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
The Te Araroa trail, running between Cape Reinga and Bluff, is one of the world’s most diverse long distance walks - and it's since inspired director Bart Schrijver.
The trail inspired his latest film The North - in cinemas now - which has been referred to as the ultimate hiking film.
Schrijver says hiking the trail was an 'interesting' experience, and it helped inspire the journey of the characters in the film.
"When we were...
The NZ International Comedy Festival is just around the corner, with many iconic comedians from all over the world set to appear.
Australian comedian Felicity Ward, who fans may recognise from The Office Australia, Time Bandits or The Inbetweeners, is one of the bigger international draws, with her new show ‘I Wish I Could Come Out of My Shell’.
She says she's used to the attention being on stage brings - after years of being...
It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh. Nadeeka is having a relationship with Jamie but she suspects he’s having an affair and one day heads home unexpectedly to try and catch him out. What she finds when she gets there is something else entirely...her house is a crime scene and nothing is as she'd imagined. And then it gets worse as the real story of what had been going on in Jamie’s life - and mind - unfolds into a real, cur...
Travel expert Megan Singleton's set to spend Easter in New York, and she's revealed her itinerary for making the most of the holiday.
She's set to head to a gospel church in Harlem on Easter Sunday - the Abyssinian Baptist Church founded in 1808 where Martin Luther King and Malcom X attended.
She plans to catch an afternoon game at Yankee Stadium, and then head to the Plaza hotel for an afternoon high tea.
On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 5 April 2026, Aussie comedian Felicity Ward is heading our way for the upcoming comedy festival, she joins Francesca to talk about being unashamedly extroverted and how Dancing with the Stars changed her life in unusual ways.
Film director Bart Schrijver has used his experience walking the length of New Zealand to make his new film 'The North'. Bart tell...
This week on the Sunday Panel, Director at Capital, Ben Thomas, and Resident Economist at Opes Partners, Ed McKnight, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
The Government had their Cabinet reshuffle last week, with Minister Chris Bishop losing a few key roles. What did we make of this? Should Chris Bishop be worried?
The Tom Phillips doco - will we watch it? Given the police involvement, ...
Another Easter weekend means there's more hot cross buns, chocolate eggs, and other sweet treats that can add to the afternoon cravings.
Many people experience a predictable 2–4 PM craving window, and it’s not just about blood sugar - with the brain's reward system calling out for dopamine and energy.
Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained further.
LISTEN ABOVE
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Easter figgy and oozy caramel loaf
Fig topping
125 gm unsalted butter
150 gm soft brown sugar
6 figs, stem removed and cut in half
Cake mix
225 gm unsalted butter, softened
225 gm caster sugar
4 eggs
3 tbsp milk
100 gm whole ground almonds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger powder
150 gm flour
Serve with yogurt or ice-cream
To start:
Line...
Sometimes, the most exciting scientific discoveries don’t come from carefully planned experiments, they come from accidents.
A scientist was storing hibernating bumblebee queens in a refrigerator. These bees were in a deep resting state called diapause which is basically a kind of suspended animation that helps them survive winter.
Condensation from the fridge dripped into the containers, leaving the bees submerged in water, by the...
Bait is the latest TV miniseries capturing the attention of entertainment fans on Prime Video.
It follows a struggling British Pakistani actor, played by Riz Ahmed, as tries to audition for the role of James Bond.
Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall explains further.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
New studies show an alarming rate of Kiwis life off ultra-processed diets, especially considering 70 percent of packaged foods in NZ supermarkets meet this criteria.
A new app created by a Kiwi nurse is looking to help us navigate the supermarket shelves and make healthier choices.
KaiWise founder Peter Bird says the nation's food system is 'broken' and his own health issues inspired him to help Kiwi shoppers make a change.
"Being ...
Chris Bishop's been turfed out as National's campaign chair in favour of Simeon Brown - signalling a potential dent in his relations with the PM.
The National MP's also lost his Leader of the House and Associate Sport Minister roles in yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle, but is replacing outgoing MP Judith Collins as Attorney General.
Former Minister and commentator Peter Dunne says Luxon might be trying to give Chris Bishop a war...
A long-distance swimming record's been broken by a New Zealander wanting to protect our ocean.
Open-water swimmer Jono Ridler has swum more 1300 kilometres, from the top of the North Island to the capital - with only his togs, goggles, and swim cap.
His trip was segmented, starting in January, and ending in Wellington only yesterday.
Ridler says yesterday was 'incredible', with lots of Wellingtonians coming out to help celebrate th...
On Thursday afternoon, almost 300 pages of police emails, text messages and documents were released about the Tom Phillips Netflix documentary, following an Official Information Act request. What was released raises real questions about the appropriateness of the relationship and communication between police and the production company - and whether the doco should be made at all.
The planned Netflix documentary sits right in...
British newcomer Robert Aramayo was the talk of this year's BAFTA awards after he walked away with the Best Actor victory.
The leading role that saw him beat out Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, and Michael B. Jordan was his depiction of Scottish Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson in I Swear.
Robert Aramayo and director Kirk Jones explained why it was important to tell Davidson's story in the most authentic way.
"...
The life and journey of former Prime Minister Helen Clark is set to be explored in a new play set to hit Auckland's ASB Waterfront Theatre this April.
Helen Clark in Six Outfits will trace her journey from the farm in Waikato where she grew up all the way to taking on the top role in the Beehive.
The play was written by Kiwi actress and writer Fiona Samuel - and she says she worked to find the story in the facts about the former Pr...
The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent. Liz Nugent is particularly good at writing about dysfunctional families - I first loved Lying in Wait and the more recently, Strange Sally Diamond. In this new one, Ruby and her sister Erin live a sheltered life in Boston, but when Ruby’s 16, something awful happens which sends shockwaves through the family and tears them all apart. Ruby builds a new life in Dublin where she spends decades...
Travel expert Megan Singleton has revealed her secret trick for getting discounts on hotels.
In the months before your trip, if you open Booking.com and reserve a refundable room and lock it in for the dates you need, come back and check about two days before your payment will be taken.
Then, you go back into Booking.com and add your dates in again and see what the prices are, and it's likely you'll find that prices have dropped.
This week on The Sunday Panel, broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina O’Keefe and Newstalk ZB Wellington mornings host Nick Mills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Labour's Chris Hipkins has refused to offer up a solution to the fuel crisis, after the Government rolled out their divisive relief scheme. Do we think Labour missed a beat, especially considering we're in an election year?
Speaki...
On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 29 March 2026, newcomer Robert Aramayo shocked at this years BAFTAs by beating Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothee Chalamet to win the lead actor award. This week he tells Francesca what went through his head when his name was read out and the impact his win has had on the film 'I Swear'.
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