Episodios

  • Francesca Rudkin: Why are we in such a retail frenzy?
    Nov 29 2025

    Audio file

    FR EDITORIAL 301125.mp3

    Transcript

    So, did you get yourself a bargain on Black Friday or some kind of good deal in the last 10 days that may also be associated with a Black Friday? I've done quite a bit of Christmas shopping this weekend, most of it online through Kiwi retailers, and have saved at least the shipping costs or up to maybe 25% savings, which, you know, it all adds up.

    There have been warnings this week about being sucked into Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Consumer New Zealand, they did a three-month investigation. They tracked 10 products at four major retailers, and they found that half of the items could have been bought at the same or lower prices at some point in the last three months.

    But I think we all know this. Black Friday is a brilliantly executed marketing campaign. The reality is a lot of discounts are a token gesture, but if you do your homework and you have a bit of luck, you can find something you wanted for a good price. And I think that we approach shopping differently these days, driven by the fact a lot of the big retailers have sales all the time.

    If we look at the main sales at this time of the year, people go shopping at Labour Weekend, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and hey, look, if you've missed out, Boxing Day is only about four weeks away. So you'd be an idiot to buy something when it wasn't on sale. But hopefully all the spending will still be giving retailers the lift they need.

    This week there was a little bit of good news from Stats New Zealand with data showing that the total volume of sales increased 1.9% in the September quarter compared to the June 2025 quarter. And this is the largest quarterly increase in activity since December 2021.

    Last year, payment provider data showed that more than $175 million was spent at core retail merchants during Black Friday weekend. And it's going to be really interesting to see what the figure is this year. And retail, there sort of seems to be a little bit of a frenzy around retail at the moment.

    Look at the anticipation around IKEA opening in Auckland's Mount Wellington this week on December 4th. Good on AT for warning shoppers there could potentially be 40-minute delays to get off the motorway. And then it may take an hour to find a car park. You were warned. You may think it's unnecessary, but we all know what it's like when we hit that traffic on the motorway and we stop.

    Look, I know. It's exciting. I care opening. I have a kid going flatting next year and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up buying a flat pack of some sort. But IKEA's not going anywhere. Do yourself a favour and give it some time before you descend on the Swedish giant. Or better still, shop at some of our very own Kiwi excellent flat pack furniture stores. But look, if you're less patient than me and you're prepared to deal with the traffic, best of luck out there.

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    3 m
  • Barnaby Wier: 'The Black Seeds' frontman talks ahead of Synthony festival
    Nov 29 2025

    The hugely popular Synthony Festival is going ahead at the end of March.

    Synthony has taken off over the last few years – with the 2025 festival selling out and 40,000 people attending.

    2026 will be the first Synthony Festival for The Black Seeds – and their front man Barnaby Weir told Francesca Rudkin that he is looking forward to the festival.

    'To get an invite, to such a huge, awesome gig, which is already proven and has a huge clientele, a huge audience is really great for us.'

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    12 m
  • Erin O'Hara: Wellness expert discusses 'Sleepmaxxing' trend
    Nov 29 2025

    A social media trend called 'Sleepmaxxing' involving elaborate routines and hacks to maximize sleep quality and quantity, has been growing in popularity.

    Social media wellness content is giving advice about sleep - how to get more of it; how to improve it; how to measure whether you’re getting quality sleep and commonly marketing sleep aids (sometimes expensive).

    But are there downsides to following a trend when it comes to your own health? Wellness expert Erin O'Hara breaks down the facts.

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    3 m
  • Full Show Podcast: 30 November 2025
    Nov 29 2025

    On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 30 November 2025, there's Oscars buzz around Russell Crowe for his portrayal of Hitlers right hand man in new film Nuremberg. This week Russell tells Francesca why he's not interested in another Academy Award.

    Over the last few years Synthony Festival has taken off, The Black Seeds are playing the festival for the first time, front man Barnaby Weir talks about preparing for the uniquely different performance.

    Chris Hipkins is in campaign mode, he shares just how he plans to get a Labour victory at the next election, and Francesca shares a warning ahead of Ikea opening this week.

    And science has discovered we don't become "real adults" until much later in life than we though, Dr Michelle Dickinson shares the details.

    Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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    1 h y 57 m
  • Mike van de Elzen: Christmas platters for the holiday season
    Nov 29 2025
    Chili pickled vegetables

    Cook time: 5 minutes

    Prep time: 10 minutes

    Serves: 12

    Pickled vegetables can include:

    Carrots, fennel, baby beetroot, radish, red onions, cucumbers or red cabbage

    1 tbsp fennel seeds

    1 tbsp coriander seeds

    2 fresh chili, sliced

    2 bay leaves

    1 tsp mustard seeds

    300 ml cider vinegar

    250 ml water

    1/4 cup sugar

    1/2 tsp salt

    Jar and lid

    Firstly prepare the vegetables for pickling. Clean all the vegetables and cut in 1/2 or 1/4 or finely slice. Trying to make all the vegetable pieces roughly the same size.

    To make your pickle mixture, start by toasting your seeds in a pan until fragrant. Place the rest of the pickling mixture ingredients into a pot, adding seeds once toasted and heat until boiling.

    Remove the pickling mixture from the heat and carefully pour the hot mixture over the top of the vegetables and seal with a lid. (If pickling cucumbers or finely sliced veg allow mixture to cool first)

    Roasted beetroot & cummin hummus

    Cook time: 45 minutes

    Prep time: 10 minutes

    Serves: 6-8

    2 cups chickpeas, soaked overnight in water

    2 whole beetroot

    1 tbsp cooking oil

    2 tbsp tahini

    1 tsp baking powder

    11 tsp cummin powder

    Sea salt

    Pre-heat the oven to 180*c

    Individually wrap the beetroot in tin-foil, drizzle over a little oil and sprinkle over a touch of salt before wrapping.

    Place into the oven and cook for 30 minutes before testing. Test by inserting a small knife to see if the beetroot is cooked. Once cooked allow to cool before removing skin.

    While the beetroot is cooking, place the soaked chickpeas into a large pot, cover with cold water and add a touch of salt and the baking powder. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Once cooked drain.

    Place the beetroot into a food processor and biltz until smooth. Add the chickpeas and biltz until smooth. Add the tahini, curry powder and seasalt to finish.

    Yoghurt flatbreads w coriander butter

    Cook time: 2 minutes

    Prep time: 10

    Serves: 6-8

    Flat breads

    350g bread flour

    2 tsp baking powder

    350g natural yoghurt

    1 tsp salt

    Coriander butter

    200 gm unsalted-butter

    1 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped

    1/2 tsp sea salt

    4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

    For the flat breads

    Combine all the bread ingredients together in a bowl and mix with a spoon, then use your hands to pat and bring everything together.

    Dust a clean work surface with flour, tip out the dough. Knead for a minute or so just to pull everything together, before leaving while you make the coriander butter.

    For the butter, Add to the butter and mix in the rest of the ingredients.

    Re-dust a clean surface with flour, divide the dough into small balls.

    Flatten with your hands, then using a rolling pin roll roughly 3mm thick. Either place dough into a griddle pan on a high heat or onto a tray in a very hot oven.

    As soon as they are coloured remove and brush with a coriander butter and cut into random pieces.

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    6 m
  • Dr. Michelle Dickinson: New study reveals we don't reach adulthood until our 30s
    Nov 29 2025

    We often think of brain development as something that happens in childhood, stabilises in adulthood, and then gradually declines.

    However new research published in the journal Nature Communications suggests our brains actually move through five distinct eras, each with its own strengths, vulnerabilities, and turning points.

    Researchers analysed MRI brain scans from nearly 4,000 people aged between newborn and 90 years old. Their goal was to understand how the brain’s internal wiring, changes over a lifetime.

    Dr. Michelle Dickinson joins Francesca Rudkin to break-down and analyse the study.

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    5 m
  • Steve Newall: Flicks.co.nz editor reviews the third 'Knives Out' movie
    Nov 29 2025

    'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' - the third instalment in the 'Knives Out' series has received a positive review from Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall.

    He told Francesca Rudkin that the film is, 'really humour laced, really strong performances, and the sort of film as well that I think really benefits from not having your phone in your lap.'

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    6 m
  • Russell Crowe: Hollywood A-Lister discusses historic upcoming movie
    Nov 29 2025

    Kiwi born Hollywood star Russell Crowe has played many intense roles in his career.

    But his latest might be his most intense yet.

    Heading back to world war 2, Russell plays Hitlers right hand man Hermann Goring in ‘Nuremberg’, the film focusing on the duel between psychologist Douglas Kelley and Goring, in the lead up to the post war trial.

    Crowe told Francesca Rudkin that he had to do a lot of background reading before playing the part.

    'So you have to find those moments of what I call quiet contemplation, where you get to really think through and learn about what you're doing.'

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    16 m