August 8, 2026 • 13 mins
This week on the Sunday Panel, Newstalk ZB host KerreWoodham and Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Newstalk ZB celebrates 100 years today. What are our favourite memories of the station? What stories do we remember? What role does radio serve in a changing market.
So Chris Luxon hasn't been having a good week - with new polls and the MMP announcement raising some concerns. There's growing calls for some new leadership in the National Party - do we see Luxon bouncing back?
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And today on the panel we have news Talk zed
bee's morning host Carrie Woudham, good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Good morning, good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And regular contributed to the station, Trisha Sharson from Sherston
Willis pr Good morning, Trish.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
We are delighted to have you both. We wanted to
have you on the panel today because we'd love to
talk about zed B turning one hundred and the role
that talk radio plays in society. Haven't listened to this.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
I've spoken to so many of you since September fourth,
and you have been so brave and so stoic, and
you have shown so much forbearance, and now you're going
to have to dig even deeper, as are we.
Speaker 6 (00:49):
We're looking for my little sister who goes to unlimited
school in christ Church. We thought that she wasn't going
to go to school today, but she ended up going
and she left the school. Nobody's heard from here and
we have been able to find her, and she wouldn't
know that. She's say points gold Building by my brother
was and we haven't heard anything since.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
What's been what twelve hours.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
So night, Carrie, that was you on the twenty second
of February twenty eleven, post christ Church earthquake. Gosh, that
must brings back memories for you.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah, it really really does. Yep, yep it does. That
was a really difficult time. I can't imagine what it
must have been like to have been in christ Church.
We knew more than the people of christ Church did
because all their communications were down, television was down. Remember
(01:40):
those first images that came out of christ Church. We
all saw them.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
Before the people of the.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Region did, and nobody knew anything was It was dreadful,
but you know, people were so incredible. They they were desperate,
They were terrified that their loved ones weren't returning, but
they were also on the lookout, does anybody else need anything?
Speaker 5 (02:03):
What can we do?
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Even at their most terrified, at their most even at
their most shaken literally and figuratively, they were still thinking
about other people. It was yeah, yeah, that really I
haven't I haven't heard that since since, Yes, since that night.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
It's quite moving, isn't it? And true you have a
connection to news talk c'd be beyond just being a
regular contributor. I had no idea that Z was your
first job as a radio reporter.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
That's so cool.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
I was very lucky to go to the aut Communications
School way back in ninety two to ninety four, and
it was the first degree course there and we had
amazing tutors. For instance, we had Nigel Horricks, who was
a radio legend and was stationed at the ZB Cook
Street headquarters at the time as our radio tutor. And so,
(02:56):
in typical sort of my style, when I was coming
to the end of the year, I called Nigel up
and I said, oh, do you mind if I come
and meet you and went down to his office. I said, oh,
do you think there's a job going? He said, look
on the top line, which is the sort of in
house messaging service where you used to have. He said,
would you mind going to Dunedin? I said, no, love to.
So I went down there actually as an intern for
(03:17):
Radio New Zealand at the time when Radio New Zealand
and News to ZB was still network together. I was
on eighteen and a half thousand dollars a year and
I got down to that radio station and it was
just so amazing. And I had mentioned there that while
I was at high school I'd been doing student radio
(03:37):
on what we called One Dead You, which was one
zed U, the Tamernoue radio station. So when the ZB
local host left and the afternoon show was vacant, I
don't know who would do this, but the station manager
said to me, hey, why don't you fill in? So
I hosted an afternoon show on ZB for a few months,
(03:58):
and during that time also one of your other fantastic hosts,
John McDonald, who's from christ Church. So John and I
were at the station together. We hoped li have Team
New Zealand ticket tape parade when it came through Dunedin,
and I remember he and I were standing up in
the district in the council chamber looking at over the
ticket tape parade and all the Team New Zealand guys
came in and that's called we were interviewing them all.
(04:21):
And then when it came to Peter Montgomery, who we
were interviewing, I felt John nudging me and I thought, God,
what's wrong now? And I looked down and I was
so in awe of Peter Montgomery that my microphone was
just limp in my hand and I was just staring
up at him and then I got and then I
got shifted to my first real job over at Radio
Scenic Land in Graymouth, which has been an amazing starting
(04:44):
place for a lot of young journos. And I thought.
