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PODCAST

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.

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All Episodes

6:19

Mark Wederall: Canterbury Car Club general manager...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/11

There was plenty of Supercars action in Taupo over the weekend, and now racing fans in Christchurch will get their turn. The competition will debut in the South Island, with the the ITM Christchurch Super 440 starting on Friday. Canterbury Car Club general manager Mark Wederall says this is big news for fans in the South Island, and it's one of the biggest events to hit the region. "It's massive, it's probably going to be one of the bigger events that come to Christchurch...it'll be the biggest that

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5:32

Azaria Howell: Newstalk ZB political reporter on...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/11

A former National Party candidate will stand with the ACT Party at this year's election. James Christmas is now a barrister and had worked under senior National figures including Sir John Key, Sir Bill English, and Chris Finlayson. Christmas was considered a possible option to take on the Attorney-General role and act as a Treaty Negotiations Minister. Newstalk ZB political reporter Azaria Howell explains further - ahead of the election. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

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3:32

John Law: MetService meteorologist on what to expect...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/11

Damaging gusts and severe downpours are gathering steam, with Cyclone Vaianu set to hit. Watches and warnings cover the upper half of the country, and a scattering of regions between Northland and Hawke's Bay have declared States of Emergency. Heavy overnight gusts have already knocked out power for thousands of homes, with crews out this morning working to restore supply. Whitianga could be cut off at High Tide - with the deluge causing flooding in the Coromandel. Several Auckland Roads are also

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12:00

Dr Morgan Cable: former NASA scientist on the...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/11

A new era of space exploration has begun, after Artemis II successfully splashed down from its journey around the far side of the moon. The four astronauts returned 'happy and healthy' from their 10 day journey, careening safely down into the Pacific Ocean. Former NASA scientist Dr Morgan Cable says she was pleased to see the mission went well - even with a few bumps in the road. "Being able to understand how that can affect the crew, even on this shorter, 10-day mission, can really be helpful for

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2:50

Francesca Rudkin: What does the Artemis II mission...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/11

Watching Artemis II return to earth’s atmosphere yesterday, it occurred to me that watching a space mission is a bit like watching the Olympics. You discover a new event, learn a whole lot of new words, and almost immediately think you know what you’re talking about - but really you’re a novice and have no idea of the complexity involved in what you’re watching. But regardless of how much you understand about the engineering, physics and tech behind what has just taken place over the last 10 days,

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14:00

Bart Schrijver: film director on his new film...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/05

The Te Araroa trail, running between Cape Reinga and Bluff, is one of the world’s most diverse long distance walks - and it's since inspired director Bart Schrijver. The trail inspired his latest film The North - in cinemas now - which has been referred to as the ultimate hiking film. Schrijver says hiking the trail was an 'interesting' experience, and it helped inspire the journey of the characters in the film. "When we were walking, I was 26, 27 - and still not really knowing what I wanted to do,

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15:22

Felicity Ward: comedian on bringing her 'I Wish I...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/05

The NZ International Comedy Festival is just around the corner, with many iconic comedians from all over the world set to appear. Australian comedian Felicity Ward, who fans may recognise from The Office Australia, Time Bandits or The Inbetweeners, is one of the bigger international draws, with her new show ‘I Wish I Could Come Out of My Shell’. She says she's used to the attention being on stage brings - after years of being involved in the medium. "I get a thrill out of being on stage, I've been

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3:40

Whitcoulls Recommends: It’s Not What You Think and...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/05

It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh. Nadeeka is having a relationship with Jamie but she suspects he’s having an affair and one day heads home unexpectedly to try and catch him out. What she finds when she gets there is something else entirely...her house is a crime scene and nothing is as she'd imagined. And then it gets worse as the real story of what had been going on in Jamie’s life - and mind - unfolds into a real, current day, this is what the world is like now scenario. This is

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4:50

Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge.com writer on her...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/05

Travel expert Megan Singleton's set to spend Easter in New York, and she's revealed her itinerary for making the most of the holiday. She's set to head to a gospel church in Harlem on Easter Sunday - the Abyssinian Baptist Church founded in 1808 where Martin Luther King and Malcom X attended. She plans to catch an afternoon game at Yankee Stadium, and then head to the Plaza hotel for an afternoon high tea. Read more about Megan's travel experiences here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for

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117:40

Full Show Podcast: 05 April 2026

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/05

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 5 April 2026, Aussie comedian Felicity Ward is heading our way for the upcoming comedy festival, she joins Francesca to talk about being unashamedly extroverted and how Dancing with the Stars changed her life in unusual ways. Film director Bart Schrijver has used his experience walking the length of New Zealand to make his new film 'The North'. Bart tells Francesca of his experience on the Te Araroa trail and why he turned it

