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October 11, 2025 117 mins

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 12 October 2025, Kiwi Emmy nominee Melanie Lynskey is back in New Zealand for the premiere of her new film Pike River.  She tells Francesca the sense of responsibility she felt portraying Anna Osborne.

Chef, broadcaster, author Peta Mathias lives a full life, she shares her tips on being fabulous and living life in a big way.

Local Body Election results are in - elected Mayors of the major centres share their visions for the next three years.

And Dr Michelle Dickinson shares new research showing the midlife crisis is over, but what has taken its place?

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB. Welcome to the Sunday Session with
Francesca Rudkin and Whig Girls for the best election of
great Reads Used Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning, Welcome to the Sunday Session. I'm Francesca Rudkin,
with you until midday. Good to have you with us.
So the polls shut at midday yesterday and the local
body elections we have provisional results, so shortly we're going
to head around the main centers to talk to some
of the mayor's elect and get their visions for the
next three years. Also on the show today, I'm very excited.
Coming up after ten this morning, Melanie Lynsky joins me

(00:49):
to talk about her new movie, Pike River. We're going
to talk about working with Robin Malcolm, finding great roles
in how she has resistant, resisted conforming in an industry
that is full of pressure. And after eleven I'm joined
by the vibrant, wise and wonderful Peter Mathias. A new
book out filled with all kinds of yarns from her life.

(01:10):
It's called It's been six weeks since my last confession.
It's a manual on how to live a full life.
And Peter will be with me after eleven and of
course you're most welcome to text me throughout the morning
on ninety two ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Two for a Sunday session.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
So guess what. According to local government New Zealand, voter
turn out around the country for the local body elections
has been dismal. Surprised. On Friday afternoon, nine hundred and
eighty three, four hundred and sixty six votes had been
received around the country and that represented about twenty eight
point four nine percent of all eligible votes. That's under

(01:46):
thirty percent. Blimey. As of Friday, our biggest city and
one with a multitude of issues, apparently had the lowest
voting percentage of twenty one point eight percent, followed by
Hamilton City on twenty two point ninety eight and pottyt To,
a city with twenty five point eleven percent. Council Governance
and Engagement General Manager Luann Valentine she encouraged people to

(02:08):
vote if they hadn't already. She reminded us that if
you don't vote, you're letting someone else choose who represents you.
Which is true or is rayteng so elocantly put it
after his defeat in the Wellington Marialty race, this is
your decision, live with it. But we still don't seem
to care. By the end of Saturday, the overall percentage

(02:28):
of voting around the country was around thirty two point
sixty five of eligible voters. Rural communities were much more engaged,
with forty three point six percent voting. Provincial came in
next thirty eight point three, followed by Metro results of
twenty eight point eight percent, once again under thirty percent.
We don't have the final Darty yet, but the stats

(02:49):
tell us voting turn out in Auckland is on track
to be the lowest in its history. So what's wrong
with us? I thought most homeowners cared about the increase
in rates, our rubbish collections, the cost of consents, the
state oven speed limits on our local roads, the water
Prices've always seem to have an opinion on their council
and how well or badly they're performing. Apparently we've never

(03:13):
been more disappointed in our councils. So why don't people
take a couple of boxes, let democracy do the talking
and tell our councils what we want. Maybe it's because
people complain about council but also appreciate many of the
services they offer. They kind of cancelte each other out
the states quo as okay apathy rules. But there's also

(03:34):
a lack of key challenges. Where was another strong candidate
to challenge Wayne Brown or Andrew Little. There's also a
lack of candidates. Two mayors will be elected unopposed, and
around two hundred candidates were elected by default. And then
there's a lack of easily accessible information on these candidates,
their values, and more importantly, their vision. Not everyone has

(03:57):
the time to get to a candidate meeting. Why is
it so hard to find out how a current councilor
or mayor has voted on a shoe strata term? Too
many people are making decisions based on terrible photos in
lackluster voting booklets. And then there's the reality of it all.
It's just a bit boring. Candidates generally campaign on the
same things, keeping rates low, reducing excessive spending, maintaining infrastructure,

(04:20):
and making their city or region an affordable place to live.
It's all well worn and hardly gripping stuff, and it's
difficult to differentiate between candidates unless they're wearing a silly hat,
which is all a terrible shame. Decisions councils make affect
our lives daily in many ways. We need to change
the voting system. Postal voting isn't working, and we need

(04:42):
to attract better leadership to these thankless roles. We need
to stomp out abuse and harassment. Pay them more, yes,
pay them more, and then hopefully more smart, reasonable people
will step up. Perhaps then we'll get off our butts
and vote the Sunday session. So why didn't you vote?
What would make you vote? Keen to hear from your
ninety two ninety two. Just on that topic though, of

(05:05):
local body election being a bit dry, I would like
to give a big thumbs up to the spinoff team
who made a real effort to draw people into these
local body elections with they're often very witty coverage of
town hall meetings and reviews of election signs. I think
maybe more of that coverage and we might have got
a little bit interested. Right up next, we're going to
head around the country or to the main centers to

(05:25):
talk to some of our newly elected and re elected
mayors about their hopes and challenges their region's face. It
is twelve past nine. You're with the news TALKSB.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
Keep it simple.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
It's Sunday, but Sunday session with Rancheska, Rudcater and Whig
calls for the best selection of gravery les News talks 'B.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
It is fifteen past nine. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown will
return for a second term as mayor. It was a
convincing win yesterday, Wayne Brown ninety thousand votes ahead of
second placed Curre and Leone. Wayne Brown is with me now,
good morning, Wayne, congratulations, thank you for that. How important
is a second term to get a chance to really

(06:04):
embed and finish what you started?

Speaker 4 (06:07):
Well?

Speaker 5 (06:07):
Think you just explained it to the question. I've made
progress from the five policies I had, and the one
that has been a bit annoying is it's taken me
three years to get the hands back on the hands
on at a much unloved organization, which I intend to
improve greatly by separating out public transport, which they do

(06:27):
quite well, make them concentrate on that, and then taking
back all the roading and other things which they annoy.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
Auckland is with and you think you can deal with
the roading better.

Speaker 5 (06:38):
Oh, that's one thing I know about. I've designed roads,
built roads, owned roads, and sold roads, and so I
don't know a lot about choreography, but I know a
lot about roads.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
What are the other priorities for Auckland.

Speaker 5 (06:52):
Well, I think we were on a journey to awards
a steady deal with the government and the priority there
is from that is that they treat Auckland like it
is a third of the country and forty percent of
the GDP, and so we don't fit into the role
of other small councilors, and so we want to be

(07:14):
negotiating kind of as equal partners with the government. Overthinks
no more sort of secret bridge crossings and stuff like that.
It's very important that we are taken seriously.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
And when you talk about other things, you're talking about
everything in general.

Speaker 5 (07:31):
Yeah, I think so this is I know, to be
easy for the local governments. So I kind of say, well,
these eighty odd councilors will just treat them the same.
This one's not. I mean, the four of the six
biggest cities are suburbs of Aukman.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Are you making good progress in doing this? Do you
think that central government is open to having these discussions
with you.

Speaker 5 (07:57):
Oh absolutely. I think they're also realizing in the year's
time they've got to get elected in Auckland decides who went.
So yes, I'm making progress and a number of the
of the ministers I work very well as ministers Bishop Brown,
Todd McLay, Mark Mitchell, Simon Watts and Chris Pink. Chris

(08:20):
Pink's just getting rid of the seismic rules, which was
my idea to get rid of. We don't have herth
quotes here. It was just adding cost an unnecessary annoyance
to the citizens.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
And you still can to push the bed tax with them.

Speaker 5 (08:40):
Absolutely. Am I a my deputy mayor or takeover biting
their ankles on that one?

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Talking about your deputy mayor? You reconfirmed Daisley yesterday, and
what does she bring to the role and do you
think that she is the type of person who is
potentially in line to take over from you in three
years time?

Speaker 5 (08:59):
Well, she brings to the role. We complement each other
pretty well. We're both very keen on minimizing waste and
putting in place the capital purchasing rules which I've foisted
on the organization. So it behaves a bit more like
my own companies, and there are certain things that she's

(09:24):
more keen on than I am. It's very hard to
get around all of the functions that you'd like to
you're invited to. And I'm not quite a function person
as much as she is, but she's I like sports
and business and she likes there's an awful lot of
important things to associated with a cultural and outside of

(09:45):
a city like Auckland, and she covers that off very well.
But we're both very keen on type financial controls.

Speaker 2 (09:54):
Wayne, how are you different than three years ago? And
what do you know now that you didn't know then
to help you get the job done?

Speaker 5 (10:01):
I know the council away is better changed much, but
Auckland's changed with me. I think the media have changed
quite positive to a more positive approach, and so I
think that Auckland and the country is changing quicker than I.
I'm still a very driven commercial person and I'm not

(10:27):
kind of like a politically driven person. I'm commercially driven,
and I think people have worked out, particularly as a
current economic client not being so bright, that's quite important
to have an economic focus, and that's another part that
will become a very strong part of what I'm doing
this next three years. Now our finances are in pretty

(10:48):
good shape. I'll be spending a lot more effort on
lifting the commercially output of the city and kind of
driving their countries economy economy off forward using that position
of Auckland being are only international city.

Speaker 2 (11:05):
What we all need a little bit of We're all
looking for a bit of positivity and a little bit
of hope. Right, You've been talking a lot about fixing
things over three years. Is it your vision to kind
of be a bit more ambitious for Auckland in the
next three years.

Speaker 5 (11:20):
I'm ambitious for New Zealand as well. In Auckland's place
and leading some of that. Fortunately, the farming sector have
done very well, and God on good God bless them
for that. But the large commercial section driven out of
my city has got to do better and make more
of its international flavor, and so that the tech alliance

(11:42):
I've started here will be a big grace driver for
both Auckland and for the country.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
Wayne Brown, thank you very much for your time this morning,
and congratulations on the win.

Speaker 3 (11:53):
That's Sunday session to Willington.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
Now and former Labor Party leader Andrew Little has convincingly
won the mayoralty in the capital. He has finished over
twenty five thousand votes ahead of his nearest rifle Andrew
Little is worth me now, good morning Andrew, Congratulations.

Speaker 6 (12:09):
Good morning fransis for here. Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (12:11):
So what a difference a you make? So, I mean
this time last year you had no intention of running
the counsel and now you're mayor. Are you ready for
the job ahead? Are you ready to be back in
public service?

Speaker 6 (12:23):
Yeah, because you have to be. And I thought very
long and hard about it, but yeah, it was funny
having been asked just over a year ago and said no.
At the time was something I was interested in. Then
took an interest in what was happening. You got increasingly
concerned about what was happening and just thought the Council
wasn't doing the best and taking advantage of opportunities such

(12:43):
as the Central Government's Regional Deals program to do the
best for Wellington. And at that point I thought, ahdid
have a set of skills and a track record it's
about bringing people together and keeping a focus on good decisions,
that that would be good for Wellington. So then threw
myself into it and yeah, and very pleased for the result.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
Andrew Wellington's problems have been pretty well publicized. You got
quite a big job here of you. What's first on
the agenda.

Speaker 6 (13:10):
Yeah, I think just getting around the counselors, who the
returning and newly elected counselors. I'm just seeing where everybody's that,
seeing what their priorities are. I think it's all the
steps that need to be taken over the next few days,
just to make sure everybody is involved and included. And
then I'm serious about a council that where everybody you know,
has a role and has a place and has a

(13:31):
stake and what we do, and then sort of letting
that together. And then I think in terms of practical things,
you know, we've got opportunities now to get the affordable housing,
high density housing sort of developments accelerated and underway. We're
a city that needs we need to grow our population.
We've been static for for seven or eight years. So

(13:52):
all the stuff we can do that's going to make
the city attractive and appealing and affordable as the top priority.
And I know that there's tend of other counselors who
share that. Then I'm comfortable to put together some some
good programs.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
Yesterday you called out the toxic behave that Tory fano
and endured during her time as mayor. Are you concerned
about the current culture of the Wellington Council.

Speaker 6 (14:14):
I think we sat arounder Tory's time just some pretty
ugly conducts, some pretty ugly behavior. I think the message
is pretty careful when Ittainings in this campaign. They just
don't get that. They don't they don't accept that. Now
it's just not acceptable and so it is incumbent on
I think all of us, all of these officials, to
make sure that actually we model good behavior. And that's
not about I mean, I've been clear during the campaign

(14:36):
it's actually a cave councilor's diffigury around the table. That's
actually a healthy thing. Things should be up for debate.
There's no you know, there's no one way to skin
a cat, so to speak. But but that debate's got
to be respectful and and people's personal integrity has to
be respected. You don't go undermining people or you know,
making gratuitous personal attacks on people. So I think well

(14:59):
and Wellington are spoken pretty clearly that they don't want
to see that anymore. And it's our job to make
sure that we conduct a solves properly.

Speaker 2 (15:07):
How do you go about winning back the trust of Wellingtonian's.

Speaker 6 (15:11):
I think that the things that they expect to see,
they do want to see. The spending under control. There's
no question there's a big major I mean, you know
rates to go look everybody's stuff at the big increases
in rates and well it's been thirty percent over the
last couple of years. That's got to get out of control.
The big capital projects where the budget just seems to
completely blow out, tells us that there's a capability problem.

