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
Astrid Jorgensen used her love of communal singing to build Pub Choir - a concept she took all the way to America's Got Talent.
The idea involves turning a theatre of regular people into a choir and with Jorgensen's tuition and a PowerPoint, any group can sing a three-part harmony.
She used her experience to craft a memoir - Average At Best.
"Can everyone learn to sing and win a Grammy Award? Absolutely not. But can everyone physic...
Ken Follett's made a name for himself as an author of historical epic novels - and he's got a new one out.
After starting his career as a thriller writer in the 70s, Ken’s decision to write The Pillars of the Earth in 1989 set his career on a different trajectory, and it paid off.
Pillars has sold over 27 million copies and to date remains his most famous novel - and his total book sales now sits around 198 million copies globally.
...Culpability by Bruce Holsinger. When a self driving car crashes, a family’s lives are thrown into chaos. In the aftermath, questions are raised about responsibility for the accident and where the ethical line between human culpability and the technology is drawn. The people in this family are all keeping secrets from one another, and as these are thrown into the spotlight this book just gets more and more compelling. I couldn’t put...
It's common for people to want to build a trip around a big event, but waiting for the flights and hotels to line up can be tricky.
Booking things at the last minute can add on a bunch of extra costs, so BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton revealed how you can get ahead and make a booking.
She also revealed how to make the most out of a cancellation policy - read more about her travel tips here.
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This week on the Sunday Panel, resident economist at Opes Partners, Ed McKnight, and Newstalk ZB host Roman Travers joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed New Zealand wouldn't recognise a Palestinian state at this point in time. Are we surprised by this?
The All Blacks managed to turn their luck around and beat the Wallabies 33-24 at Eden Par...
Inflammation can be caused by a number of factors, but new research has found there's a link between the condition and hormone changes in women.
Loss of oestrogen can affect joints and the connective tissue that 'glues' your skeleton together, and the changes in hormones can result in general muscle aches, pains and stiffness.
Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains further.
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On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 28 September 2025, Ken Follett is the master of the historical epic, this week he tells Francesca why he turned to Stonehenge for his new novel Circle of Days.
Pub Choir has become a global phenomenon, it's founder Astrid Jorgensen talks about why she's so passionate about getting people singing and why being able to sing, isn't important.
The Government has a...
Throw-out roasted vegetable salad
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
6 parsnips, carrots, courgette or buttercup & cut into long wedges
2 tbsp cooking oil
Heat oven to 180 degrees. Place the vegetables into a large bowl and toss through oil and spiced salt. Then into a roasting tray ensuring all the veggies are single layer. Bake for 20 minutes before tossing and cooking for a furthe...
The 2025 Ig Nobel awards have been revealed, with drunk bats, pizza-eating lizards and painted-up zebra cows among this year's nominees.
Dr Michelle Dickinson's gone through the nominees - and outlined her top three.
Does painting a cow to look like a zebra mean it's bitten less by flies?
Scientists have long wondered why zebras are not bitten by flies as much as other animals. Researchers who were looking into how to ...
The highly-anticipated Bird of the Year vote is set to close tonight - with the champion bird due to be announced tomorrow.
The annual contest has grown into a cultural phenomenon, and it's produced plenty of memes, international headlines, a bit of vote-rigging scandal, and even controversy when Last Week Tonight got involved.
Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall weighed in on the most popular birds - ahead of voting closing at 5pm to...
Fat Bear Week 2025 is under way - and people can now cast their votes for their favourite chunky bear ahead of the winter season.
Fat Bear Week is an annual competition between brown bears in Alaska, and the bears are all up against each other as they try to eat as much as they can to prepare for hibernation.
Former park ranger and long-time worker on Fat Bear Week, Naomi Boak, says the event's seen plenty of growth over the last f...
Questions have been raised as to how the Government can bounce back after the recent Mood of the Boardroom survey result.
The annual survey of New Zealand business leaders showed Luxon slipping in the rankings of ministers - from 6th to 15th.
NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse says the economy isn't improving the way the Government needs and people still aren't feeling hopeful.
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The All Blacks have set their eyes on consistency after snaring the Bledisloe Cup for another year.
The 33-24 win over the Wallabies keeps the trophy at NZR headquarters - the 23rd consecutive summer it will spend there.
Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith says the All Blacks didn't fold like they did in Wellington last time, but there's still room for improvement.
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An international relations expert is deeming New Zealand's decision on Palestinian statehood as 'surprising'.
Winston Peters confirmed at the UN General Assembly that we won't recognise a Palestinian state right now - as the conditions aren't right.
Geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller says this decision is out of synch with our international allies, including Australia, the UK and Canada.
"And these are states with which New Zeala...
Back in 2022, investigative reporter Sönke Iwersen received 100 gigabytes of confidential leaked data from a whistle-blower inside Tesla.
The files detailed dangerous autopilot software errors, a high number of workplace accidents in Tesla’s factories and a culture of fear within the company.
Iwersen's investigation is now a book called The Tesla Files: Inside Elon Musk's Empire of Power and Deception.
"We found, actual...
The Clarke Gayford-produced documentary chronicling the premiership of his wife and former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern promises an intimate look at the former leader.
Besides interviews and archival footage, it also includes home footage shot by Gayford and is described as a look into both Ardern’s administration and private life
Clarke Gayford says he wanted the documentary to reveal the honest bits of Ardern's tumultuous p...
Clown Town by Mick Herron. This is the latest novel in his Slow Horses series, about Jackson Lamb and the cast of MI5 misfits and rejects that he manages in Slough House. They are brilliant books and this one is no exception. There are several seasons of an Apple TV series based on the books which is wonderful television, but as always, the books are even better. Highly recommended for anyone who likes spy stories, and eccentric, i...
Turns out you can get more out of Air New Zealand's flexichange service than previously expected.
BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton recently revealed you can change the destination and date as part of the flexichange package on domestic flights - which can come in handy for unexpected events.
Megan revealed how you can take advantage of this travel hack - read more here.
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This week on the Sunday Panel, Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills and broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Late-show host Jimmy Kimmel was unexpectedly pulled off the air after after he made controversial comments in the wake of Charlie Kirk's death. What do we make of this? Is this concerning for the future of free speech?
Te Pati Māori's...
On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 21 September 2025, former 'First Bloke' Clarke Gayford on his involvement in new documentary 'Prime Minister' and why he filmed candid footage of Jacinda Ardern's time in office.
German investigative journalist Sonke Iwerson talks about his new book 'The Tesla Files' and how he came to investigate the Elon Musk firm.
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