The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

From prison to med school: Dr Timoti te Moke opens up about rough upbringing that led him to healthcare 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 that could be where I am, but due to the barriers that society put in place, they are not able to do this. Essentially, what my book is looking at is the potential this country could have if we realised that these are the barriers we have in place."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'It wasn't a difficult yes': Helena Bonham Carter talks new role in Four Letters of Love  Since launching into the spotlight in the 1985 film A Room with a View, Helena Bonham Carter has gone on to lead a memorable acting career full of iconic roles. Between The Crown, Sweeney Todd, Fight Club, the Harry Potter franchise and Ocean's 8, her film career has no shortage of iconic performances. Her latest work is a starring role in the new film Four Letters of Love, alongside Gabriel Byrne and Pierce Brosnan. She says the variety of roles she's taken on has been 'extraordinary'.  "There's been a lot of moving things, it's not been boring...I just did whatever was new." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cook time: 10mins Prep time: 30mins Serves 6 people INGREDIENTS:  6 eggspinch of salt250 gm caster sugar1 tsp vanilla paste10 tbsp plain flour2 tsp baking powder50 gm melted butter 2 punnets strawberries300 gm fresh cream1 tsp vanilla paste2 tbsp icing sugar METHOD: For the Sponge:Whisk the eggs and salt until well combined, add the sugar and vanilla paste and turn up to high. Continue to beat until the thick. Sift flour and baking powder together. Fold lightly into egg mixture. Fold in butter. Pour equally into two 20cm greased spring-form cake tins.  Bake at 200 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned, turn out onto racks and allow to cool.  Whisk the cream, vanilla and 1/2 the icing sugar, whisk until firm and set aside.  Take the strawberries and remove the green top and cut the large ones in half.  To make the cake. Place one cake as a bottom onto a platter, then cover with 1/2 the whipped cream and 1/2 the strawberries. Place the top cake on and then the remaining cream, strawberries and finish with a dusting of remaining icing sugar. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amanda Knox talks new book Free: My Search for Meaning In 2007, Amanda Knox was arrested for the brutal murder of her flatmate while studying in Italy - and it was a case that captured international attention. Amanda was found guilty, convicted of the murder and spent four years in an Italian prison - but she was later found to be wrongly convicted. 10 years after she was officially exonerated of the crime, she's told her story in her new memoir Free: My Search for Meaning. "I was immersed in a very restrictive environment...it was really important, for my sanity, to develop a sense of place and purpose." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Sunday Session expert gardener Jo McCaroll joined Francesca Rudkin for Garden Hour to answer listeners questions about getting rid of stubborn weeds, growing peaches, safe pest control, and more.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie unveils new album 'Freak Out City' Kiwi musician and comedian Bret McKenzie, best known for his work with Flight of the Conchords, is set to release his second album next week. Freak Out City is a follow-up to his 2022 solo project Songs Without Jokes. The lead off single is All I Need, and Bret McKenzie says it's inspired by his long-term relationship with his wife, Hannah. "It's funny, when you've been in a relationship that long, there are some days where you love each other more than other days... and on one of those days where things were going great, I sat down at the piano and wrote this song." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pike River: Actress Melanie Lynskey reveals why the story needed to be told New Zealanders will get an insight into the Pike River tragedy that continues to be felt by relatives - and on the West Coast. A film based on the 2010 explosion that took the lives of 29 men is being released in New Zealand this week. Starring Kiwi actresses Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm, it tells the true story of Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse's fight for justice. Lynskey says it was important for the men to be remembered as individuals. "Anyone who's had a loved one be a victim of something that becomes a national tragedy - I do think that the person that you loved, that was the most important person in your entire world, becomes kinda faceless." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director Paul Feig joined Francesca Rudkin to chat about his new movie, coming to cinemas on Boxing Day, titled The Housemaid.  Previously Feig has directed Bridesmaids (2011), A Simple Favour (2018), and Last Christmas (2019), along with a number of episodes of The Office.  The Housemaid is a drama / thriller, based off the Freida McFadden book of the same name, following a struggling woman as she starts over as a housemaid for a wealthy couple. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that the GDP has been released, was the Reserve Bank decision to hold interest rates the right one? Should the rapidly growing streaming industry pay tax in New Zealand? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 21 December. 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.

