The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

This week on the Sunday Panel, PR Agency 818 Managing Director Chris Henry and ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills discussed the following issues of the week- and more!

There's a record number of Kiwis heading offshore to Australia - and they're not coming back. How can we keep skilled workers in the country? How can we ma...

Shift work - work that starts before 8am or finishes after 6pm - has been found to take a toll on sleep habits and overall wellbeing.

Shift workers, including truck drivers, cleaners, police officers, healthcare workers and security staff, are more at risk of developing fatigue-based conditions and eating poorly.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara says shift workers will need to plan ahead and take medication to keep them...

Spaghetti with roasted cauliflower pesto

Cook time: 10 minutes

Prep time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Roasted cauliflower pesto

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

1 cup basil leaves, chopped 1 cup parmesan, finely grated

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 cup almonds, toasted and crushed

1/4 cup sunflower oil

1 red chili, de-seeded and diced

Sea salt and pepper

500g of Spaghetti

Handful of fresh rocket

Extra parm...

Did you know that you can tell whether water that is being poured is hot or cold just by listening to it?

Have a listen to this.

Which one was the cold water?

If you thought the 1st one, you were correct!

In general hot water sounds duller and frothier than cold water and now a new research paper published on arXiv has determined why.

The sound of pouring water into an empty container consists of three parts:

1 - The resonanc...

After four years overseas, Kiwi reality star Julz Tocker is returning to New Zealand shores.

The former Dancing With the Stars judge is gearing up to tour Ballroom Blitz around 12 Kiwi cities, kicking off from the end of the month.

Tocker says he looks forward to bringing Ballroom Blitz to Kiwi audiences.

"I have a couple of other projects up my sleeve, which are coming to fruition finally - and this tour is moving really well."

The famed author behind Boy Swallows Universe is back with another uplifting novel inspired by dark topics.

Lola in the Mirror is less autobiographical than Universe, but it explores the themes of tragedy and suffering with larger-than-life characters.

Trent Dalton says he was inspired to write these books to reflect his own lived experience.

"For a lot of people who've been in the cracks, they can't entertain the dark. They can...

Off the back of last year's Bird of the Century buzz, the pūteketeke has inspired a new children's book.

The bird was given a push into the spotlight after US comedian John Oliver drew in thousands of votes off the back of his campaign.

Now, Forest and Bird CEO Nicola Toki has authored Five Wee Pūteketeke, a book designed to boost conservation efforts for the bird.

"There was a beautiful story about pūteketeke - and the thought ...

Labour's Chris Hipkins has outlined the party's vision to 2040 to a crowd of Auckland supported.

In his speech, Hipkins envisioned returning to power in 2026, and then spending the next decade building the country that New Zealand can be.

NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says Labour's reputation for delivering on promises is still too low to be believable.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

There's heartbreak for the Wellington Phoenix in their A-League semi-final second leg in the capital.

Their season was cut short after a 2-1 loss to the Melbourne Victory following extra time.

Phoenix General Manager David Dome says it was a strong season for the team - one they hope to build from next year.

"We're in a really good space, we'll now flip into pre-season planning, putting together the squad for next year and who's...

Women’s health specialists are accusing Pharmac of being too slow to act over hormone replacement therapy shortages. 

Several pharmacies are out of stock with no idea when it will be replenished, meaning women have to shop around to get their prescribed dosage.

MenoDoctor Clinical Director Dr Linda Dear says these supply chain issues are a problem worldwide.

"It's been a nightm...

You are Here by David Nicholls – Marnie and Michael are brought together by a mutual friend. Marnie doesn’t get out much and feels as though life is passing her by – and Michael’s a newly separated teacher trying to survive in his new single life. They embark on a hike across the Lake District - the landscape in this book is vivid and real, you could be walking it yourself - and as they find their pl...

This week on the Sunday Panel, editor Jo McCarroll and NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

As retail crime amps up, security guards want more workplace protections and legal power to detain criminals. Will these measures help cut down on crime?

NZ First leader Winston Peters has pledged to introduce a members bill requiring separate unisex and single-sex...

This Mother's Day, there's more concern about mothers taking on a significant workload - and all the negative health implications that come with that.

Mothers in this day and age have voiced concern with the workload, as they balance full-time work with child-rearing and household management.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara says it's important to prioritise sleep, balanced meals and allocating some 'me time' each week.

Little apple pies with malted crumble and yogurt:

COOK TIME: 27 MINUTES

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

SERVES: 6-8

6 Braeburn apples

1 tsp vanilla paste

3 tbsp honey

8 x 10cm puff pastry discs

1 tbsp malted barley syrup

100 gm unsalted butter

100 gm wholemeal flour

50 gm brown sugar

100 ml greek yogurt

Pre-heat a oven to 180*c

Mix together the apple, honey and vanilla. Toss until well coated.

Peel the apples, cut into 1/4 and...

Amazing science news this week comes from the UK, where a 1 year old baby who was born deaf due to a genetic condition called auditory neuropathy was treated with gene therapy.   

Six months later, the researchers involved in this ground-breaking study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Baltimore this week, reported that the toddler can now hear unaided...

Sci-fi blockbuster Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was released to theatres last week - a long-awaited sequel to the earlier trilogy series. 

Set a few generations after 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes, this film explores two rival groups of apes battling it out in an overgrown world.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says the film is also filled with visual call-backs to the original Planet of the Apes.

LISTEN ABOVE

See o...

Comedy and opera are set to come together in Moses Mackay's newest project. 

The Sol3 Mio member is set to take part in a Kiwi retelling of Le comte Ory, which is set to kick off later this month.

This will be Mackay's first performance with NZ Opera since 2012, where he performed as an Emerging Artist.

He says he's proud to be taking on a key role in this piece.

"It's a beautiful time. There are other singers in this productio...