(15:34):
And then that stuff that's actually just backing Wellingtonians. Now,
I've met so many people who've said when they deal
with the Council, you know, they get told one thing
and suddenly different happens, or they are consulted and they
put up ideas, but it's never reflected in what happens.
So I think just taking some time to listen and
demonstrate that actually the Council is capable of taking on

(15:58):
other ideas, but most importantly supporting those who want to
make a difference, the developers and investors who want to
get this stuff done. We've got some really industries and
willing to beyond just being the capital city and government.
We've got a strong science sector, a strong tech sector,
obviously the creative arts and the sector who that they
want to counsel that's going to back them in partner

(16:18):
with them not being obstructed in obstruction to their ambitions.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
Andrew, how did a local body campaign compare to running
for central government?

Speaker 6 (16:28):
It's way more intense. It's interesting than in the number
of candidate meetings. I did what roughly forty candidate meetings
In a parliamentary campaign. You might do ten, maybe a dozen.
I mean, there's more people to get around. Fair to
be fair, but also what you realize is that the
issues that you're talking about are class to people's lives,
and so people do take a more intense interest and

(16:52):
feel I think, more personally connected to the issues and
therefore the people who are standing for office. So I
found it more intense than in parliamentary campaigning.

Speaker 2 (17:01):
Interesting because you know, the people who were there are
obviously interested, they're going to vote. But how do we
give to all those other people who aren't engaged in
local politics to turn.

Speaker 6 (17:08):
Up and vote here? That is that's the big challenge. Obviously,
local government voting has always suffered pretty low numbers and
got up. You know, we all sort of thought it
was a great thing when the numbers got up to
the forties twenty twenty two. So look, I think, you know,
one of the things I think is having a long
voting period where the ballot papers get sent out and

(17:29):
then kind of sit around on people's kits and tables
or kIPS some benches for you know, several weeks. I
know myself, I filled out my ballot paper but I
literally walked around with it in my bag for about
two weeks before I got around to sort of putting
it into a box. So I think there is something
to be said for it having a day focus saying
that this is election day.

Speaker 4 (17:48):
Sure you can have the yearly.

Speaker 6 (17:49):
Voting, but here is a day where you can get
out and vote in your vote. We'll we counted rather
than stretching it out over the period of a month.

Speaker 2 (17:56):
Andrew Little, thank you so much for your time and
best of luck.

Speaker 6 (17:59):
Thanks Francisca, all the best.

Speaker 2 (18:01):
It was Andrew Little. There. So we're going to head
off to christ Church next and do not forget Melanie
Lynsky is with me after ten this morning, and I'll
get to some of your texts as well. Ninety two
ninety two. It is twenty seven past nine.

Speaker 1 (18:17):
It's the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin on news Talks
at b.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
Thank you for the text one reads of Wayne like sport,
then tell them to give us out Western Spring speedway back.
Francesca Little is the worst selection for Wellington. The toxic
environment under Tory was all self induced by her good brilliance.
Another three years of no change. Wayne Brown is a
typical engineer as he is very straight up and matter

(18:43):
of fact, and I think that's why people like him
as I do. Thank you Miles for your text. Right
to christ Church now. Film Major has been elected for
a second term as mayor. He's beaten rival Sarah Sarah
Templeton by almost twenty thousand votes. Film Major is with
me now.

Speaker 7 (18:56):
Good morning Phil, Good morning Francisca.

Speaker 8 (18:59):
How are you.

Speaker 9 (18:59):
I'm very good.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
Congratulations A big win for you by twenty thousand votes.
Is that bigger than you thought it could be?

Speaker 7 (19:06):
Well, you always go and want wanting to win, otherwise
you don't start. And I was very very humbled by
the margin. So I'm very happy thinking I was.

Speaker 2 (19:17):
In christ Church not too long ago, and I was
so impressed with the city. It's vibrancy, the energy, it
kind of I just think christ Church is kind of
where it's at. Do you feel the same way, Do
you feel it's heading in a good direction?

Speaker 10 (19:31):
Oh?

Speaker 7 (19:31):
Absolutely that for the last three years that my job
is to make it be as positive about christ Church
as possibly can. And other things have come and to
play of course, but there's a lot of people moving
down from Auckland and Wellington. We've got students queuing at
the door to get into the university. So it's you know,
there's a lot of good things happening, a lot of
and of course the stadium and the new parake or

(19:53):
sports center is going to be another little cog in
the wheel.

Speaker 4 (19:56):
It's going to be good.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
So you're on far. But what challenges is christ Church facing?
What are the main focuses for you heading into the
second term.

Speaker 7 (20:03):
Well, there's two things I want to One is to
make sure we keep the momentum going because we have
been in the doldrums after the earthquake and a number
of other things, and we're shooting out of it like
a rocket. There's lots of planes coming in with tourist
and stuff. But the other thing is I want to
so I don't want to lose that momentum, So that's
very important. But I want to sort of tackle debt

(20:24):
because some accountants will tell you debt is a good thing,
but I feel that the amount of debt we've got
is too much. So we can back off a bit
of that. It will give us more money to spend
on the things we like, rather than throwing it away
as interest.

Speaker 2 (20:38):
So I think twenty five cents in every rate dollar
is servicing debt currently.

Speaker 7 (20:42):
That's yep, right on the button.

Speaker 2 (20:44):
So how do you get that down?

Speaker 7 (20:47):
We look at how we can reduce that, well, not
reduce our capital spend, but not be so high on
what we want to charge people for our capital increases
and be a bit more realistic on what we can
actually deliver. We're very lucky. Last year our insurance premium
was very high for all our stuff, but it's actually

(21:08):
come back a bit this year, which I'm thankful to
the insurance companies and the work that the stuff done,
and that's going to be saving that we can. We've
just got to get their expenses.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
Don Have you got a bit of a plan in
place for the three years. Is it going to be
something that you're slowly working away at or are you
going to take quite an aggressive approach to it.

Speaker 7 (21:26):
Well, I just slowly working away at it. We've the
council that has been voted in with me, there's a
there's a couple of new people there. But I've just
got to that's what democracy is, what's been put in
front of me. And we're having a week Powell today,
and over the next couple of weeks we'll decide on
how hard or fast we go. But the main thing
is cost living crisis for us counselor is one because

(21:50):
we borrow too much money and and people out there
because everyone's suffering as well. It's all very well to
say christ which is going well, but there are cost
living crisis.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
Absolutely. I'm well aware that I visited on a weekend
where the sun was shining and the mountains amazing in
the city with Bowen, I well were of the fact
that I was a visitor for two days and the
reality of living somewhere it can be quite different counted
of course.

Speaker 10 (22:12):
Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely, yeah.

Speaker 7 (22:13):
I'm the Winner's always like this.

Speaker 2 (22:14):
Here, I asked Andrew little just before about voter turnout.
It's not great when it comes to local body elections.
How do you think we can get people better engaged?

Speaker 7 (22:30):
That is such a difficult question. It's from what I understand,
our general elections are very well subscribed because it's going
down and voting and actually making a day of it,
even though you can do it a couple of weeks
before the postal systems, it's just not working. It's we
need to do something different to encourage people to get
out and vote.

Speaker 2 (22:50):
Soil Major really appreciate your time this morning, Thank you
for joining us, and best of luck. It is twenty
five to ten. Next we're off to Hamilton.

Speaker 1 (23:01):
For Sunday session Full show podcast on iHeartRadio powered by Newstalks.

Speaker 2 (23:06):
Be Okay. Another former MP has been appointed mayor in Hamilton,
electing Hamilton's elected former national MP, Tim Macendo and Tim
joins me now.

Speaker 10 (23:19):
Congratulations Tim, Good morning Francesca, and thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (23:23):
I believe you were also initially reluctant to enter the race.
How are you feeling now being there? Is it a reality?

Speaker 10 (23:30):
It's certainly becoming a reality. And yes, I was initially
reluctant but changed my mind for a variety of reasons,
and I'm now very excited and grateful to have been
given the support that I've received.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
You said that you think Hamilton needs significant change. What
change you're talking about? What's needed?

Speaker 10 (23:48):
Well, our rate players have saved some of the highest
rates rises in the country over the last couple of
years and that's been projected for the foreseeable future as well.
They are really feeling the pain. Unfortunately, there are no
easy options for us to take that can suddenly get
things down in a hurry, but we have to eliminate

(24:09):
wasteful spending and focus on delivering core priorities. Well, I
think make much greater use of it, which should enable
us to reduce costs, improve our procurement and do arrange
in other different things. So the aim will be certainly
to reduce the burden for rate payers, but unfortunately it's
all going to be pretty challenging. Nothing can happen overnight,

(24:30):
but we've just got to get started.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
What's your approach going to be? What kind of may
will you be? Are we going to see a change
up from what Hamilton has had under PAULA Southgate.

Speaker 10 (24:40):
Well, I've got a lot of respect for Paula on
a personal level, and I've always enjoyed a warm relationship
with her. I think that my style is fairly collegial.
I'll be looking to harness the talents of all my
new counsel team to best advantage. I want them to
feel fulfilled by sitting around the council table, so I'll

(25:01):
look to work well with them and provide leadership that
I hope will inspire them to follow the general direction
that I want us to take.

Speaker 2 (25:10):
You've been in central government, do you think that brings
a different approach to local government.

Speaker 10 (25:15):
I've certainly found it very different, and I'm delighted that
I've had that experience because the context that I have
in Wellington I hope will be very helpful. I was
briefly a minister under Civil English. I was an MP
for twelve years, so I know many people in the
Wellington political environment pretty well. In those contexts should be helpful,

(25:38):
but local government operates in a much narrower lane, focusing
on different issues. I've enjoyed the nineteen months I've had
since I won a by election early last year to
learn the job, and now I feel ready to get
stuck and lead the city a little.

Speaker 2 (25:55):
Bit like Wayne Brannon orkand are you interested in having
sort of closer relationship with central government.

Speaker 10 (26:00):
Absolutely, it's going to be crucial as part of trying
to ensure that we can deal with the challenges we face.
And one of those real challenges is the fact that
the government has made it pretty clear that they are
introducing rates capping that will constrain us and councils right
around the country quite significantly. So we have to have
a good understanding of central government as to what they

(26:21):
expect of us and how they will step in and
help us to deliver some of the things that are
reduced rates income will inevitably ensure that we need to
look elsewhere to be able to provide.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
Do you think you need that rates capping? I mean,
isn't that the job of counsel to have a budget
and to stick to it. That's your responsibility.

Speaker 10 (26:39):
Well, that's right. We have the three year long term
plan process where we do exactly that. My preference would
have been for us to set our own rates cap
in the sort of way that I was talking before.
But if this is what Central Government is planning to
do and their signal that they will, then we're going
to have to work with that make the adjustments necessary,

(27:01):
and that's part of the reason why it will be
really important to have those strong relationships with ministers in
Wellington to ensure that we can be successful in it.
And longer term that will also include working closely with
neighboring councils, trying to improve efficiencies through greater shared services
and that type of thing. But even the possible question
that others will want to discuss of amalgamation, I'm not

(27:24):
going to be out there leading the charge on that,
but I'm certainly willing to be part of that discussion
if in the long term that's in the best interests
of our region and our ratepays.

Speaker 2 (27:34):
How was your voter turn out, Tom, Were you happy
with that?

Speaker 7 (27:37):
No, it wasn't.

Speaker 10 (27:38):
It was very disappointing. We've had quite low turnounced now
as several elections. I think that there are a number
of factors for that, not the least of which is
that we have an STV system for Oal City Council
and mayor election, but on the same ballot patter we
have a different voting system to the regional council. And also,

(27:59):
of course we had the Murray Woods referendum, and a
lot of people found that really really confusing. They saw
the long list of aims and thought it was too hard. Plus,
it is absolutely ludicrous that in twenty twenty five we're
still relying on an erratic postal service for an election.
Many young people don't have to go to a letterbox,
wouldn't have ever posted a letter in their lives. Many

(28:22):
of them didn't receive their voting papers even last week.
Are they're still meeting people who hadn't received them, so
they had to go to the effort of making a
special vote. That's really bad in a democracy where we
need to make voting simple and accessible for everybody. So
I'll be looking for changes in that regard, and I
think that most people would agree that we cannot carry

(28:44):
on with the crazy arrangements that we have at the moment.

Speaker 2 (28:46):
To Mac and do, I really appreciate your time this morning,
Thank you very much. Right, we've seen some trends sort
of develop in these local body elections. We've seen mayors
who's supported large rate rises lose their jobs, but of
a swing to the right. There's the scrapping of the
murray Wards as well. So we're going to cover off
what's been happening around the country a little bit more broadly.
Next with our local government reporter Michael Circle. It is

(29:09):
sixteen to ten.

Speaker 1 (29:10):
The Headlines and the hard Questions. It's the Mic Hosking Breakfast.

Speaker 11 (29:15):
Hagi, what chance that this is Ober? There is peace
in the Middle East, and you and I, for the
rest of our lives will never talk about conflict in
your part of the world ever.

Speaker 12 (29:23):
Again, I would say almost none. Unfortunately, even if this
agreement is completely successful in ending the war and the
genocide and Gada, then we will have quiet around gather
and without any substantial changes of that reality, without justice
and liberation for past means across the land, we will

(29:45):
just be back where we started and there will be
renewed violence in the future.

Speaker 11 (29:49):
Back tomorrow at six am the Mic Hosking Breakfast with
Avida News Talk z.

Speaker 3 (29:53):
It b Relax. It's still the weekend.

Speaker 1 (29:56):
It's a Sunday session with Francesca Rudgin and Witkles for
the best selection of great greads.

Speaker 3 (30:02):
News Talk z it.

Speaker 13 (30:03):
Be thank a Ready Puffy.

