The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Organisers of the Aotearoa Music Awards have labelled Chris Bishop's comments as 'inappropriate' - and say they have no place at their event. The National Party Cabinet minister's come under fire, for saying "what a load of crap" during a Stan Walker performance. Bishop says he was criticising what he described as 'overtly political' Toitū te Tiriti flags and banners, but should have kept this tho...

Off the back of the Aotearoa Music Awards, indie folk star Mel Parsons has been planning out her next steps. She's released her new single Brick by Brick and she's been touring her way through New Zealand before making some stops in Australia. She says she feels 'lucky' that she gets to create her music independently - and she's experienced plenty of growth. "With the way that our industry's chang...

An unconventional trip up Mount Everest by British climbers has started a bit of a debate. The group managed to fly from London, summit Everest and return home in under a week by using xenon gas. The gas is said to help climbers quickly acclimatise to high altitudes.  The trip has left many people questioning the ethics of using the gas - and asked if one of mountaineering's greatest accompli...

David Seymour was officially sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister - and he's hoping to be a bit different to his predecessors. He takes over from New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters, who just returned to the country after a visit to India, and he'll remain in the position until next year's election. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says this isn't the same situation - as David Seymour's f...

Act MP Laura McClure is calling on MPs from across Parliament to support her bill to make the production and distribution of explicit, deepfake AI content illegal.  She says this type of content is having a damaging impact on many young Kiwis, and to demonstrate her point she held up a deepfake photo of herself in Parliament.  McClure says she hoped to get the attention of the other MPs...

This week, the New Zealand rugby union say it will cancel senior rugby matches for a weekend if there are any more incidents of serious abuse directed towards referees. And I say - good on them. The Horowhenua Kapiti Rugby Football Union said recent events had seen refs targeted with verbal threats, threats of physical harm - including of being stabbed - and 'actual physical abuse'. We don’t put u...

In this edition of Great Chats with Francesca Rudkin, the author and screenwriter of the novel, film and television series One Day , David Nicholls is back with a new best-selling novel. He joins Francesca to talk the his massively successful career.  Author Kailane Bradley was also on our shore for the Auckland Writer's Festival this month - and joined Francesca to talk her debut novel,&nbsp...

Kiwi musician Georgia Lines is back with her new musical projects, and she's set to make an appearance at the upcoming cabaret festival. She released her new single Wonderful Life last Friday - and she's a finalist for four Tui’s at the Aotearoa Music Awards, including Single of the Year for her song The Letter.    She says it was an 'amazing' experience to be nominated for these awards....

Author Raynor Winn experienced a week like no other back in 2013 - and it inspired the hit film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. In the space of seven days, she and her husband Moth lost their family home, and then Moth was diagnosed with a rare terminal degenerative brain disease and given two years to live.   Homeless and facing an uncertain future together, Raynor and Moth left...

Air by John Boyne. This is the fourth book in a series about the four elements of matter (the preceding titles are Water Earth and Fire), where he takes each element and writes a story around it. This time the novel is set while the protagonists are on a flight, 30,000 feet up in the air, on a trip towards a woman who isn’t expecting them. It’s story of a father and a son on a moving journey to me...

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton has been gallivanting through Mexico City - and she's outlined her 4-day itinerary full of recommendations for exploring the region.  She highlighted the historic museums, the cathedral, the Pyramids of Teotihuacan - and a wide range of dining options. Read more about Megan's experience here.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

This week on The Sunday Panel, Coast Day host and host of the Trip Notes podcast, Lorna Riley a nd Partner and Freebairn and Hehir Lawyers, Liam Hehir, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!  The 2025 Budget was unveiled to the nation last week - what did we make of it? Did it fill us with confidence about the future of the economy? David Seymour is set t...

Breathing through your nose is widely regarded as a healthy move - and the trend on social media of utilising tape seems to prove that. Research shows  nose breathing is more natural and helps your body effectively use the air you inhale. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains why breathing through your nose filters out bugs and other nasties. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/list...

