The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

There's growing calls for nursing practitioners to be used as a solution to severe workforce shortages in the health system.  A piece written this week has called for better recognition and funding for these highly skilled nurses to lighten the load on GPs and in Emergency Departments.  Deborah Harris, New Zealand's first registered nurse practitioner, says these experts would benefit from more aw...

Elijah Wood, the star of Lord of the Rings , has returned to New Zealand shores as part of his latest project. Wood stars in Bookworm , an adventure-comedy that follows a young girl and her estranged father on their mission to find mythological beast known as the Canterbury panther. He describes the film as an emotional father-daughter story - where the connections are the central focus of the pie...

All options look to be on the table when it came to increasing competitiveness in the banking sector. National’s deputy leader Nicola Willis has appeared to give a nudge to the possibility of privatising Kiwibank, at the party’s annual conference this weekend. Herald political editor Claire Trevett says it's possible we will see some action. She says every time Willis hints at this move, she does...

Disappointment for sprinter Zoe Hobbs - who's missed out on the women's 100 metre final at the Paris Games. The Olympic debutant finished sixth in her heat, with the top two in all three semis and the next two fastest advancing. NZ Herald sports journalist Michael Burgess says Hobbs managed an incredible performance in a competitive sport, but it wasn't enough. "She ran 11:08 in her heat and 11:07...

New Zealand's Paris Olympic medal tally has a new addition, following Emma Twigg's silver in the women's single sculls. The 37-year-old finished less than two seconds behind Dutch rival Karolien Florijn. Twigg says she's proud to have competed among the world's best. "This week has been really special because I've put the handbrakes on it, knowing it's going to be my last Olympics. So to have just...

Well, we are a week into the Olympics now. Everyone I have spoken to this week has commented that they’re a bit tired: staying up later than usual, waking up earlier than usual. Going through the emotional rollercoaster of sport is taking its toll - even if we’re only watching from the couch. And this is the wonderful thing about the Olympics – we’re all in it together. It’s a cliché, but sport br...

The Bookshop Detectives by Gareth Ward and Louise Ward. This is fun and really clever – the authors are former UK police officers who moved to Havelock North and opened a bookshop (Sherlock Tomes). The lead characters have a similar background and their names are a play on Gareth and Louise. They get caught up in a decade long murder mystery which happened in the Hawkes Bay town and which – of cou...

New data shows that travellers may have swung back to preferring hotels over Airbnbs. Originally marketed as the cheaper alternative for thrifty tourists, more people have turned away from Airbnbs - citing safety risks, uncertainty and exorbitant cleaning fees. BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton explains why the mood among travellers has taken a turn. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

This week on the Sunday Panel, NZ Herald Senior Writer Simon Wilson and Capital Director Ben Thomas joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! A Royal Commission of Inquiry has found about 200,000 people suffered in state and faith based institutions from 1950 to 2019. There's growing calls for compensation for victims - is this the way to go? Does the Government n...

The idea of naturally expanding your lifespan - and even reversing the impact of aging - has gotten popular with many people. Slowing the ageing process is the holy grail for some scientists and everything from drugs to blood infusions and laughter is being investigated. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

French Onion Soup Cook time: 40 minutes Prep time: 20 minutes Serves: 6 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp sunflower oil 6 large onions, peeled and sliced 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1 tsp sugar 2 tbsp plain flour 1 cup white wine 1.5 litres beef stock 1 French baguette 1 cup grated gruyere Pre-heat a oven to 180*c. Take a medium - large pot and heat over a low heat. Add in the oil and butter and melt....

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections. Over 50 percent of females and 20 percent of males suffer from at least one episode throughout their lifetime, and in children this is the most common bacterial infection. New research out this week has found that the old wives tale of drinking cranberry juice to help get rid of the infection might actually have some...