Speaker 2 (30:15):
It is thirteen to ten now Newstorg ZB senior reporter
Michael Siegel has been doing an excellent job of our
local body coverage here on Newstalk ZB and he's with
us now to wrap it all up.

Speaker 14 (30:26):
Good morning, good morning.

Speaker 2 (30:28):
We would normally have the new mayor of Dunedin on
in this our too, but talk me through the situation
in Dunedin. I thought we had a result, but it's
very close.

Speaker 14 (30:38):
Yea, it's still sort of a very close race. We
do know for a fact that Giles Raddick is out,
he was the incumbent mayor. He's accepted defeat or considered defeat.
There's no viable path of victory for him at this stage.
On the progress results, Sophie Barker will be the new
mayor of Dunedin, just ahead of Andrew Simms, but the
final result will be determined by late votes, particularly those

(31:00):
votes sort of cast by students and others on I
suppose Saturday morning, yesterday morning. So we have some really
a really really tight race and we won't know for
sure until we get a sort of clearer results from Dunedin.
And we also had a similar situation in a number
of other parts of the country as well, like Fung today,
where there's some really close races.

Speaker 2 (31:19):
Okay, good what kind of trends are we seeing at
a national level.

Speaker 14 (31:25):
Well, certainly, of the mayors that sought reelection, most of
them were reelected about three quarters clear support for that
blue wave that was elected in twenty twenty two. So
Auckland's Wayne Brown, christ urch Is football major, Nelson's Nick
Smith to do was Tanya Tapsule. The public is also
on board with Gore's Ben Bell after what's been tumultuous
three years really in that district. Good on them, yeah, yeah,

(31:47):
and a clear mandate for a second term. But the
meyors who oversaw the big rates rises have either chosen
not to stand or have been unseated. And digging into
the numbers, most of the people who will be leading
our councils haven't been there for more than three years.
They weren't leading the councils through the COVID pandemic. That's
a global trend we've seen where COVID era leaders are

(32:08):
out of power around the world. People have sort of
voted them out or that or they've moved out. And
with clothers Ryan Cadogan retiring and Upper Hearts Wayne Guppy
and others unseated, only a handful of our sixty seven
meals have been there for more than six years. It's
only five Meyas who've been who were in there before
twenty nineteen. So the days of the long term mayor

(32:28):
are now over. Certainly that you know the mayor that
was the mayor of fifty years, that's that's no longer
a thing.

Speaker 2 (32:35):
And is that because after six years have been a
local council people go I'm done, I'm out of here.

Speaker 14 (32:40):
Or do you think we've soon got a lot of
that old guard retiring over the last six years, we've
also got a lot of mood for change. So, particularly
in that twenty twenty two election and continued in this election,
there has been a move away from those established candidates.
Wayne Guppy has been in there for twenty four years
and unseated yesterday after twenty four years in office.

Speaker 2 (33:01):
Is it good that there's new blood in there? Is
it good that you've got people in there who haven't
been there for too long? As you say, no longer
than maybe three years, you know, bringing some still some
positivity or things.

Speaker 14 (33:11):
Yeah, there is the counter argument that you know, fresh
blood is good and fresh perspectives are good, and perhaps
if you're in office for six years for two terms.
Then you can use those two terms that are very
passionately to get things moving. And we have had some
very long serving sort of mayors in this country who
some might argue you haven't done much, you know, after

(33:32):
there've been in office for quite a while, and there's
definitely a mood for change, and I think that the
era of the long term mayor appears to be over.

Speaker 15 (33:41):
Now.

Speaker 2 (33:42):
We've been talking about the turnout this morning, which has
been pretty dismal in a lot of places. I say,
rurally it's been pretty strong, but when you get into
sort of the city centers and things, it's been pretty average.

Speaker 14 (33:52):
Absolutely, yes, it's definitely over forty percent in rural areas,
but initial figures show turn out turning down even further
than in twenty twenty two, not hugely, but still down
further than the last election. Only about a third of
people nationwide of voting. Lower numbers in those biggest cities,
driven by the predictable male races, so people know who's
going to win, so they don't vote. This will be

(34:13):
partly offset by this surgeon last minute votes we saw,
particularly in Auckland, just people queuing up to cast votes
on Saturday morning when they realized they needed to get
their votes in, and these votes will of course determine
many of those close races. We also, of course, today
had the vote on Mighty Wards, seventeen councils voting to
retain them, but twenty five voting to scrap them, and

(34:36):
another twenty five didn't didn't hold votes on that.

Speaker 2 (34:39):
So what does that mean? We're going to have some
councils that have Mright Awards and some that don't. Yes,
is that going to happen?

Speaker 14 (34:45):
Seventeen of the sixty seven councils will have Mighty Wards
and so that will sort of just sort of carry
on as normal, But the vast majority of them, there's
definitely been a pushback to the idea of Mighty awards
from the from voters, and looking at some of these
numbers I'm seeing suggests it does appear to be slipped
down the click down the left right party lines as well.

(35:08):
So people that were traditionally vote labor or left wing
have voted to keep them, and people that would traditionally
have voted national or right wing appear to have voted
to scrap them as well.

Speaker 2 (35:18):
And when does that come into place?

Speaker 14 (35:20):
So it's immediate now, so there will be a number
of councils. Just White had mighty wards and it's a
bit tough for people that have voted for, you know,
that have been elected to mighty award positions that don't
exist anymore.

Speaker 9 (35:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (35:32):
No, absolutely, that's a yes of worthe the time. There
anyway any other interesting results that we may have missed
around the country.

Speaker 14 (35:40):
Yeah, I mean the Auckland local board races. It is
always a bit interesting. Oscar Kiteley has won, the actor
playwright and but Lee Burton, who was the Real Housewives star,
has lost her bid for a local board seat. You
may remember Jermaine Ross, the comedian and TV producer who
said don't vote, don't vote for me. People have got
the message and they haven't voted him in.

Speaker 2 (36:06):
Do you think he's breathing a sigh of relief?

Speaker 14 (36:09):
I think he is. Yes, Yes, Timothy Coffee, you may
remember from from from parliamentary career for a TV career,
parliamentary career, a previous bid for local government. He has
lost his latest bid. Phillis Hoops Hooper and Judy Moffett,
two broadcasters in Ashburton, both into the council. Nandor Tanjos
a bit of the blast from the past former Green

(36:30):
Party MP. So he's been in local government for a while.
He has come very close to being the new mayor
of Fane Michael Organ. He was featured in the David
Ferrier documentary a few years ago. He has failed his
bid to be on the Fine District Council. The Whyer
candidate who wanted his council to run a cannabis business
get into the cannabis trade. He is out of luck.

(36:51):
He has not won his seat. We've got a really
interesting race in Westland District which is Hocker Ticker, an
eighty two year old transgender woman has become the country's
second transgender mayor on the on progress results or that
still change and Andrew Maxwell Clark, who stood for both
mayor and Vicargo and Tasman failed on both counts.

Speaker 2 (37:13):
Brilliant Michael. Thank you very much for informing us on
all that and if your work over the last week,
I'm sure you're slightly relieved that that is all over.
It is six to ten News Talks AB.

Speaker 1 (37:24):
The Sunday Session Full show podcast on my Heart Radio
powered by newstalksb.

Speaker 2 (37:31):
Thank you for your texts. One here reads people don't
vote as they know counsels will increase rates anyway whoever wins. Also,
there's not much information given to people about candidates. Everyone
is too busy and there's no community interest. Rural communities
have high vote turnout as people involved in the communities more.
I think you're right about that. Wellington Man never mentioned
accountability and responsibility. It was all about taking time and

(37:53):
looking after the council staff, making sure they feel good.
Needs to run like a business full stop. I think
that's actually where Andrew Little was going. He was going
actually a little less of looking after ourselves and the
personal stuff, and it's all just kind of be respectful
and get on with business. Thank you for the texts.
Ninety two. I have got a huge amount of respect
for Melanie Lunsky. She's a very talented actress, and I

(38:15):
also love the way she has quietly gone about building
an incredible career on her own terms, and how she's
resisted conforming in an industry which generally likes people to conform.
She's been in some of the biggest TV shows of
late Last of Us, Yellow Jackets and The Tattoists of Auschwitz,
and she is now going to blow you away with
her performance and the film Pike River. Melanie Lunsky is

(38:36):
worth me.

Speaker 16 (38:37):
Next good break.

Speaker 13 (38:58):
Because now they're your go My fall in love.

Speaker 3 (39:02):
With the wand the good break my height. It's so
you know what that means.

Speaker 1 (39:07):
It's the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin and Wickles for
the best selection of great reeds us talk set be.

Speaker 2 (39:21):
Good to have you with us. It is seven past ten.
Our very own Emmy nominee. Melanie Lynsky is an incredibly
versatile actress. I think she's pretty much capable of any role.
Throw it her starring and everything from Two and a
Half Men to Yellowjackets to the Last of Us. She's
firmly established herself in acting circles. Melanie is back in
the country this week for the New Zealand premiere of

(39:43):
her new film, Pike River, based on the twenty ten
mining tragedy. Melanie plays Anna Osborne, the film telling the
story of Anna and Sonya Rockhouse's friendship and fight for
truth and accountability.

Speaker 4 (39:55):
A decision has been made that this prosecution is not
going to proceed.

Speaker 17 (40:00):
The mind will be permanently sealed.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
That's the reality.

Speaker 15 (40:06):
Oh one, it's going to go in the air again.

Speaker 3 (40:09):
So what are you going to do?

Speaker 4 (40:11):
Well?

Speaker 2 (40:11):
I want to stop them. She is quite brilliant in
this film, and I'm very excited to have Melanie with me.
Melanie Lunsky, good morning, who how are you so good?
Thank you? Now tell me how did you get involved
in Pike River? What drew you to the project and
the role of Anna.

Speaker 18 (40:29):
I I'm trying to remember. It was so long ago now.
I think I got an email from Rob Saki's the director,
and I knew him years ago, and it had been
sometimes since we've been in touch, so I was wondering
what it was about, and he, you know, said he

(40:50):
had this project. I got sent the script and I
just thought the script was so moving and beautiful. I
obviously knew of the Pike River tragedy, but the script
really really really enlightened me as to so much more.
And then just reading about the relationship between Anna and Sonya,

(41:12):
I just thought it was a very different and interesting
way to tell the story and the fact that these
two women helped each other through the worst time of
their lives, and I just I was sold. I thought
the script was beautiful. I was excited to work with
rob but then I was just like, oh, gosh, well
so they're going to get And then when they started

(41:33):
to talk about Robin Milcolm, I just heaven like dreams
coming true. I've wanted to work with her for so long,
and she was even more wonderful than I anticipated, and
my hopes were very, very high. So it was just
it was pretty great.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
Ah, you are a dream team together. It is a
masterclass in acting. It's kind of a bit of sweet
this film, because there is this horrific tragedy and a
lack of justice, and yet on the other side, you
do have this beautiful friendship that comes out of it
and a relentless fight for what is right. I wonder
are there many scripts around like this?

Speaker 18 (42:12):
No, I mean I don't know that I've ever read
a script that focuses so much on a female friendship.
Of course, now I'm thinking of heavenly creatures, but that's
kind of a different, different version of that. But it's
really I think every woman would say, like, our female

(42:34):
friends are the things that get us through. Like the
women that I have in my life are everything to me.
I've had friendships for since I was seven years old
that I still have, and to see a story that
focused so much on that, and then also, you know,
like you're saying, on their fight for justice and the

(42:57):
men that they lost, but the fact that their friendship
was so important to them and really did help get
them through this most awful time. It was such a
beautiful thing to see in life and to read in
the script.

Speaker 2 (43:11):
Yes, of course, because the families were on set and
heavily involved in the making of this film, what did
that bring to the film and the cast?

Speaker 18 (43:21):
It was funny. I mean when I first met Anna,
I understood quite quickly that she had not seen me
in much like I think she maybe had only seen
Two and a half Men, and so I think she
couldn't quite imagine. She just kept saying, Oh, but you're
so sweet and you're so funny, and do you think
you can be angry? And do you think you can

(43:43):
have you done a lot of drama? Like she was
just you know, it's her life story. It's very, very,
very important, and I wanted to reassure her and say, yes,
I've done drama. You know I've done recently, I've been
doing a lot of drama.

Speaker 2 (43:58):
But you should see what I can do.

Speaker 18 (44:01):
I come been taking bites out of Hillary Swing's arm
on television. Don't worry, but I think you know, I'm
self spoken and I'm shy, and you've seen me play
this like wacky character in a comedy. And also it's
very nerve wracking. Someone's written the story of the worst
thing that's ever happened to you, and then they're cast somebody.

(44:22):
And the faith, even though she did have doubts, the
faith that she had in me was really beautiful and
it meant a lot to me. And all I wanted
was to do her justice. It was single minded at
a certain point, me wanting to make her happier, make
her feel okay.

Speaker 2 (44:41):
I'm sure there was. You sort of felt quite a
lot of responsibility. I imagine taking on a story like this,
I'm sure that would have waited on you.

Speaker 18 (44:49):
Oh, a huge responsibility. It's massive. You know, I've played
real people before, and there is a certain amount of
separation that you have to do. You have to let
the person you're playing be somewhat of a character so
that you can embody it. You can't be doing an
impersonation of somebody, but to be doing this and at

(45:11):
the same time have the person you're playing on set.
It felt like a huge responsibility. There are some days
where we were filming very very emotional stuff and they
would say cut and I would see Anna off camera
visibly emotional, and you just never lose the gravity of
what you're doing. You never lose the sense of the

(45:31):
magnitude of the story that you're telling when you're reminded.
And also on the set there were a lot of
people who have been involved in the tragedy who were
helping as crew members, who were background actors, and it
was a really unusual and quite profound experience.

