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, resident economist at Opes Partners, Ed McKnight, and journalist, TV producer and commentator, Irene Gardiner, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Treasury is calling for the Government to make some asset sales to bring down debts. Is this a viable way out? Where could we start in offloading assets?  The Government h...

Being healthy didn't used to appear to be so complicated, but there's growing concerns about new changes. Constant new trends and studies sometimes contradict previous advice and make it hard to discern reliable information - causing people to question their diets and exercise habits. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Cured and roasted salmon pate  Cook time: 10 minutes  Prep time: 20 minutes  Serves: 6-8 1/4 side of salmon; de-boned with the skin on   Salmon salt   100gm flaky seasalt   2 tbsp brown sugar   Pate   200gm cream cheese   1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard   1 lemon   1 tbsp chopped fennel or dill   1 small red chili   3 tbsp sunflower oil &nbsp...

If you’ve ever tried to cook pasta at home, you’ll know the struggle - one minute it’s undercooked and chewy, the next minute it has disintegrated into a sticky mush. If you’ve ever attempted to cook gluten-free pasta, your experience has probably been even worse. So is there an idea way to cook pasta and does gluten-free pasta need different treatment?  New research published in the journal...