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11:11

The Sunday Panel: What did we make of the Cabinet...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/05

This week on the Sunday Panel, Director at Capital, Ben Thomas, and Resident Economist at Opes Partners, Ed McKnight, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Government had their Cabinet reshuffle last week, with Minister Chris Bishop losing a few key roles. What did we make of this? Should Chris Bishop be worried? The Tom Phillips doco - will we watch it? Given the police involvement, are we confident it’ll be an accurate account of what happened? Would we

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4:35

Erin O'Hara: Naturopath and wellness expert on how to...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/05

Another Easter weekend means there's more hot cross buns, chocolate eggs, and other sweet treats that can add to the afternoon cravings. Many people experience a predictable 2–4 PM craving window, and it’s not just about blood sugar - with the brain's reward system calling out for dopamine and energy. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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6:17

Mike van de Elzen: Easter figgy and oozy caramel loaf

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/05

Easter figgy and oozy caramel loaf Fig topping 125 gm unsalted butter 150 gm soft brown sugar 6 figs, stem removed and cut in half Cake mix 225 gm unsalted butter, softened 225 gm caster sugar 4 eggs 3 tbsp milk 100 gm whole ground almonds 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ginger powder 150 gm flour Serve with yogurt or ice-cream To start: Line a small cake loaf tin approx. 20cm x 12cm with greaseproof paper and then grease with a touch of butter. Melt butter in saucepan over a low heat. Add sugar and

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4:42

Michelle Dickinson: nanotechnologist on the research...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/04

Sometimes, the most exciting scientific discoveries don’t come from carefully planned experiments, they come from accidents. A scientist was storing hibernating bumblebee queens in a refrigerator. These bees were in a deep resting state called diapause which is basically a kind of suspended animation that helps them survive winter. Condensation from the fridge dripped into the containers, leaving the bees submerged in water, by the time they were found, it was assumed they had drowned, but they

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5:19

Steve Newall: entertainment correspondent on the...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/04

Bait is the latest TV miniseries capturing the attention of entertainment fans on Prime Video. It follows a struggling British Pakistani actor, played by Riz Ahmed, as tries to audition for the role of James Bond. Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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8:05

Peter Bird: KaiWise founder on the app designed to...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/04

New studies show an alarming rate of Kiwis life off ultra-processed diets, especially considering 70 percent of packaged foods in NZ supermarkets meet this criteria. A new app created by a Kiwi nurse is looking to help us navigate the supermarket shelves and make healthier choices. KaiWise founder Peter Bird says the nation's food system is 'broken' and his own health issues inspired him to help Kiwi shoppers make a change. "Being a practical chap - I'm a farming boy from way back - you just had to

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5:10

Peter Dunne: former Minister and commentator on Chris...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/04

Chris Bishop's been turfed out as National's campaign chair in favour of Simeon Brown - signalling a potential dent in his relations with the PM. The National MP's also lost his Leader of the House and Associate Sport Minister roles in yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle, but is replacing outgoing MP Judith Collins as Attorney General. Former Minister and commentator Peter Dunne says Luxon might be trying to give Chris Bishop a warning on where he stands in the party. LISTEN ABOVESee

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14:47

Jono Ridler: Auckland open water swimmer on...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/04

A long-distance swimming record's been broken by a New Zealander wanting to protect our ocean. Open-water swimmer Jono Ridler has swum more 1300 kilometres, from the top of the North Island to the capital - with only his togs, goggles, and swim cap. His trip was segmented, starting in January, and ending in Wellington only yesterday. Ridler says yesterday was 'incredible', with lots of Wellingtonians coming out to help celebrate the cause. "All of the excitement of the moment, the joy of finishing,

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3:36

Francesca Rudkin: Should the Tom Phillips Netflix...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/04/04

On Thursday afternoon, almost 300 pages of police emails, text messages and documents were released about the Tom Phillips Netflix documentary, following an Official Information Act request. What was released raises real questions about the appropriateness of the relationship and communication between police and the production company - and whether the doco should be made at all. The planned Netflix documentary sits right in the middle of the tension between public interest storytelling, and the

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15:49

Kirk Jones and Robert Aramayo: director and lead...

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin ·

2026/03/29

British newcomer Robert Aramayo was the talk of this year's BAFTA awards after he walked away with the Best Actor victory. The leading role that saw him beat out Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, and Michael B. Jordan was his depiction of Scottish Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson in I Swear. Robert Aramayo and director Kirk Jones explained why it was important to tell Davidson's story in the most authentic way. "I think it was a shared responsibility, really. We all felt that we wanted to

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3,424 results

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