The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Megan Singleton's been taking in Rarotonga, and she recently got the chance to try out a unique snorkelling experience. She got the chance to try out sea scooter snorkelling, and she recapped her 'amazing' experience. Read more about Megan's Rarotonga experience here.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, Coast day host Lorna Riley and p artner at Freebairn and Hehir, Liam Hehir, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Ahead of Thursday's planned strike action, Judith Collins penned an open letter claiming the strikes are more about politics than outcomes. Is this a panic move by the Government? What do we make of all this?&nb...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 19 October 2025, Boy Swallows Universe author Trent Dalton talks about mining his own life for his books and the risks he's taken just for a story. Kiwi acting export Jay Ryan on his new show 'The Ridge' and discusses the threat of AI on his industry. Public Service Minister Judith Collins has fired a shot at unions ahead of...

Ika Mata   Prep time: 40 minutes  Serves: 12 300gm firm white flesh fish   Juice of 2 limes   Juice of 2 lemons   1 small red onion, diced   1 small cucumber, diced   2 red chilli, deseeded and diced   1 cup spring onion, sliced flaky salt   1 cup coriander, roughly chopped   2 cups coconut cream Slice the fish into 5mm cubes and place into a non-r...

Anyone who has ever sliced an onion, knows the eye stinging feeling and watering that comes with it.  A new study from researchers at Cornell University, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , has uncovered exactly how those eye-stinging onion chemicals blast into the air and revealed a surprisingly simple way to stop them.  Onions have long been known to rele...

Trent Dalton's made a name for himself as one of Australia's biggest authors, and he's back with something that's more personal. He's best known for his 2018 novel, Boy Swallows Universe , which was adapted into an award-winning Netflix series last year. His new book, Gravity Let Me Go , promises to be more auto-biographical, as it tells the story of a character in crisis as he works to tell more...

There's concerns among some that sunscreen poses a risk, and the high-profile product recalls in recent months have prompted discussion. Some believe sunscreen is toxic or linked to disease and skin cancer - and some believe it's not needed because vitamin D is good for health. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara debunked these concerns, and revealed how to choose the right sun-protection p...

Several Kiwi industry leaders and screen businesses have teamed up to officially launch Screen NZ International, an industry body designed to boost New Zealand's film industry. The organisation aims to help New Zealand remain a competitive screen destination by building relationships with clients and promoting the country internationally. Screen NZ International executive chair Mel Turner says the...

The Labour Party is set to unveil their economic policy in the coming days, and speculation's growing.  Reports indicate a new tax plan will soon be announced - but it's likely the upcoming release will cover a wide range of economic topics. NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse speculates further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An estimated 100,000 workers are set to go on strike this coming Thursday, despite warnings from the Public Service Minister. Judith Collins has penned a letter to New Zealanders claiming the planned industrial action is 'unfair' and 'unwarranted'. PPTA president Chris Abercrombie has responded to Judith Collins's critique of unions being political by saying - of course they are.  "Well, we'r...

The Public Service Minister has penned an open letter to New Zealanders before a major mega strike this coming week. An estimated 100,000 workers across the health and education sector plan to walk off the job on Thursday.  Minister Judith Collins says the strikes will impact children and families and believes they appear politically motivated.  She says primary school principals have ta...

In August 2022, former Prime Minister Jim Bolger joined Newstalk ZB's Francesca Rudkin on The Sunday Session to launch his new book 'Fridays with Jim'. Listen to the chat above and read more his interview below. Jim Bolger entered the New Zealand political scene in 1972. A self-taught son of Irish Immigrants, the King Country farmer lead the National party to victory in 1990 and became the 35 th P...

Chef, author and broadcaster Peta Mathias lives a wonderfully full life, full of gastronomic tours of the world's top food destinations. When she's not leading foodie tours through the likes of Italy, Spain, France, Morocco and India, she's following summer - by teaching cooking classes in the South of France before returning to New Zealand in time for our summer. She's written about her life as p...