I visited Graymouth last week and I went back to
see where Radio Scenic Land had been broadcasting house has
been demolished, but I stood on the parking lot where
it used to be, and I remembered I sat on
top of my desk absolutely crapping myself when I had
(05:05):
to do my first live cross into the Paul Holmes
Breakfast about a coal barge that it slipped its moorings
in the night and ended up on Cobden Beach. So
that's that's sort of my early time with ZIBBE, which
has been really important in my career.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I guess I think they would find a lot of
people a small country, right, having very very similar sort
of experiences. Carrie, you know, you my carry producer, and
we think we've worked down here that because you have
been here almost thirty years, you are probably currently the
longest serving news to be host.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
I am continuously.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Are you surprised you're still here? I'm way, but are you?
If you think about the thirty years and oh.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yes, well I was almost over before it began, of course,
with Diana dying in August. I think I joined in July.
Diana died in August, and he really doesn't need any
other Monika but the former, you know, Diana Prince and
all Sunday, all Sunday night, all Monday or Monday night
all Tuesday. And then on Tuesday night I said to
(06:13):
my producer then producer, Jimmy, what are we going to
talk about? And he went, ah, mate, And I went, oh,
come on, surely people like it was awful, but you know,
no sadder than the lovely lady in Hamilton that died
in a car crash and she was the mother of
two boys who that had happened that week. Who remembers
her her family do So I went on and said, oh,
for Heaven's sake, you know this, I was. I totally
(06:38):
didn't get it. I never got the cult of Diana
and said so basically, and then said, oh, and for
Heaven's sake, people, I was getting more exasperated as I talked.
She was hardly a saint. Saints do not suck face
with Herry. I playboys in the middle of sentrape.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Wow, what the hell.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
That engendered quite the reaction, and then that tought me
a really valuable lesson though after a month then that
sometimes you or not. The point radio is the point.
It's a conduit for people to come together when they
feel a connection and want to share that connection like
Rugby World Cup called of final Losses and the death
of Diana and you know, and the important stuff like
(07:20):
the quakes. Sometimes you just shut up and let people
connect and share their stories and it's got nothing to
do with you. And I learned that quite quickly. Then
there was the Felling Gong. I had the temerity to
suggest that they shouldn't really be in the Santa Parade
and shouldn't be you know, I didn't see what on
earth they would be doing in the Centta parade, And
that meant that there was a three month long sitting
(07:43):
of news talksz'd B and cook Street, then of the
Felling Gong, who lined the streets both sides protesting that
I'd said they shouldn't be in the Santa Parade, which
kind of proved my point that they were more of
a protest group than a you know, children's entertainers. But nonetheless,
and I missed it all because they only protested nine
to five and I didn't start all night. So I'll
(08:05):
sail in just as they were packing up their black
And I don't think my colleagues have forgiven me, because
they've got enough Fello Gong material to start their own
private you know, library of Fellan Gong reading. Well, there
have been many many occasions where I have dropped the ball,
and I mean I think I'm more of the school
(08:27):
of Paul Holmes. I mean not that I would I
couldn't even kiss his robe in terms of broadcasting talent,
but I belong in the fallible, screw up kind of
category of broadcaster rather than the meticulously professional at all
times broadcaster.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Well, Kery, not only do you make our listeners feel
comfortable at calling and talking to you and things, but
also you managed to get a little bit of a
scoop out of the Prime Minister this week when he
decided that he would announce this potential referendum on MP
How do you think he handled himself with you on Thursday.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Well, it's the nature of the show, because it's not
a press conference. It's not me Grillingham going for the
jugular it's me again, acting as that conduit between the
Prime Minister and the listeners, so they are able to
call in and they're able to connect, and it's more
of a chee the fat kick the tis what the hey,
(09:27):
you know. And because of that environment, I don't think
he felt that he was announcing policy constitutional reform. He
was just kind of saying, well, this is what I'm
thinking about. And he'd said to me in the ad break,
I don't know if Harry, you'll producer kry shawhead him,
but he was like, well, I can't make an announcement
of policy announcement till I talked to my colleagues. And
(09:47):
I said to him, I'll go on, give me a headline,
and he said, no, I've got to talk to my
colleagues first before we make it a official policy announcement.
I'm like, okay, And then I said, well, will you
do it when you're Prime minister? He said, yeah, I
think I would, But it's the nature of the beast
of the program. It's just a hey ho. You know.
If we'd had a b yeah, I mean, if either
(10:07):
of us drank, we would have probably been having a
beer and eating peanuts.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
True, what did you think of Christopher Latkinson's performance this week?
