The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

American soul singer Macy Gray's been releasing successful albums and topping charts since 1999 - beginning with the release of the hit 'I Try'. 27 years later she's sold over 25 million albums, she’s got a Grammy, she’s got Brit awards, she's released 10 albums and she’s still going with another due later this year.  She's also set to bring her six-date tour to New Zealand later this year.  "It's had to describe music, it's a little bit of an experiment for me...I'm doing everything that I really, really want to do, saying the things I really want to say, so it's more of a pure project than my ones in the past, and it's been a big learning experience for me."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner's made a name for herself in iconic roles like Alias, 30 Going on 30, Daredevil and Juno, and she's attached herself to a new, star-studded Hayu project. Five Star Weekend is based on the Elin Hilderbrand novel, and also stars Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, D’Arcy Carden and Gemma Chan as a group of friends brought together by a grieving food influencer. Garner says the 'complexities and layers' of female friendship are hard to find on screen, but this project has more depth than it appears. "It just so happens that we have this great source material from Elin Hilderbrand, this beautiful book that surprises you on every turn. You think - oh, it's a beach read, and then you read it and you just go - there's a reason this is an all-time best-seller."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nowhere Boy by Anne Cleary. This book won the Allen and Unwin fiction award, which is a hugely contested New Zealand fiction prize. A Dad takes his 3 year old boy to the beach and leaves him in the car while he unloads fishing gear to a site some distance away - and when he returns to the car, his son is gone. He’s been found by a woman who has suffered the loss of children and can’t believe her luck - that there’s a young, seemingly abandoned boy who she can take home and into whom she can pour all her love. But of course the situation is not that straight forward, which she soon discovers as the search for him grows ever more intense. It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell. Jane Trevally is newly divorced and one night agrees to go home with a man she’s only just met - but she gets a bad feeling in his house and runs away. Years later, she finds herself on the trail of a missing girl, and traces that girl back to the same house in which she found herself 25 years ago - a place with a dark atmosphere and sinister secrets. As she investigates what might have happened, she realises that, if she hadn’t left that place, it could have been her.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's no secret that hotel rooms can be gross - but how can you get around the worst of it? Other people will likely be getting their germs all over the TV remote, the cushions, the ice bucket and concerns have been raised over how safe toothbrushes are in the bathroom. For more advice about how to get around the worst of the icks, Megan Singleton's made a list of her findings.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, Resident Economist at Opes Partners Ed McKnight and TV producer, journalist and commentator Irene Gardiner joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Herald's Poll of Polls came out today, and it shows the minor parties could potentially hold more power this time around. What do we make of this? Do we know which side we want to vote for? What do we want to see from National or Labour? The Norway v England FIFA World Cup quarter-final took place this morning - what did we think of it? And what did we make of last night's All Blacks v Italy match? Does the TMO have to go? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 12 July. Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells, and they generate the ATP needed for survival.  Declining mitochondrial performance is strongly associated with aging and age-related diseases. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara reveals how to improve your mitochondrial health, including diet and stress management tips. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rewana with kawakawa pesto  Cook time:30 minutes  Prep time: 1hr 10 minutes 300 gm white flour   100 gm wholemeal flour   220 orange kumara, cooked and mashed  230 ml water  1 tsp yeast  1 tsp salt  1 Tbsp fennel seeds (or any herbs) Pesto  10 kawakawa leaves  (mixer of holes and non)  1 cup curly parsley  1 cup flat leave parsley  1 cup coriander leaves  1 cup sunflower oil   salt and pepper  1 cup almonds, toasted and crushed  1 cup parmesan, finely grated Mix together flour, yeast and fennel seeds  Add salt and mix  Add mashed kumara and water and mix  Once you have a dough with no dry bits pop it into a oiled loaf tin and pop somewhere warm with a tea towel on top for 1 hour    Preheat the oven to 200*c and bake for approx 30 minutes. Or until it has a nice hard golden top. Leave to rest for 30 minutes on a rack before eating.   To make up the kawakawa pesto, place the parsley, coriander and oil into a blender and blend in quick bursts. Do not over heat, otherwise you will lose the colour. Add in half the kawakawa and blend. Season and taste. If you can't taste the bitter tones of the kawakawa add a little more until you can.  Finish with the almonds and parmesan.   Serve alongside the bread.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For centuries, people have argued about what separates something that's alive from something that's simply chemistry.  Every living thing, from bacteria to blue whales is ultimately made from the same atoms as the rocks beneath our feet. The difference isn't the ingredients. It's how they're organised.  So how few ingredients can you assemble before chemistry starts behaving like life?  A team of synthetic biologists have taken a step towards answering that question by building what they call a synthetic cell entirely from carefully chosen chemical components. Published this week they assembled every component themselves, creating a tiny cell-like structure whose complete ingredient list is known.  The cell can't survive on its own, can't evolve naturally and still depends on scientists to feed it, but it can repeatedly feed, grow, copy its DNA and divide into daughter cells, performing several of the key behaviours we associate with life.  