Speaker 2 (45:51):
You mentioned before you reading this. You know, we all
know the story, and we all lived the explosion and
what came afterwards. But I think you touched on something
which really struck me when I watched the film as
well as while we might know those milestone we don't
quite realize that long lasting impact that this tragedy had

(46:12):
on those families. You know, the day to day dealing
with the grief and the struggle and the search for
justice and things, and that is something which I agree
with you. Really it really comes through in the film.
I think that's really important for getting an understanding of
what happened.

Speaker 18 (46:30):
Yeah, and I think it's a very important thing to
anyone who's lost somebody as part of a bigger tragedy,
anyone who's had a loved one be a victim of
something that becomes a national tragedy. I do think that
the person that you loved, it was the most important
person in your entire world, becomes kind of faceless because

(46:51):
it's like one of twenty nine men who were lost
that day. And it was so important to Sonya and
to Anna and to the rest of the families to
have their loved ones remembered as individuals, as the most
important people in their lives, as people who will never
be replaced her they loved more than anybody. And I,

(47:12):
you know, Robin and I really wanted to make sure
that that came across from the film.

Speaker 2 (47:17):
But also very brave that Anna let you be honest
about what happened. You know, she became very consumed by
seeking justice and grieving for her husband, and her relationships
with her other children began to fall apart. Yeah, I
think it's I think that's very brave of her to
kind of for us to really see that impact.

Speaker 18 (47:38):
It's incredibly brave and she's very, very, very honest about it,
and she has a great relationship with her kids and
with her beautiful little granddaughter. But I think it's incredible
to want to tell the true story of what happened
and how it impacted you, And I think it's more
helpful for people to see the reality of what something

(48:01):
like this takes from someone. It's not just taking her husband,
who loved one away, but it's it took so much
from her and so much of her time as well.

Speaker 2 (48:11):
Melanie, I know that you didn't haven't worked with Robin
Malcolm before because she plays Sonya rock House. I hear
that you two ended up as besties and got matching tattoos.
Is that true?

Speaker 18 (48:22):
It is true?

Speaker 13 (48:24):
It is true.

Speaker 18 (48:25):
I mean, we haven't seen each other since film, we
don't live in the same place, we haven't been near
each other, but I just treasure her. I've never gotten
a matching tattoo with anybody, including people I've been married to,
so that was pretty unusual. But yeah, we got matching
tattoos that are licorice, all sorts, and so I think

(48:46):
of her every day when I see my ankle, and
I just love her. I mean, she's such an incredible actress,
and I just it's been my dream to work with her,
and the fact that I got to on this movie
just means so much to me.

Speaker 2 (48:59):
I feel like there's a great similarity between the two
of you as actresses in terms of the roles that
you take on and the way you two also resist
conforming to an industry that is full of pressure.

Speaker 18 (49:13):
Oh thank you. I mean, that's something that I absolutely
love and admire about Robin. She's insistent that there are
still stories to be told about women who are not
you know, twenty five thirty years old. And what she
did with after the party, you know, she created that
for herself, and that's one of the most impactful, beautiful

(49:37):
things I've seen in recent years. I just she was
so incredible. She's incredible on everything. But yeah, the fact
that she's, you know, like me, aging pretty naturally, trying
to look like a regular human being. There is a
lot of pressure.

Speaker 3 (49:54):
You know.

Speaker 18 (49:55):
It's shocking how you kind of look around You're like,
oh my gosh, is it just me that's not doing
all the botox and everything? I guess. I guess, so
a no disrespect to people who are making that choice,
you know, I think whatever makes you happy. But there's
also kind of an inherent privilege in getting that kind

(50:15):
of work done. It costs money, you know, and there
are so many women in the world who can't afford
to do that, don't want to have to waste their
mental and emotional energy on that kind of thing. And
I do feel a responsibility to continue looking like someone
who might be sitting at home watching the television. I

(50:37):
just I don't know. We'll see five years from now,
you might be doing an interview.

Speaker 9 (50:41):
With me, and.

Speaker 2 (50:44):
That looks like this different Melanie, Yes, I don't think so. Hey,
would you be interested in doing something similar to like
what Robin has done creating projects? Or are you just
so busy at the moment there's kind of no time
for you to do that.

Speaker 18 (51:00):
I'm starting to get into that a little bit more.
I'm not a writer, but you know, starting to work
with writers. I have a very very dear friend from
you Plymouth, who wrote a beautiful book ll Before You
Knew My Name, which did really well. It's an incredible book,
and we are developing that into a TV series, so

(51:20):
I'm very excited about that. And then just yeah, trying
to get into producing a little bit when it's something
I really can put my heart behind, and that book
is one of them.

Speaker 2 (51:30):
How good was it to come home to New Zealand
to be able to film? What was it like for you.
I've heard you say that you can kind of go
underneath the radar a little bit when you're in the US,
but I'm sure it was a little bit different when
you were back here.

Speaker 3 (51:44):
I don't know.

Speaker 18 (51:44):
I think I I think I can kind of go
under the radar anywhere. I think there's like I don't know,
like my husband will walk through an airport with his
head out, but he's just making eye contact with everybody
and grinning and people are like, oh, there's Jason Rittter.
I feel like I'm quite good at moving in an

(52:04):
undetectable way, which I'm like, you know, it's I'm very,
very shy. I'm not great with small talk, so it's
nice to just kind of go on about my day.
But anyone who did recognize me was incredibly nice. If
it's wonderful to go home, I wish I could do

(52:26):
it work at home more often. It's logistically it's difficult,
especially because I'm want to show that it was coming
back for multiple seasons, so trying to fit something into
the period of time where I'm not filming its always tricky.
But I'm grateful that I got to for this one.

Speaker 2 (52:44):
But how wonderful is it that you still get to
work with amazing New Zealand actresses like Simone Kessel and
Yellow Jackets and things.

Speaker 18 (52:54):
Yes, I mean that was such a I mean I
suggested her for the part, so I'm happy that they
listened to me.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
We spoke to her and she did give you credit
for that.

Speaker 18 (53:03):
Yes, yeah, I mean vision and I was right, and
she was so wonderful on the show, and I just
love her, just love her so much. She's really fun.

Speaker 2 (53:16):
Very exciting that you're able to make it back for
the premieres in Auckland and on the West Coast. Are
you looking forward to those? I think they're going to
be very emotional evenings.

Speaker 18 (53:27):
Yeah, I mean, I'm kind of looking forward to it,
But I also I agree with you. I think it's
going to be very emotional, So I think it's going
to be a mix of things. I'm trying to prepare
myself and then also be open to whatever happens. But
I'm so glad I can come back.

Speaker 2 (53:44):
No, it's very exciting. Anything else on the horizons that
we should know about.

Speaker 18 (53:51):
I'm going back to Yellow Jackets soon in a couple
of months, I think. And I just finished filming a
movie called Don't Say Good Luck with a young actress
called Sonny Sandler, who was really wonderful fall And yeah,

(54:11):
I'm trying to take breaks. I'm trying to be with
I have a six year old and she's so precious
and it's happening so quickly, so I've been trying to
take as many breaks as i can.

Speaker 2 (54:19):
But well, yeah, it's very exciting that you're returning, and
I'm thrilled that you're going to be there to be
able to see their reaction to this film as well.
I think, as I said, emotional night, but I think
everyone's going to absolutely love your performance. Thank you so
much for your time today.

Speaker 18 (54:34):
Thank you for your time. So nice to meet you.

Speaker 2 (54:38):
How lovely is Melanie Lynsky? Lovely to meet you too, Melanie.
That was Melanie Lynsky. She's returning to the country for
the New Zealand premiere of Pike River and gray Mouth tomorrow.
Pike River will be in Cinema's nationwide from Thursday, the
thirtieth of October. I have seen the film. It is
very good. You don't want to miss it. And look also,

(55:00):
don't forget that Peter Mathis is with me. After eleven
this morning it is twenty two past ten. News Talks
at b.

Speaker 3 (55:08):
There's no better way to start your Sunday.

Speaker 1 (55:11):
It's the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin and Wiggles for
the best selection of great breaths use talks.

Speaker 2 (55:17):
Evy Wickles has a terrific selection of new cookbooks and
if you're feeling like trying something new this spring or summer,
or thinking about cookbooks as a Christmas gift, now is
the time to get them, as Wittkeles currently have twenty
percent of all cookbooks. There are new books and recipes
from Nadia Limb, Chelsea Winter, Jamie Oliver and A Cameron

(55:38):
and many many more, all with great ideas and all
with twenty percent saving. And then of course there's the
Whittkels Top one hundred, Kids, Top fifty and Jones Picks
to help with your decision about what to read next.
These books have all been loved by literally thousands of readers.
Which is the best recommendation to check them out in
store or online. With the top one hundred Kids, Top

(55:59):
fifty Jones Picks, games, puzzles, gorgeous stationary toys, and twenty
percent of all cookbooks, there really is something for everyone
at work.

Speaker 3 (56:07):
Calls the Sunday session we.

Speaker 2 (56:10):
Get so for those of you who will remember in
nineteen eighty one the beginning of MTV, while it's all
coming to an end after decades of airing music videos,
MTV is going to stop showing rolling videos when it
closes five channels at the end of the year. They're
just keeping one going, that flagship channel, MTV HD. That's

(56:33):
the one that has all the reality TV series on it.
So there we go a bit of an end of
an era there. As we head into our entertainment segment,
and I'm joined by Steve Neil, editor at flix stot
cod O and Ze.

Speaker 19 (56:44):
Good morning, Good morning. That's interesting news about MTV. Just
quickly to touch on that, I can highly recommend a
book called I Want My MTV. The Uncensored Story of
the Music Video Revolution. This is an oral history of
the creation and kind of eighties peak of MTV. It's fascinating.

Speaker 2 (57:03):
Okay, fascinating it, right, I've shown look for that. Hey,
the news this morning that Dian Keaton died really kind
of shocked me. I just feel like I just thought
Dan King was going to go on forever and you.

Speaker 19 (57:15):
Know, kind of issues such an enduring presence. It's been
like half a century of screen appearances for Keaton and
and your yeah, your shock, I think is echoed by
is echoed by the sort of wider wider culture and
the Hollywood community, as as The Guardian notes, Keaton's death

(57:35):
came as a shock across Hollywood and the rest of
the world. The actor had not been had not been
in the public eye for some months, but no illness
had been announced, and the statement released by the family
to People magazine confirming her passing is very light on details.
There are no details, basically, but it's a nice time
to reflect on that career which got rolling, really rose

(57:55):
to prominence, I think worldwide with The Godfather, there's that
string of Allen collaborations, famously kind of peeking with Annie Hall.
Keaton isn't a adopted name for the actor professional and
she was born Diane Hall. Her nickname was Annie. All
the sort of things about that that film being based

(58:16):
on her relationship with Audie Allen. You know, look, maybe
not overall the sort of some denials around how accurate
it is, but certainly their real life personalities embellished those performances.
And I think that's the film that really kind of
cemented her style, like on status as well. There weren't
a lot of women rocking the vintage men's clothing and

(58:38):
as relentlessly as she continued to do for such a
long time.

Speaker 2 (58:41):
I was just thinking, you know, I was saying, the
one reason I like Melanie Linsky is that she just
doesn't quite you know, she sort of refuses to conform
to what hollywould like her to be or who they
would like her to be. And actually, Dank Keaton is
one of the originals are doing there, doesn't she totally?

Speaker 19 (58:55):
She kind of defines that, I think in a lot
of ways. And as she sort of noted herself at
one point, she just thought of as the kooky actress
and it wasn't wasn't a sure thing that she be
able to fit into films like The Godfather because so
obviously there's a personality that's been kind of interesting and
it played for a long time, but then beyond the seventies,

(59:17):
like her career just kept going and going and going right,
Like there's a whole bunch of movies she made with
Nancy Myers, the father of the Bride films, something that's
got to give the Book Club franchise, First Wives Club.
I'll go on the record and say it's probably no surprise.
These aren't movies that are my faves, but it was
just a great way that she got to continue her
screen presence, and her fan base loves her. It's really

(59:39):
really cool her range, though. I think nothing sort of
demonstrates Katon's range more than the fact she directed an
episode of Twin Peaks and also started in a Justin
Bieber Vidiot.

Speaker 2 (59:48):
There we go. I love it. Anyway, we shall miss her.
Tell me about this new film, House of Dynamite.

Speaker 19 (59:55):
Oh, this is a very edge of your seat thriller.
This is from Catherine Bigelow, who's made a kind of
I guess late career specialty of the techno thriller, the
hurt Locker zero Dark thirty really grad at creating tension
sort of in the middle of these government apparatuses as well.
And this film, a House of Dynamite, is a really chilling,

(01:00:19):
feels true to life story of a missile being launched
and the race to find out where it's from, where
it's going, and figure out what to do about it.
It's heading towards the content of the United States, and
it really shows the processes that could you know, even
in this we think of being in this post Cold
War era, everything sweet, as one little thing incident like

(01:00:40):
this could still trigger a nuclear holocaust and that's very
much looming all over. The characters in this film. A
great performance from the likes of Rebecca Ferguson and Address
Albert as the President, and a few are familiar with
Sydney Limit's nineteen sixty four film Failsafe, which has an
American nuclear bomber that, through a mistake, heads towards Russia

(01:01:00):
to drop the bomb. That's another chilling nuke drama, and
you'll see a lot of similarities. And this, yeah, real intense.
It's a very very limited cinema release. I can't urge
you strongly enough to go see this at the movies.
If you can. You can find times on flex dot
cod Inca if you want to figure out where to
watch it. It's coming to Netflix October twenty four. But

(01:01:23):
it's just such a well made film you really do
want to give it your full attention on the biggest
screen you can.

