The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The year is drawing to a close, and Joan's sharing her picks for the top kids' books of 2023. Little Ruby and Friends by Ruby Tui. Picture book.   At The Bach by Joy Cowley & Hilary Jean Tapper.  Picture book. Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea by Dav Pilkey. 5-8 year olds.   Children of the Rush by James Russell. 8-12 year olds. First title in what is now a two book series, set in t...

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton is on her latest exotic travel stop- Vienna, Austria’s capital. She's been exploring the region and taking in the holiday scenery, including the famous Christmas markets. She joined Francesca to discuss the décor, the stalls on offer, and the mulled wine. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, Coast day host and Victoria University Senior Law Lecturer and columnist Morgan Godfery joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  We started the year with Jacinda Ardern resigning and ended it with a completely different Government - how are we feeling about 2023 as a year? And how are we feeling heading into 2024? Are we in a good p...

Christmas and the summer season aren't always the easiest times, and stress is known to shoot up at the end of the year. There is a well-documented link between the holiday period and increases in mental health presentations such as stress, anxiety and depression.   Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explores the relationship between the vagus nerve and mental health in order to prevent de...

Left-over veggie frittata with tomato chili jam: Cook time: 20-30 minutes Prep time: 5 minutes Serves: 6 minutes 6 cups left-over roasted veggies 2 cups baby spinach leaves 4 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup budget cheese, grated 1/2 tsp sea salt Cracked pepper Touch of sunflower oil Tomato chili jam: 1 x 400gm tin tomatoes 2 fresh chili 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup caster sugar Pinch salt Garnish: B...

If you are teaching your children to read, use printed books not screens. New research published in the journal Review of Educational Research analysed 25 studies involving over 470,000 students looking at reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is defined as the ability of a student to read text and understand the meaning of it later – a crucial skill for solving problems and making decision...

The world's favourite King of the Monsters is back to make waves in a new interpretation. 'Godzilla Minus One' has crashed into theatres as a surprise final blockbuster to cap off 2023, and enthusiasm is sky-high. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says this is the 37th take on Godzilla- but it's a unique interpretation of the classic monster movie. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Parks in the Whanganui region will soon offer visitors the equipment they need to get into casual sport.  Sport Whanganui and Replay are setting up 'Play Stations'- stainless-steel boxes holding basketballs, rugby balls and footballs available to borrow. Sport Whanganui partnership lead Paula Darlington says community-focused surveys showed there was clear demand for these resources. "These guys w...

On our first Sunday back at the beginning of this year, the Labour Government confirmed who our new Prime Minister would be.    So much has happened since then.    When Chris Hipkins took on the role, it felt like he went straight into election mode, aware he had only 9 months to convince us he had the vision, leadership and relatability for the job, and that he understood what New Zealanders need...

Grand Designs UK presenter Kevin McCloud shows no signs of slowing down. In addition to hosting the popular property-based television series, McCloud is also undergoing his own personal renovation of a 400-year-old building. He says he's grateful the series has managed to hang on to its loyal following ahead of his 2024 live show ' Kevin McCloud’s Home Truths'. "For me, it's a bit like a club. I u...

Forecasters are predicting warm weather for Christmas Day, but unwelcome surprises can't be ruled out. High pressure is expected to move over the country and leave a pleasant subtropical front in the lead-up to Christmas. But WeatherWatch Head Analyst warns some rain could affect New Zealand's West Coast and spill over into the South Island and lower North Island. "It's not locked in, we're on the...

The author behind the worldwide bestseller 'I Am Pilgrim' is back to give readers a follow-up. 10 years after the fact, Terry Hayes wrote and released 'The Year of the Locust', another book set in the world of intelligence. Hayes says the book was partially influenced by his own experience of loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic. "After I submitted the manuscript, my editor said- you can tell i...

This week was another productive one for the Prime Minister- The Reserve Bank's dual mandate, the clean car discount scheme and fair pay agreements have all been scrapped.  It follows a busy year in the world of politics, with three Prime Ministers and several policy bonfires to keep track of. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says this has been the busiest year in politics since 1...

