The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin
News, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and entertainment – we’ve got your Sunday morning listening covered with The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin on Newstalk ZB.
Episodes
In August 2022, former Prime Minister Jim Bolger joined Newstalk ZB's Francesca Rudkin on The Sunday Session to launch his new book 'Fridays with Jim'. Listen to the chat above and read more his interview below.
Jim Bolger entered the New Zealand political scene in 1972.
A self-taught son of Irish Immigrants, the King Country farmer lead the National party to victory in 1990 and became the 35th Prime M...
Chef, author and broadcaster Peta Mathias lives a wonderfully full life, full of gastronomic tours of the world's top food destinations.
When she's not leading foodie tours through the likes of Italy, Spain, France, Morocco and India, she's following summer - by teaching cooking classes in the South of France before returning to New Zealand in time for our summer.
She's written about her life as part of her collection of essays bun...
New Zealanders will get an insight into the Pike River tragedy that continues to be felt by relatives - and on the West Coast.
A film based on the 2010 explosion that took the lives of 29 men is being released in New Zealand this week.
Starring Kiwi actresses Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm, it tells the true story of Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse's fight for justice.
Lynskey says it was important for the men to be remembered ...
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. Sonia and Sunny live, study and work in America, but their families back home in India worry about the loneliness they feel in a strange country and try to bring them together. They do eventually connect, but relationships in their new world are not straightforward and there are a lot of things to navigate including finding the place where they belong - plus class, race, history, an...
Megan Singleton's latest travel adventure has taken her to Rarotonga, and she's noticed more people seem to be flocking to the islands.
Between the variety of accommodation options, the bars and restaurants and wildlife - including crabs, whales, friendly dogs and turtles to snorkel with - there's plenty of options for all prospective travellers.
Megan unveiled her personal highlights - read more about her travel tips here.
...
This week on the Sunday Panel, Director at Capital, Ben Thomas, and NZ Herald senior writer, Simon Wilson, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - a...
New research indicates making healthy choices might require more effort than updating your grocery list.
A new study claims women's eating habits are more socially sensitive, and when isolated, they're 85 percent more likely to stop eating vegetables daily and twice as likely to stop eating fruit.
The study also claims Read more
So, guess what - according to Local Government NZ, voter turnout around the country for the local body elections has been dismal. Surprised?
On Friday afternoon, 983,466 votes had been received around the country, which represented 28.49 percent of all eligible votes. That's under 30 percent. Blimey.
As of Friday, our biggest city, and one with a multitude of issues apparently, had the lowest voting percentage of 21.8 percen...
Onion tart-tatin with asparagus and fried haloumi
Cook time: 30 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
1 batch short crust
2 small red onions, peeled and sliced into 1cm rings
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tsp flaky salt freshly
Ground black pepper
4 tbsp caster sugar
1 big hand asparagus
8 servings haloumi
1 cup flour
2 tbsp oil
10 sage leaves
1...
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 a...
For decades, researchers have documented a curious pattern in happiness, where people tend to start adult life feeling relatively positive, dip into unhappiness during middle age, and then rebound later in life.
Psychologists called it the 'unhappiness hump' and the rest of us called it a mid-life crisis, referring to a midlife peak in stress, worry, and dissatisfaction that eventually faded as people aged.
But new res...
Hollywood superstar Diane Keaton is being remembered for a legendary career spanning decades.
A family spokesperson told People magazine the 79-year-old has died in California.
Keaton is best known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977’s Annie Hall and her role in The Godfather films.
Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says her career just kept on going.
"There's a whole bunch of movies she made with Nancy Meyers, the Father of t...
Results from this weekend's local elections are still rolling in, with some races still too close to call.
But Auckland's Wayne Brown and Christchurch's Phil Mauger have definitely won second terms with decisive victories.
Andrew Little's the new mayor in Wellington, and Tim Macindoe's won in Hamilton.
Voters in just 17 council areas have opted to keep Māori wards, with voters in 25 opting to scrap them.
Newstalk ZB election report...
Former Hamilton West MP and current Hamilton city councillor Tim Macindoe's won the mayoral race in Hamilton.
He's committed to bringing down wasteful spending and improving resources for the city.
Macindoe says Hamilton ratepayers have faced some of the highest rates rises in the country - a fact that's not set to change.
"They are really feeling the pain - and unfortunately, there are no easy options for us to take that can...
Re-elected mayor Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger is calling for a rethink to local election voting systems.
Mauger says he's humbled by the margin of his victory over rival Sara Templeton, but admits the country needs better engagement.
"And our general elections are very well-subscribed, because we're going down and voting and the postal system's just not working. We need to do something different."
LISTEN ABOVE
Andrew Little is laying out his priorities as he takes the Wellington mayoral chains.
He won a landslide in the capital, getting more than 34,000 votes.
His nearest competition was Karl Tiefenbacher on 8807 votes.
He's acknowledged leading Wellington is a big job, but he's determined to take the necessary steps.
"I'm serious about a council where everybody has a role, has a place and a stake in what we do - and th...
Wayne Brown says his second term will see the continuation of cutting wasteful spending.
He surged to victory, scoring 90,000 more votes than nearest opponent Kerrin Leoni.
He says he's committed to making a city-wide deal with the central Government - so both entities can work as equal partners.
"We don't fit into the role of other small councils, and so we want to be negotiating as equal partners with the Government o...
Kiwi pop icon Suzanne Lynch's had a long-running music career, and she's looking back on her legacy in a new memoir.
Lynch got her start at 14 after a chance encounter with guitarist Peter Posa, which led to the creation of The Chicks, often considered New Zealand’s first successful girl group.
Since then, she's worked with many well-known artists - and even toured the world with Cat Stevens twice.
"I was just doing something I lov...
Richard Osman: author and television presenter on the release of his new book The Impossible Fortune
TV personality and author Richard Osman recently took a brief writing hiatus, but he's returned with the latest instalment in the Thursday Murder Club book series.
The series focuses on a group of retirement village residents who investigate unsolved murders, and it's gotten so popular, it's received a Netflix adaptation starring Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren.
Osman says he's enjoyed returning to the series and he's promise...
Gravity Let Me Go by Trent Dalton. Noah Cork should be on top of the world. His new true crime book is a bestseller, but strange things happening around him are deeply unsettling. As a major storm threatens Brisbane he’s caught up in one of his own, failing to see what’s right under his nose in this brilliant story about murder and marriage and one man desperate to do the best by his family, with no idea how to go about it.
Boleyn ...
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