The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin
News, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and entertainment – we’ve got your Sunday morning listening covered with The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin on Newstalk ZB.
Episodes
Crackhead is a new, locally produced dark comedy, and it's getting plenty of positive reviews.
Created and written by actress Holly Shervey, Crackhead is loosely based on Shervey’s own experience of addiction and psychiatric care.
Holly Shervey and her husband, director of the show, Emmett Skilton, explained the creative process behind creating the show.
"When we finally start to take it off the page, I see Holly really embra...
Australian author Charlotte McConaghy’s novel Wild Dark Shore has been widely reviewed as one of the must read books of 2025.
It also saw McConaghy named on the longlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Ahead of her appearance at the Auckland Writers Festival, she's opened up about the creative journey behind her iconic work.
"I was concerned that my sort of level of immersion into my writing was so different than wha...
Lake Effect by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney. In 1977, just as The Joy of Sex is sweeping through suburbia, neighbours Nina Larkin and Finn Finnegan leave their respective families for a new life together in a seismic betrayal which ripples through their children’s lives and has a profound, ongoing impact on them all. Yet family bonds are not easily broken and somehow seem to stretch, bend and accommodate all the chaos and mystery and lo...
It's spring on the other side of the world, which means it's almost peak cherry blossom season in Washington DC.
There's over 3000 cherry blossom trees in America's capital, and BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton says timing is everything when it comes to seeing them in bloom.
Megan outlined her travel tips - read more about what she recommends here.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week on The Sunday Panel, Newstalk ZB host Roman Travers and editor and journalist, Jo McCarroll, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!
The Middle East crisis is getting worse and there's concerns about what it will do to the global fuel supply chain. Do we think the Government is taking this seriously enough? Are we taking any steps to reduce our consumption?
It's nearly Easter, an...
On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 15 March, author Charlotte McConaghy is behind one of 2025s must read books 'Wild Dark Shores'. She joins Francesca to talk about the unexpected success of a book that was very hard to write and the insane research trip she undertook with a toddler in tow.
Holly Shervey has turned her story of drug addiction and psychiatric care into a new local TV show. ...
Healing the gut rather than relying on long-term restrictive diets is considered a better approach to manage IBS and bloating than restrictive dieting.
Irritable bowel syndrome is very common in New Zealand, affecting an estimated 15–20 percent of the population, or roughly 1 in 7 adults.
Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara reveals how to work through long-term gut issues.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
Hot smoked mussel pate
Cook time: 10 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves 6-8
300-400 gm darker fleshed fillets like Kahawai or Trevally
100 gm seasalt
2 cups large manuka wood chips
10 green lip mussels
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp crème fraiche
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp honey
Pinch of paprika
Cracked pepper and seasalt
3 tbsp fennel tips & chives, chopped finely
Toas...
Imagine biting into a tomato that smells like freshly buttered popcorn.
Research published in the journal KeAi showed the world’s first tomato plants with a popcorn-like aroma made using gene-editing technology. The goal is part of a much bigger effort to solve one of the biggest problems in modern agriculture: why tomatoes have lost so much of their flavour.
Why tomatoes don’t taste like they used to
If y...
Netflix has recently confirmed it would release a sequel to Kpop Demon Hunters, its most popular film of all time and a two-time Oscar nominee.
The film's a big hit with fans all over the world, and it's nominated for two Academy Awards this Monday - Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.
Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall explained further, and discussed the other nominees ahead of tomorrow's Oscars.
LISTEN ABOV...
A Kiwi fashion stylist has turned personal loss into a new purpose.
Inspired by her auntie's cancer battle, Lulu Wilcox has created 'Loved by Lulu' a range of headwear for women struggling with hair loss from the likes of chemotherapy.
Wilcox says she wanted to create something that gives back, and offers people comfort during tough times.
"This has come about, Loved by Lulu, and I'm very, very passionate about it and I...
Building relationships is the focus for the Prime Minister, as he departs for Samoa and Tonga today.
Chris Luxon will visit the main islands of both countries this week to meet with the pair's new Governments.
Alongside him will be his Police and Pacific Peoples Ministers - as well as a business delegation and MPs from other parties.
Newstalk ZB political reporter Ethan Griffiths explained why Luxon is looking to strengthen the par...
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has sparked concerns about global oil shortages, domestic rising petrol and diesel costs, and it's got experts speculating.
The Government is working to find a solution, with Energy Minister Simon Watts meeting with his counterparts in Tokyo for the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Forum to discuss the issue.
Nathan Surendran is the chair of the Wise Response Society, and he says the conflict is ...
So, if you were hoping 2026 would be a simpler year than the previous few, you’re probably rethinking your expectations. There’s a bit going on. This week has been about leadership. Domestic and global. The Middle East. Oil prices. And reliving the past with the Covid Royal Commission Report.
Oil isn’t toilet paper, but there’s a weird familiarity between Covid and our oil supply concerns, isn’t there? There's the fear of wh...
Award-winning journalist Charlotte Glennie's built up a memorable career over the years.
As a foreign correspondent, she reported from North Korea, Mongolia, and Russia, she covered monsoon rains in a Bangladesh refugee camp and she witnessed the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people.
But before all that, Glennie was in a life-changing accident while in Croatia and lost her footing and fell off a cliff ...
Brothers Pene Pati and Amitai Pati began their music careers in South Auckland church halls, but now they've grown their international careers.
A new documentary Tenor: My Name Is Pati explored the duo's journey to the opera stages as Sol3 Mio stars - and how they got to train and work overseas.
Pene Pati says he was scared on the journey, but knew he would find his way.
"I often think about this - it's a bit of both. I was s...
Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubuse. Saoirse is a successful artist living in Ireland with a lovely family and skeletons in the closet that she hopes will stay hidden forever. When she becomes the focus of attention after winning a major art award, her carefully constructed life comes under attack as her deception becomes known, and the public gaze sees only the extent of her lies and not the desperate need that drove them.
A Far-Flung L...
Travelling can get expensive, but Megan Singleton's unveiled a solution to keep track of costs.
The Splitwise app can add up expenses and reveal a total of who owes what to whom when you're travelling in a group.
Megan explained further - read more of her travel tips here.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 8 March 2026, Sol3 Mio star Pene Pati has gone from singing in South Auckland rest homes to the grandest opera stages around the world. He talks about his journey and just how demanding the opera world is.
Former foreign correspondent Charlotte Glennie suffered critical injuries in a fall in 2001, she joins Francesca to talk about it's life changing impact and...
This week on The Sunday Panel, host of the Prosperity Project, Nadine Higgins, and Coast day host Lorna Riley joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Luxon’s leadership has been questioned this week, but looking across the board - where is the leadership? Are we stuck with our current political leaders because there is no one else to step up? Where is the next generation of leaders?
United ...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
The Dan Bongino Show delivers no-nonsense analysis of the day’s most important political and cultural stories. Hosted by the former Deputy Director of the FBI, former Secret Service agent, NYPD officer, and bestselling author Dan Bongino, the show cuts through media spin with facts, accountability, and unapologetic conviction. Whether it’s exposing government overreach, defending constitutional freedoms, or connecting the dots the mainstream media ignores, The Dan Bongino Show provides in-depth analysis of the issues shaping America today. Each episode features sharp commentary, deep dives into breaking news, and behind-the-scenes insight you won’t hear anywhere else. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dan-bongino-show/id965293227?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sftHO603JaFqpuQBEZReL?si=PBlx46DyS5KxCuCXMOrQvw Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/bongino?e9s=src_v1_sa%2Csrc_v4_sa_o
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!