The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner's made a name for herself in iconic roles like Alias, 30 Going on 30, Daredevil and Juno, and she's attached herself to a new, star-studded Hayu project.

Five Star Weekend is based on the Elin Hilderbrand novel, and also stars Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, D’Arcy Carden and Gemma Chan as a group of friends brought together by a grieving food influencer.

Garner says the 'complexities and layers'...

The Nowhere Boy by Anne Cleary. This book won the Allen and Unwin fiction award, which is a hugely contested New Zealand fiction prize. A Dad takes his 3 year old boy to the beach and leaves him in the car while he unloads fishing gear to a site some distance away - and when he returns to the car, his son is gone. He’s been found by a woman who has suffered the loss of children and can’t believe her luck - that there&rs...

It's no secret that hotel rooms can be gross - but how can you get around the worst of it?

Other people will likely be getting their germs all over the TV remote, the cushions, the ice bucket and concerns have been raised over how safe toothbrushes are in the bathroom.

For more advice about how to get around the worst of the icks, Megan Singleton's made a list of her findings. 

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This week on the Sunday Panel, Resident Economist at Opes Partners Ed McKnight and TV producer, journalist and commentator Irene Gardiner joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

The Herald's Poll of Polls came out today, and it shows the minor parties could potentially hold more power this time around. What do we make of this? Do we know which side we want to vote for? What do we want to see from...

Rewana with kawakawa pesto 

Cook time:30 minutes 

Prep time: 1hr 10 minutes

300 gm white flour  

100 gm wholemeal flour  

220 orange kumara, cooked and mashed 

230 ml water 

1 tsp yeast 

1 tsp salt 

1 Tbsp fennel seeds (or any herbs)

Pesto 

10 kawakawa leaves 

(mixer of holes and non) 

1 cup curly parsley 

1 cup flat leave parsley 

1 cup coriander leaves ...

For centuries, people have argued about what separates something that's alive from something that's simply chemistry. 

Every living thing, from bacteria to blue whales is ultimately made from the same atoms as the rocks beneath our feet. The difference isn't the ingredients. It's how they're organised. 

So how few ingredients can you assemble before chemistry starts behaving like life? 

A team of synthetic biologists...

A new era is on the way for one of the nation's most iconic fashion labels.

Urban streetwear brand Federation is celebrating 25 years in business this year. 

To mark the occasion,  founder Jenny Joblin is taking a step back, handing the reins to her children to evolve the business for the next generation.

"When we hit this milestone, we were like - okay, we need to pause for a moment and just really look at all these diff...

The shifting support of minor parties is likely to be make or break for November's general election. 

The NZ Herald-Motu Research Poll of Polls shows the coalition has a 70 percent chance of being re-elected. 

The current parliamentary opposition's chances has slumped to 7.2 percent.

Former minister Peter Dunne says support for Labour and National will remain fairly consistent. 

"Particularly, keep an eye on New Zeal...

The All Blacks have overpowered Italy with a dominant second half to claim a 47-17 Nations Championship win in Wellington.

The hosts' 14-10 lead at the break blew out with 5 second half tries, including a hat-trick to Will Jordan as he became the All Blacks leading test try-scorer.

Wing Josh Moorby and loose forward Anton Segner debuted off the bench.

Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith recapped the 'incredible' action in W...

A word of caution as New Zealand forges closer defence ties with India. 

Prime Minister Chris Luxon's signed a Strategic Partnership with Narendra Modi - during the Indian Prime Minister's whirlwind visit. 

He's also agreed to strengthen maritime cooperation and carry out more bilateral naval activity. 

Geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller says the relationship's come a long way in a short space of time - but we need...

This video is the sound of the Norwegian football team and its fans doing the Viking row to celebrate Norway’s win over Brazil at the FIFA World Cup.  

The synchronized rowing chant that accompanies the Norwegian football team's appearances is the viral phenomenon of the 2026 World Cup - who saw that coming? - and Norway’s star striker Erling Haaland has become the darling of the Cup thanks to his unstoppable scori...

The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter. This is the second in her North Falls series, set in a small town after the shooting of a woman and her daughter and the subsequent investigation carried out by the local sheriff, which uncovers secrets and lies aplenty. It’s a classic small town where everybody knows everybody else, but don’t necessarily see them as they really are. Very cleverly constructed and a terrific additi...

Croque monsieur

Cook time: 10 minutes 

Prep time: 30 minutes 

Serves: 4

8 slices of thick white bread or sour dough 

1 ltr bechamel sauce 

8 slices gruyere cheese 

4 slices of smoked ham 

2 tbsp Dijon mustard 

butter for spreading on bread

Bechamel sauce 

4 tbsp butter 

4 tbsp flour 

500 ml milk  

Pinch of nutmeg  

Salt

Preheat a oven to 200*c

Start by making a be...

Learning a new skill can be deeply frustrating. 

Whether you're trying to play your first chord on a guitar, use chopsticks, swing a golf club or simply write your name with your non-dominant hand, the experience is often the same. 

You know exactly what you're trying to do, yet your body seems to have other ideas. Every movement feels awkward, clumsy and strangely unnatural. 

It's tempting to assume that some people...