The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Jay Ryan made a name for himself by appearing in New Zealand TV classics like Go Girls and Creamerie, but he's been able to take his skills overseas.  He's making an impact overseas, picking up international recognition for roles in Beauty and the Beast and It Chapter Two.  His latest acting project sees him returning to New Zealand shores - to star in the new psychological thriller TV show The Ridge. "I've been very fortunate to go to different parts of the world and film - and now the world's much smaller...you can be anywhere, you can live in a small part of New Zealand and still have your foot in the door for Hollywood. I've been very lucky." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. An elderly man is found dead by his neighbour, 81-year-old Elsie. No one suspects foul play - until they discover that in the 1950's, Elsie’s name was Mabel, and she was the youngest person in Australian history to be convicted of murder – at which point the media circus arrives on her doorstep and the police take an interest, and she decides it might finally be time to tell her story. It’s a charming read with genuine human interest. Perspective by Shaun Johnson. He is of course the rugby league legend who has had a remarkable career on the field, and who is very interesting off it. The sheer grit and determination – to say nothing of the skills required – are extraordinary, but this is also the story of a man who ultimately felt that he was being judged on 80 minutes of football a week, and on little else and has also had to fight hard to maintain his perspective. I’m not a rugby league expert but I’m fascinated by the discipline and the pressure that he put himself under, and what it takes to survive it. It’s a really good read.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Megan Singleton's been taking in Rarotonga, and she recently got the chance to try out a unique snorkelling experience. She got the chance to try out sea scooter snorkelling, and she recapped her 'amazing' experience. Read more about Megan's Rarotonga experience here.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, Coast day host Lorna Riley and partner at Freebairn and Hehir, Liam Hehir, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Ahead of Thursday's planned strike action, Judith Collins penned an open letter claiming the strikes are more about politics than outcomes. Is this a panic move by the Government? What do we make of all this?  Prince Andrew will no longer be known as the Duke of York following ongoing turmoil surrounding his alleged involvement with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. What do we think will happen next?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 19 October 2025, Boy Swallows Universe author Trent Dalton talks about mining his own life for his books and the risks he's taken just for a story. Kiwi acting export Jay Ryan on his new show 'The Ridge' and discusses the threat of AI on his industry. Public Service Minister Judith Collins has fired a shot at unions ahead of this weeks mega strikes.  Minister Collins explains the purpose of the letter to Francesca and PPTA President Chris Abercrombie responds. And why do you cry when cutting onions? Dr Michelle Dickinson has the latest science that explains it all. 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.

Ika Mata  Prep time: 40 minutes  Serves: 12 300gm firm white flesh fish   Juice of 2 limes   Juice of 2 lemons   1 small red onion, diced   1 small cucumber, diced   2 red chilli, deseeded and diced   1 cup spring onion, sliced flaky salt   1 cup coriander, roughly chopped   2 cups coconut cream Slice the fish into 5mm cubes and place into a non-reactive container. Squeeze over the juice of both the lime and lemon. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Leave for up to 3 hours if you want the fish fully cooked.   Combine the red onion, cucumber, capsicum, chili, spring onion, salt, coriander and coconut cream, season to taste.   Drain the fish, combine with the coconut mixture.   Chill till required.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone who has ever sliced an onion, knows the eye stinging feeling and watering that comes with it.  A new study from researchers at Cornell University, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has uncovered exactly how those eye-stinging onion chemicals blast into the air and revealed a surprisingly simple way to stop them.  Onions have long been known to release an irritant called propanethial S-oxide, a sulphur-based compound that triggers your eyes’ tear reflex. But what no one really understood, until now, was how that chemical escapes from the onion and launches itself straight toward your face.  Using high-speed cameras and computer modelling, the Cornell team watched in extreme slow motion what actually happens when a knife slices through an onion.  They found a two stage tear cascade  As your knife presses down, it creates pressure within the tightly packed onion cells. Each onion layer is trapped between two skins, a top and a bottom forming little pressurised chambers.  When the knife finally breaks through the top layer, all that pressure releases in an instant shooting a fine mist of droplets into the air.  Then comes stage two - slower streams of fluid form into droplets that continue to spray outward.  The researchers dubbed this phenomenon the two-stage tear cascade a microscopic explosion that propels irritant droplets at astonishing speeds of 18 to 143 km per hour.  The scientists discovered that your choice of knife, and how you use it makes a big difference.  A sharp knife creates a cleaner, slower cut, releasing far fewer droplets. But a blunt blade, especially when used quickly, causes chaos smashing through onion layers, increasing pressure, and launching more mist into the air.  So, the simple takeaway? Keep your knives sharp and slice slowly.  Alternatively, coating the onion in oil before cutting can also help trap the mist, though that might be less convenient for everyday cooking.  Beyond just helping us cook without crying, this research offers fascinating insights into fluid dynamics, food safety, and the everyday physics hiding in your kitchen.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trent Dalton's made a name for himself as one of Australia's biggest authors, and he's back with something that's more personal. He's best known for his 2018 novel, Boy Swallows Universe, which was adapted into an award-winning Netflix series last year. His new book, Gravity Let Me Go, promises to be more auto-biographical, as it tells the story of a character in crisis as he works to tell more stories. "It's so funny that as I'm talking about a book that is all about that, that I am inside the busiest period of my life...the whole story of Gravity Let Me Go is this journo who keeps obsessing about the story of his lifetime and he's in danger of missing an even bigger scoop, and that's something that's involving his wife and kids, and that's the story of my life." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns among some that sunscreen poses a risk, and the high-profile product recalls in recent months have prompted discussion. Some believe sunscreen is toxic or linked to disease and skin cancer - and some believe it's not needed because vitamin D is good for health. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara debunked these concerns, and revealed how to choose the right sun-protection products. