The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The festival disaster that gripped the world and inspired multiple documentaries is back for round two. After his release from prison, event co-founder Billy McFarland has promised to reboot the ill-fated festival, with tickets selling for as high as $7999 (NZ$13,400). Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says it's unknown where the event will be held, when it will happen or who will headline. LISTEN...

Beef noodle salad with citrus dressing Cook time: 5 minutes Prep time: 15 minutes Serves: 4 300gm beef sirloin or scotch, cut into thick strips 2 Tbsp soya sauce 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed 2 coriander roots, crushed 1 Tbsp vegetable oil Citrus dipping 3 mandarins, cut in half 2 limes, cut in half 4 coriander roots 4 cloves garlic handful fresh mint leaves 1 Tbsp brown sugar 3 Tbsp soy sauc...

Famed Kiwi singer, songwriter and broadcaster Anika Moa has broken away from the spotlight to focus on smaller projects. She's recently released her first children's book, The Witch of Maketu - and she's set to star in Auckland Theatre company's retelling of Peter Pan this October. She says acting on stage is a different experience off the back of the long-running radio career.  "When they offered...

Kaitāia boxer Mea Motu used her skills to be crowned IBO super-bantamweight world champion - and she's facing her next challenge. On October 26, Motu is set to challenge England’s Ellie Scotney for the IBF, WBO, and Ring Magazine titles in Manchester, England. She says preparing for a fight on this level comes with extra challenges. "We literally have to do this on our own and cover the costs from...

Anna Grimaldi's bagged New Zealand's first gold medal of the Paralympic Games in Paris.  The 27-year-old sprinted to an unexpected victory - and an Oceania record - in the T47 200 metre final. NZ Paralympic Games Chef de Mission Raylene Bates says the Olympic victory was 'amazing' to watch. "She ran so well in her qualifying heat this morning - the fastest qualifier - and we just knew that she had...

Minister Shane Jones has offered up apologies after receiving a talking-to from the Attorney-General. Jones called one High Court judge a communist, and compared some judicial decisions to totalitarianism. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls is hopeful this is the end of the controversy - as Jones is no stranger to breaking Cabinet rules. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

It was another tough night for the All Blacks, as the team was beaten out by the Springboks in Cape Town. The team's 18-12 defeat to South Africa marks their third loss in four games. ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith says the team started off strong in the first half - and could have kept up the momentum. "It was a pretty good first half from the All Blacks - but in the second half, the accuracy...

Regulation Minister David Seymour agrees Kiwis are struggling with current grocery prices - but doesn't think tighter regulations are the solution. The Grocery Commissioner 's recent annual report into the market highlighted a lack of competition and meaningful improvement amid soaring costs for consumers. Seymour says more rules and regulations won't help improve the situation.  "What we need is...

It was my niece’s birthday this week. She is currently in Argentina as an AFS student. Her mum and brother are visiting and it’s been a fabulous reunion. There have been many comments via WhatsApp about Argentina’s inflation rate - in the year ending February 2024 it rose 276.2 percent - as well as acclimatising to the later hours when Argentinians eat dinner. It’s normal to see queues of people o...

The Briar Club : Set in Washington DC in the 1950’s during the McCarthy years, this takes place in a boarding house run by a battle axe of a landlady who rents rooms to mostly single women, with strict rules and requirements they confirm to the mores of the day. They’re a disparate bunch of women, each with their own backgrounds and stories – but when Grace March arrives and sets up residence in a...

There's growing pushback against tourists following the post-pandemic travel boom. Venice has started charging day-trippers an entry fee, while one busy Swiss town has announced it wants to follow suit. Locals have also staged protests in Mallorca and Barcelona. BloggerAtLarge.com Megan Singleton explains how people can go visit their bucket-list destinations without contributing to the problems....

This week on the Sunday Panel, In My Day host Roman Travers and Hits Breakfast host Ben Boyce  joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more! The price of parking in a disabled parking sport is set to get a lot higher, with the Government hiking parking fines by 400 percent. Do we agree with this change? What other fines do we think need to go up?  How much should bab...

Another Daffodil Day has gone by, with thousands of volunteers hitting the streets to raise money for cancer awareness. Research shows that one in three New Zealanders will get cancer in their lifetime - meaning everyone will be impacted by the disease in some way. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara stressed the importance of getting regular checks and screenings to catch anything early. L...

