The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Spare by Prince Harry- Probably doesn’t need too much of an introduction!   Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor- Big, epic, brilliant book set in India which has been described as being like The Godfather set in India. It’s a cross between a good old fashioned thriller and an epic family saga, roving between Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, which is controlled by the Wadia family through fear, corruption and blo...

A new year means more opportunities to travel, as BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton has observed. Travel demand has surged since the borders opened, with Booking.com data showing that inflation and a possible economic downturn aren't deterring people from wanting to get out and explore. Megan Singleton says that this demand is encouraging for the industry and spotlights a few destinations she'...

In this week's edition of the Sunday Panel, The Front Page podcast host Damien Venuto and producer and commentator Irene Gardiner joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins: What do we think? What can he do for Labour's chances in the next election? And w hat policies or legislation should he ditch to get the voters on his side? Five more people h...

Research confirms that our attention span has dwindled to about 47 seconds on any screen, meaning our attention span can shift up to 1840 times per day. It also takes us 25 minutes for us to regain focus after an interruption to what we are doing.  Dr Gloria Mark is Chancellor's Professor of Informatics at the University of California and is a leader in the fields of attention or distraction, mult...

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stepped down from her position because she claimed she had “nothing left in the tank”. Naturopath, wellness expert, and Golden Yogi co-founder Erin O'Hara says that burnout in the workplace is all too common, especially from women who feel pressured to juggle more with their careers and families. Erin O'Hara says that "Superwoman Syndrome" refers to the obligations wo...

Welcome back everyone.   I hope we are all well and managed to get a bit of a break.    The Van de Elzen household managed to get a decent break which was well deserved and well overdue.    After 30 plus years of working in hospitality, having a Christmas break is still quite a foreign thing to me, but being out and about with what seemed most of the country was pretty cool.   Mountain biking in T...

Nanogirl Dr Michelle Dickinson has returned following the birth of her twins in early October to talk about new technology designed to improve lightning protection. Scientists have discovered that high-powered lasers can redirect lightning through the sky in order to stop it from hitting infrastructures, planes and people. The most well-known form of lightning protection technology is lightning ro...

MCU star Jeremy Renner began 2023 in a hospital following an accident with a snowplow being used to clear his driveway on his Nevada property. Renner was left with blunt chest trauma and orthopaedic injuries and required two surgeries after the accident.  More information has come to light about Renner's condition after the actor posted an Instagram update from the hospital confirming that he brok...

Kiwi musician Alisa Xayalith is known as the lead singer of indie band 'The Naked and Famous' but has since expanded into solo projects. Alisa Xayalith released her debut solo EP Superpowers last year and is back in New Zealand for the summer following the borders opening back up. Alisa says that returning home to New Zealand has 'grounded' her and that readjusting to the pandemic restrictions was...

The Labour caucus is set to meet in Parliament at 1pm to formally confirm Chris Hipkins as Jacinda Ardern's successor for the title of Prime Minister. Chris Hipkins was the sole nominee for the role following Jacinda Ardern's resignation announcement on Thursday. National leader Chris Luxon says that a change in leadership isn't going to impact Labour's chances in the upcoming election and that Ki...

Chris Hipkins is expected to be New Zealand's 41st Prime Minister, with the Labour caucus meeting to confirm the nomination at 1pm today. With the next general election set to happen in October 2023, the question as to whether Chris Hipkins can win over voters and secure a third term for Labour is top of mind. Mike Munroe, former Labour Chief of Staff, says that Chris Hipkins is the obvious succes...

Police Minister and Leader of the House Chris Hipkins is set to succeed Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister of New Zealand. Chris Hipkins was the only nominee in the running to replace Ardern following Thursday's abrupt resignation. The Labour caucus is due to meet in the capital at 1pm today to confirm Hipkins as the Labour party's new leader. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says that knowi...

