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
The Prime Minister believes the United States' tariff hike of 15 percent was a blunt and late decision.
The US announced the increase for New Zealand exporters, while the UK and Australia remain at 10 percent.
Trade Minister Todd McClay's been invited by his US counterpart to visit and discuss the tariffs.
NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse says it's expected McClay will make the trip in the next two weeks.
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The Government's newly introduced Online Casino Gambling (OCG) Bill has been met with backlash from some on New Zealand's leading sporting bodies.
The legislation would regulate online casinos and allow them to operate in New Zealand, but concerns have been raised that the bill won't make them return community funding grants.
Cycling NZ Chair Martin Snedden says this bill poses as risk to the future of local sport - as it ben...
The Government says it's charting a course towards more growth on conservation land.
It's upped entry fees to $40 dollars for overseas visitors looking to visit areas like Cathedral Cove, Tongariro Crossing and Aoraki Mount Cook.
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says there was demand from Kiwis to charge foreign tourists.
"Not only that, some recent international visitor surveys also suggested international visitors ar...
If you’re a footballer or have a young footballer in the family there’s a chance you received an email from New Zealand Football on Friday asking you to have your say on the new Online Casino Gambling (OCG) Bill.
It’s not just New Zealand Football who are making their participants aware of how this bill could potentially impact them. 33 of our biggest sports codes have come together in an impressively coordinated effort to w...
In this edition of Great Chats with Francesca Rudkin, we hear from the iconic Helena Bonham Carter on her new movie Four Letters of Love and how she reflects on her storied career.
And Francesca speaks with Owain Mulligan who ended up serving in the Iraq War after joining the Territorial Army as an outlet. He's told his story in the book The Accidental Soldier.
Plus Canadian band Cowboy Junkies have been around for...
Dame Harriet Walter's got plenty of memorable roles under her belt, from Succession, to Ted Lasso, to Killing Eve - and now she's taking on a part like no other.
She portrays former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the docuseries Brian and Maggie and she's opened up about taking on such a challenging role.
Dr Timoti Te Moke became a doctor at age 56, but it wasn't an easy road to get into medical school.
Before he started at Middlemore Hospital, he endured a childhood filled with abuse, time in state care, in prison and eventually gangs.
He detailed his journey in his new book, The Unlikely Doctor, and says he wrote it to shine a light on the barriers holding Kiwis back from reaching their potential.
"There are a lot of people ...
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson. This has a hugely implausible premise. Jet Mason is attacked in her kitchen one evening, after which her doctors tell her she’ll be dead by an aneurysm in seven days, so she decides to spend the week hunting down her murderer. It took me a little while to get into the rhythm - the black humour, sarcasm, farce, twisted family relationships, and roving suspicion of everyone she knows who might be ...
Megan Singleton's continued her travels, and she's recently taken in Thailand's Koh Samui.
Koh Samui is an island in the Gulf of Thailand, about half-way down the country, and it's an easy destination for those looking to skip Bangkok.
She recapped her highlights from the trip here.
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This week on The Sunday Panel, Newstalk ZB host Roman Travers and journalist and editor, Jo McCarroll, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
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On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 27 July 2025, Dame Harriet Walter has taken on her toughest role yet, she tells Francesca what it was like to take on Margaret Thatcher and why her she's nothing like the iron lady.
Dr Timoti Te Moke shares his inspirational story from child abuse and prison to junior doctor at 56.
Francesca questions whether the Government has got its priorities right with el...
Bowel movements are one of the easier identifiers of overall health - so what does it mean when things aren't in working order?
A person who has a 'lazy bowel' can experience infrequent bowel movements, constipation, and straining, and it can often signify bigger problems.
Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains what to look out for, and how we can 're-train' our bowels.
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Home-churned butter:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Serves: 400g
1 ltr cream
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp flaky salt
Clean tea towel or Chux cloth
Place the cream and fine salt into a bowl of a bench top mixer with a whisk attachment.
Whisk for 2 minutes on a medium beat. The cream will slowly harden up and start to turn yellow.
Stop the mixer and push the cream back down into the centre. Remix...
We’ve all heard that flossing daily is key to keeping your gums healthy. But what if your dental floss could one day do more than prevent cavities? What if it could protect your whole body from serious diseases, like the flu?
Research published this week in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering shows that dental floss might be the future of vaccine delivery.
In this unusual experiment, scientists used floss coated w...
Nearly 30 years after the original, Happy Gilmore's long-awaited sequel arrived on Netflix this week.
Adam Sandler reprises his iconic role as he returns to the world of golf after his victory at the Tour Championship in the original 1996 film.
Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller also reprise their roles from the original, alongside some new faces played by Bad Bunny, Margaret Qualley and Travis Kelce.
Flicks.co.nz ed...
Christchurch entrepreneur Nic Gaviria's business idea designed to address binge eating has landed a new major supporter - and a cash boost.
Gaviria was selected from 16,000 business owners around the world to be mentored by Steven Bartlett, a Dragon's Den investor and host of the Diary of a CEO podcast.
She says it's been extremely 'validating' to have the business recognized.
"I saw this competition pop up in an ad on ...
Winston Peters is sounding the alarm over high levels of immigration, pointing to issues within Europe as a catalyst for further changes to our system.
The New Zealand First leader's long rallied against mass immigration, and is hinting at a beefed up policy at the next election.
Newstalk ZB political reporter Azaria Howell says NZ First's Shane Jones has also indicated immigration will be a key topic ahead of the next NZ Fir...
Less than half of graduating nurses are getting hired by Health New Zealand.
New data reveals only 323 out of 722 mid-year graduates gained entry level jobs in hospitals.
The Nurses Organisation says that number used to be as high as 90 percent.
President of the National Student Unit, Bianca Grimmer, says it's forcing students into roles they're not exactly after.
"Nurses have a purpose and a 'why' for why they want to go into the ...
The South Island seems to be pulling ahead of the North as New Zealand crawls out of the recession.
Kiwibank’s latest report reveals economic activity is picking up across most of the country - but recovery remains fragile.
It indicates booms in agriculture and tourism have aided recovery in places like Otago and Southland.
Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr says the tide is turning for the economy, but the nature of ...
Right, all you dropkicks out there - as David Seymour fondly called some voters this week - the electoral laws are changing and you’re being given a good year’s notice to make sure you’re enrolled and your details are correct before advanced voting starts in the general election next year. No enrolments or changes will be accepted after advanced voting starts.
You may think a year is adequate time to get your head around new...
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