The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Plenty of prospective travellers will aim to book a hosted tour to make the most out of their destination - but that's not a choice for everyone. Planning the perfect holiday comes with plenty of extra pressures, because no-one wants to miss anything they want to see or run out of time to see an undiscovered gem. BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton has outlined her tips for planning the perfect...

On the Sunday Session with Roman Travers Full Show Podcast for Sunday 2nd February 2025, the delightful Miriam Margolyes has been won over by New Zealand, she tells Roman all about her Kiwi road trip. New fiction author Geoff Parkes has had a diverse career - from abattoirs to wool sheds through to being an executive at Fortune 500 companies - he talks diversity and why rural noir is so popular. R...

This week on the Sunday Panel, Managing Director at 818, Chris Henry, and Senior PR Consult at One Plus One Communications, Damien Venuto, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!  The Government is aiming to  double the country's mining exports by 2035 as part of their latest strategy. Industry experts are in favour of this move, but environmental gro...

There's growing concern about the marketing power of health influencers - and how people get caught up in trying trends pushed by people with dubious medical credentials. TikTok users have recently been spotlighting berberine - a treatment dubbed 'nature's Ozempic' by health influencers. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains why we feel drawn in by social media trends, and stressed t...

Smokey marinated eggplant with yoghurt and tahini dressing  Cook time: 20 minutes  Prep time: 20 minutes  Serves: 4-6  2 eggplants, sliced length ways into 1cm thick slices   1 cup oregano leaves   2 cups coriander leaves   1/2 tsp smoked paprika   3 cloves garlic, peeled   Juice of one lemon   Flaky salt   1 fresh chilli de-seeded   3 tb...

If you could cuddle a friendly polar bear, how do you think it would feel?   Most people might guess soft and fluffy, but new research out this week in the journal Science Advances  found that the answer is actually greasy!  Polar bears are masters of survival in one of the harshest environments on Earth. With temperatures plummeting well below freezing and a habitat that consists l...

The biggest names in music are set to be honoured at the 67th Grammy Awards ceremony on Monday afternoon (NZT). Beyoncé leads this year’s nominations with 11, with Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Charli xcx and Post Malone following along with 7 each, while Taylor Swift landed 6. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall outlines his predictions before the big day. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener f...

A new app connecting businesses and truckies is looking to fill labour shortage across the ditch following a successful launch in New Zealand. Road Ninja has been dubbed 'the love child of Tinder and Uber' - as it matches up companies looking for hireable help with skilled drivers in their area. CEO and founder Bodhi Vette says the company's built a pool of skilled and reliable workers, and they'r...

Prime Minister Chris Luxon had to do some damage control after some controversial remarks were made by members of NZ First. This week, NZ First's Shane Jones yelled 'send the Mexicans home' - and Winston Peters told Green MPs they'd come with ideas 'foreign to our country' and suggested they show some gratitude to New Zealand. The Mexican ambassador has since raised concerns with the Ministry of F...

The Government has recently unveiled its future plan for mining with the release of the minerals strategy and critical minerals list - with the goal of doubling the country's mining exports by 2035. This development has been well-received by industry experts, but environmental groups have voiced their concerns. Straterra CEO Josie Vida says this development sends positive signals to the rest of th...

Productivity is at all all-time low in New Zealand. Possibly not the most uplifting thing you’ve heard this morning, but sadly, it’s true.   In the year ending March 2023, New Zealand saw a drop in labour productivity by 0.9%, marking one of the biggest falls in recent years.   As a nation, we’ve struggled for decades to improve our productivity levels, despite politicians of all sh...

Everyone loves a good explainer - and one author has taken it upon herself to investigate some of life's greatest mysteries in a new book. In Why Do People Queue for Brunch? , National Explainer editor Felicity Lewis explores some of life's curliest questions - including undiscovered ocean treasures and who can claim the moon. She says she hoped to take readers on a literary journey - and the book...