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are back to entertain film fans in the double-billed feature Deadpool & Wolverine. Despite the Marvel Cinematic Universe experiencing critical and commercial decline in recent years, audiences were hopeful this mature-rated crossover experience could be entertaining. Does it break a streak of disappointment withing the superhero genre? Flicks.co.nz editor Steve N...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 28 July 2024: Lucy Lawless has made her directorial debut, she chats to Francesca ahead of the New Zealand premiere of her film Never Look Away. TV host turned farmer Matt Chisholm talks about the time he accidentally organised a home kill at his two year olds birthday party. Francesca reflects on an ambitious and wacky start...

So, just how crazy was that Olympic Opening Ceremony yesterday morning? It was bonkers - in a fabulous way. When the idea for an out-of-stadium opening was originally floated, it was deemed logistically impossible for so many reasons, from losing athletes in the Seine to security concerns.   But this weekend, the French reminded us you can dream big, challenge the status quo, attempt the unimagina...

New technology using AI and lasers is helping growers to safely tackle weeds without resorting to harmful chemicals. Map and Zap detects weeds and kills them with a laser - leaving no chemical residue in the soil and not releasing additional carbon. AgResearch expert Dr Kioumars Ghamkhar says the trials have been successful so far. "In vineyards, you don't kill all weeds. You want to keep clover,...

Former TV host and journalist Matt Chisholm believes he's found his place after settling in central Otago. Having left the big cities of Auckland, Chisholm and his family now live on a 29-hectare beef and sheep farm in Chatto Creek. He's written about his new journey - and the lessons he learned on the way - in his new book, The Road to Chatto Creek. He recalls one moment where he gave his daughte...

Kiwi actress Lucy Lawless has taken a deep dive into the risky world of war journalism with her directorial debut. Never Look Away is a documentary on ground-breaking New Zealand-born camerawoman Margaret Moth - and her risky journey capturing footage of conflict zones across the world. Lawless says she's enjoyed every moment of putting this 'intense, joyful and rewarding' project together. "All t...

The Government's first military-style youth boot camp gets underway tomorrow. The 10 young offenders - aged between 15 to 17 - will stay at a Palmerston North youth justice facility for 3 months before undergoing a 9-month transition back to the community. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour says multiple agencies have contributed to the project, as well as psychologists, counsellors and social worke...

The Greens are taking time to have a proper discussion about Darleen Tana. Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick says the party will hold a meeting on September 1 to decide whether to invoke the waka-jumping rule. She and fellow co-leader Marama Davidson have written to Tana reiterating their request for her to stand down. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says not all delegates ha...

There's disappointment among Kiwi sports fans this morning, as Erika Fairweather comes up short. The Kiwi swimmer's finished fourth in the women's 400 metre freestyle final at the Paris Olympics. NZ Herald sports journalist Michael Burgess says it was a shame, but she came close. "You gotta feel for her - we've seen this before in swimming, we saw Moss Burmester finish 4th as well in Beijing. It's...

Kiwi businessman Mat Weir's First Table allows Kiwis to get a taste of affordable fine dining. Founded in 2014, the platform connects diners with venues - with an offer of 50 percent off the bill on the first table of the night.  BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton takes a look at the dining options available to customers - read more about her experience with the platform here . LISTEN ABOVE See omny...

This week on the Sunday Panel, broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton and economist Ed McKnight joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more! The CrowdStrike IT outage - what do we make of this? It doesn’t happen very often, but when you see the impact on flights, hospitals, banks – the consequences are huge. Do we need less of a monopoly on software protect...

New research indicates autoimmune conditions have been on the rise over the past few years. Recent data shows that one out of five people will develop an autoimmune condition over the course of their lifetime. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains the environmental factors and conditions behind this recent uptake. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 21 July 2024, the king of children's entertainment, David Walliams discusses his upcoming kids tour, reuniting with his Little Britain co-star and writing from jail! Australian-trained lawyer, court reporter and author Lucia Osborne-Crowley speaks on being one of only four reporters allowed in the court room daily for the Ghi...