Speaker 2 (01:01:28):
Awesome. Thank you so much, Steve. And look, the Intrepid
British and Irish Film Festival is back for its third edition.
I'm the investor for this film festival. I'm going to
let you know that, and I'm having such a good
time at the moment watching as many of these films
as I possibly can. I'm going to be bringing you
a whole lot of reviews, but there is some Honestly,
I have found my new favorite director, my new favorite actresses. Fantastic.

(01:01:52):
It is going to be screening across New Zealand from
October twenty ninth to November nineteenth. An incredible lineup of titles,
plenty of star power is films featuring the likes of
Emma Thompson and bel Nahi and Ray Fines. We have
got tech. It's up for grabs. So to be in
the draw for a double pass to the Intrepid British
and Irish Film Festival, head to news Talk zb dot

(01:02:13):
co dot mz Ford slash win right. It is twenty
seven to eleven back shortly.

Speaker 1 (01:02:24):
It's the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin on newstalk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (01:02:29):
So I've got some news for you all. The midlife
crisis is over. It is a thing of the past.
You know that phase we get to in midlife. We
might get a little unhappy and a little grumpy and
then do ridiculous things, but it's not necessarily because we're happier.
There is a really interesting study out that is talking
It kind of explains what you know, why it's over,

(01:02:52):
and to talk us through it. As doctor Michelle Dickinson,
good morning, good morning. So this has been published. Where
has this been published? TLOs one, PLS one, okay, And
they have been looking at it decades of mental health data.
I think up ten million adults in.

Speaker 20 (01:03:11):
UIEK massive ten huge excuse me my voice. I'm recovering
from layngitis, but ten million adults in the US from
nineteen ninety three to twenty twenty four, forty thousand UK households,
two million families from forty for other countries. And this
is long term research. This is two decades worth of
research on these people looking at their mental lots of things,

(01:03:31):
but what they were looking at specifically was their mental health.

Speaker 2 (01:03:33):
And they've discovered that their middle age unhappiness has kind
of vanished.

Speaker 20 (01:03:39):
Yeah, so not good if you're a car salesman, because
that's when, like you know, by your midlife sports car.

Speaker 2 (01:03:44):
Sports car years.

Speaker 20 (01:03:46):
Yeah, so that classic U shaped curve of you being
stoked in your teenage years and then you're making it
to mid life realized where you haven't quite got to
where you want to be, and then being depressed, but
then getting over yourself and being happy in old age.
That was there has been the standard use shaped sort
of happiness sadness curve for a long time. That has vurnished.
It does not exist anymore, and you might go, h,

(01:04:06):
we don't have a mid life crisis anymore. But of
the reason was but the reason why he's pretty sad,
and that is because actually the curve has changed to
the point where it is now a line where you
get happier as you get older. But actually our teen's
mental health is the lowest it has ever been. And
rather than us not have a hump at middle age,
we're still grumpy. We're just sadder actually and have more

(01:04:30):
mental health issues at a young age.

Speaker 2 (01:04:32):
And has this got I mean obviously, as we mentioned,
this has been a very substantial study, but has this
got worse in recent times? Has COVID played a part
of it? Is you know so fine and social media
playing a part.

Speaker 20 (01:04:41):
There's some really lovely parts of this study where they've
shown a couple of things that have happened as significant.
One of them was in two thousand and eight, the
GFC has had a ripple effect. He really prevented a
whole bunch of young people at the time being able
to get work. There was a huge recession globally, people
lost their jobs, people went emptor and to the workforcet
for what they were skilled in and just haven't been
able to do what they were skilled in ever since then.

(01:05:04):
There was a talk about how there was under funding
of mental health services, especially for young people right at
the age where they needed it. That was both in
the UK and the US. As their data COVID nineteen
accelerated feelings of isolation, anxiety and helplessness in the youth
were really isolated at a toy at time when we
know that that socialization is needed for good mental health.
Smartphones and smart media have also shown to have an

(01:05:27):
effect where heavy use has shown poorer mental health in
young people and actually the cost of living, the sort
of housing crisis where there's no hope that they're ever
going to own anything, or you know, they're just looking
at their lives going well, what's the point. It's really sad,
But actually it's significant data on a massive data step,
and it's a global trend showing that our young people

(01:05:49):
are actually really struggling. So while we used to laugh about,
you know, the older guys getting their sports car, we
really should be shifting, according to this study, to making
sure that we invest in good mental health for our
young people, because that curve is not going to get
any better and we can't shift it unless we actually
invest in those places. So what they've said is something
fundamental has shifted in how young people experience the world

(01:06:10):
globally and that we really need to be taking a
look at how we invest in those things and what
we expose young people to. I know, there's big campaigns
are on social media and what they're exposed right now
in the algorithms, and this data didn't even look at
CHATGBT and developing relationships with AI, and there's a whole
bunch of stuff happening right now. So yeah, the good
news is if you're in your middle age, don't worry.

(01:06:30):
There's no un happiness hop anymore. It's only going to
get better from here. However, if you do have a
young person, it's really time that we take a good
look and make sure that they're okay and start thinking
about how we make sure that they're not left behind
in what is probably an upside down economy for them.
Can't get on the house and at a cost of living.
Jobs are really scarce right now. Jobs are looking like
they're going to get more scarce with AI at the

(01:06:51):
moment in this bubble, so lots of things to think about.
It's not great data, especially if your sports car seller,
because that's going to go, but a good time to
reflect on some massive, significant data. It's Plos one. It's
an amazing study and just to reflect on where we're at.

Speaker 2 (01:07:07):
Thank you so much, Michelle. Please look after that voice
for the rest of the day. I appreciate you coming
in and using your quota of talking for the day
on us right, Halloumi has become quite popular in our house.
Do you like Hallumi? I quite like Halloumi and we've
ended up you know, Sunday night now and can be
bother cooking a bit of halloomi and a cheap avocado
on bagel turns out to be a pretty good meal.

(01:07:28):
But Mike vand Alison's going to give me give us
a few more ideas of what to do with the hallumi.
He's got an onion, asparagus and halluomi tart for us next.
It's twenty tw eleven.

Speaker 1 (01:07:38):
The Sunday Session Full show podcast fin iHeartRadio powered by News.

Speaker 2 (01:07:43):
Talks EB joining me now it is our residence chief
Mike Vander Alison, Good.

Speaker 21 (01:07:48):
Morning, Good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (01:07:50):
I was just saying how much I love halluomi and
how it just versatile it does and we can make
a meal out of it. You've got a lovely recipe
for us today which also involves asparagus, which I believe
is being harvested on the farm at the moment.

Speaker 21 (01:08:05):
Yeah, it's pop up everywhere now.

Speaker 22 (01:08:07):
We we grow our asparagus and bathtubs and it's quite
a process of sparagus.

Speaker 21 (01:08:16):
I don't know anyone's given it the world.

Speaker 22 (01:08:17):
It takes about three years because as the first year
basically your multa back in second year, your multu back
in third year.

Speaker 21 (01:08:25):
If you're lucky, then you can start harvesting. And we've
got we we have green asparagus.

Speaker 22 (01:08:30):
So every time we go up there'll be like maybe
five new spares of asparagus in each tub. So it's like, ooh,
I'll wait for one more day and I'll have a meal.
And then you go back the next day and the
things about a meter long, and it's very tough as
old boots is.

Speaker 2 (01:08:46):
Does green and purple asparagus taste the same.

Speaker 21 (01:08:50):
Yes, they do.

Speaker 22 (01:08:51):
And it's funny enough when you actually blanch purple asparagus
and actually turns green, so it's like what happened there?
But probably the absolute top of the line asparagus is
white asparagus. It's got a super limited season. You'll probably
start seeing it popping up here and there. And white

(01:09:12):
asparagus is growing in darkness, so no photosynthesis, no color,
no sunlight, and the color that it develops is somewhat
different to asparagus. It still gives you smelly wheeze, just saying,
but it's also it's super sweet. It's got a slight
nutty flavor to it because it's grown in darkness.

Speaker 21 (01:09:34):
It's quite labor.

Speaker 22 (01:09:35):
Intenses, so it's a lot more expensive. But if you
see it, just blanch it and serve it. Maybe blanche
it ten seconds into cold water, stop it from cooking,
and then just ever so slightly saute in it a
little bit oil and some fresh flaky salt and eats
it like that or yum.

Speaker 2 (01:09:54):
Now, I've never I'm not sophisticated enough to say that
I've ever come across why hysparagus, but it does sound
absolutely lovely, So take me through this recipe you've got
for us today.

Speaker 22 (01:10:04):
So today we've got onion tart with sparagus fried to
illumin So very quickly, preheat your oven one hundred and
eighty degrees into a small, heavy based saucepan. You want
to add some sugar, so I've got about two tablespoons
of sugar. Add that into the bottom of your saucepan
and turn that on until the sugar starts to dissolve,
and then it goes past dissolved into a light caramel.

Speaker 21 (01:10:26):
Once you get that beautiful golden.

Speaker 22 (01:10:28):
Brown virtually going on dark brown, turn that pan off
and then set that aside. I've got two small onions
that I've just peeled and sliced into quite large or
maybe thick maybe one centimeter rings. Very carefully, as that
sugar may still be quite hot. Layer your onions into
the bottom of that sugar and then just press it down.
And then you want a piece of short crust pastry

(01:10:49):
that's been cut to the outside length or the outside
diameter of your fry pan. Lay that over your onions,
and then just press the edges down so that the
edges are touching the caramel. Fire that into the oven.
That's going to be about twenty five minutes. Why are
you waiting for that? Bring a large pot of water
to the boil heavily so so you know perally to water.
You're probably looking at the tablespoon of sugar. It seems

(01:11:10):
like a lot, but you want to flavor that asparagus.
Bring it to the boil once it's at a heavy boil,
have some ice water at the ready. Drop the all
important asparagus in. So I've got a big handful of asparagus.
It's in season right now, so now's the time to
have it. Drop it into the water. Count to ten,
pull it out into ice water, stop.

Speaker 21 (01:11:30):
It from coloring.

Speaker 22 (01:11:30):
Bring out all that beautiful green color that you've got
in the asparagus, and then drain it, set that aside,
and then bring another pan to the heat a little
bit of oil and goes you hallumi. Sometimes we run
the hallumi through a little bit of flour if you
want to. You don't need to run that through a
little bit of flour until it's golden. Turn it over golden,
and then I jam in the juice of a lemon

(01:11:53):
just to finish that hallumi off. And then if you want,
you could drop in your asparagus at this point, just
to give it a quick saute with those hallumy salty flavors,
and then pull your tarta tar out.

Speaker 21 (01:12:05):
The trick with tartatans when.

Speaker 22 (01:12:06):
As soon as you pull out of the oven, put
a plate on top of that pan very carefully everything
it's very hot. Turn it over instantly so that that
sugar is still really hot and will release those onions
from the bottom of the pan. And you should have
a nice cup of a tough tarb with the onion
city inside.

Speaker 21 (01:12:22):
Lay your halomi.

Speaker 22 (01:12:23):
Over the top of that, and then that beautiful sauteet asparagus,
and you might want to serve that with a little
bit of rocket and Bob's your auntie. That's a delicious
meal that could be it could be a luncheon, a
later luncheon. It could be a starter, or it could
be a made meal if you serve it with some
pan fried chicken or roast chicken or something along those lines.

Speaker 2 (01:12:40):
Oh, I'm just feeling a bit peckage, to be honest
with you, Mike. Sounds delicious. Thank you so much. Good
from scratch dot cot dot in z is where you
can grab that recipe. All you can hear to newstalk
ZDB dot co dot z ford slash Sunday it is
eleven to eleven.

Speaker 4 (01:12:57):
Grab a coover.

Speaker 1 (01:12:57):
It's the Sunday session with Francesca Rutgert and Winkles for
the best selection of grapes used talk z'd be.

Speaker 2 (01:13:04):
Joining me now is Erin o'haragov. Good morning. Right, You've
got a fascinating study for us today about whether eating
healthy is more than just willpower.

Speaker 23 (01:13:14):
Yeah, this is a really interesting study and it's actually
a long study that's done over ten years and has
one hundred and thirty adults that they were observing their
eating habits. And this recent study shows that social connection
can be more important than what you're actually putting on
your grocery list and how healthy that you eat.

Speaker 13 (01:13:33):
And it's a.

Speaker 23 (01:13:34):
Really interesting study because it looks at the effect of
your social life and how it actually affects what you
choose to eat and how healthy you eat, which is
something you probably wouldn't have thought of that usually think
if you're more social, you'd probably eat worse, but it's
actually the other way around. The more social connection we have,
the more we are influenced to actually eat healthier and

(01:13:58):
eat healthier at home. So not just in social situations,
but will choose to eat healthier when we have a
better social network around us.

Speaker 2 (01:14:06):
Oh okay, why are women's eating habits more socially sensitive?

