The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Throw-out roasted vegetable salad Prep time: 10 minutes  Cooking time: 20 minutes  6 parsnips, carrots, courgette or buttercup & cut into long wedges  2 tbsp cooking oil  Heat oven to 180 degrees. Place the vegetables into a large bowl and toss through oil and spiced salt. Then into a roasting tray ensuring all the veggies are single layer. Bake for 20 minutes before tossin...

The 2025 Ig Nobel awards have been revealed, with drunk bats, pizza-eating lizards and painted-up zebra cows among this year's nominees. Dr Michelle Dickinson's gone through the nominees - and outlined her top three. Does painting a cow to look like a zebra mean it's bitten less by flies?    Scientists have long wondered why zebras are not bitten by flies as much as other animals. Resear...

The highly-anticipated Bird of the Year vote is set to close tonight - with the champion bird due to be announced tomorrow. The annual contest has grown into a cultural phenomenon, and it's produced plenty of memes, international headlines, a bit of vote-rigging scandal, and even controversy when Last Week Tonight got involved. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall weighed in on the most popular birds...

Fat Bear Week 2025 is under way - and people can now cast their votes for their favourite chunky bear ahead of the winter season. Fat Bear Week is an annual competition between brown bears in Alaska, and the bears are all up against each other as they try to eat as much as they can to prepare for hibernation. Former park ranger and long-time worker on Fat Bear Week, Naomi Boak, says the event's se...

Questions have been raised as to how the Government can bounce back after the recent Mood of the Boardroom survey result. The annual survey of New Zealand business leaders showed Luxon slipping in the rankings of ministers - from 6th to 15th. NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse says the economy isn't improving the way the Government needs and people still aren't feeling hopeful. LISTEN ABOVE...

The All Blacks have set their eyes on consistency after snaring the Bledisloe Cup for another year. The 33-24 win over the Wallabies keeps the trophy at NZR headquarters - the 23rd consecutive summer it will spend there. Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith says the All Blacks didn't fold like they did in Wellington last time, but there's still room for improvement. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystu...

An international relations expert is deeming New Zealand's decision on Palestinian statehood as 'surprising'. Winston Peters confirmed at the UN General Assembly that we won't recognise a Palestinian state right now - as the conditions aren't right. Geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller says this decision is out of synch with our international allies, including Australia, the UK and Canada. "And th...

Back in 2022, investigative reporter Sönke Iwersen received 100 gigabytes of confidential leaked data from a whistle-blower inside Tesla.  The files detailed dangerous autopilot software errors, a high number of workplace accidents in Tesla’s factories and a culture of fear within the company.  Iwersen's investigation is now a book called The Tesla Files: Inside Elon Musk's Empire of Pow...

The Clarke Gayford-produced documentary chronicling the premiership of his wife and former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern promises an intimate look at the former leader. Besides interviews and archival footage, it also includes home footage shot by Gayford and is described as a look into both Ardern’s administration and private life Clarke Gayford says he wanted the documentary to reveal the h...

Clown Town by Mick Herron. This is the latest novel in his Slow Horses series, about Jackson Lamb and the cast of MI5 misfits and rejects that he manages in Slough House. They are brilliant books and this one is no exception. There are several seasons of an Apple TV series based on the books which is wonderful television, but as always, the books are even better. Highly recommended for anyone who...

Turns out you can get more out of Air New Zealand's flexichange service than previously expected. BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton recently revealed you can change the destination and date as part of the flexichange package on domestic flights - which can come in handy for unexpected events. Megan revealed how you can take advantage of this travel hack - read more here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnys...

This week on the Sunday Panel, Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills and broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Late-show host Jimmy Kimmel was unexpectedly pulled off the air after after he made controversial comments in the wake of Charlie Kirk's death. What do we make of this? Is this concerning for the fut...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 21 September 2025, former 'First Bloke' Clarke Gayford on his involvement in new documentary 'Prime Minister' and why he filmed candid footage of Jacinda Ardern's time in office. German investigative journalist Sonke Iwerson talks about his new book 'The Tesla Files' and how he came to investigate the Elon Musk firm. Republic...