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several Kiwi industry leaders and screen businesses have teamed up to officially launch Screen NZ International, an industry body designed to boost New Zealand's film industry. The organisation aims to help New Zealand remain a competitive screen destination by building relationships with clients and promoting the country internationally. Screen NZ International executive chair Mel Turner says the organisation wants to see New Zealand be 'globally competitive'. "It's a fierce global market out there for international productions coming into New Zealand, so we want to focus on the industry becoming more sustainable and future-focused."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Labour Party is set to unveil their economic policy in the coming days, and speculation's growing.  Reports indicate a new tax plan will soon be announced - but it's likely the upcoming release will cover a wide range of economic topics. NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse speculates further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An estimated 100,000 workers are set to go on strike this coming Thursday, despite warnings from the Public Service Minister. Judith Collins has penned a letter to New Zealanders claiming the planned industrial action is 'unfair' and 'unwarranted'. PPTA president Chris Abercrombie has responded to Judith Collins's critique of unions being political by saying - of course they are.  "Well, we're dealing with the Government, so it has to be political. The Government makes the decisions about NCEA, they make the decisions about curriculum, they make decisions about AI marking - they make all these decisions. So it has to be political." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Public Service Minister has penned an open letter to New Zealanders before a major mega strike this coming week. An estimated 100,000 workers across the health and education sector plan to walk off the job on Thursday.  Minister Judith Collins says the strikes will impact children and families and believes they appear politically motivated.  She says primary school principals have taken a more commendable approach.  "They've been able to reach a very good settlement by staying at the bargaining table, and this seems to be very much focused on politics, rather than the actual outcomes." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In August 2022, former Prime Minister Jim Bolger joined Newstalk ZB's Francesca Rudkin on The Sunday Session to launch his new book 'Fridays with Jim'. Listen to the chat above and read more his interview below. Jim Bolger entered the New Zealand political scene in 1972. A self-taught son of Irish Immigrants, the King Country farmer lead the National party to victory in 1990 and became the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand. Then came three-terms as head of Government, a business leader and New Zealand ambassador to the United States. Jim Bolger is a familiar public face, but a couple of years ago, it occurred to journalist and author David Cohen that we didn’t know that much about Jim Bolger the man. There came about Fridays with Jim, a book based on conversations between the pair about our country. In it, he speaks about his childhood and love for 'living on the land'. Bolger told Francesca Rudkin it's something that's driven his view on climate change which he says New Zealand is wonderful at talking about, but not doing anything about it. "You know, we will get a vaccine to control coronavirus, but there is no vaccine to control climate change." He also says there needs to be some radical rethinking when it comes to New Zealand's economy. Bolger says one thing that needs to be dealt with is raising the retirement age. He says his Government lifted the age to 65 because they couldn't afford to give retirement income at 60. He says it's a challenge facing this Government too. "We have to address the issue, it won't go away. "The number of people in the aged 65 bracket is going to double in the next 20 years."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chef, author and broadcaster Peta Mathias lives a wonderfully full life, full of gastronomic tours of the world's top food destinations. When she's not leading foodie tours through the likes of Italy, Spain, France, Morocco and India, she's following summer - by teaching cooking classes in the South of France before returning to New Zealand in time for our summer. She's written about her life as part of her collection of essays bundled into a new book - It's Been Six Weeks Since My Last Confession. "I went from being really disheartened and being - I'll never write a book again, to, oh, okay, why don't I just take control of my life. That's how it happened." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. Sonia and Sunny live, study and work in America, but their families back home in India worry about the loneliness they feel in a strange country and try to bring them together. They do eventually connect, but relationships in their new world are not straightforward and there are a lot of things to navigate including finding the place where they belong - plus class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. This is huge, epic and outstanding. Last Rites by Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy’s memoir, for which the last chapter was handed in just days before he died. He tells the story of an extraordinary life...someone who began his stage career as something of a pariah for outrageous behaviour, and ended up selling more than 100 million albums and becoming a beloved son of Birmingham, and the world. This is unfiltered rock ‘n roll. What a life!  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Megan Singleton's latest travel adventure has taken her to Rarotonga, and she's noticed more people seem to be flocking to the islands. Between the variety of accommodation options, the bars and restaurants and wildlife - including crabs, whales, friendly dogs and turtles to snorkel with - there's plenty of options for all prospective travellers.   Megan unveiled her personal highlights - read more about her travel tips here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, Director at Capital, Ben Thomas, and NZ Herald senior writer, Simon Wilson, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The local body elections wrapped up this weekend and recent data is showing the voter turnout was historically low. Why don’t people take local body elections seriously? Is it a lack of decent candidates? Is it a thankless task? Do we need to change the way we vote? Both Andrew Little and Wayne Brown have mentioned working with central Government as being part of their plan - does there need to be a stronger relationship between local and central Government to get things done? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research indicates making healthy choices might require more effort than updating your grocery list. A new study claims women's eating habits are more socially sensitive, and when isolated, they're 85 percent more likely to stop eating vegetables daily and twice as likely to stop eating fruit.  The study also claims that when women's social networks shrink or become less diverse, women lose the social scaffolding that supports healthy eating patterns.  Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains the research further - and how you can make healthy choices. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.