Speaker 23 (01:14:12):
It's interesting women showed in this study because it was
a study that was done on women and men. And
what they've found is that actually women who are more
socially isolated are eighty five percent more likely to stop
eating vegetables and less like could eat fruit when they
are more socially isolated than men are, And they actually

(01:14:35):
ate a lot less for vegetables when they're more socially
isolated than when they had a lot more social connections
and networks. So that might be catching up with friends,
maybe volunteering, belonging to a church group, all those sorts
of social connections that actually they eat healthier when they're
at home as well, and actually ate a lot more

(01:14:55):
fruit and vegetables when they have a better social network
around them.

Speaker 2 (01:14:59):
That's fascinating.

Speaker 23 (01:15:01):
Yeah, it's really interesting that our behavior is actually influenced
by I not just in those times where we're eating
meals with people, but actually when we're actually at home.
Even if you're alone in eating, but you have a
better social network, you actually still eat better.

Speaker 2 (01:15:17):
But this also supports the whole idea of you know,
the importance at the end of the day, the family
getting around the dinner table. You know, the phone's away,
TV off, everyone's sitting around a table and having a conversation.
They haven't necessarily cooked that meal. This one poor person
who's probably slowing away daily putting that meal on the table.
But I wonder whether finishing and completing the meal is

(01:15:38):
I think it's more encouraged by the social environment. I
think it's more.

Speaker 23 (01:15:42):
Having that time of actually taking your time when you eat,
when you eat in a social situation. But the studies
not just leave and looking at having meals together, but
more about your social connections just in your overall life.
Even if you eat your meal by yourself, you're more
likely to eat better and when you have a better
social connection and better network system around you. And it's

(01:16:03):
interesting that the diversity of how many activities that you
belong to, the better you are to the more likely
you are to eat healthy and make those better food choices.
And it might be that if you know you don't
have a lot of social connections and you live by yourself,
it might be something that you look at to encourage
you to eat healthier is actually maybe join some social connections,

(01:16:26):
whether it's a book club, maybe a God of the library,
have some social connections there, church group, whatever really inspires you.

Speaker 2 (01:16:34):
Knitting club.

Speaker 23 (01:16:35):
You can find something that actually gives you that social
network that's beyond your work, that actually helps you have
the connection. Doing a few things a couple of times
a week will actually then have overall that overflow into
your actual personal life and they actually help you be healthier,
particularly eat healthier Erin Thank You so Much, She'll talk

(01:16:57):
next week.

Speaker 1 (01:16:58):
The Sunday Session Full Show podcast on iHeartRadio, empowered by
News talks that be.

Speaker 2 (01:17:06):
Peter Matthias is with us next to talk about her
nineteenth book, in which she shares wonderful stories about her
life always refreshingly honest and warm and humorous. That Peter
is in fine form here, So we're going to talk
about some of these stories and what she's learned about
life and love and good underwear and get some tips
on how we can all live a full life. Peter

(01:17:28):
Matthias is with us next.

Speaker 9 (01:17:31):
Holy oh ma wan you look at.

Speaker 3 (01:17:45):
My well a foul gordeou just to feel love.

Speaker 13 (01:17:53):
Time.

Speaker 1 (01:18:09):
Welcome to the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin and Wiggles
for the best selection of great reads.

Speaker 3 (01:18:16):
Used you're with the.

Speaker 2 (01:18:24):
Sunday Session coming up this our Joan gives us her
verdict on Ozzy Osborne's memoir Meghan is coming to us
live from Raratonga and Pininey on Bathhurst. It's all about Bathhurst.

Speaker 3 (01:18:35):
This weekend the Sunday Session.

Speaker 2 (01:18:40):
Chef, author and broadcast Peter Mathias lives a wonderfully full
life these days. She can often be found taking gastronomic
tours to the likes of Italy, Spain, France and Morocco
and India and When she's not hosting FOODI tours, she's
following summer living half the year in southern France teaching
cooking classes before returning to New Zealand to write over

(01:19:00):
our summer. Peter has a new book out. It's not
a memoir, it's like a collection of essays about living
life to the full. And the book is called it's
been six weeks since my last confession in Peter mathask is.

Speaker 3 (01:19:12):
With me now?

Speaker 2 (01:19:12):
Good morning, good morning, so lovely to have you here.
Happy birthday, Oh thank you. I believe today's your birthday
and I very much appreciate you giving us a little
bit of your time.

Speaker 15 (01:19:22):
Yes, and the reason I look like a Christmas fairy
on top of a tree is because it is my birthday.

Speaker 2 (01:19:28):
I would have been very disappointed if you had turned
up any least, you know, dressed up than you are.

Speaker 21 (01:19:35):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:19:35):
This is what we expect from you. You know, you
always make such an effort and you always look and
make it. It's quite hard.

Speaker 15 (01:19:44):
It's quite hard mutation to well, you know, it's a
decision I made a long time ago. Is one of
the ways I make myself happy is by wearing what
I consider to be beautiful clothes and making a slight
effort before I leave the house so as not to
terrify the locals.

Speaker 2 (01:20:03):
Do you think we do make enough effort here in
New Zealand or do you think.

Speaker 15 (01:20:05):
We're right in New Zealand. We're very cash you know,
I live half the year in France, and French women
make a lot more effort in the sartorial department. You see.
We're an island in the middle of the South Pacific.
Of course we're casual, of course we're relaxed. But I

(01:20:28):
always think that if you make an effort, it just
makes you feel because we don't always feel wonderful inside.
And if you put that red lipstick on, put a
beautiful dress on, it just helps you face the world.

Speaker 2 (01:20:42):
I agree. Although it was really interesting. We got very
addicted to the Twitter France this year.

Speaker 15 (01:20:47):
And I came through where I live really yeah, five seconds.

Speaker 2 (01:20:52):
Bomb God that it was everybody out waiting for the day.

Speaker 15 (01:20:56):
We've been sitting in cafes on the sidewalk for three
hours waiting for it, and there's all sorts of hoopbler
that comes on first and by the time they arrived
it was midday. We were all completely drunk, and they
just whizzed through three seconds, five.

Speaker 2 (01:21:12):
Seconds, which explains why everyone's always on the road, like
all the supporters have been waiting for so long.

Speaker 15 (01:21:18):
Everyone and they're hysterical and screaming and so excited.

Speaker 2 (01:21:24):
But the point I was going to make you that
that was we ended up watching it every night. We
watched the highlights of their family and my daughter, who's sixteen,
she said. At one point, because you know, we'd left
Paris and we were sort of about halfway through. About
this point, she said, I thought French people were supposed
to be really stylish, and of course she's just looking
at people who look like us, and there's shorts and singlets,
beautiful hot summer event, she said, the stylish people just

(01:21:47):
in Paris. I don't know that possibly.

Speaker 15 (01:21:50):
Actually, actually it's true. She's right, the Parisians, although they
have what I considered a big conservative style. But you'll
see people even all over France, you know, people shopping
in the supermarket with nice clothes on less than you know, lesson.
As this time goes by, the world is changing.

Speaker 2 (01:22:12):
Would they make that effort? This book has been self published.
Why did you decide to do this for your nineteenth
book because.

Speaker 15 (01:22:20):
My publisher, who I had written many books for, didn't think.
You know, publishing's changed a lot, and they're only interested
in people who are huge bestsellers that they can make
a lot of money out of. And so my publisher said, look,
I just your sales aren't big enough anymore for us

(01:22:42):
to keep publishing your work. And I was absolutely devastated,
although I understood what they meant. And so I just
met some other authors who were self publishing and they said,
why don't you try it. We will show you how
to do it. And so, you know, I went from
being really disheartened and really I'll never write another book again,

(01:23:04):
to oh, okay, I just take control of my life.

Speaker 2 (01:23:08):
So that's how it happened, which is something would it
be fair to say you've been doing your whole life?

Speaker 15 (01:23:14):
Yeah, I'm pretty good. You know. When COVID came, Thank
god I knew how to pivot, because a lot of
people really lost a lot during COVID, as did I.
But I pivoted, and so it sort of becomes part
of your life. If this doesn't work, well, I'll just

(01:23:36):
do it another way.

Speaker 2 (01:23:38):
You actually do reference that in the book about how
you lost your business and your income overnight and you
started having panic attacks and things. I'm presuming now though,
that you're back on your feet.

Speaker 15 (01:23:48):
And it was so funny, you know, the minute COVID ended,
because we our COVID in New Zealand and it was
the last country to end the lockdowns. Everybody else France
had long recovered, you know. But the first year I
didn't go back to France, but the second year I did,
and it was as if it had never happened. And

(01:24:10):
we were still kind of traumatized mentally and emotionally from COVID.
But the rest of the world, let me tell you,
they just got back into real life immediately.

Speaker 2 (01:24:23):
What do you notice when you spend so you spend
half the year in France and you're back when you
return to New Zealand, what do you notice about New Zealand.

Speaker 15 (01:24:33):
You know, France and Europe and New Zealand are so different.
Europe is a continent and is very very old. New
Zealand is a couple of islands and it's very very new.
So the first thing you notice is it's simple. You know,
there are no buildings that are seventeenth century, there are no.

Speaker 21 (01:24:54):
Sort of.

Speaker 15 (01:24:56):
We don't have rules in New Zealand. Gastronomically speaking, the
French are gastronomically controlled by rule of centuries of cooking.
In New Zealand, we're very open and we're very experimental
in the way we cook. And it's the same and
the way we live. We're less, we're more casual, as

(01:25:17):
I said before, and we're more and physically it's different.
This is a seaside town. Auckland's a seaside town. Who's's
is Inland, So it's like living two different it's like
being two different people.

Speaker 2 (01:25:31):
Do you like that the rules that the French put
in place around food or do you like the experimentation
of New Zealand.

Speaker 15 (01:25:37):
I actually think we have better food in New Zealand.
I live in Auckland practically on the corner of curring
a Happy Road and Ponsonby Road. I'm surrounded by really
good restaurants, So I think that probably our cooking is
maybe even better than French cooking in the mid range

(01:26:00):
area anyway, because we don't really specialize in you know,
starred restaurants and or to cuisine which is really refined.
It's like eating a Picasso painting. We don't really do
that in New Zealand. But the middle of the road
stuff we do really really well, we do, don't we.

Speaker 2 (01:26:18):
At the end of the book, it's kind of like
a speed dating section on cooking and kitchen etiquette.

Speaker 5 (01:26:24):
Does it?

Speaker 15 (01:26:24):
Does it?

Speaker 2 (01:26:24):
Do you get a little bit frustrated that we no
longer cook like we used to, or that we've lost
some of the basic skills we used to have.

Speaker 15 (01:26:31):
I don't know, have we What do we have?

Speaker 21 (01:26:33):
Yes?

Speaker 15 (01:26:34):
I do averagely, my nieces badly. Yeah, my nephew's cook. Yeah.
All the people I know cook, but okay, I probably
don't know people who don't.

Speaker 2 (01:26:46):
We've sort of come We've got to a point where
we get a lot of other people to do things
for us at times, don't we. They clean our houses
and they you know, they.

Speaker 15 (01:26:53):
Well, that's true.

Speaker 2 (01:26:54):
Make that's true. Prepared meals for us.

Speaker 15 (01:26:56):
Yes, that's true. That's true. But it's it's a false economy,
in my opinion, to buy in food that's already made
by somebody else. I mean, I know are busy, and
I know we get sick of it sometimes, But if
you just make yourself start cooking, you realize that you've
been depriving yourself of a pleasure. You know, it's not

(01:27:21):
even about eating it. It's about the physical movement of
chopping vegetables and slowing down. It's like a type of therapy,
and you say to yourself, why don't I do this
more often?

Speaker 2 (01:27:37):
Sometimes I feel like that, Peter.

Speaker 15 (01:27:39):
Sometimes I feel like I'm bother you work, you've got children,
bloody blah. You're in a different situation to me.

Speaker 5 (01:27:45):
No.

Speaker 2 (01:27:45):
I get what you're saying, though, because there's nothing better
than I'll get motivated at some point and go, Okay,
I'm going to do one new recipe a week, and
I will find a recipe, we try it, and everyone
gives it a thumbs up or thumbs down. And then
my daughter's very good at stepping up and cooking, and
my partner does and so you know, if you can
get everybody involved. You really appreciate a meal when someone
has prepared a meal for you.

Speaker 15 (01:28:06):
But it's the actual preparation that is pleasurable that you're
depriving yourself of. And go buy something that's ready made,
and you can do really really simple things that are
so pleasurable.

Speaker 2 (01:28:19):
This book is filled with some wonderful stories.

Speaker 15 (01:28:21):
It has nothing to do with food.

Speaker 3 (01:28:23):
It has very.

Speaker 2 (01:28:25):
Little bits on food, which I loved. So how did
you choose these stories to tell? They're all moments from
throughout your life.

Speaker 15 (01:28:35):
I mean, I'm always writing stories, but I don't know
what they'refore. And so I'd already had about, I don't know,
maybe four stories under my belt. And when I decided yes,
I'm going to write this book, and yes I'm going
to publish it myself, then I had to really sit
down and start working. And I mean, we all have

(01:28:55):
interesting lives, it's just that most of us don't write
it down. And so I just started writing down, you know,
like if me and my friends went on holiday, I
would look at them and realize how outrageous and behavior was,
and I would start writing about it, whereas I hadn't
been doing that for a while. So it makes you
when you're writing a book that has a whole lot

(01:29:17):
of different stories in it, you become much more focused.

Speaker 2 (01:29:23):
I really enjoyed it. Are you genuinely an extrovert? You
do talk about this in the book, but most extroverts
I know are really only part time.