Kiwi actress Luciana Buchanan began her acting career as a teenager in Auckland - before going on to star in one of Netflix's top streaming shows. She turned heads in local series Filthy Rich before going on to appear in the likes of The New Legends of Monkey , Mr Corman and Sweet Tooth .   In 2023, Luciane made a global name for herself in her breakout role as Rose Larkin, one of the lead ro...

Home Seeking by Karissa Chen. This is one of those big, epic sweeping stories which starts in one place and finishes up a long way away. Suchi and Haiwen are good friends and then teenage lovers in Shanghai during the Civil War. When Haiwen volunteers to go and do National Service (a gesture he makes so that his brother won’t have to) they lose track of each other. Life and the years then interven...

For a historical escape, BloggerAtLarge.com's Megan Singleton has unveiled her top castle hotels dotted around Ireland. The Clontarf Castle Hotel, Luttrellstown Castle Resort, and Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel are among her recommendations for a unique holiday experience - and she's offered up a list of top tips for making the most out of your castle stay. To learn more, check out Megan's full article...

This week on the Sunday Panel, Newstalk ZB host Roman Travers and editor and journalist Jo McCarroll joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more! Prime Minister Chris Luxon took aim at New Zealand's 'culture of saying no' as part of last week's State of the Nation address? Does he have a point?  Meanwhile in the US, Donald Trump has returned to the White House...

While reducing calorie intake is viewed as an easy way to lose weight, skipping meals altogether comes with its own share of downsides. Over the last few years, people have limited their eating times and leaned on intermittent fasting to lose weight, but these lifestyle choice can have negative impacts on your metabolism and overall health. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains the b...

Crispy snapper with panzanella salad  Cook time: 5 minutes  Prep time: 10 minutes  Serves: 4 4-6 fillets of skin on snapper  Sunflower oil   Flaky sea salt  Panzanella  1/2 ciabatta loaf  Additional olive oil  Flaky sea salt  3 tbsp olive oil  3 tbsp red wine vinegar  1 tsp brown sugar  Salt, to taste  1 tsp Dijion mustard ...

Hula-hooping is a popular and seemingly simple activity that many children can do. However, the physics behind what makes a good hula-hooper has only just been studied with the first to mathematical explanation of hula-hooping dynamics published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . The research not only found what keeps a hula-hoop spinning against gravity but...

Awards season is officially underway - and all eyes will be on the Oscars race in the coming weeks. The 2025 Oscars ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien and held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, will be broadcast locally on Monday, March 3.  Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall unpacks this year's nominees - and shocking snubs. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 26th January 2025, Kiwi actress Luciana Buchanan talks about her international success off the back of the new season of Netflix's The Night Agent. National Explainer editor Felicity Lewis explored life's biggest and curliest questions in her new book Why Do People Queue for Brunch?, and she's opening up about her discoveries...

For fans of true crime, one new Wellington-based film festival promises to offer a new experience. The New Zealand International Fraud Film Festival is set to run from March 17 to 18 for two days of documentaries and discussion panels at the Roxy Cinema. NZ Fraud Festival chair William Fotherby says this festival is designed to educate people about the realities of fraud and associated scams. "The...

Opposition leader Chris Hipkins appears to be looking to move the party forward after their loss in the last election. Labour MPs met at their annual caucus retreat in Palmerston North to talk strategy after a new poll put them ahead of National for the first time in nearly two years. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says Labour's keeping their plans quiet at this stage - but it's...

Over in the US, President Donald Trump has completed his first week in office and he hasn't wasted any time reversing the policies from his predecessor. After returning to the White House, Trump signed hundreds of executive actions that addressed issues he raised on the campaign trail - from changes to the economy and immigration to renaming the Gulf of Mexico and releasing files related to P...

The Government's proposed changes to the science sector have raised a few eyebrows among the nation's scientific community. The Government aims to merge seven Crown Research Institutes into three public research organisations - and creating another focused on AI.  It's also closing Callaghan Innovation, impacting about 355 staff.  Auckland University professor Richard Easther says this i...