The much anticipated re-opening of State Highway 25A has a date. The key Coromandel road's set to open in the early hours of Wednesday morning - a full three months ahead of time, and under budget. The peninsula road was cut in two by Cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year. Project Director Hugh Milliken says they're doing a blessing of the bridge early tomorrow morning. "We're doing some last tidy-u...

ZB's book expert Joan Walker is here with her top choices for the best nonfiction books of 2023! Her picks are: Fire Weather by John Vaillant. Wavewalker by Suzanne Heywood. Did I Ever Tell You This? by Sam Neill. The Wager by David Grann. Our Land in Colour by Brendan Graham and Jock Phillip. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloggeratlarge's Megan Singleton has a selection of tips and tricks for scoring extra travel bargains. She recommends you exercise caution when looking- because a deceptive one-way flight could have extra costs attached to the return price. Megan also suggests taking advantage of Boxing Day sales and checking out package tours. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, ZB host Nick Mills and BusinessDesk editor and Cooking the Books host Frances Cook joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week- and more! The year is drawing to a close, but Parliament still has big plans for the next couple of weeks- what can we expect? How close an eye do we need to keep on proceedings? This week, we saw Sky announce price rise...

The phenomenon of mushroom coffee is sweeping the wellness world- but are there any health benefits to this craze. Made from coffee beans and ground-up medicinal mushrooms, mushroom coffee is meant to deliver a familiar taste with less caffeine and associated risks. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara says mushroom coffee is meant to provide better sleep, reduced stress and a stronger immun...

Classic prawn cocktail: Prep time: 30 minutes Serves: 6 500-800gm raw prawn meat, frozen 1 tsp salt 5 leaves lettuce 2 lemons, cut into segments Classic prawn cocktail sauce 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp tabasco sauce 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 4 sweet and sour gherkins, diced finely 2 tbsp gherkin juice salt and pepper 1 tsp honey First start by cooking the prawns, place the frozen p...

This week, we are talking anger!   We are often told that positive emotions like happiness are ideal for our mental health and well-being.   However, new research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that if you want to achieve your toughest goals, you need to get angry!   The researchers conducted a series of 6 different experiments with over 1000 volunteers. In...

Netflix's newest high-profile release offers viewers a unique take on the apocalyptic thriller experience. Based on the 2020 novel, it follows a family trying to experience a weekend away as disasters strike and technology fails- with twists and turns to figure out along the way. Flick.co.nz editor Steve Newall explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi singer/songwriter Mel Parsons is in for an eventful few months. She's offering glimpses into her upcoming 2024 album, following on from her 2022 release 'Slow Burn'. Parsons is also opening for the The Teskey Brothers on their New Zealand tour. She says her passion for her work drives her creative output. "I feel like to be able to succeed or make it my sort of career and life, you have to ma...

A new podcast from the NZ Herald is exploring the worst rail disaster in New Zealand's history. 151 people died when a railway bridge over the flooded Whangaehu River collapsed at Tangiwai on Christmas Eve, 1953. Host Hamish Williams says this disaster made worldwide headlines and left a lasting impact. "New Zealand was getting so much attention that year- earlier in 1953, Edmund Hilary made it to...

Comedian Tom Sainsbury's mockumentary podcast 'Small Town Scandal' is set to explore more mysteries in its second season. The first season performed well and managed to scoop up an award for Best Fiction Podcast and place silver for Best Comedy and Best Creativity at the New Zealand Podcast Awards. Tom Sainsbury says he still can't get his head around the popularity of the podcast. "It's kind of h...

Parliament is expected to move into urgency this coming week as the new Government looks to begin making changes. Parliament has resumed - with Luxon's first Question Time taking place last Thursday. NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse says the next step is getting the Reserve Bank to solely focus on getting inflation down, then repealing fair pay agreement legislation. "Then the following we...