This Sunday is World Gratitude Day - and it's prompted discussion about the surprising health benefits that come with being thankful. Practicing gratitude offers significant physical and psychological health benefits, including lower blood pressure, improved immune function, better sleep, reduced stress, decreased anxiety and depression, and enhanced self-esteem. Naturopath and wellness expert Eri...

Smoked chocolate crème brûlée  Cook time: 35 minutes  Prep time: 10 minutes  Serves: 6  400ml cream   4 tbsp caster sugar   100g good quality dark chocolate   1/2 tsp vanilla paste   5 egg yolks   1 whole egg   6 tbsp caster sugar (for the caramel top)  Preheat oven to 140*C (NOT fan-forced).   If you have a cold smoker, place the cream i...

If you’ve found yourself holding a book at arm’s length or squinting at your phone in dim light, you’re not alone. Almost everyone develops presbyopia as they get older. It’s a natural part of aging where the eye’s lens loses flexibility, making it harder to focus on nearby objects.  Traditionally, the go-to solution has been reading glasses, or, for some, surgery. But now, a surprising conte...

Celebrities and former politicians have weighed in on the decision to axe Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show. The US talk show host has been pulled off air indefinitely, after suggesting Charlie Kirk was killed by a pro-Trump Republican last week.  Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall unpacked the responses - and weighed in on the debate over this situation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener f...

The Black Ferns are determined to wrap their World Cup campaign with a medal, quickly turning their attention to the bronze playoff next week. They've surrendered their World Cup title, defeated by Canada in the semi-finals in Bristol. Sports journalist Alice Soper has voiced disappointment with this weekend's loss. "On the other hand, as a fan of women's rugby, there is a beautiful story attached...

New reports show the economy is worse off than previously thought and it's sparked debate about what - or who - is to blame. GDP data shows the economy shrunk 0.9 percent in the June quarter - a more significant dip than the 0.3 percent forecast by the Reserve Bank and similar figures from most economists. Newstalk ZB political reporter Azaria Howell says economic conservatives are calling for a b...

The Auckland apartment market is so dire that a developer is renting instead of selling all the units in one new block. Ockham Residential CEO William Deihl said all the new 10-level 77-unit Whetū in Pt Chevalier would be rented, not sold - sparking discussion about whether apartments have value in the current market. Mt Hobson Group urban planning expert Hamish Firth says apartments can still sui...

Late-show host Jimmy Kimmel's been meeting with top Disney executives since he was pulled off air earlier this week. ABC put his talk show on hold indefinitely after he made controversial comments about the Charlie Kirk killing. US associate law professor Jacob Schriner-Briggs says there's a strong case for Kimmel to sue. "Typically, the First Amendment only applies to Government actors, which is...

Dame Robin White is well-regarded as one of New Zealand's most significant living artists, and she teamed up with Dame Gaylene Preston for a new project. Grace: A Prayer for Peace traces White’s evolution as an artist and her creative output fuelled by the world around her. "We knew one another through our work, but we didn't know that. And then when we ran into one another Rita Angus exhibition -...

Kiwi chef Al Brown is well-regarded as one of New Zealand's top foodies, and he's back with a new book for novice fishermen. Fans of Al’s work will have seen his love of all things fish in his many cookbooks, restaurants and TV shows, and his book Hooked: Learning to Fish aims to teach Kiwis a thing or two. He says he has a massive love of fishing and lots of positive memories around fishing - and...

Fulfillment by Lee Cole. Two half brothers lead very different lives. When they converge on their mother’s home in rural Kentucky, the rivalry between them intensifies with potentially terrifying consequences. This is a story about class, privilege, family, brotherhood and ordinary people living ordinary, messy lives - and what it takes to find fulfilment. All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gil...

Destination Facebook groups are a useful tool to utilise while travelling - and they can help you be better prepared in the face of disaster. Between natural disasters, adverse weather conditions or mosquito outbreaks, online communities can be useful to get perspective from the locals to prepare for all kinds of scenarios. BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton explained further - read more about...