The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

It feels like it's flown a bit under the radar, but the Commonwealth Games start this Friday. 

This year's games is a reduced format.  Initially set to be hosted in Melbourne, the event was moved to Glasgow after the Aussies pulled out due to cost concerns. 

NZ team Chef de Mission Nigel Avery has arrived in Glasgow, and he joined Francesca Rudkin to talk about what we can expect over the next couple of weeks.

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Warm butternut salad w black olive honey & rocket oil 

Cook time: 25 minutes 

Prep time: 20 minutes 

Serves: 6 

Butternut salad

1 large butternut  

12 small tunnel house tomatoes  

2 tbsp sunflower oil  

flaky salt & black pepper 

Handful rocket leaves  

150 gm danish feta, crumbled  

1 cup walnut halves, toasted till crispy ...

In a quick transition Andy Burnham will be walking into 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister just over four weeks after winning a by-election. 

UK correspondent Edna Brady told Francesca Rudkin the public are uncertain about the former Mayor of Manchester.

"I think people are a bit shocked because, in all honesty, they don't really know very much about him, what he stands for, and what he's going to do."

But, Brady expects he w...

In the 21st century grind culture with technology blurring the lines of work life balance, it can be seen as necessary to work overtime and give up sleep to succeed.

But, naturopath Erin O'Hara says studies show overworking and under-sleeping can actually reduce productivity. 

"There was even a Harvard study done that studied people who were sleep deprived and only sleeping 3 hours a night, which is very, very low, and they ha...

In 2014, falconer and author Helen MacDonald wrote a book about overcoming the sudden loss of her father, respected photojournalist Alasdair MacDonald by training a goshawk.

The book has been turned into a film starring Claire Foy (The Crown), who MacDonald believes did a fantastic job in the role. 

"It's an incredible performance. She really does just haunt me, and there are times when I was watching it for the first time tha...

Former All Black Taine Rendall entered the world of politics in April, announcing he would be joining NZ First.

NZ First is set to officially launch its election campaign today at the party's annual convention, as they are buoyed by good polling.

But Randell says he is already 'jaded' just four months in. 

"I was ready for it, but it is a bit of a shock, you know, there are some late nights and there is a lot more work than I ...

With Paul Henry standing for ACT, one thing is guaranteed: people will pay attention. Love him or loathe him, Henry knows how to command an audience, and in modern politics that's no small advantage. 

New Zealanders likes to think we vote on policy, and we should, but personality has always mattered. John Key's easy-going style, Jacinda Ardern's empathy, and Winston Peters' theatre are contrasting examples of how politicians c...

American soul singer Macy Gray's been releasing successful albums and topping charts since 1999 - beginning with the release of the hit 'I Try'.

27 years later she's sold over 25 million albums, she’s got a Grammy, she’s got Brit awards, she's released 10 albums and she’s still going with another due later this year. 

She's also set to bring her six-date tour to New Zealand later this year. 

"It's had to...

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...