The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

In a previous life, crime writer AA Dhand dealt with a lot, including overdoses, violence, and abuse, to name a few. 

Amit worked on the frontline of the NHS crisis, running his 100 hour pharmacy in Bradford - surrounded by drugs, drug dealers and giving him insight into the lives of addicts and the dealers preying on the vulnerable. 

He turned these experiences into a crime thriller, The Chemist.

"I kind of wrote it as D...

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan: In 1987, 10 year old Alix and her family are at the beach for the great New Zealand summer, but everything feels a little off - her teenage sister’s desperate to run with the in-crowd, her mother’s wildly distracted and her father is adrift. Alix befriends another holidaymaker, and they hunt for signs of a girl who went missing years ago, while a creepy neighbour watches everything they do....

One of ZB's resident travel experts, Megan Singleton, has been taking in the sights of the US - and this week, she's opening up about her experience with Dollywood.

Dollywood ppened in 1986 in Pigeon Forge on the site of former attractions dating back to the 1960s, and it's a must see for fans of Dolly Parton, or even fans of the old west.

Megan Singleton detailed her experience - and revealed why she also recommends taking in the ...

This week on the Sunday Panel, broadcaster and journalist, Wilhelmina Shrimpton, and resident economist at Opes Partners, Ed McKnight, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 

Peter Burling will join Italian syndicate Luna Rossa for the 38th edition of the America's Cup in an undefined role. What do we make of this? Should we be worried? 

A new study out of MIT has revealed that increas...

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 22 June 2025, comedian Chris Parker on embracing being dramatic and the new edition to his family.

Pharmacist turned author AA Dhand opens up about using his experience with drugs, drug dealers and addicts as the premise for his new novel The Chemist.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon heads from China to the NATO Summit and International Relations Professor Rob...

June marks Men's Health Awareness Month - leaving plenty of room to discuss how things can be improved.

Research shows men face significant health challenges and often experience poorer health outcomes and shorter life expectancies compared to women.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara unpacked the contributing factors and health conditions behind these stats - and revealed how things could be fixed.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystud...

Brussel sprouts with bacon and parmesan bake

Cook time: 5 minutes 

Prep time: 5 minutes 

Serves: 4 

12 brussels sprouts, stalks removed  

4 rashers of streaky bacon, roughly chopped  

1 cup finely grated parmesan  

1 tbsp sunflower oil  

Flaky salt and cracked pepper 

Pre-heat a oven to 180*c  

Cut stalks off brussels sprouts and cut each brussel into 1/2.

Bring a pot of salted ...

Most of the studies that have looked at how humans and animals dive into water have focused on understanding the small splash created by their water entry - think Olympic divers and hunting birds. 

New research published in the journal Interface Focus has not only done the opposite, by studying how to make the biggest splash, but has done so thanks to a fun New Zealand pastime. 

Manu jumping, a sport originated by Māori, ...

Back in 2002, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland released  post-apocalyptic horror thriller 28 Days Later - which proved to be a monster hit.

The 2007 follow-up, 28 Weeks Later, wasn't as successful, but the duo came back together to release another sequel. 

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall reveals whether 28 Years Later lives up to the hype.

LISTEN ABOVE

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

There's a high-intensity fitness event set to take place this coming November, and it's designed to beat a Guinness world fitness record.

Cantabrian Jared Rogers aims to break the world record for the largest high-intensity interval training - or HIIT - class in a single venue. 

Organisers are calling for participants now - and Rogers says he's hoping to attract at least 10,000 participants.

"Through bringing a collective of p...

Three groups of construction and infrastructure companies will be bidding to build the next section of the new Northland Expressway after the shortlist was unveiled.

Minister Chris Bishop today revealed the three consortia, selected by the NZ Transport Agency, would move on to the next step in the bidding process to build a 26-kilometre, four-lane expressway from Warkworth.

NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse says the three gr...

The Prime Minister says New Zealand has a proper, comprehensive relationship with China.

Christopher Luxon is keeping tight lipped about what he talked about behind closed doors with Chinese leaders after his three-day trip drew to a close.

Otago University International Relations professor Robert Patman says the trip appears to have been a successful one, based on the reactions from both sides.

"The two sides signed 11 agreements,...

This week, Steven Spielberg’s terrifying film Jaws turned 50. Yes, 50.  

Jaws was released in 1975, and on Friday afternoon I mentioned this on Newstalk ZB and shared how much it affected me when I saw it for the first time.  

We were having our first big family holiday - Mum and Dad took us to the Gold Coast to see family, and on the first night my cousin thought it would be a great idea to slip the Jaws VHS into the pla...

Celine Song has generated plenty of interest and acclaim off her directing debut Past Lives - and her new romantic drama Materialists has attracted attention from film fans.

Materialists stars Dakota Johnson as a successful match-maker for New York's elite singles who's torn between two potential suitors of her own.

Celine Song says she used her own experiences as a matchmaker to help craft the film.

"The reason why I quit - t...

A tell-all expose from within our health system was released this week - and it's attracting plenty of interest.

Written by Auckland-based ICU doctor, Dr Ivor Popovich, the book shares his journey from med school through the public health system.

He talks of bullying, funding and staffing shortfalls through to the inequities between private and public healthcare

Popovich says he wasn't sure how his colleagues or employers would rea...

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, who is well known for terrific books like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Daisy Jones and The Six. In 1980, Joan Goodwin becomes one of the first women scientists accepted by NASA for the space shuttle programme where she’s part of a close team who work and play together. Vanessa Ford is a brilliant, practical aeronautical engineer and they discover possibilities in their friendship they ne...

It's an interesting time to be in the US, with protests erupting across the nation in response the the actions of the Trump administration.

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets across all 50 states, with the aim of “rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy”.

Megan Singleton is in Chicago at the moments - and she opened up about the realties of travelling through the US d...

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

The private v public healthcare debate continues - how can we keep the waitlists down? There doesn’t seem to be an obvious solution, but this week, the Government is claiming to have 9696 extra elective surgeries, putting it on track to reach its end-o...