They carried out a series of experiments, each asking whether one more essential feature of life could be recreated from non-living ingredients.  Experiment 1 - Can you make an artificial cell grow?  The researchers began with tiny fat bubbles called liposomes as artificial cell membranes. Inside they placed a carefully designed 90,000-base-pair synthetic genome spread across seven plasmids, along with a purified protein-making system called PURE that could read DNA and build proteins.  Real cells grow by taking in nutrients, artificial cells can't, so the team invented tiny "feeder" liposomes loaded with fresh proteins, ribosomes, enzymes and membrane material.  The question was - can one artificial cell feed another?  To find out, they engineered the synthetic cells to manufacture a membrane protein called α-hemolysin carrying a short histidine tag. Feeder liposomes were coated with nickel-containing lipids that recognised this tag. When the two met, they fused together, delivering both nutrients and fresh membrane material.  The researchers watched the membranes merge, the contents mix and new proteins begin to appear inside the enlarged synthetic cells.  Remarkably, the ability to feed wasn't controlled externally, it was encoded by the synthetic cell's own DNA. Cells that produced more of the membrane protein fed more efficiently and grew larger.  Experiment 2 - Can it repeat the process?  Growing once isn't life, living cells must grow repeatedly.  Every 12 hours the synthetic cells were fed, their DNA copied and the population divided before beginning the cycle again.  The synthetic cells successfully completed five generations of feeding, genome replication and division.  Each generation produced new DNA, new RNA and new proteins while maintaining much of the original 90,000-base-pair genome. Around 30% of daughter cells still inherited the complete genome after five generations, an impressive result given that the system lacked many of the sophisticated mechanisms real cells use to organise DNA during division.  Experiment 3 - Can evolution begin?  This experiment asked whether the synthetic cells could experience something resembling natural selection.  The researchers deliberately introduced a tiny genetic change.  One version of the synthetic genome contained a stronger promoter controlling production of the feeding protein α-hemolysin. That meant these cells could produce more feeding proteins, fuse with more feeder liposomes and potentially grow faster.  They then mixed equal numbers of fast-growing and slow-growing synthetic cells together.  After just five generations, the faster-growing cells had become the majority.  When food became scarce, their advantage became even larger.  The synthetic cells weren't evolving in the full Darwinian sense because the beneficial mutation had been introduced by the researchers rather than arising spontaneously.  But they were undergoing selection.  The cells with the more advantageous genome produced more offspring, causing that genetic version to spread through the population, one of the defining processes that shapes life on Earth.  So... is it alive?  That depends on who you ask.  The synthetic cell doesn't yet tick every box that biologists would associate with life. It can't survive without scientists feeding it. It borrows ribosomes from bacteria rather than making its own. And while it can undergo selection, it doesn't yet evolve naturally because the beneficial mutations were introduced by the researchers rather than arising spontaneously.  The more interesting question isn't whether this tiny collection of chemicals has crossed some invisible line between chemistry and life. It's whether scientists are finally beginning to understand what that line actually is.  For the first time, researchers can begin asking not just what life is, but which parts of life are absolutely essential.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2026 New Zealand International Film Festival is just around the corner for another year, running from July 29 to September 9. The festival features over 100 films, from acclaimed international directors to Kiwi auteurs alike. Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall outlined his picks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new era is on the way for one of the nation's most iconic fashion labels. Urban streetwear brand Federation is celebrating 25 years in business this year.  To mark the occasion,  founder Jenny Joblin is taking a step back, handing the reins to her children to evolve the business for the next generation. "When we hit this milestone, we were like - okay, we need to pause for a moment and just really look at all these different chapters and celebrate it."   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The shifting support of minor parties is likely to be make or break for November's general election.  The NZ Herald-Motu Research Poll of Polls shows the coalition has a 70 percent chance of being re-elected.  The current parliamentary opposition's chances has slumped to 7.2 percent. Former minister Peter Dunne says support for Labour and National will remain fairly consistent.  "Particularly, keep an eye on New Zealand First and the Opportunity Party - they seem to be where the movement's taking place, although New Zealand First's, I think, peaked a little bit. It's hard to say at this stage." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks have overpowered Italy with a dominant second half to claim a 47-17 Nations Championship win in Wellington. The hosts' 14-10 lead at the break blew out with 5 second half tries, including a hat-trick to Will Jordan as he became the All Blacks leading test try-scorer. Wing Josh Moorby and loose forward Anton Segner debuted off the bench. Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith recapped the 'incredible' action in Wellington. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A word of caution as New Zealand forges closer defence ties with India.  Prime Minister Chris Luxon's signed a Strategic Partnership with Narendra Modi - during the Indian Prime Minister's whirlwind visit.  He's also agreed to strengthen maritime cooperation and carry out more bilateral naval activity.  Geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller says the relationship's come a long way in a short space of time - but we need to be careful we're not moving too fast.  "It is positive to broaden the relationship from trade, I just think New Zealand needs to be careful in what it is signing up to, because it has the potential to impact on international relations more generally."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This video is the sound of the Norwegian football team and its fans doing the Viking row to celebrate Norway’s win over Brazil at the FIFA World Cup.   The synchronized rowing chant that accompanies the Norwegian football team's appearances is the viral phenomenon of the 2026 World Cup - who saw that coming? - and Norway’s star striker Erling Haaland has become the darling of the Cup thanks to his unstoppable scoring pace and refreshingly goofy, unscripted personality. On the field he has already scored seven goals, just one behind Lionel Messi, and his performances have been instrumental in getting Norway to their first World Cup quarterfinal - which is being played against England in Miami right now.   Haaland is turning out to be just as valuable to football and the FIFA World Cup as he is for his country.   Every FIFA World Cup needs players who capture the imagination, and Erling Haaland has become one of the defining figures of the tournament. His goals and physical presence make him one of football's biggest stars, but it’s his personality which truly sets him apart.   In an era where many athletes deliver carefully rehearsed answers, Haaland comes across as refreshingly genuine. He jokes, admits frustration when things go wrong and celebrates with unfiltered enthusiasm. Rather than predictable clichés, he allows fans to see the person behind the player. This authenticity creates a stronger connection with audiences than polished media training ever could. For any World Cup, this matters. A tournament is built as much on memorable personalities as unforgettable matches. Fans don't just remember goals; they remember the players who made them feel something. Haaland has the ability to attract casual viewers like me, inspire young fans, and gives us all a reason to get behind Norway.   Yes - I am so sorry to all the England fans out there - I’m right behind the Norwegians this morning!   I’ve also been drawn in by the way the Norwegian team embraced their Viking heritage from the beginning. It was a Newstalk ZB listener who pointed out to me their Viking themed World Cup team photo. I loved it.  Add a new, fan-created version of the tradition Viking row, and how could this team not delight and fascinate audiences around the world? As sport becomes more and more driven by social media and personal storytelling, honest communicators are more valuable than ever.   In New Zealand, we’ve seen this with the Black Ferns, who are great at what they do, and just as importantly - allow their personalities to shine on and off the field. They entertain the converted, and constantly draw new fans to women’s rugby simply by being themselves.   Haaland does this too. His extraordinary talent will always command attention, but it is his authenticity which makes him stand out. For a World Cup seeking unforgettable moments and new heroes, he offers both. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter. This is the second in her North Falls series, set in a small town after the shooting of a woman and her daughter and the subsequent investigation carried out by the local sheriff, which uncovers secrets and lies aplenty. It’s a classic small town where everybody knows everybody else, but don’t necessarily see them as they really are. Very cleverly constructed and a terrific addition to Karin Slaughter’s extensive body of thrillers. Blood Will Flow by Alex Perry.  Some years ago, an enormous gas field was discovered in Mozambique, after which the wealthy foreign companies arrived and started to export the gas, benefiting themselves and the West, but leaving the local people no better off. The French company TotalEnergies managed an enormous operation there, paying lip service to the notion of adequate security and when a rebel ISIS group arrived and carried out a vicious attack, help was not forthcoming. The book is populated with oil magnates, corporate greed, mercenaries and billionaires and is a strong indictment of an industry completely lacking a moral compass.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weekend is July 4th - a big occasion as America celebrates their 250th anniversary since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Despite record breaking temps, it looks the fireworks are all on around the country, with many of the nation's biggest cities planning celebrations. BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Croque monsieur Cook time: 10 minutes  Prep time: 30 minutes  Serves: 4 8 slices of thick white bread or sour dough  1 ltr bechamel sauce  8 slices gruyere cheese  4 slices of smoked ham  2 tbsp Dijon mustard  butter for spreading on bread Bechamel sauce  4 tbsp butter  4 tbsp flour  500 ml milk   Pinch of nutmeg   Salt Preheat a oven to 200*c Start by making a bechamel sauce. In a medium sized saucepan melt the butter, adding in the flour, cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes - then turn off and allow to cool.   Slowly add in the milk a little bit at a time, whisking after each addition. Once all the milk has been added, cook out for a further couple of minutes. Add the nutmeg and salt and allow to cool.   To make up your croque monsieur: Take one piece of bread and spread over a good layer of bechamel sauce, then a little Dijon. Slice of ham and cheese, then another layer of bread. Bechamel another slice of cheese.   Sprinkle with salt and then place into the oven for 10 minutes.   The end result should be bubbling cheese with a gooey center.   The best toasted sandwich in the world.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learning a new skill can be deeply frustrating.  Whether you're trying to play your first chord on a guitar, use chopsticks, swing a golf club or simply write your name with your non-dominant hand, the experience is often the same.  You know exactly what you're trying to do, yet your body seems to have other ideas. Every movement feels awkward, clumsy and strangely unnatural.  It's tempting to assume that some people are simply born more talented than others. We often describe elite athletes, musicians and artists as "naturals," as though their brains came pre-wired with abilities the rest of us lack.  But what if that's not what's happening at all?  