So we will get confirmation of our new Prime Minister today. It’s still a bit surreal. Normally it’s said the worse job in politics is being leader of the opposition, although taking over leadership of the Labour Government and the role of Prime Minister doesn’t look like much fun either. Nine months out from an election the party is slipping in the polls, the Government is looking to pass content...

2022 is nearly over, and Joan's listing her favourite books of the year:  BEST FICTION OF 2022 – JOAN'S PICKS   Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver   All The Broken Places by John Boyne   Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus   Horse by Geraldine Brooks   Eddie, Eddie by Kate de Goldi   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2022 is nearly over, and a highlight for everyone was getting the ability to travel again after two years of Covid-19 shutting down the borders.  BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton has definitely noticed some trends emerging for the start of the new year, including people booking bigger trips months in advance ahead of big events and more people taking fixed-term working holidays (Work from Roam). M...

This week marks the last Sunday Panel of 2022, and Coast day host Lorna Subritzky and PR Consultant and political commentator Ben Thomas joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day: What can we expect for politics in 2023? Labour's high approval rating has dropped and we may be looking at an ACT/National Government by the end of next year. Will the upcoming election surprise us...

Paralympic gold medallist and five-time world champion archer Danielle Brown has had a prolific athletic career. Danielle was so dominant in the sport of archery that she held the World Number One title for her entire career. She also became the first disabled person in history to represent England and win gold in an able-bodied event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.   She has since retire...

As we enter the holiday season, it's common for people to get sick once things start winding down. This is linked to a phenomenon known as 'leisure sickness', where busy people get sick once they're out of a stressful situation or environment. Three percent of the population are prone to getting migraines, nausea, muscle pain and fatigue when they get time off. Over-working and stress are also lin...

And to the end we come! I won't lie, but it's been a huge year and the last part has somewhat dragged on.   Don't get me wrong, I'm super stoked with how the year has finished up. Not to mention a huge thanks to the people that have come out to visit us in Muriwai at Good from Scratch, purchased a EngelElzen cast pan or purchased the amazing Engel fire. I want to thank you all.   As we run into an...

Some new research finally answers a pressing scientific question- why does some poo float and some poo sink?  An accidental discovery on the microbiomes in mice revealed that the buoyancy of poo is linked to the microbiota present in the intestines. The research done on the mice confirmed that the microbiota in the gut plays a role in how poo turns out. UOA Research Fellow Dr Joel Rindelaub says t...

After years of speculation and months of intrigue, Avatar: The Way of Water opened in theatres this week. The long-awaited sequel to the James Cameron hit had people booking tickets in advance and anticipation was at an all-time high ahead of Thursday's premiere. This appears to have paid off in terms of ticket sales, as it's set to make $180 million worldwide after opening weekend. Flicks.co.nz e...

Iliza Shlesinger's comedy career has undergone and reflected the expected life arc for an elder millennial.  The comedian, actor, writer, producer and author has six Netflix specials under her belt and she's released her second book All Things Aside. She's also written and starred in her first film, Netflix's Good On Paper. Iliza Shlesinger is also set to perform in a one-off live comedy show in A...

A new internet service provider is giving parents more control over what content can be accessed in their home.  Launched last Friday, The Good Source is a fast fibre internet provider that allows users to block or filter online content. The aim of the system is to protect young people from inappropriate or harmful things online, such as pornography and violent content. The Good Source co-founder...

As 2022 draws to a close, Cabinet is set to make some staffing changes in the incoming new year. Three ministers and three MPs from the Labour Party have announced their retirement, allowing room for some new faces to make their way into Parliament in 2023.  Ministers Poto Williams, Aupito William Sio and David Clark and MPs Jamie Strange, Marja Lubeck and Paul Eagle have all announced their retir...

The Fifa World Cup final between Argentina and France is set to kick off early Monday morning (NZ time). Some Kiwis have been working behind the scenes as the World Cup moved forward, one of them being OFC Competitions Director Chris Kemp, who has just finished up his role as a match commissioner for the event. Chris Kemp says being involved in the World Cup was a great opportunity and it was enjo...