Speaker 15 (01:29:30):
I am completely part time. I'm to be to make television,
to perform. You know, I do a lot of public speaking.
To teach, you have to be an extrovert. To write,
you have to be an introvert. You have to be
able to stay in a room on your own for
very long periods of time and have a huge amount

(01:29:51):
of self discipline. And so I'm half and half. Yeah,
I love it.

Speaker 2 (01:29:58):
You write about everything from as you say, your friends,
to having a family Christmas to your love of punctuality.
The very punk today.

Speaker 15 (01:30:08):
I was even early today, but you were early.

Speaker 2 (01:30:12):
Have you always been punctual? Yes?

Speaker 15 (01:30:15):
You know what it comes from. It comes from being
the eldest daughter of a large family, because you're expect
My mother was the same. My parents were never lay
for anything, and they taught me to be the same.
And then, of course they got much more relaxed as
millions more children came along. And I think my youngest
sister probably isn't punctual at all, and she thinks I

(01:30:37):
have a personality disorder.

Speaker 24 (01:30:40):
I low it.

Speaker 2 (01:30:41):
What I really loved about this book is you just
keep going. You were still doing your tours, You're still,
as you say writing, You're still pivoting.

Speaker 3 (01:30:49):
Is it because it's fun? You know?

Speaker 15 (01:30:52):
If I was an accountant, I wouldn't still be working.
I'd be retired. But I have such a great job
that you'd be crazy to stop it. And I think
people who are creative, you know, like painters don't retire,
musicians don't retire. And I'm kind of like to think

(01:31:15):
that I'm in that box because my job is so wonderful.
It is hard work, but it's so rewarding that why
would you stop if you don't have to?

Speaker 2 (01:31:26):
And I like that approach that you're never too old
for anything, right, would you say that that is your approach.

Speaker 15 (01:31:31):
To agent, Yeah, it's my approach, approach to life. You're
never too old to change a behavior, You're never too
old to change your job. You're never too old to
do something that you've always wanted to do but never
got around to just do it.

Speaker 2 (01:31:53):
And we were talking before about one of the wonderful
things about traveling is it's just so good for the brain.
There's always lots of problems to solve, and.

Speaker 15 (01:32:00):
That's what keeps your brain healthy and young. Problem solving
creates more brain cells. That's why it's good to travel.
Travel is the best thing for your brain. It's good
to take on new projects. It's good to do something.
We close ourselves off to protect ourselves, not just from

(01:32:21):
work experiences or travel experiences, from romantic experiences, from friendship experiences,
from learning a new skill. Nah nah, no, no, I
know where this is going.

Speaker 3 (01:32:35):
Just do it.

Speaker 2 (01:32:37):
I love it. Thank you so much for the book,
and thank you for giving us time on your birthday.
I hope you're going off to a lovely birthday again.
You're going to be spoilt.

Speaker 15 (01:32:45):
I don't know. We'll find out when I get there.

Speaker 2 (01:32:48):
I think you will be phedomatized. Thank you so much.
It's been thank you six weeks since my last confession
is The name of the books is in Stalls today
and the panel is up next.

Speaker 3 (01:33:02):
Sunday with Style.

Speaker 1 (01:33:03):
The Sunday Session with Francesca, we Can and Winkles for
the best selection of great Reeds news corksby.

Speaker 2 (01:33:12):
The Intrepid British and Irish Film Festival is back October
twenty ninth to November nineteenth, bringing the best of can
Venice and Tiff lineups to New Zealand cinemas from Kettkeiddy
to Dunedin. The festival will screen in thirty four venues,
making it the biggest British and Irish Film Festival to date.
Opening the festival direct from Tiff comes The Coral, starring

(01:33:32):
Ray Fines and from writer Alan Bennett and director Nicholas Heitner.
The Coral explores the humor and humanity at the heart
of a small Yorkshire community grappling with war, so be
sure to secure opening night tickets to The Coral before
they sell out. Also from Tiff are I Swear and
Sons and Glenn Rotham featuring Bill Nihe, Shelly Henderson and

(01:33:54):
Brian Cox. Tickets are on sale now through British Film
Festival dot co, dot m, ZEEDL, through participating cinemas, plus
every ticket purchased has a chance to win a return
trip to Ireland or a seven five hundred dollars travel
voutch your courtesy of Intrepid Travel.

Speaker 3 (01:34:13):
With the Sunday Session.

Speaker 2 (01:34:16):
Panel time and joining me now is Director at Capital
Ben Thomas. Good morning, Ben, Modernor and New Zealand Herald
Senior writer Simon Wilson. How are you doing? Simon?

Speaker 8 (01:34:25):
Hi there, Francesca.

Speaker 2 (01:34:27):
Let's talk about the local body elections and that's that.
Why not because they've been exciting lower voter to turn
out was something that we have been talking about today, Simon,
why don't people take local body elections seriously?

Speaker 8 (01:34:41):
I think there are a whole lot of reasons from
certainly in Auckland where I am there, it wasn't a
big mayoral race, so I think that suppressed the turnout.
People didn't think there was a lot at stake. Wayne
Brown was going to win anyway. That kind of feeling.
I think there may have been similar in Wellington with
Andrew Little. But there is also a general sense that

(01:35:03):
these are not important, which is surprising because councilors make
decisions all the time that affect the way we live
in the streets we live in and this and because
of that, there's this kind of feedback loop with the media.
Media haven't provided the level of coverage of these elections
that we have done in previous years, and that's because

(01:35:26):
it's a perception people don't want to know, so it
feeds on that and then it goes round and around.

Speaker 2 (01:35:32):
You know, look, I tend to agree with you, you know,
a lack of good challenges, a lack of candidates and things, But.

Speaker 3 (01:35:38):
Is it.

Speaker 2 (01:35:39):
Being also the way we vote? Do we need to
change this?

Speaker 3 (01:35:43):
You know?

Speaker 2 (01:35:43):
You can put it in the post when you get
around to it, but maybe by the seventh and then
you don't even know what date the election is. Do
we need to change the way we're voting as well?

Speaker 9 (01:35:53):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (01:35:54):
Look, absolutely, I think if there's I think everything Simon's
saying is right. I think, you know, there's low salience
for voters. People just aren't equated acquainted with the issues.
You know, they are things that are either very local
so they don't seem relevant to a lot of people,
or they are you know, issues that are about pipes

(01:36:14):
and roads that might be kind of hard to engage with.
And but yeah, no, look, I think the format is
suddenly an issue. If you did want to get anyone
under sixty voting in local elections, postal voting is a
terrible way to do that. I don't know where I
would posts.

Speaker 5 (01:36:36):
You know, I.

Speaker 4 (01:36:39):
Think a change to in person voting, you know, it
suddenly couldn't hurt to at least offer that, you know,
maybe they could to a hybrid online voting. I think
now there are a few issues with that, you know,
and after some early enthusiasm that you know, maybe that's
not the route to go down. But yeah, look at
there are suddenly barriers I think, to getting people interested

(01:37:02):
in and actually returning their votes.

Speaker 8 (01:37:04):
Francisco, I wonder if I could just add something to that. Yeah,
Wayne Brown said yesterday in his victory speech which I
tended up to listen to that, Yes, he agreed the
method of voting was out of dat and wasn't serving
democracy well, but he said that's out of our hands.
That's a government issue. He's actually wrong about that. With
council with him voted against having in person going to

(01:37:27):
a booth voting a couple of years ago in Auckland.
They could have voted to have it. That's come back
to haunt.

Speaker 18 (01:37:34):
Them a little.

Speaker 6 (01:37:34):
I think.

Speaker 2 (01:37:35):
I think the postage thing is definitely an issue with
young people as well. I had a twenty three year
old recently who asked me how to would dress an envelope?
So I don't know how they would ever find a
post you know what I mean?

Speaker 9 (01:37:44):
It was like, how do you do this?

Speaker 2 (01:37:45):
Would you put everything on this? It was like, you know,
but you know the other thing I really struggled with
Simon was finding good, useful information to help me make
a decision. You know, who I want to vote for,
and is that on the media, they're not you know,
is this a lack of all those small community newspapers
we used to have.

Speaker 8 (01:38:05):
It's partly that it's both those things. That one of
the ironic things is that there is actually a very
good website which operates nationwide and asks candidates a range
of questions and drills into them. So they've got to
provide answers that separate them away from the just the
I want to do better for my city type answers,

(01:38:28):
and that's all available and get some promotion. But that's
not what people think of when they think, I want
to know who to vote for. I want to know.
So even though we're a digitally more literate society, we're
not turning to digital outlets like that for the information.
We're certainly turning to TikTok and Instagram and Facebook.

Speaker 2 (01:38:50):
Was that policy dot?

Speaker 15 (01:38:52):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:38:52):
Now, I tried to use that, and unfortunately you'd come across,
you know, the same questions being as someone being in
AIG no response nor response nor response.

Speaker 3 (01:39:00):
I like.

Speaker 2 (01:39:04):
Pretty much did the efforts the assignment, I said, mean,
but we just haven't quite kind of got into it. Look,
both Andrew Little and Wayne Brown mentioned working with central
government as being central to the plant. Actually so did
Hamilton mayor everybody is actually been Does there need to
be stronger relationships between local and central government to get

(01:39:25):
things done?

Speaker 4 (01:39:27):
Yeah, absolutely, particularly in an infrastructure since you know, Chris
Bishop has talked about, you know, the frustrations with providing
for new development and different cities but actually getting the
infrastructure there, you know, like new water connections, and you
know there are sort of private financing tools available for

(01:39:48):
that kind of thing, but you know, ideally you would
want more coordination between local government for doing local roads
and for doing you know, water infrastructure and then you
know ended taking to Aura if it was you know,
if it's doing developments you know, and those kinds of groups.

(01:40:10):
So you know, that coordination problem is something that hasn't
been solved yet. You know, the government has plans to
sort of address it through these regional and city deals
and you know that's a work in progress. It'll be
interesting to see how it shakes out. But you know,
absolutely there doesn't need to be a better alignment between
the two.

Speaker 2 (01:40:29):
How else would you address it?

Speaker 4 (01:40:30):
Ben in terms of well, you know, look, it's always
difficult because you know each each both the Council and
the government, you know, do tend to want to be that.
You know, they both want to work together, but they
both want to work together on their.

Speaker 2 (01:40:47):
Plans, on their plans, and yes, how it looks.

Speaker 4 (01:40:52):
Yeah, and look they are responding to for you know,
different constituencies. In a lot of cases, you know there's
some overlap. But you know, central government it doesn't necessarily
want to spend its money on local government and vice
versus simon.

Speaker 2 (01:41:06):
Do you think that there will be more coordination between them,
are you confident?

Speaker 8 (01:41:11):
Well, in Auckland terms, it's a very big issue and
it comes down to transport. Wayne Brown yesterday said he
did not want the government to be spending lots of
time and money on a new harbour crossing that he
thought wouldn't happen for and I quote ten thousand years.
And he also doesn't want them spending time and money
on roads of national significance, of which there are four

(01:41:34):
planned for the Auckland region. He wants the money to
go into more rail. Winston Peters has been saying if
we don't provide more rail capacity for freight with the
boosted capacity for Northport and Auckland Port, then the city
railing won't be able to carry enough computer commuter trains.
That's a very big issue which is not on the
National government's agenda, although it's on Winston Peters and Wayne

(01:41:58):
Brown also wants much more money put into public transport
and much more efficient public transport. So there is a
really big, if you like, clash of world views and
ideologies about how you fixed transport in the city to
be resolved, and that is the central task between Brown
this term.

Speaker 2 (01:42:15):
And there are a lot of politicking I think Simon indeed, yes,
Andrew Little wants a rates cap. Should the government put
a rates cap on council's been or is actually this
the council's responsibility. They create a free year budget, you
stick to the budget, you work out how to spend.
Should they be just be doing this themselves?

Speaker 4 (01:42:34):
I look, I think the rates cap is well intentioned,
you know, the government, or at least the national part
of the government's moves towards the rates cap and the
work that they're doing, but I think it's probably a
bit ill conceived. The reason that rates have had to
rise so recently, so much, you know, in the past
few years, is first of all, obviously inflation, particularly the

(01:42:55):
things that counts to spends its money on, like construction.
But the other thing is massive under investment for a
long long time, because if you tried to raise rates,
you would lose. In the no rapes raised, candidate would
beat you and become the new mayor and new councilors.
And so I think that's one of the worst instincts

(01:43:15):
of local councils, and it's led to things like our
absolutely crumbling water infrastructure in a lot of parts of
the country. So I think there would be perverse outcomes
if you tried to do You're just sort of very
blunt rape camping.

Speaker 2 (01:43:29):
Ben Thomas and Simon Wilson, thank you very much for
your time this morning. Appreciate it. It is twenty five
to twelve.

Speaker 1 (01:43:38):
It's the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin on News Dogs
at b.

Speaker 2 (01:43:44):
Coming up at midday's Jason Pine with Weekend Sport Look.
I was just trying to Google to work out what
the weather was doing at Mount Panorama. I just ask you, piney, well,
what's the weather looking like that.

Speaker 21 (01:43:54):
I'm not there.

Speaker 17 (01:43:55):
I'm not, I mean I wish I was, and I've
been at a bit of a magical mystery tour around
pubs following the All Blacks this year. But I'm not
at Mount Panorama. I'm hearing it's a bit changeable, bit
shifty this afternoon. The few rain showers and the wind
there apparently plays quite a big part as well. So
I was watching it yesterday and it just looked amazing,
you know, blue skies and sunshine. But I'm not sure

(01:44:16):
about today. Maybe it might be a little bit more inclement,
but yeah, certainly we'll keep eyes on Bathurst this afternoon.
Great race goes at one forty five.