A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences tackled this question by investigating one of the oldest mysteries in neuroscience: why is your dominant hand better than your other one?  Scientists agree that most of us are born with a preference for using one hand over the other but don’t know why that preferred hand becomes so much more skilled.  Does the dominant side of the brain have a built-in advantage for controlling movement? Or does the preferred hand simply become better because it has spent decades holding pens, using tools, throwing balls and brushing teeth?  To answer that question, the researchers recruited right-handed volunteers and designed experiments where participants sat in front of a table with 5 objects in front of them.  The first experiment: Is your dominant arm simply better at controlling movement?  Experiment 1 involved participants reaching from the centre to each target using either their left or right arm. Then the same again with a 1.8 kg weight strapped to each participant's wrist.  Adding the weight made both arms less precise, but it affected them almost equally.  If the dominant side of the brain truly had a built-in advantage for controlling movement, this extra challenge should have magnified the difference between the two arms.  It didn't.  The second experiment: A lightweight stick  Next the researchers attached a long, lightweight bamboo stick to the participants' forearms and the participants had to touch each target using the tip of the stick.  This time, a dramatic difference emerged.  The dominant arm produced much smoother, more consistent trajectories, while the non-dominant arm struggled to accurately control the stick's tip.  The dominant was better because it had spent a lifetime learning how to control tools.  The third experiment: What happens when neither arm has any experience?  Finally, the researchers attached a pen to each participant's elbow and asked them to write the letter "A" and the number "8" using their elbows as the writing tool.  If the dominant side of the brain is naturally better at controlling movement, the dominant elbow should still perform better. But if skill comes from practice, neither elbow should have an advantage because neither has spent decades learning to write.  The dominant elbow showed no advantage whatsoever.  Then they created a training program where each participant trained one elbow to write with a pen, and whichever elbow was trained became significantly better at writing.  The research suggests that the brain builds skilled movement wherever sufficient practice occurs.  The researchers concluded that we're not born with one hand that is inherently more skilled. Instead, skill appears to emerge from years of experience controlling increasingly complex movements with tools and objects.  That means the frustrating awkwardness of learning something new isn't necessarily evidence that you lack talent. It may simply reflect the fact that your brain hasn't yet accumulated the thousands of repetitions needed to build those same movement programmes.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 years after the release of Legally Blonde, Prime Video launched a new prequel series exploring the life of Elle Woods. The show follows a high school-aged Elle needing to adjust to a fish-out-of-water situation after her family moves to Seattle. Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall reviews the series further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 5 July. Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Sunday Panel, host of The Prosperity Project podcast, Nadine Higgins, and Coast’s Lorna Riley joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Liam Dann from the New Zealand Herald says we need compulsory KiwiSaver and National and Labour have to work together to devise a bipartisan solution. What do we make of this? Is making KiwiSaver compulsory an issue for those on lower incomes? How can we get better at saving money?  The All Blacks had their first match in Christchurch's new One NZ Stadium. What did we think of this? How cool did the stadium look? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simon Painter is behind some of the world’s biggest live circus and magic shows, and his latest production will be coming to our shores this August. Painter's other works include The Illusionists, Cirque du Soleil, Circus 1903 and the stage adaption of Now You See Me - and his new Cirque Alice show aims to live up to this standard. The show is a reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, brought to life by a cast of aerialists, acrobats and other circus performers.  "I've done a lot of different cirque shows and what I'm looking for - other than bringing the best of the best acts from anywhere on earth to a stage - we're looking for a motif that can hold the thing together, to give the thing a reason to exist."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Shortland Street star Tandi Wright has made the jump to a new big screen role - she's set to star in the new horror film Evil Dead: Burn.  Tandi Wright's made a name for herself in local productions like 800 Words and Nothing Trivial, and she’s also stared in many international shows and films as well. She says the horror genre's evolved over the last few years, which means she can take on new roles. "When I was a teenager, horror was a lot of women in skimpy clothing, making bad choices, heading off to the woods and getting chopped up with a chainsaw...but now, horror's having such a moment." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's hopes compulsory KiwiSaver can help New Zealand catch up to Australia's economy.  The National Party is campaigning on making KiwiSaver mandatory for all workers, and for gradually raising the matching rate to six percent.  NZ Herald Business Editor at Large Liam Dann says he wants to see a bipartisan effort and for the Labour Party to get on board.  He says people will need to get used to that six percent figure.  "They're at higher levels than that in Australia - it's painful in the short term, but they do cope. And then, you move on and then you forget about it and you just look at that giant figure on your KiwiSaver statement." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dave Rennie era of All Blacks rugby has started in winning ways with a 34-32 victory over France in the opening match of the inaugural Nations Championship. New Zealand were made to earn their victory against a well drilled French outfit who never looked out of touching distance, and caused a few nervy moments in the Garden City. Former All Black Lima Sopoaga said it was a good start, but there's room for the team to improve. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a love story...and Taylor Swift said yes. The pop singer and American football star Travis Kelce tied the knot in front of 1000 guests at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Many celebrities were spotted attending the event, with comedian Adam Sandler officiating the wedding.  SiriusXM radio host Ben Harlum says the space was reportedly transformed into a fairy-tale garden - with a separate section marked off for the reception. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A historic visit is just the latest in a chain of landmark developments that are seeing us forge closer ties with India.  Narendra Modi will arrive in Auckland next week - marking the first time an Indian Prime Minister has ventured to our shores in four decades.  It comes on the heels of our countries signing a free trade agreement.  Political commentator Brigitte Morton says it's a good sign for the trade agreement between both nations - and it could be seen as a positive move for New Zealand's Indian communities, given certain comments made by NZ First.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a lot of Americans right now, Taylor Swift getting married will genuinely feel like a bigger event than America turning 250.  This sounds absurd. One is a quarter-millennium celebration of a nation founded in revolution, the other is the wedding of a pop star and an NFL player. But culture has never been driven by pure logic. It runs on emotion, attention and what people relate and connect with. Taylor Swift isn't simply the world's biggest pop star. She's arguably the defining cultural figure of her generation. Millions have grown up with her music, followed every era of her career and built friendships around shared fandom. Her wedding to Travis Kelce, isn’t just another celebrity wedding, or some celebrity gossip, for many fans it is a shared life milestone. Americans have always created their own version of royalty through celebrity, and there isn’t another American couple today who attract the same combination of admiration, curiosity and cultural influence. Compare this with America's 250th celebration.  In another era, a big birthday would have united the country, but instead it’s taking place during a moment of deep political and social division.   President Trump has put his stamp on things, making a national celebration feel political rather than patriotic. Add lingering concerns about inflation, uncertainty over America's role in conflicts overseas and declining trust in institutions, and the country just isn't in a celebratory mood. Regardless of where people stand politically, there's a sense the nation is tired. Into that fatigue struts Miss Americana. A wedding is simple. It's joyful. It's romantic. Nobody has to pick a side. Nobody has to argue about foreign policy or economic indicators. For a brief moment, people can collectively obsess over a dress, a guest list and a love story. America at 250 asks citizens to reflect on who they are, where they've come from and where they're heading. The Taylor and Travis wedding asks them to celebrate happiness. The next 250 years, obviously, won’t be defined by a wedding or the anniversary celebrations this weekend - that will depend on the choices America makes after the fireworks have faded. In two and a half centuries, the United States has grown from a fragile democratic experiment into the world's largest economy, a military superpower and a cultural force whose music, films, technology and ideas have shaped the modern world.   That the next chapter goes as well is far from guaranteed. In the short term, America faces familiar challenges: political division, rising debt, economic uncertainty, social inequity and an increasingly volatile world.   Longer term, the stakes are even higher. Can America remain a global leader in energy, tech, AI, political influence and military power? Can it rebuild trust in its democratic institutions? And can it balance competition with China and avoid further conflicts which could define this century?   These are big, scary, uncertain, contested questions, and matter a whole lot more than the one to which Travis and Taylor will respond ‘I do’. But in an age where attention is the world's most valuable currency, it’s not surprising it’s the love story that’s captured more hearts - and headlines - than one of the most significant anniversaries in American history. Sometimes, it just feels right to take a moment and let yourself be happy.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director Justin Zoras walked past a bookstore in a small town in Nova Scotia one night, and this experience went on to inspire a documentary. Elizabeth's Books is run by 83-year-old former seaman Chris Webb and the store only opens at night - sometimes for a few hours or whenever the last customer leaves. Justin Zoras went on to use the store for The Bookstore That Never Sleeps, which is about to have its world premiere at DocEdge. "It's one of those things where you immediately see the store, it's open at night, and you immediately want to go - hey, that's quirky or that's odd. Which, frankly, it is. But when you actually talk to people about it and you say - hey, have you seen that bookstore? Have you walked by it, what's the deal there? And a lot of the time, people will go - oh that's just Chris...there's a story."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michaela Brake is set to make her grand return to the rugby field later this year, having re-signed with New Zealand Rugby through until 2027. She's made history in the world of Kiwi Sevens - as a two-time Olympic gold medallist and the all-time leading try scorer in women’s international sevens history. She's had to step off the field to look after her new baby, Harvey, and she's opened up about the new challenges that come with motherhood.  "I was always going to come back to high performance sport...there was no doubt that once I got home from the hospital that I was going to start getting my recovery on track." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu. This is narrated by Elizabeth Zhang who is a driven,100 percent focused student at Columbia University, desperate to make the right path for herself for which she believes admission into Harvard Law School is a necessity. She’s completely shocked when she doesn’t get in and can’t believe that one of her classmates, Laura Kim, did - and becomes obsessed with Laura, trying to figure out what she has that Elizabeth doesn’t. Anyone who enjoyed Rebecca Kuang’s Yellowface will love this. A Place to Stand by Clare Ward. Clare is a GP who has spent more than 30 years practising in the Hokianga, in Northland. She’s acutely aware of being Pākehā in a Māori world, having gone there knowing next to nothing about te ao māori and developing a deep respect for the traditions and beliefs which make up that world. This is a real insight into a place and its people from someone who has come to love it there and has a profound appreciation of all that it has taught her. It’s also a really beautiful book - a lovely hardcover with black and white photos throughout.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's first Michelin Guide Restaurant Ceremony is set to take place this week, and there's hope this development could boost tourism. Food tourism is growing in popularity, with more travellers seeking authentic dining experiences that reflected a destination’s national identity.  BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 28 June 2026, Sevens superstar Michaela Brake is preparing to make her comeback after re-signing with NZ Rugby.  She joins Francesca for a candid chat about the realities of early motherhood and why she's desperate to get back on the field. A special bookstore in small town Nova Scotia is the subject of a new film. Director Justin Zoras is in studio to share why he was so captivated by this bookshop that only opens at night. Former All White player and coach Ricki Herbert gives his thoughts on the All Whites' World Cup campaign. Francesca questions why the Government won't make a move on big tech. And New Zealand's first Michelin stars will be awarded on Tuesday, our resident chef Mike Van de Elzen talks the significance of the star system and reveals how a former boss deprived him of his own Michelin recognition. Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, Director at Capital Ben Thomas and host of The Front Page podcast Chelsea Daniels joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Stuff's owner raised concerns over what big tech means for the future of our media. Are politicians petty about the media and is that an issue? Do they need to better support the media? Why aren't they making more moves to regulate things?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions of people are turning to conversational AI systems like ChatGPT and Claude to ask questions about symptoms, medications, supplements, nutrition, lab work, and treatment options. This has raised concerns, as research found that using AI for medical decisions tended to provide inaccurate and inconsistent information. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained the research further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This coming Tuesday marks the beginning of New Zealand's inclusion in the Michelin Guide with the announcements of the stars.   The Michelin star system originated as a marketing ploy by French tire manufacturers André and Édouard Michelin in 1900. To encourage road trips and boost tire sales, they created a free guide for motorists. Today, it is globally recognized as the ultimate benchmark for fine dining.   This entails: Anonymous inspectors - Michelin inspectors are trained professionals who evaluate restaurants entirely anonymously to ensure they receive no preferential treatment.   Focus on the food - Stars are awarded based strictly on the quality of the ingredients, mastery of flavour, cooking techniques, personality of the chef, and consistency. The restaurant's décor and service style are not factored into the star rating.   Global reach - Today, the guide reviews tens of thousands of establishments across more than 40 territories, making it one of the most powerful influencers in global food and tourism trends. 🌟 One Star: "A very good restaurant in its category."  🌟🌟 Two Stars: "Excellent cooking, worth a detour."  🌟🌟🌟 Three Stars: "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey." Mike van de Elzen explained further - and recalled his own experience with the Michelin system. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your brain was never designed for this much bad news, according to new research. For almost all of human history, the biggest threats we faced were local - a predator hiding in long grass or a sick child in the village.  Your brain evolved to notice these dangers quickly because missing one could be fatal. On the other hand, reacting to something harmless carried very little cost.  This imbalance shaped what psychologists call the negativity bias, where we naturally pay more attention to negative information than positive information, remember it for longer, and react to it more quickly.  From an evolutionary perspective, this makes perfect sense. Spotting danger helped our ancestors survive long enough to pass on their genes.  The problem is that while our world has transformed dramatically over thousands of years, our brains have not.  Today, the same neural machinery that once monitored a few square kilometres is expected to process conflicts on multiple continents, financial markets, natural disasters and political unrest all before breakfast.  A study published in the scientific journal Nature Human Behaviour wanted to know whether people genuinely prefer negative news, or whether journalists simply believe they do. To answer this, scientists examined 22,743 randomized controlled experiments run by the news website Upworthy where editors created more than 105,000 different headline variations, which were shown to readers over 370 million times, generating 5.7 million clicks.  Each experiment involved the same news story, but with different headline wording. Readers were randomly shown one version or another, allowing researchers to isolate whether changing just a few words influenced which headline people clicked.  The researchers counted how many positive and negative words appeared in each headline using established language-analysis tools, then compared which versions attracted more readers.  For a headline of average length, every additional negative word increased the click-through rate by around 2.3 percent.  Positive words had the opposite effect, reducing clicks by roughly 1 percent per additional positive word. People weren't necessarily choosing different stories, they were choosing the more negatively worded version of exactly the same story.  