Was it his worst week as prime minister? And look
you read the papers. Thomas Coglin is hinting that he
might not be there to lead national in this election.
Do you think there's any chance he goes?
Speaker 4 (10:24):
I think it has been a very bad week. And
actually the bit that stood out to me, and probably
because I'm a small business owner, was the when I
woke up last Saurday morning and read the comments to
the Rota Or Business audience. And the way I think
about these things. You know, if I'm got my paper
plush shop on the main street of Rotor and someone
(10:46):
in a shiny suit comes in and tells me that
I need to be retooling and disrupting my business, and
am I learning clawed code? I mean, you know what
big noting in regional New Zealand goes down like.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
It's very bad.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
But then I have also watched these two things I
think that you look for in politics. One is there's
a certain shorthand code around people who are under pressure
that I watch for, and that goes like this. They'll
talk about someone who is first under fire, then they
are embattled, and then they're beleagued and then the exit
sign is flashing, and I saw the word embattled next
(11:22):
to the Prime Minister's name for the first time this morning.
I thought, oh, maybe we've moved up an alert level here.
But the other thing I watch is the pictures, and
yesterday there have been two interesting press conferences this weekend.
Yesterday National Party President Sylvia Wood and Christopher Luxen and
Nikola Willis were announcing the National Party list, and the
(11:44):
list itself was interesting in terms of rankings, But actually
I watched the Prime Minister carefully and he looked shaken
and rattled, and I think he because he's nervous. He's
then taking on what is not a great tactic. He
is talking over particularly the women in those press conferences,
(12:06):
and this morning he did it again with Nikola Willis
when they were basically it wasn't really a policy announcement.
It was basically trying to wedge labor over what rules
they would put around but budget responsibility. But he comes
in and gives these long winded, sort of almost man splains.
After Nichola Willis has talked to the point where she
(12:27):
had to several times say to the press gallery, let
me be clear so that the wrong message wasn't taken
out of the room. And there's a great just four
letters that I would I think if I were Christen
for Luxe and I would have front of mine for
the next week. The letters are wait, why am I talking?
And it's very important to think about that when you're
(12:50):
going off in a long winded diatribe that's going to
get you into trouble.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Trisherson, Carrie Widham, thank you so much for your time
this morning.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudgin, listen
live to News Talks they'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And today on the panel we have news Talk zed
bee's morning host Carrie Woudham, good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Good morning, good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And regular contributed to the station, Trisha Sharson from Sherston
Willis pr Good morning, Trish.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
We are delighted to have you both. We wanted to
have you on the panel today because we'd love to
talk about zed B turning one hundred and the role
that talk radio plays in society. Haven't listened to this.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
I've spoken to so many of you since September fourth,
and you have been so brave and so stoic, and
you have shown so much forbearance, and now you're going
to have to dig even deeper, as are we.
Speaker 6 (00:49):
We're looking for my little sister who goes to unlimited
school in christ Church. We thought that she wasn't going
to go to school today, but she ended up going
and she left the school. Nobody's heard from here and
we have been able to find her, and she wouldn't
know that. She's say points gold Building by my brother
was and we haven't heard anything since.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
What's been what twelve hours.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
So night, Carrie, that was you on the twenty second
of February twenty eleven, post christ Church earthquake. Gosh, that
must brings back memories for you.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah, it really really does. Yep, yep it does. That
was a really difficult time. I can't imagine what it
must have been like to have been in christ Church.
We knew more than the people of christ Church did
because all their communications were down, television was down. Remember
(01:40):
those first images that came out of christ Church. We
all saw them.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
Before the people of the.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Region did, and nobody knew anything was It was dreadful,
but you know, people were so incredible. They they were desperate,
They were terrified that their loved ones weren't returning, but
they were also on the lookout, does anybody else need anything?
Speaker 5 (02:03):
What can we do?
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Even at their most terrified, at their most even at
their most shaken literally and figuratively, they were still thinking
about other people. It was yeah, yeah, that really I
haven't I haven't heard that since since, Yes, since that night.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
It's quite moving, isn't it? And true you have a
connection to news talk c'd be beyond just being a
regular contributor. I had no idea that Z was your
first job as a radio reporter.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
That's so cool.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
I was very lucky to go to the aut Communications
School way back in ninety two to ninety four, and
it was the first degree course there and we had
amazing tutors. For instance, we had Nigel Horricks, who was
a radio legend and was stationed at the ZB Cook
Street headquarters at the time as our radio tutor. And so,
(02:56):
in typical sort of my style, when I was coming
to the end of the year, I called Nigel up
and I said, oh, do you mind if I come
and meet you and went down to his office. I said, oh,
do you think there's a job going? He said, look
on the top line, which is the sort of in
house messaging service where you used to have. He said,
would you mind going to Dunedin? I said, no, love to.
