The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Did you know that you can tell whether water that is being poured is hot or cold just by listening to it? Have a listen to this. Which one was the cold water? If you thought the 1st one, you were correct! In general hot water sounds duller and frothier than cold water and now a new research paper published on arXiv has determined why. The sound of pouring water into an empty container consists of...

Dame Hinewehi Mohi has recently been inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. She's been recognised for her ongoing contributions to the revitalisation of te reo Māori and Māori music in Aotearoa. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says this comes 25 years after her 'ground-breaking' performance at the 1999 Rugby World Cup. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After four years overseas, Kiwi reality star Julz Tocker is returning to New Zealand shores. The former Dancing With the Stars judge is gearing up to tour Ballroom Blitz around 12 Kiwi cities, kicking off from the end of the month. Tocker says he looks forward to bringing Ballroom Blitz to Kiwi audiences. "I have a couple of other projects up my sleeve, which are coming to fruition finally - and t...

The famed author behind Boy Swallows Universe is back with another uplifting novel inspired by dark topics. Lola in the Mirror  is less autobiographical than Universe , but it explores the themes of tragedy and suffering with larger-than-life characters. Trent Dalton says he was inspired to write these books to reflect his own lived experience. "For a lot of people who've been in the cracks, they...

Off the back of last year's Bird of the Century buzz, the pūteketeke has inspired a new children's book. The bird was given a push into the spotlight after US comedian John Oliver drew in thousands of votes off the back of his campaign. Now, Forest and Bird CEO Nicola Toki has authored Five Wee Pūteketeke, a book designed to boost conservation efforts for the bird. "There was a beautiful story abo...

Labour's Chris Hipkins has outlined the party's vision to 2040 to a crowd of Auckland supported. In his speech, Hipkins envisioned returning to power in 2026, and then spending the next decade building the country that New Zealand can be. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says Labour's reputation for delivering on promises is still too low to be believable. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystu...

There's heartbreak for the Wellington Phoenix in their A-League semi-final second leg in the capital. Their season was cut short after a 2-1 loss to the Melbourne Victory following extra time. Phoenix General Manager David Dome says it was a strong season for the team - one they hope to build from next year. "We're in a really good space, we'll now flip into pre-season planning, putting together t...

Women’s health specialists are accusing Pharmac of being too slow to act over hormone replacement therapy shortages.   Several pharmacies are out of stock with no idea when it will be replenished, meaning women have to shop around to get their prescribed dosage. MenoDoctor Clinical Director Dr Linda Dear says these supply chain issues are a problem worldwide. "It's been a nightmare for a while, re...

You are Here  by David Nicholls –  Marnie and Michael are brought together by a mutual friend. Marnie doesn’t get out much and feels as though life is passing her by – and Michael’s a newly separated teacher trying to survive in his new single life. They embark on a hike across the Lake District - the landscape in this book is vivid and real, you could be walking it yourself - and as they find the...

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton is off on a Nashville adventure overseas. She highlighted the live bands, the country bars, and the Opry as her personal highlights - and purchased a pair of authentic cowboy boots. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, editor Jo McCarroll and NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! As retail crime amps up, security guards want more workplace protections and legal power to detain criminals. Will these measures help cut down on crime? NZ First leader Winston Peters has pledged to introduce a members bill requiri...

This Mother's Day, there's more concern about mothers taking on a significant workload - and all the negative health implications that come with that. Mothers in this day and age have voiced concern with the workload, as they balance full-time work with child-rearing and household management. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara says it's important to prioritise sleep, balanced meals and all...

Little apple pies with malted crumble and yogurt: COOK TIME: 27 MINUTES PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES SERVES: 6-8 6 Braeburn apples 1 tsp vanilla paste 3 tbsp honey 8 x 10cm puff pastry discs 1 tbsp malted barley syrup 100 gm unsalted butter 100 gm wholemeal flour 50 gm brown sugar 100 ml greek yogurt Pre-heat a oven to 180*c Mix together the apple, honey and vanilla. Toss until well coated. Peel the appl...

Amazing science news this week comes from the UK, where a 1 year old baby who was born deaf due to a genetic condition called auditory neuropathy was treated with gene therapy.     Six months later, the researchers involved in this ground-breaking study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Baltimore this week, reported that the toddler can...

Sci-fi blockbuster Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was released to theatres last week - a long-awaited sequel to the earlier trilogy series.  Set a few generations after 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes , this film explores two rival groups of apes battling it out in an overgrown world. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says the film is also filled with visual call-backs to the original Plan...

Comedy and opera are set to come together in Moses Mackay's newest project.  The Sol3 Mio member is set to take part in a Kiwi retelling of Le comte Ory , which is set to kick off later this month. This will be Mackay's first performance with NZ Opera since 2012, where he performed as an Emerging Artist. He says he's proud to be taking on a key role in this piece. "It's a beautiful time. There are...

Wellington has been revealed as the production hub for the two newly announced Lord of the Rings films. The first one, The Hunt for Gollum , is in the early stages of development for a 2026 release, with Andy Serkis returning in both a starring and directing role. Screen Wellington's Head of Attraction Mark Westerby says this will offer lots of employment opportunities. "It's what we do best - mak...

After making waves in the beauty industry, Ethique founder Brianne West has set her sights on beverages. Her newest venture, Incrediballs, offers consumers flavoured tablets that turns water into flavoured drinks - cutting down on plastic pollution. She says the number of single-use bottles wasted every year is a 'disgrace', and wanted to develop a solution. "In New Zealand we throw away just over...

Diane Kruger is returning to the screen in the new Kiwi-directed biopic Joika . The Troy and Inglourious Basterds  star plays Joy Womack - one of the few Americans to be accepted into Russia's infamous Bolshoi Ballet. Kruger says she's always been fascinated with the discipline and grace that comes with ballet, despite giving up performing. "I love the atmosphere of a ballet studio, of seeing the...

The Greens are feeling the impact of last week's outburst in the House by MP Julie Anne Genter. The newest Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll shows the Party has dropped 4.4 percentage points, to 10.2. National is holding steady at 37.3 percent - and with the support of ACT on 9.4 and NZ First on 5.5, the Coalition Government would remain in power.  ZB political editor Jason Walls says this coming week i...

There's growing calls for security guards to receive more protections and power - including the legal ability to detain offenders. This comes as security guards face increased hostility, including verbal threats and even physical aggression. Security Association CEO Gary Morrison says security staff would like the power to detain offenders in order to crack down on shoplifting. "We can do a citize...

This week I received a letter in the post. It was from my 17-year-old son who lives at home with us and is in his final year of school.   The address was in the top right hand side of the envelope where the stamp goes, and my name was underneath the address. The writing was tiny and illegible – and my eye sight isn’t that bad.    It is a miracle this letter, a half-hearted attempt at writing a Mot...

Real Americans by Rachel Khong. A big multi-generational story told in 3 parts. In the beginning, Lily is living a penurious life in NYC when she meets a mega wealthy man at a party who whisks her off to Paris and they eventually marry. When their parents meet, the dynamics are very weird and uncomfortable. Lily eventually finds herself living on the other side of the country with her son Nick who...

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton shares her tips and tricks for getting around Disneyland - and unpacks the changes to their iconic rides and FastPass system. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton and partner at Freebairn and Hehir Lawyers, Liam Hehir, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!  In light of Winston Peters' 'defamatory' comments, it seems like the coalition Government is having more and more internal clashes. A political podcast asked a group of National, NZ First...