New Zealanders will get an insight into the Pike River tragedy that continues to be felt by relatives - and on the West Coast. A film based on the 2010 explosion that took the lives of 29 men is being released in New Zealand this week. Starring Kiwi actresses Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm, it tells the true story of Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse's fight for justice. Lynskey says it was impo...

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. Sonia and Sunny live, study and work in America, but their families back home in India worry about the loneliness they feel in a strange country and try to bring them together. They do eventually connect, but relationships in their new world are not straightforward and there are a lot of things to navigate including finding the place where they bel...

Megan Singleton's latest travel adventure has taken her to Rarotonga, and she's noticed more people seem to be flocking to the islands. Between the variety of accommodation options, the bars and restaurants and wildlife - including crabs, whales, friendly dogs and turtles to snorkel with - there's plenty of options for all prospective travellers.   Megan unveiled her personal highlights - rea...

This week on the Sunday Panel, Director at Capital, Ben Thomas, and NZ Herald senior writer, Simon Wilson, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The local body elections wrapped up this weekend and recent data is showing the voter turnout was historically low. Why don’t people take local body elections seriously? Is it a lack of decent candidates? Is it a than...

New research indicates making healthy choices might require more effort than updating your grocery list. A new study claims women's eating habits are more socially sensitive, and when isolated, they're 85 percent more likely to stop eating vegetables daily and twice as likely to stop eating fruit.  The study also claims that when women's social networks shrink or become less diverse, women lo...

So, guess what - according to Local Government NZ, voter turnout around the country for the local body elections has been dismal. Surprised? On Friday afternoon, 983,466 votes had been received around the country, which represented 28.49 percent of all eligible votes. That's under 30 percent. Blimey.   As of Friday, our biggest city, and one with a multitude of issues apparently, had the lowe...

Onion tart-tatin with asparagus and fried haloumi Cook time: 30 minutes Prep time: 30 minutes Serves: 6  1 batch short crust   2 small red onions, peeled and sliced into 1cm rings   2 tbsp grapeseed oil   1 tsp flaky salt freshly   Ground black pepper   4 tbsp caster sugar   1 big hand asparagus   8 servings haloumi   1 cup flour   2 tbsp oil &nbsp...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 12 October 2025, Kiwi Emmy nominee Melanie Lynskey is back in New Zealand for the premiere of her new film Pike River.  She tells Francesca the sense of responsibility she felt portraying Anna Osborne. Chef, broadcaster, author Peta Mathias lives a full life, she shares her tips on being fabulous and living life in a big...

For decades, researchers have documented a curious pattern in happiness, where people tend to start adult life feeling relatively positive, dip into unhappiness during middle age, and then rebound later in life.   Psychologists called it the 'unhappiness hump' and the rest of us called it a mid-life crisis, referring to a midlife peak in stress, worry, and dissatisfaction that eventually fade...

Hollywood superstar Diane Keaton is being remembered for a legendary career spanning decades. A family spokesperson told People magazine the 79-year-old has died in California. Keaton is best known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977’s Annie Hall and her role in The Godfather films. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says her career just kept on going. "There's a whole bunch of movies she made...

Results from this weekend's local elections are still rolling in, with some races still too close to call. But Auckland's Wayne Brown and Christchurch's Phil Mauger have definitely won second terms with decisive victories. Andrew Little's the new mayor in Wellington, and Tim Macindoe's won in Hamilton. Voters in just 17 council areas have opted to keep Māori wards, with voters in 25 opting to scra...

Former Hamilton West MP and current Hamilton city councillor Tim Macindoe's won the mayoral race in Hamilton. He's committed to bringing down wasteful spending and improving resources for the city.  Macindoe says Hamilton ratepayers have faced some of the highest rates rises in the country - a fact that's not set to change. "They are really feeling the pain - and unfortunately, there are no e...