So I went down there actually as an intern for
(03:17):
Radio New Zealand at the time when Radio New Zealand
and News to ZB was still network together. I was
on eighteen and a half thousand dollars a year and
I got down to that radio station and it was
just so amazing. And I had mentioned there that while
I was at high school I'd been doing student radio
(03:37):
on what we called One Dead You, which was one
zed U, the Tamernoue radio station. So when the ZB
local host left and the afternoon show was vacant, I
don't know who would do this, but the station manager
said to me, hey, why don't you fill in? So
I hosted an afternoon show on ZB for a few months,
(03:58):
and during that time also one of your other fantastic hosts,
John McDonald, who's from christ Church. So John and I
were at the station together. We hoped li have Team
New Zealand ticket tape parade when it came through Dunedin,
and I remember he and I were standing up in
the district in the council chamber looking at over the
ticket tape parade and all the Team New Zealand guys
came in and that's called we were interviewing them all.
(04:21):
And then when it came to Peter Montgomery, who we
were interviewing, I felt John nudging me and I thought, God,
what's wrong now? And I looked down and I was
so in awe of Peter Montgomery that my microphone was
just limp in my hand and I was just staring
up at him and then I got and then I
got shifted to my first real job over at Radio
Scenic Land in Graymouth, which has been an amazing starting
(04:44):
place for a lot of young journos. And I thought.
I visited Graymouth last week and I went back to
see where Radio Scenic Land had been broadcasting house has
been demolished, but I stood on the parking lot where
it used to be, and I remembered I sat on
top of my desk absolutely crapping myself when I had
(05:05):
to do my first live cross into the Paul Holmes
Breakfast about a coal barge that it slipped its moorings
in the night and ended up on Cobden Beach. So
that's that's sort of my early time with ZIBBE, which
has been really important in my career.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I guess I think they would find a lot of
people a small country, right, having very very similar sort
of experiences. Carrie, you know, you my carry producer, and
we think we've worked down here that because you have
been here almost thirty years, you are probably currently the
longest serving news to be host.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
I am continuously.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Are you surprised you're still here? I'm way, but are you?
If you think about the thirty years and oh.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yes, well I was almost over before it began, of course,
with Diana dying in August. I think I joined in July.
Diana died in August, and he really doesn't need any
other Monika but the former, you know, Diana Prince and
all Sunday, all Sunday night, all Monday or Monday night
all Tuesday. And then on Tuesday night I said to
(06:13):
my producer then producer, Jimmy, what are we going to
talk about? And he went, ah, mate, And I went, oh,
come on, surely people like it was awful, but you know,
no sadder than the lovely lady in Hamilton that died
in a car crash and she was the mother of
two boys who that had happened that week. Who remembers
her her family do So I went on and said, oh,
for Heaven's sake, you know this, I was. I totally
(06:38):
didn't get it. I never got the cult of Diana
and said so basically, and then said, oh, and for
Heaven's sake, people, I was getting more exasperated as I talked.
She was hardly a saint. Saints do not suck face
with Herry. I playboys in the middle of sentrape.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Wow, what the hell.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
That engendered quite the reaction, and then that tought me
a really valuable lesson though after a month then that
sometimes you or not. The point radio is the point.