Our brains treat negative information as potentially important.  Threats demand attention because they might require action. Long before we consciously decide whether something matters, our nervous system has already begun evaluating it.  This is why alarming headlines are so difficult to ignore. Modern news organisations understand this, whether consciously or not. Headlines compete for a tiny slice of our attention, and research shows that negative language consistently wins that competition.  The challenge is that our brains evolved to respond to occasional, nearby threats, not an endless stream of global crises.  Instead of processing one danger and moving on, we now encounter hundreds of unrelated problems every day.  Psychologists have begun describing an extreme form of this pattern as Problematic News Consumption (PNC). Researchers who developed the scale surveyed American adults about their news habits and found that around 17 percent showed severe levels of problematic news consumption. These individuals reported becoming preoccupied with the news, struggling to regulate their consumption and experiencing disruption to their daily lives.  Strikingly, 61 percent of people with severe PNC reported feeling unwell "quite a bit" or "very much," compared with just 6 percent among people without problematic news consumption, suggesting a strong link between excessive news engagement and poorer wellbeing.  Avoiding the news altogether isn't the answer, instead, the evidence suggests we should rethink how we consume news.  Research on stress consistently shows that people cope better when they can distinguish between information they need to know and problems they can realistically influence.  That means:  Setting specific times to catch up on the news instead of checking constantly. Reading fewer, higher-quality articles rather than endless social media posts. Recognising when content is designed primarily to provoke outrage or maximise engagement. Focusing on actions you can actually take, rather than carrying the emotional weight of every global crisis. If the news feels overwhelming lately, that isn't a personal failing, your brain is doing exactly what evolution designed it to do: prioritise potential threats.  The difference is that our ancestors might have encountered a handful of genuine dangers each week but today, many of us encounter hundreds before lunch.  Our brains were built to survive a dangerous world, not to monitor the entire planet 24 hours a day.  Understanding that may be the first step towards developing a healthier relationship with the news, allowing us to stay informed without becoming overwhelmed by the constant flow of humanity's worst moments.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Grammar is cracking down on the filming of school sports, and other educators have voiced support. The debate over media coverage has come up again, after Auckland Grammar sent a “cease and desist” letter to a website that has broadcasted brief social media clips of the school’s First XV. Shirley Boys High principal and chair of School Sport NZ, Tim Grocott, says schools have a responsibility to protect their students - especially on 'risky' digital platforms.  "Increasingly, we are seeing sport in particular being broadcast, streamed, and put on various places, and I think there is some risk that comes with that, particularly if it's on an open platform." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A popular K Road music venue may be looking at a second chance at life. Neck of the Woods took to social media last week to share the 'heavy news' of its closure due to increasing debt. Following this news, a GiveaLittle page dedicated to saving the venue was set up by a group of musicians and promoters - and the fundraiser met its target of $150,000. Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall says it's a challenge to keep these spaces going - and this is good news for the arts and entertainment sector.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's leader says the party will be ramping up its messaging as it heads towards polling day. The party's holding its AGM and its first rally of election year today, less than a week after TVNZ's Verian poll showed the party at its lowest point since entering Government.  David Seymour says the party's been heavily focused on the work of governing - and has its sights on another term in power.  Newstalk ZB political reporter Azaria Howell says the party will be unveiling its new deputy leader today - as well as some new policies.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nerves are being frayed in Venezuela with another strong 5.6 magnitude aftershock today - following the massive earthquakes earlier in the week. The death toll has surpassed 1400 people - with over 3,000 people injured and thousands still missing. International aid is flowing in, with specialized search and rescue teams also on the ground. Save the Children Venezuela director Fatima Andraca says it's a stressful situation, but Venezuelans are strong. She explained amidst the suffering and confusion, there's still a feeling of hope - which is important. To learn more, click here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Cup dream is over for the All Whites following yesterday's loss. New Zealand's exited the tournament after group play, losing their final game 5-1 to Belgium. Former All Whites player and coach Ricki Herbert says New Zealand's had some great moments in this year's event, but the country lacks the kind of urgency and determination needed to get ahead. "This has been a team that a lot of people back in New Zealand have held high, and I think we were looking forward to seeing a winning result out of the group and probably, potentially, moving out of the group into the next stage. So they'll be disappointed."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday, an article with Stuff owner and CEO Sinead Boucher was released on their website.   It was a wide ranging interview that included discussion about the significant impact big tech companies such as Google, Meta, and TikTok are having on traditional, New Zealand owned media companies. These platforms attract the vast majority of New Zealand’s digital advertising spend, but due to a lack of regulation they avoid paying a meaningful tax bill in New Zealand. This is galling for local media companies who invest in journalism and content, only to watch big tech scrape, crawl and extract this content for their own gain.   