The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Now that the local body elections have wrapped up and new local governments are established, what voting trends can be observed here? Newstalk ZB's news director, Michael Sergel, is here to tell us what he's noticed, including a trend of right leaning candidates being favoured and reform agendas being less well received. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phil Mauger has been announced as the new mayor of Christchurch. Phil is a one-term councillor and former construction company owner – he has won with a narrow majority of David Meates.  He takes over from Lianne Dalziel who decided not to run for Mayor this year after almost a decade in the job.  Phil Mauger is here to share his thoughts on the election win and what he plans for Christchurch’s fu...

Over in Invercargill, there is a new mayor for the first time in 24 years. Nobby Clark has defeated Sir Tim Shadbolt and Newstalk ZB night host Marcus Lush to claim the Invercargill Mayoralty.  Nobby Clark is here to discuss his election win and what this historic change means for Invercargill. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a host of new Mayors around the country, and we have witnessed a definite swing to the right in yesterday’s local body elections.   We start in the capital this morning, with one mayor that actually has bucked that trend. New mayor of Wellington, former Green Party Chief of Staff Tory Whanau is here to discuss her landslide election victory and her priorities as Mayor. LISTEN ABOVE See om...

Today on the Sunday Panel, host of The Front Page podcast Damien Venuto and editor and commentator, Jo Mccarroll discuss the local body elections! Wayne Brown’s comments towards journalist Simon Wilson – is this what we want to be hearing from someone who could potentially be mayor of our biggest city? Is this a step too far? The voter turnout for the elections is dismally low- have you voted? Plu...

Megan Singleton of BloggerAtLarge.com is here with us to talk about the recent spotlight Bali has been getting on screen. Following the recent release of the George Clooney and Julia Roberts film, Ticket To Paradise, more people have been interested in visiting Bali, where the film was set. However, the filming of Ticket To Paradise actually took place in Queensland and Hamilton Island, one of the...

The Unfolding by A.M.Homes – fiction, which opens on the day of the 2008 US Presidential election when The Big Guy and his wife and daughter are in Phoenix Arizona for John McCain’s victory party – except it isn’t a victory party as Obama wins and The Big Guy simply can’t believe that a Black man is going to occupy The White House. He’s a man of means and decides to get a few of his buddies togeth...

There's been plenty of discussion surrounding the importance of supplements and what they can do for us- or whether or not their health value is all based in marketing. Erin O'Hara, naturopath and wellness expert, joined us today to explain whether or not we actually need supplements. "Supplements come in different forms, and I think you've got to really look at what you're taking as they are supp...

Irish author John Boyne is an award-winning novelist, he has written eleven adult fiction books, as well as six books for young adults. His most well-known work is the 2006 multi award winning novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.   16 years later, John has released a sequel to that hugely popular book.   All the Broken Places is currently in bookstores and available for purchase now. John Boyne j...

Over in Taupo, recent volcanic activity has made the associated alert level go up to level one. This action is unusual, as the volcanic alert level at Taupo Volcano has never been raised before. Despite this historic change, the chances of Taupo Volcano erupting still remain a low level concern.   Dr Finn Illsley-Kemp, a volcanic seismologist at Victoria University, is here to explain why the deci...

Just when we thought we had had enough rain, it came again, it's feeling a lot more like winter than spring!  I'm going to try and watch the WRC cars at Jack's ridge tomorrow; it's going to be so wet! This week Hazel, our oldest, was stoked when she found a chocolate bar that had been named after her! Of course we all know that's it's all about the hazelnut filling not her. But we won't tell her t...

There's a new addition to the streaming service lineup to check out- AMC+.  Editor at Flicks.co.nz, Steve Newall is here to tell us what it can offer. Highlights include all the Walking Dead content, a new adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire, and a mystery series produced by George R.R Martin.  The service will also bundle together all subscriptions to horror-based streaming servi...