A study published this week in the journal American Psychologist has said that swearing can make you physically stronger. Participants were required to do a chair push up and those who swore were found to perform better than those who didn't. Michelle Dickinson and Francesca Rudkin discuss the study and how it might help people push through the Christmas season. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand politics has been a whirlwind this year with RBNZ drama, Te Pati Māori's meltdown, the Treaty principles bill, and local body elections. 2026 will be another big year in New Zealand politics as parties gear up for the general election which will take place sometime in the second half of the year.  Political correspondent Thomas Coughlan share shares with Francesca Rudkin with predictions of strategies and successes.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At this time of the year it’s nice to reflect on some of the good things that happened throughout the year, and just days ago the nominees for the 63rd Halberg Awards were announced. There have been some huge moments in sport this year - from world championships to domestic and international recognition, and the annual Halberg Awards nominations provide a snapshot of the breadth of Kiwi achievement.   What’s really cool to see is how track and field athletics, snow sports and a wonderfully mixed collection of other sports dominate the list of contenders for top honours. It’s been a year where individuals have excelled and teams have done pretty well, but suffered from inconsistency.  I’d like to thank Geordie Beamish, nominated for Sportsman of the Year, for providing us all with the best feel good moments of the year. At the World Athletic Championships in Tokyo he survived a fall in the 3000m steeplechase semi-final, during which a rival stood on his face, and still managed to come in second.   I thought that was going to be my most viewed sports video of 2025 – but it was surpassed days later by watching Beamish in the final become the first New Zealander to ever win track gold at a world athletics championships. It still makes me smile just thinking about the end of that race. His ‘late kick’ is a life lesson on finishing well.   Along with the extraordinary talented Hamish Kerr, who had another stellar year, and the success of emerging superstar Sam Ruthe, we’ve seen a genuine resurgence in New Zealand athletics. Alpine and snowboarders are well represented among the finalists, thanks to elite performances on international circuits. Alpine ski racer Alice Robinson is on fire at present, and I’m told by those in the know that freeskiers Luca Harrington, nominated in the Sportsman of the Year category, and Finley Melville Ives, nominated in the Emerging category, are very much medal contenders heading into the Winter Olympics next year.   But amongst all the highlights there’s also some soul searching – or maybe CEO searching - that needs to be done in 2026. The resignations of three high-profile CEOs in major sports — New Zealand Rugby’s Mark Robinson, Netball New Zealand’s Jennie Wyllie, and New Zealand Cricket’s Scott Weenink, mark a significant shake-up in national sporting leadership in 2025. Robinson’s departure from NZ Rugby follows years of navigating commercial and structural change within the sport.   In one of the biggest and messiest stories of the year, Wyllie’s exit from Netball NZ has prompted calls for greater transparency, and reflection of both governance and performance, particularly in light of contentious decisions about coaching roles.   And in Cricket, Weenink stepped down after public disputes over the sport’s direction, especially regarding the future of domestic T20 formats - suggesting there are deep strategic disagreements about how the game should evolve in New Zealand.   Clearly there’s some uncertainty ahead for three of our biggest sporting codes, but these changes also bring opportunities, a chance for fresh vision and leadership and, hopefully, better entertainment and performances for fans.   In the meantime, congratulations to all the Halberg nominees.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi actor Julian Dennison's built up an impressive acting resume between Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Deadpool 2, and How to Train Your Dragon, but he's about to make the switch to music next. Dennison is confirmed to be playing a DJ set at the upcoming Rhythm and Vines festival in Gisborne at the end of December. He says he needed another hobby to keep him going between acting gigs, and he felt inspired to explore the world of DJing after getting some advice from a friend. "He's like - man, why don't you pick up some DJing, it's a fun hobby, you get to listen to music, curate music, you can kind of do whatever you want with it. And that's kind of how it started." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy. This is by the author of the Booker Prize winning The God of Small Things - about her life growing up in India, the forces that shaped her, and particularly her very difficult relationship with her mother, Mary, who is always referred to in the book as Mrs Roy. Mrs Roy was a formidable force of nature and in trying to make sense of the dynamic between them, and to find her own way in the world, Arundhati has written a deeply moving, entertaining and profound memoir. How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. The author grew up in Jamaica where her father was a radical Rastafarian and was paranoid about keeping his daughters away from the secular world which they referred to as Babylon. Safiya’s childhood was often brutal, peripatetic and poor but she had the soul of a poet and the dream to eventually become one. It’s an extraordinary and deeply moving memoir – how one young woman eventually found the courage to stand up to her father and became the woman she never thought she could be. Anyone who read Educated and loved it will love this. The Breath of the Gods by Simon Winchester: A remarkable exploration of our atmosphere, and the role played in our lives by wind – which can be both benign and malevolent.  It’s a fascinating story told through history, literature, science, poetry and engineering – and includes a piece on our own Wahine disaster. Simon Winchester has an ability to make the everyday and apparently mundane, extraordinary. The Hollows Boys by Peta Carey. The story of the three Hollows brothers Gary, Mark and Kim, who were pivotal in the helicopter deer recovery era in Fjordland in the 1970s which was a dangerous and unregulated time. Gary Hollows died (as did many others) and the pain of that is still felt keenly today, more than 40 years on. The work they did against the backdrop of such a beautiful part of the country is jaw dropping, with high deer tallies helping keep that population down (and thereby protecting the environment), lots of money sloshing around and amazing stories of real derring do by a group of extraordinarily brave and reckless men who lived by their own rules. Mana by Tame Iti. The deeply personal account of the life of one of our greatest rebels and radicals who grew up being forbidden to speak te reo and became one of its biggest advocates (amongst many other causes). He’s lived much of his life in the public eye, going from bad boy status to that of a national treasure and the journey is well documented in this beautiful and thoughtful book. It’s a lovely production and includes lots of photographs, including some of his own artwork.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone loves a Christmas market, and travel expert Megan Singleton's examining an unconventional method to explore some of the best overseas. Megan's explored some of the best Christmas markets from the cruise ships, and she's revealed whether or not she recommends the experience.  Read more about Megan's travel tips here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson and Resident Economist at Opes Partners, Ed McKnight, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more! We've heard a lot about 'survive til 25' - are we actually feeling more optimistic about the economy as we enter the new year. How bad were things over the last few months, do we think? What are we feeling ahead of the new year? Do we think 2026 will be better? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 14 December 2025, Kiwi Hollywood actor Julian Dennison is trying out a surprise new career, he talks to Francesca before his first festival Rhythm and Vines. Dai Henwood has had rollercoaster of a year, he shares his journey, talking about comedy, honours and living with stage 4 cancer. Reddit is taking on Australia's social media ban for under-16s, constitutional law expert Rosalind Dixon on whether they have a chance of overturning the new law. And Erin O'Hara reviews the big health trends from 2025. 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.

Comedian Dai Henwood's ticked plenty of boxes over his three decades in the business, but next May, he'll take on a new challenge and host the Best Foods Comedy Gala.  The event will take place from May 1 to May 2, and it represents a career-first for the Kiwi comedy legend. Henwood says New Zealand's gone through some significant changes on the world stage, having moved from 'culturally cringe' to something meaningful.  "I'm someone who loves change and I've always loved change. So seeing how things evolve is awesome. Yet, it's so cool you have something like the gala - which in its essence has stayed the same, it is an intro to the Comedy Festival." Tickets for the event are on sale now - and if you order before December 18th, you go in the draw to win some prizes, including a signed copy of Dai’s book.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Social media and the internet is full of health advice, but what's real, practical and helpful, and what's hogwash? Many popular health habits have been exposed as myths without scientific backing or straight-up harmful, while truly healthy habits focus on moderation, balance and self-care. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.