Roasted cauliflower with Cafe de Paris butter  Cook time: 5 minutes  Prep time: 15 minutes  Serves: 6  300 gm soft unsalted butter   1 tbsp tomato ketchup   1 tbsp dijon mustard   1 tbsp capers, chopped   1/2 cup shallots or onions, finely diced   1 tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped   1 tbsp thyme leaves, lightly chopped   2 cloves garlic,...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 25 May 2025, in the space of a week Raynor Winn was made bankrupt and learned her husband was terminally ill. This week she talks Francesca how a 630 mile coastal walk healed her husband turned her life back around. Ahead of the Aotearoa Music Awards, singer-songwriter Georgia Lines performs her brand new single 'Wonderful Li...

If you've ever had your lunch snatched by a seagull, you’re not alone. However, new research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science suggests that your chips might be safer than you think - if there is only one gull hanging around.  Scientists have discovered that lone seagulls are far more cautious than those in a group. This behaviour is driven by a trait called neophobia, which...

This week’s Aotearoa Music Awards marks 60 years of celebrating Kiwi artists and their songs, albums and achievements. Industry experts regard the event as 'essential' to supporting local artists and new Zealand's wider music community.  Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall unpacked some of the nominees ahead of the event. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leading UK experts are warning of the health risks facing athletes training for the Enhanced Games.  This week, it was announced the first ‘Enhanced Games’ will take place as a four-day event in Las Vegas next May.  The event endorses the use of performance enhancing drugs - with organisers aiming to unlock a new level of 'superhuman performance'. Dr Martin Chandler and Professor Ian Boa...

For a Government which champions an urgent need to increase growth, to cut wasteful spending, and for less reliance on Government, they sometimes take a relaxed approach to doing something about it.   Take the proposed change for 18 and 19-year-olds to no longer be eligible for an unemployment benefit. It sounds like the Government’s taking a decisive stand - until you find out it’s not going...

The Government unveiled their latest Budget last week - and it's prompted divided responses across both sides of the political aisle. The Finance Minister described her second Budget as 'No BS', while Prime Minister Christopher Luxon labelled it the 'Growth Budget'. Meanwhile, the opposition has been quick to take aim against it, with Labour and the Greens lambasting the KiwiSaver changes and the...

A Deputy Prime Minister swap is on the cards this week. NZ First leader Winston Peters and ACT Party leader David Seymour are sharing the role as part of the Government's coalition agreement. Peters serves as the Deputy until Saturday this week. Seymour says he's already filled in the role before. "It doesn't actually change my job day-to-day, it means I'll spend a bit more time covering for Chris...

Auckland FC's dream debut season in football's A-League has come up one game short of the Grand Final. Their 2-nil semi-final second leg loss to Melbourne Victory in Auckland - on the back of a controversial refereeing call - has consigned them to a 2-1 defeat on aggregate. Sky Sport football analyst Jacob Spoonley says this outcome would have been 'devastating' for Auckland fans.  "The big m...

Dominic Hoey's been regarded by many as a champion of the underdogs - and his latest coming-of-age story is no exception. 1985 tells the story of Obi, a child growing up surrounded by poverty in a dysfunctional family, who goes on an adventure to save the family home.  It's since been touted as a future New Zealand classic - with Dominic described as one of the best natural writers in the cou...

It's been a memorable 2025 for Kiwi country star Kaylee Bell, and she's got even more to look forward to. She's played a music festival, she's done a collab with the Wiggles - and she welcomed her first child earlier in the year. Bell says it's been 'awesome' seeing country music surge in New Zealand - and hearing her hits resound with Kiwi fans ahead of the Aotearoa Music Awards. "It's just a cel...

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong. This is the story of Hai, a Vietnamese immigrant to America where he lives in the town of East Gladness, Connecticut where, at the most difficult moment of his life he’s befriended by Grazina, an 82 year old Lithuanian widow. They become each other’s support person, an unlikely pairing but each of them living lives so far away from the promised American Drea...