She’s a real character of our sporting scene and it’s hard to believe from the outgoing bubbly exterior that Black Fern Ruby Tui grew up in a world of drug addiction and violence.  It was a chaotic upbringing and one that Ruby has kept secret, until now.  Ruby has bravely shared her story in her new book Straight Up. Ruby talks to us about it from the Black Ferns World Cup Training camp. LISTEN AB...

This week was Mental Health Awareness Week. I believe we’re so much more aware of mental health these days, but that doesn’t make the experience of those dealing with it any easier. Many of us have stories about living with or caring for someone with mental health issues. Just like my family. This isn’t my story to tell. But my courageous 13 year old, decided to share their story. The more we shar...

Actress and TV presenter Sonia Gray is out to break down the barriers associated with neurodiversity.  Sonia is the executive producer and presenter of a new documentary, Kids Wired Differently.  It tells not only Sonia’s personal story of having a child with autism and ADHD but also the stories of many families navigating life with neurodiverse children.  Kids Wired Differently will screen this T...

Deputy Labour Leader Kelvin Davis has gotten himself caught in controversy following his comments about ACT MP Karen Chhour seeing the world through a "vanilla lens". Kelvin Davis has since issued an apology after many people have called these comments out as racist and overly personal. Here to offer his insight into Kelvin Davis's statements, resulting apology, and the backlash is NZ Herald deput...

We are less than a week out from the 2022 local body elections. This year's election will bring to a close Lianne Dalziel’s time as Mayor of Christchurch , a role Lianne has held for three terms.  Lianne has been in public service for around 32 years, 23 years in Parliament and the 9 as Mayor.  The city has been through an awful lot during her mayoralty, and to reflect, Lianne Dalziel is here with...

Today on The Panel- Lorna Subrtizky and Morgan Godfery discuss Queen Memorial Day tomorrow – does it feel necessary a whole week after her funeral?  Plus- Bay of Plenty man Paul Cherry is paying $5,500 every 28 days to prolong his life and quality of life after being diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer – he was told by his oncologist the drug he was paying for would give him longer and a bett...

Now that the borders are open again, the option to travel is back after a two year hiatus. But BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton has recently observed that plenty of people still aren't ready to get back out there yet. There's fear around travel that has built up over the last couple of years, not helped by earlier stories surrounding lost luggage. Tours offer an easy alternative, as they come with...

All the Broken Places by John Boyne. This is a sequel to the hugely popular The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas from several years ago, which was about how a family moved to live in a house beside Auschwitz when the husband/father was made Kommandant of the camp, and how his son Bruno struck up a friendship with a boy through the barbed wire. It was ostensibly written for YA but this sequel is very muc...

Dr Lachlan McIver has worked in some of the wildest and most remote places in the world.   Trained as a rural generalist, his humanitarian work has taken him from indigenous communities in Australia to dealing with natural disasters and Middle East war zones.   Lachlan’s career and story is quite incredible and he has shared it all in a new book Life and Death Decisions.  Dr Lachlan McIver joins m...

Spring is here, and it presents the opportunity for a health reset.  Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara joins us here today to discuss how to spring clean your eating habits, exercise regimen, and mindset. Plus, with daylight savings changes happening, our circadian rhythms may need shaking up. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asteroids colliding with the Earth has been a plot element in many movies, but NASA's new experiment is set to test out a practical solution to the real thing that doesn't involve Bruce Willis.  NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). A  mission which launched on November 23rd 2021 which has the challenging goal of crashing its spacecraft into a small asteroid tomorrow, Monday, September 2...

In entertainment news, James Cameron has recently re-released Avatar into theatres over the weekend, ahead of the upcoming sequel. The 2009 film was successful in its day, and audiences enjoyed the visual spectacle it presented. Chris Schulz, entertainment journalist, is here to talk to us about the re release and share more entertainment news. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

 Mike’s website – goodfromscratch.co.nz   With daylight savings starting today, it not only brings with it each ray of extra sun shine. It is also the time for us to plant our potatoes. This will ensure you have a good crop come Xmas and the whole summer. Homegrown spuds are just amazing, the flavour profile is better and they are easy to maintain. Agria are our favourite as they are so universal...