We’ve all seen the result of this disruption. Local newspapers, television broadcasters and online news outlets have experienced declining revenues, leading to newsroom closures and job losses. We can’t blame big tech entirely for the challenges facing traditional media. Consumer habits have shifted towards digital platforms and local media companies have struggled to adapt to audience expectations and preferences.  The Government should have a legitimate and important role to play in all of this, but are nowhere to be seen. They could be regulating big tech to create a fair and competitive digital marketplace and to protect the public interest by maintaining a strong, independent media sector which supports democracy and informed public debate.  So why is the Government continuing to drag its feet when to comes to anything to do with big tech? Be it social media bans, criminalising deep fakes, requiring digital platforms to negotiate payments for news content, or making them pay an appropriate amount of tax? Is it too hard or too complex? Is there a lack of interest? Or is it self-serving?  Boucher shared some concerning feedback she’s had from politicians: “There’s some actual things that senior politicians have said to me in the last year: One said ‘If you were nicer to us, maybe we would care if you lived or died’. Another said ‘We effectively weighed up the interests of you and big tech and decided they were more important to the country than journalistic organisations’.”   Boucher also claimed politicians today are thinner-skinned than they used to be, which they quite possibly are. If you can’t handle scrutiny, I’m not sure you’re in the right job. But after watching Scrutiny Week in Parliament I would suggest politicians are as brutal to their colleagues as the media can be to them. I’ve had politicians complain to me about a media organisation or individual journalist before, but there has always been an understanding that democracy requires the fourth estate and that where there are politicians there will be media, and vice versa.   I’m giving politicians the benefit of the doubt that they’re not so petty as to allow the demise of democracy because of their own fears, self-interest and inadequacies.   But it still begs the question, with all its social harm, misinformation, disinformation, scams, deep fakes, AI slop and disregard for suppression, why is the NZ Government so scared of making a move against big tech?   Unfortunately, I suspect it’s a clear sign of who wears the pants in the relationship. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A book described as ‘the most devastating royal biography ever’ has been reissued, with new material on the behaviour of the former Prince Andrew revealed. Author Andrew Lownie has updated his book on the former Duke and Duchess of York with a new chapter about Andrew and Sarah's behaviour based off interviews with multiple sources and numerous official information requests. Lownie says the update is designed to give people more information following Andrew's arrest in February - and speculate about the former royal's future. "We've got victims who are coming forward, we've got police investigations now, in several countries and several police forces. So I can give you another prediction - we're going to get plenty more new material."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See. Some readers may remember her wonderful book The Island of Sea Women a few years ago which was simply outstanding - she writes terrific historical fiction. This new one is set in1870 when three Chinese women arrive separately in the tiny settlement of Los Angeles where they build new lives amidst racism and hardship. Dove, Petal and Moon navigate heartbreak, homesickness and friendship in a fascinating insight into that era, supported by photos and extensive research. Rule of Lies by Jamison T.Firestone. Extraordinary nonfiction. This young American lawyer moved to the Soviet Union just as it was starting to unravel, where he was able to make the most of the newly arrived capitalism sweeping through Russia. The trouble was, so too did many of those coming out of the former USSR, with state sponsored corruption, theft and sabotage happening on an industrial scale. This is a jaw dropping account about a truly unbelievable time – just wait til you read about the IKEA scam. Fans of Bill Browder’s books will love it.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vancouver's getting some extra attention this year as the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues - but what does the region offer outside of football? Vancouver is regarded as a very walkable city and a hugely popular cruise port.  Bloggeratlarge.com writer Megan Singleton revealed what you can do in Vancouver - and what cruises give you the best experience.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadcaster and journalist Wilhemina O’Keefe and ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  The Green Party’s election tax package has accidentally been released early, with the Herald discovering it online hours before it was meant to be officially launched. Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was set to appear on ZB and then backed out of her interview. What do we make of this? Could the Greens have handled this better?  National has promised changes to Kiwisaver will come if they're re-elected. Do we think this is the right move? And what did we make of the earlier coalition comments?  And the Hurricanes have breezed their way to a Super Rugby victory last night. What did we think of the game? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three years ago, OceanGate’s Titan submersible imploded while on a journey to view the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five people on board. Christine Dawood's 48-year-old husband and 19-year-old son, Suleman and Shazhana Dawood, were among the people killed on the historic dive trip.  Dawood has since shared her story of that week, and the subsequent grief following her losses, in a new memoir - 96 Hours. "Even though, obviously, we knew they are not here, that they were missing - sometimes, speaking out, the reality hits you and you don't want it to be true." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 21 June. Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.