It's a conduit for people to come together when they
feel a connection and want to share that connection like
Rugby World Cup called of final Losses and the death
of Diana and you know, and the important stuff like
(07:20):
the quakes. Sometimes you just shut up and let people
connect and share their stories and it's got nothing to
do with you. And I learned that quite quickly. Then
there was the Felling Gong. I had the temerity to
suggest that they shouldn't really be in the Santa Parade
and shouldn't be you know, I didn't see what on
earth they would be doing in the Centta parade, And
that meant that there was a three month long sitting
(07:43):
of news talksz'd B and cook Street, then of the
Felling Gong, who lined the streets both sides protesting that
I'd said they shouldn't be in the Santa Parade, which
kind of proved my point that they were more of
a protest group than a you know, children's entertainers. But nonetheless,
and I missed it all because they only protested nine
to five and I didn't start all night. So I'll
(08:05):
sail in just as they were packing up their black
And I don't think my colleagues have forgiven me, because
they've got enough Fello Gong material to start their own
private you know, library of Fellan Gong reading. Well, there
have been many many occasions where I have dropped the ball,
and I mean I think I'm more of the school
(08:27):
of Paul Holmes. I mean not that I would I
couldn't even kiss his robe in terms of broadcasting talent,
but I belong in the fallible, screw up kind of
category of broadcaster rather than the meticulously professional at all
times broadcaster.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Well, Kery, not only do you make our listeners feel
comfortable at calling and talking to you and things, but
also you managed to get a little bit of a
scoop out of the Prime Minister this week when he
decided that he would announce this potential referendum on MP
How do you think he handled himself with you on Thursday.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Well, it's the nature of the show, because it's not
a press conference. It's not me Grillingham going for the
jugular it's me again, acting as that conduit between the
Prime Minister and the listeners, so they are able to
call in and they're able to connect, and it's more
of a chee the fat kick the tis what the hey,
(09:27):
you know. And because of that environment, I don't think
he felt that he was announcing policy constitutional reform. He
was just kind of saying, well, this is what I'm
thinking about. And he'd said to me in the ad break,
I don't know if Harry, you'll producer kry shawhead him,
but he was like, well, I can't make an announcement
of policy announcement till I talked to my colleagues. And
(09:47):
I said to him, I'll go on, give me a headline,
and he said, no, I've got to talk to my
colleagues first before we make it a official policy announcement.
I'm like, okay, And then I said, well, will you
do it when you're Prime minister? He said, yeah, I
think I would, But it's the nature of the beast
of the program. It's just a hey ho. You know.
If we'd had a b yeah, I mean, if either
(10:07):
of us drank, we would have probably been having a
beer and eating peanuts.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
True, what did you think of Christopher Latkinson's performance this week?
Was it his worst week as prime minister? And look
you read the papers. Thomas Coglin is hinting that he
might not be there to lead national in this election.
Do you think there's any chance he goes?
Speaker 4 (10:24):
I think it has been a very bad week. And
actually the bit that stood out to me, and probably
because I'm a small business owner, was the when I
woke up last Saurday morning and read the comments to
the Rota Or Business audience. And the way I think
about these things. You know, if I'm got my paper
plush shop on the main street of Rotor and someone
(10:46):
in a shiny suit comes in and tells me that
I need to be retooling and disrupting my business, and
am I learning clawed code? I mean, you know what
big noting in regional New Zealand goes down like.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
It's very bad.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
But then I have also watched these two things I
think that you look for in politics. One is there's
a certain shorthand code around people who are under pressure
that I watch for, and that goes like this. They'll
talk about someone who is first under fire, then they
are embattled, and then they're beleagued and then the exit
sign is flashing, and I saw the word embattled next
(11:22):
to the Prime Minister's name for the first time this morning.
I thought, oh, maybe we've moved up an alert level here.
But the other thing I watch is the pictures, and
yesterday there have been two interesting press conferences this weekend.
Yesterday National Party President Sylvia Wood and Christopher Luxen and
Nikola Willis were announcing the National Party list, and the
(11:44):
list itself was interesting in terms of rankings, But actually
I watched the Prime Minister carefully and he looked shaken
and rattled, and I think he because he's nervous. He's
then taking on what is not a great tactic. He
is talking over particularly the women in those press conferences,
(12:06):
and this morning he did it again with Nikola Willis
when they were basically it wasn't really a policy announcement.
It was basically trying to wedge labor over what rules
they would put around but budget responsibility. But he comes
in and gives these long winded, sort of almost man splains.
After Nichola Willis has talked to the point where she
(12:27):
had to several times say to the press gallery, let
me be clear so that the wrong message wasn't taken
out of the room. And there's a great just four
letters that I would I think if I were Christen
for Luxe and I would have front of mine for
the next week. The letters are wait, why am I talking?
And it's very important to think about that when you're
(12:50):
going off in a long winded diatribe that's going to
get you into trouble.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Trisherson, Carrie Widham, thank you so much for your time
this morning.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudgin, listen
live to News Talks they'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of NFL Media hosts including Jourdan Rodrigue, Colleen Wolfe, and Nick Shook provide all the NFL news, previews, recaps and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.