The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Sir Tony Robinson has made a name for himself as an actor, an author and a historian - and he's set to bring his stories to New Zealand shores for another tour.

Following the success of his tour in February, he's set to bring An Audience with Sir Tony Robinson: The Regional Encore Tour across New Zealand this November. 

Robinson says he's looking forward to experiencing the 'variety' all of New Zealand's cities can offer him, ...

Stations by Louise Kennedy. Róisín and Red are kids in the same small Irish town, some years later meeting up again in a precarious London squat where Red has discovered booze and drugs and sidelines Róisín who has to make her own life. For 25 years they’re haunted by each other, and what might have been.

Nothing But the Truth by Stuart Greive KC. With over five decades working in law, few have had as much experienc...

Royal Caribbean recently acquired a 50 percent stake in operator ​Sandals Resorts International for $3 billion.

This move is aimed at expanding Royal Caribbean's land-based offerings for tourists in order to boost travel spending and give people more experiences.

BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton says this will likely lead to a mix of land and cruise-based all-inclusive experiences for travellers. 

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This week on the Sunday Panel, journalist and broadcaster, Wilhelmina O’Keeffe, and Coast Day host, Lorna Riley, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

The Green Party has announced plans to introduce an overnight rail service between Auckland and Wellington, a passenger rail between Christchurch and Dunedin, and to extend the Te Huia train route to Tauranga. Do we support this? Will this ...

With the recent opening of Auckland's CRL, more local pubs and restaurants will see a boost in potential visitors, and Mike's compiled his recommendations for a CRL food and drink adventure.

The Waitemata station features the Queen's Rooftop Bar, the Te Waihorotiu Station is close to the Irish bar Father Teds , and for the Karanga-a-hape Station, Mike recommends the Lebanese Grocer.

Maungahau Station, or Mt Eden, features the Galbr...

Imagine your phone suddenly flashes with an emergency alert in the middle of the night and you must leave your home immediately. 

What do you grab? 

Researchers have been investigating what people would want to take with them during a disaster as part of the Wellcome Trust-funded After the End project, which is investigating how people experience and recover from crises. 

1,000 adults were asked to imagine receiving ...

The line-up for Laneway 2027 has been released, with Fontaines D.C., Slayyyter, Adéla and Hayley Williams set to headline.

The event will take place at Auckland's Western Springs on February 21, and pre-sale tickets will be available from October 7th.

Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall unpacked the full line-up, and noted this will be the first New Zealand performance for some acts. 

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The Government books were opened up last week, and they unveil a somewhat more promising outlook ahead of the election.

The Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update shows the planned 2028/29 surplus - will be nearly $2 billion dollars bigger than forecast, and the Crown will borrow less. 

Political commentator Brigitte Morton says the focus is now on Labour to respond to this with their own announcements and financial updates -...

Last week, Australia's ban on credit and debit card surcharges took effect, and it's sparked debate as to whether we should follow suit.

National expressed interest in implementing a similar rule with the Retail Payment System (Ban on Merchant Surcharges) Amendment Bill, but it appears to have stalled following backlash. 

Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young says this ban led to Australian businesses increasing prices - and it's likely...

The 2026 election season is well under way, with ACT officially set to get their campaign going this weekend.

According to the Herald's most recent Poll of Polls, ACT is on 8 percent support - but leader David Seymour isn't fazed by this figure.

Seymour says they're up to 11 percent in the most recent poll, and the figures in the...

This week I thought I would distract myself from talk of tax, fiscal holes and pledge cards by heading to Tauranga to help my parents pack in preparation for a move from a house into an apartment.  

I am a bit of a hoarder. Not in an unhealthy way. My hoarding is very organised - in plastic boxes and tucked out of sight - but I do hold onto things longer than is practical. Walking into my parents half packed house and observin...

Kiwi comedian Joseph Moore has been working behind the scenes as a writer on many iconic TV shows like Taskmaster, 7 Days and Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee - and he's hit the big time overseas.   

Earlier this year, he got chosen from hundreds of applicants to write for the new Saturday Night Live UK - and he's proven popular, with his 'Pub Song' skit going viral.    

He says he'd already moved to ...

Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult. This is Jodi doing what she does best. It’s the story of Molly Fitzgerald and her husband Jesse (he was a character in Jodi’s much loved book My Sister’s Keeper and there is a reference to that previous work in here, although it wouldn’t matter if you haven’t read the previous book - it’s just a nice continuation for anyone who did). Molly’s mother died in the ...

The school holidays have gotten underway, with many Kiwis jetting off for the break.   

Air New Zealand has recently confirmed Rarotonga is now the most popular South Pacific destination for Kiwi travellers, and travel expert Megan Singleton has looked into why this is.  

She highlighted the accommodation choices, the food, the beaches and snorkelling tours - with plenty of options available for all kinds of tra...

This week on the Sunday Panel, Resident Economist at Opes Partners Ed McKnight and host of The Front Page Chelsea Daniels joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

The election campaign has officially launched and the big Leaders Debates are due to take place - with the first one happening on Thursday October 1st. Do we see these upcoming debates changing the minds of prospective voters? Or are the...

We all want to live long and healthy lives, but there's a difference between living longer and living longer well.   

Biological age measures the health and functional state of your cells and tissues, reflecting how well your body is aging compared to your chronological age. 

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained further, and revealed the sleep and nutrition steps to take to improve biological age.&nbs...

Mike's chicken enchiladas

Cook time: 40 minutes 

Prep time: 15 minutes 

Serves: 4-6

4 flour tortilla wraps  

3 cups shredded left over chicken 

1 large onion, peeled and sliced 

3 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 tbsp sunflower oil  

1 can black beans, drained 

2 cans diced whole peeled tomatoes 

2 tbsp tomato paste 

1 tsp dried mixed herbs 

2 tsp smoked paprika 

2 tsp g...