Chicken katsu with green salad Ingredients:    230g Panko Crumbs Sun Valley – $3 for 400g $2 1tbl (20g)    Sesame seeds $1.55 – 100g 31c   4 eggs 66c an egg $2.64   500g chicken meat $7   ½ head lettuce $1.50   ½ Cup chopped mint $2.30   1 tbl Worchester sauce $2.60 for 250ml 16 c   1 tbl mustard $3.90 for 200g 30 c   1 tbl soy $3 for 500ml 9 c   1 tbl tomato sauce $5.40 for 270ml 30 c   1 Lemon $...

Grammy-winning US rapper Fatman Scoop has died aged 53 after collapsing on stage. The singer fell while performing in Connecticut, before being rushed to hospital. Steve Newall from Flicks.co.nz says the rapper was in New Zealand as the official MC for Friday Jams at Auckland’s Western Springs in 2022. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 1st September 2024: Usually one half of the sibling duo Broods, Georgia Nott, has gone solo. She joins Francesca to talk about her new work as Georgia Gets By. Acting royalty Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Hurst talk about love, Alzheimer's and their upcoming two person play, In Other Words. Significant wins for the police...

The most famous couple in New Zealand's acting scene have been entertaining Kiwi audiences on the screen and the stage for 40 years - and now they're set to do their first two-person show. Michael Hurst and Jennifer Ward-Lealand have appeared in 22 different shows together, but In Other Words promises to showcase the pair's skillset as they play a married couple impacted by Alzheimer's. The pair c...

A pair of Dunedin-based distillers have figured out how to turn bakery waste into gin. Jenny McDonald and Sue Stockwell have been making gin under the Dunedin Craft Distillers label since 2020, by using surplus bread that would have been thrown out. The pair have recently launched a Pledge Me campaign in order to fund more tools to save more bread from being sent to the landfills. According to the...

Kiwi singer Georgia Nott is best known as half of the electronic indie duo Broods - but she's been expanding her output. Nott has recently been focusing on her own solo projects as Georgia Gets By, starting with her new EP Split Lip. She says it's a different experience to working with her brother as part of Broods - but she's ready for a new challenge. "It's very different, I have to wear a few m...

Māori and non-Māori, are expected to make their way to Turangawaewae Marae to visit Kīngi Tūheitia as he lays in state. The past two days were set aside for Iwi from the Tainui Waka. The Prime Minister has visited the Marae and said he remembered the Māori King as kind and generous. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says the Government made a very 'moving' tribute to the deceased l...

The All Blacks have been left lamenting what could've been after their 31-27 defeat to South Africa in Johannesburg. The visitors gave up a 10-point lead with just over 10 minutes remaining - the Springboks scoring two late tries after replacement prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi was yellow carded following repeated team infringements. ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith unpacks the factors behind the loss. LI...

There's been praise directed at police across the nation after two recent high-profile victories over the gangs. Christchurch authorities arrested every patched Comanchero member in the area in an investigation dubbed 'Operation Avon' - seizing millions of dollars worth of illicit drugs. Meanwhile, a 10-year investigation into Head Hunters leader Wayne Doyle resulted in authorities seizing $15 mil...

So I had a bit of a reality check this week. As you may have gathered, I love to do a bit of running – it’s more plodding – and I especially love plodding on trails in the bush. This year I’ve been struggling with a knee, which has turned out to be a hamstring issue. It’s nothing major, but annoying enough to stop me being able to train the way I normally do for a fastpacking trip I do each Novemb...

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult. Told in two timelines, one in the 16 th century and one in the present (well, almost present – the action takes place against Covid, just as there was a plague back in the earlier timeframe) – the premise being that women have been, and in the modern world are often, still unable to be credited for work which is presented as being done by men when in fact the wom...

A recent incident that impacted some unlucky Kiwi travellers in Bali serves as a reminder about the significance of travel insurance. A Christchurch real estate agent Amanda Blair had emergency surgery at Siloam Hospital in Mataram after a harmful scooter crash - setting her and her family back thousands of dollars. BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton says checking the fine print is essentia...