Speaker 2 (01:44:24):
Okay, how the key? He's looking well.

Speaker 17 (01:44:26):
Matt Paine, the one we all thought would be right
up there, unfortunately, had a pretty disappointing qualifying. He's down
in eighteenth. He's currently second of the overall Supercars championship,
so I guess that's why we thought he would be
the one. Instead.

Speaker 5 (01:44:38):
It's Ryan.

Speaker 2 (01:44:40):
Yeah, how good.

Speaker 17 (01:44:41):
I watched him in the top ten shootout last night. Gee,
seems like a confident you know. I was going to
say kid. He's only just a bit older than a kid, really,
but they all seem to be quite young. He is
fourth on the grid, so you know, it's a thousand
kilometer race, So you know, it's not as though the
grid positions a time, No, not like other a meta
race when you get in the middle lane or anything
like that. But look at he is the one I

(01:45:02):
think we keep eyes on Ryan, would Matt Pain. Look,
I'll be interested to find out, and we'll get some
experts on this afternoon to tell us whether he's too
far back to contend. Look, when you're the top ten
are all within sort of four tenths of a second
of each other in the top ten shootouts, so we're
talking small margins over a lap when there are one
hundred and sixty one laps. I get the feeling that

(01:45:22):
there's quite a few storylines to play out. So you know,
safety cars, the weather, accidents, mistakes by drivers, so who knows.
I mean, it's it's compulsory viewing for motorsport fans, and
I think, you know, those of us who I guess
don't have motorsport right in our sweet spot of our sporting,
you know, landscape still pay very close attention to this day.

Speaker 2 (01:45:42):
Wait, how's he got on the show?

Speaker 17 (01:45:43):
I'm quite interested in this whole Rugby three sixty thing,
whether it's even a thing, you know, We've put multiple
requests into the Rugby three sixty organization without any reply
at all. So look, I would have thought that they
would have quite like to speak to a New Zealand audience,
you know, a big rugby audience, but they haven't taken
up that invitation. New Zealand Rugby of course one of

(01:46:04):
eight unions this week you said, look, if you play
be three sixty, are three sixty this new kind of
rebel league, then you can't play internationally. That's no change
for New Zealand. It's always been the case. But countries
like Australia South Africa who do pick from outside their
own local competitions interesting to hear them say that they
wouldn't pick players from our three sixty either. I want

(01:46:24):
to talk about the Boxing Day Test as well. At
the MCG. There's talk over that side of the Tasman
that it might be moved to accommodate the Big Bash,
which seems very odd to me for such a traditional
fixture and.

Speaker 2 (01:46:37):
Where they're making the money. I suppose to me, Yeah,
but we need to bring our one back.

Speaker 17 (01:46:41):
We need to bring our Boxing Day Testrey.

Speaker 2 (01:46:44):
There's nothing better than recovering from Christmas.

Speaker 17 (01:46:46):
Correct, couple of ham sandwiches on boxing.

Speaker 2 (01:46:52):
Bring it back.

Speaker 17 (01:46:52):
Yeah, so well we'll talk that as well this afternoon.
So not a not a heck of a lot of
big sport on this week and all though Bathroost is massive,
so a chance to get stuck into a couple of issues.

Speaker 2 (01:47:01):
All right, you start the campaign for the boxing day.

Speaker 17 (01:47:06):
All write you down as a key supporter. Francesca Rudkin, Yes.

Speaker 2 (01:47:12):
Cot wait weekend's wars coming up at midday.

Speaker 1 (01:47:15):
The Sunday Session Full show podcast on iHeartRadio powered by
News talksb.

Speaker 3 (01:47:22):
Travel with Windy Woo Tours where the world is yours for.

Speaker 2 (01:47:26):
Now and we're going to talk travel now. Now imagine this.
Imagine you're on a tour and you're in a van
and there's a whole lot of you and you're very
excited to get to where you're going and everything, and
then all of a sudden, your host says, I'm sorry,
we're going to stop the van and everyone has to
be deadly quiet before and a half minutes because I've
just got to do a quick radio cross to New Zealand.
That is exactly the situation that Meghan Singleton finds herself

(01:47:47):
now in Raratonga with her whole tour around her. They're
going to listen to her talk to us about Rara Tonga.

Speaker 21 (01:47:54):
How are you?

Speaker 24 (01:47:55):
Oh, I'm good, But now you've made me nervous because
I've told them to shush.

Speaker 25 (01:47:59):
Because it's they're wrong something in the van.

Speaker 24 (01:48:02):
Some of them had to get out or they thought
they'd pass out. But on otherwords, switch to the econ.

Speaker 2 (01:48:06):
This is what it's like when you're on tour with me, Francesca.
You just never know what the day is going to hold.
How's Raratunga warm? Obviously it's very warm.

Speaker 24 (01:48:16):
And when I got up this morning and I sent
you some notes for today, it was a little bit
brisk and a bit blustery, and I thought, oh no,
but it's now we're sort of one hour ahead yesterday,
and it's really warm. I'm going to say it's at
least in the mid twenties, you know, twenty five ish
and very humid and not blustery. You know, like when
when you're looking at the weather app as everyone does

(01:48:37):
before they travel, you see wind things and you see
rain clouds and stuff. Well, it's not been like theirs
to all, so never rely on the wind. Always go
to like the Facebook page which I've mentioned before, you
know those local Facebook pages that that you look up
for destinations that you're traveling to, and then you find
out what's really happening, you know, on the minute, like

(01:48:59):
where shall I go for dinner? Where shall I you
know you can?

Speaker 25 (01:49:02):
Where can I go and walk the dogs with.

Speaker 24 (01:49:03):
The SPCA of a morning?

Speaker 15 (01:49:05):
You know things like that.

Speaker 3 (01:49:06):
So yeah, it's really good.

Speaker 15 (01:49:08):
I love it here as you know, yep.

Speaker 2 (01:49:09):
And you do travel to Raratongua quite often, do you
reckon it's getting busier?

Speaker 24 (01:49:13):
Definitely seems busier this time, for sure. We've just been
at the Saturday pou Nanganui market. I would say it's
almost doubled in size from when it was last year.
And you know that TV show the Travel Guides, Well
they came to RaRo last year and they all gave
it five out.

Speaker 15 (01:49:30):
Of five thousand.

Speaker 24 (01:49:30):
If Kevin and Janetta can give it five and a
half stars, then you know that something's good. So the
Aussies are here, you know, and that's taken a little
while to come back. Remember RaRo was the first ball
that we could do after COVID. Now you've got flights
coming out of Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, even as far away
as Honolulu and Tahiti. So yeah, it's busy over here now.

Speaker 2 (01:49:51):
And good choice of good choices of places to stay,
good accommodation.

Speaker 24 (01:49:57):
Yeah, so there's you know, everything from like your adults
only Results, which is actually where we're at. We like
that two big family results with amazing snorkling the front,
or you can just do airbnb and stay in a
little house with a private pool, or you know, there's
actually there's everything all across the price points as well
all around the island, So it only takes an hour

(01:50:19):
to drive around the island. Once I'm finished with you,
that's exactly what we're going to go and do. And
you know, if it's windy on one side, it won't
be on the other. So you've got lots of options,
lots of places to eat. And that's why I think
I love it, and that's why it is such a
popular place for couples, for families, for girlfriends' trips, for weddings.

Speaker 15 (01:50:37):
Yeah, it's popular for all of that.

Speaker 2 (01:50:39):
But you just need to take your ear plugs for
the roosters. I was out at five o'clock this morning
because I woke up.

Speaker 24 (01:50:46):
I don't know why, and I was chasing these bloody
roosters around the resort, clapping my hands, thinking I'm probably
waking you.

Speaker 15 (01:50:52):
Welly up because I'm flapping.

Speaker 24 (01:50:53):
My hands and shouting at the roosters and everyone goes, no,
I didn't hear the roosters.

Speaker 1 (01:50:57):
Oh okay, sorry, that was just me.

Speaker 21 (01:50:59):
Then.

Speaker 24 (01:51:00):
Yeah, that's the raratong and alarm clock. But it's good fun.
It's local and it's real and it's rustic. Yeah, it's cool.

Speaker 2 (01:51:08):
I shall let you put the air conditioning back on
and get on with your day. Thank you so much, Megai.
We're gonna probably she's Megans off to New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville.
So we're probably going to do this every week. Go
and if you start the tour get her on board.
Maybe we should put a few other people on and
we'll see what their thoughts are as well. It is
twelve to twelve.

Speaker 3 (01:51:26):
Books with Wikles for the Best Election of great Reads.

Speaker 2 (01:51:31):
Joe McKenzie is with me now, good morning. Hello, alrighty,
what have you got for us today?

Speaker 25 (01:51:36):
The first book is called The Loneliness of Sonya and
Sonny and it's written by Karan Desaigh who back in
two thousand and six won the Book of Prize with
her book The Inheritance of Loss. And this is her
first book since so it's taken nineteen years to come
up with this thing, which is a big, fat, six
seven hundred page epic, right, and it is shortlisted for

(01:51:56):
this year's Book of Prize. It was shortlisted actually before
it had even been released. And this is the story
of Sonny, Sonya, Sorry, and Sonny, who are young Indians
who are living and working and studying in America and
their families back home start to worry that they seem
so lonely and they're desperate to try and bring them together,

(01:52:17):
which is difficult because the kids can't tell their families
back home that they're actually having relationships with other people
because that would be frowned upon, and so it doesn't
quite work until under their own stem they do eventually connect.
And this is a book about young people trying to
find their place in the world across continents. It goes
from India to America. It's the story of trying to

(01:52:40):
fit in and how you find your place in the
world and the really complicated bonds that link one generation
to the next I absolutely loved it.

Speaker 2 (01:52:49):
How do you get nominated or shortlisted before book's being released?
Is that because the publicity copies would have got in
their people.

Speaker 25 (01:52:57):
So I'm not sure how it worked in this particular case,
but I do know that the judges of the Book
A Prize are able to call up yes which might
not have been submitted or not yet published.

Speaker 2 (01:53:06):
I don't know if that's what happened here, but it
can very exciting. Ozzy Osbourne the memoir.

Speaker 25 (01:53:14):
Yes, it's called Last Rites, And I need to start
by saying this was the title of the book before
he died, so they kept the title, which I think
is wonderful. And I believe that the last chapter was
handed in just a day or two before he died.
And this is Ozzie's story about his rock and roll career,
his family life.

Speaker 2 (01:53:35):
It is extraordinary.

Speaker 25 (01:53:36):
I don't know how he's remembered half of it to
tell us about it, because at one point he talks
about how he was putting away three bottles of spirits
a day. There was all of the drugs, all of
the money, all of the excess. Absolutely extraordinary. But he's
someone who started out as a bit of a pariah
because of his antics on stage. You know, he's famous
for that biting the head off the bat thing, and

(01:53:56):
he ended up being this beloved son of Birmingham and
of the world, and if he looked at what happened
around his funeral, it was just extraordinary. So he made
a life for himself. And it has written entirely in
his voice. It feels as though it's him talking to you.
I suspect it was probably ghost written, but they've done
a really good job of putting his voice on the page,

(01:54:18):
and it's just the most wonderful story about all of
the excess that goes along with that lifestyle and how
you get through it.

Speaker 2 (01:54:25):
I don't know whether it was the TV show or
what it was, but I think you're right. There are
a lot of people out there who would probably never
have listened to any of his music, but who had
this great fondness for him, and he was such a character.
Once again, I don't think you need to necessarily be
a huge fan of the music to probably enjoy this memoir.

Speaker 25 (01:54:40):
No, that's right, but he's sort of had no filters.
He talks about how whenever he went to bed at night,
he would jump into the bed, he wouldn't just climb
and like the rest of it. And one night he
missed and he knocked his head and his neck very
badly on the floor, which then necessitated a series of
awful surgeries. And how he managed to have the physical
stamina at the end, towards the end of his life

(01:55:01):
to do what he did that last concert absolutely extraordinary.

Speaker 2 (01:55:04):
Oh wonderful. Thank you so much, Joan, The Loneliness of
Sonya and Sonny by Carandasi and also last writes by
Ozzy Osbourne. We'll talk next week.

Speaker 25 (01:55:13):
See you then.

Speaker 1 (01:55:15):
The Sunday Session Full show podcast on iHeartRadio powered by
News TALKSB.

Speaker 2 (01:55:22):
Thank you so much for joining us this morning on
the Sunday Session. Thank you to Kerrie for producing the show.
Jason Pine is up at midday with the Weekend Sport.
Hey got a great show lined up for you next
week as well. Jay Ryan is with us, and here,
of course is the Qui actor who seems to work
all over the place. He's been in everything from the
IT films, Those Wonderful Horrors through to a lot of

(01:55:45):
Ossie shows like Scrublands, which has just been on the
New Zealand show. Creamery the fantastic New Zealand film Muru.
He's been across everything anyway. He's got a really good
psychological thriller set here in New Zealand which is about
to start. It's called The Ridge, so he's going to
join us. And also friend of the show, wonderful author
Trent Dalton is going to be with us as well.

(01:56:06):
He has a new book out it's called Brevity Let
Me Go, and that is exactly where I'm going to
be this afternoon on the couch with this book. It's fabulous.
So really looking forward to having Trent join us again
on the show. And his play The Stories is kicking
off in Auckland this week as well, So lot's happening
and look forward to your company next Sunday. Have a
great week. Take care

Speaker 1 (01:57:02):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudken, Listen
live to News Talk said Be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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