/on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/rss ¾ÅÒ»ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ Tue, 06 May 2025 06:48:50 Z en /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/karoline-tamati-ladi6-returns-with-new-single-and-promises-new-album-to-come/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/karoline-tamati-ladi6-returns-with-new-single-and-promises-new-album-to-come/ Karoline Tamati, known to Kiwi music fans as Ladi6, is back with her new single Lightbulb - and she's confirmed there's more to come. Her upcoming new album Le Va is her first big musical project in seven years. This album promises to be a deeply personal project, as it was written as a tribute to Tamati's late mother.  "We had a very specific theme for this next record - which was that we wanted it to be more indicative of the live show. In the past, we hadn't had that so much, we'd sort of kept to the mellow end of soul and R&B." LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 04 May 2025 01:38:20 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/david-nicholls-british-author-and-screenwriter-talks-about-pressures-of-success-ahead-of-writers-festival-appearance/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/david-nicholls-british-author-and-screenwriter-talks-about-pressures-of-success-ahead-of-writers-festival-appearance/ David Nicholls is a critically acclaimed author and BAFTA-winning screenwriter - and he's set to make an appearance at this year's upcoming Auckland Writers Festival. His bestselling book One Day sold millions of copies and went on to become a successful hit series on Netflix. Off the back of his latest hit novel, You Are Here, Nicholls plans to address Kiwi fans - and open up about the pressures of success. "I've written a lot of books set in the past and a lot of books with quite a large time scale - and this is like a little delicate chamber piece, even though it takes place against all these mountains and lakes and rivers. It's a character study."  LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 04 May 2025 01:14:51 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/whitcoulls-recommends-my-name-is-emilia-del-valle-and-the-pretender/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/whitcoulls-recommends-my-name-is-emilia-del-valle-and-the-pretender/ My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende. Any new book from the wonderful Isabel Allende is a treat, and this is no exception. It begins in 1866 when an Irish nun becomes pregnant after an encounter with a wealthy Chilean who turns his back on them, and the baby and her mother have to fight for their place in the world. The child, Emilia del Valle, eventually becomes a writer and a journalist, and is eventually sent to cover the Chilean civil war along with a friend and colleague, Eric Whelan. There is history here as well as the romance, which makes it truly fascinating along with the romance. It was an extraordinary time.  The Pretender by Jo Harkin. Set in 15th Century England at the juncture between the Plantaganets and the Tudors, this is fiction which is fun, bawdy, historically interesting and never takes itself too seriously. It tells the story of a young boy who through his lifetime is known by a series of names. Firstly, he’s John Collett, growing up on a farm from which he’s one day uplifted by a couple of noblemen, becoming known as Lambert Simnel and told that he is in fact the 17th Earl of Warwick and will challenge King Henry 7th for the Crown. I loved it.  LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 04 May 2025 00:59:25 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/megan-singleton-bloggeratlarge-writer-on-auckland-airport-moving-the-pick-up-and-drop-off-zone-for-ubers/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/megan-singleton-bloggeratlarge-writer-on-auckland-airport-moving-the-pick-up-and-drop-off-zone-for-ubers/ After 11 years of operating in New Zealand, Ubers can now drop passengers off out front by the doors at Auckland Airport's domestic terminal. Instead of walking a couple hundred meters from the domestic terminal and through the car rental garage, people in Ubers can enjoy the same convenience as the taxi and shuttle bus riders.   BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton unpacked this latest announcement - and gave a brief update on the progress of Auckland International Airport's construction. LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 04 May 2025 00:54:27 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/erin-ohara-naturopath-and-wellness-expert-reveals-what-vaping-can-do-to-your-lungs/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/erin-ohara-naturopath-and-wellness-expert-reveals-what-vaping-can-do-to-your-lungs/ New studies have shown that vaping may not be the perfect silver bullet set to bring down nicotine consumption. Recent data shows that people who vape, even without a smoking history, are at a higher risk of developing COPD than non-vapers. Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains the research further. LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 04 May 2025 00:41:27 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/the-sunday-panel-is-the-trump-slump-impacting-overseas-politics/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/the-sunday-panel-is-the-trump-slump-impacting-overseas-politics/ This week on The Sunday Panel, Resident Economist at Opes Partners, Ed McKnight, and host of the Front Page podcast, Chelsea Daniels, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Over in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese secured a second term as Prime Minister. This comes days after Mark Carney won the role of Prime Minister - with experts claiming anti-Trump sentiment helped propel his win. Do we think anti-Trump sentiment helped boost these candidates?  Finance Minister Nicola Willis has refused to rule out means-testing for KiwiSaver ahead of the 2025 Budget. Do we agree with means-testing the Government contribution? LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 04 May 2025 00:17:15 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/full-show-podcast-04-may-2025/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/full-show-podcast-04-may-2025/ On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 4 May 2025, critically acclaimed author and BAFTA winning screenwriter, David Nicholls on the fear he still gets when releasing a book. Ladi6 on the impact of losing her mum, new music and why she's turning towards helping others. Anthony Albanese has won the Australian election in a landslide, correspondent Murray Olds on what went wrong for the opposition Liberals and former New Zealand Minister Steven Joyce shares his thoughts on the shift in world politics away from MAGA style politics. Francesca reminisces about the days of school banking and Mike Van de Elzen weights in on the recipe stoush brewing over the Tasman between two popular food bloggers. Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 04 May 2025 00:12:46 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/mike-van-de-elzen-can-you-copyright-a-recipe/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/mike-van-de-elzen-can-you-copyright-a-recipe/ Nagi Maehashi, founder of  popular food blog RecipeTin Eats, says influencer Brooke Bellamy's new cookbook ‘Bake with Brooki’ plagiarised some recipes from her blog. Maehashi claimed Bellamy's book contained uncannily similar ingredients, quantities, and instructions for a caramel slice and baklava.   Mike van de Elzen explained whether you could really claim ownership over a recipe. LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 04 May 2025 00:03:10 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/laurie-winkless-physicist-and-science-writer-on-the-risks-of-new-zealands-major-cities-sinking/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/laurie-winkless-physicist-and-science-writer-on-the-risks-of-new-zealands-major-cities-sinking/ No coastal city is immune to rising sea levels - and one expert has warned New Zealand could be at risk of sinking shorelines. A new study from a group of New Zealand researchers shows human activity is exacerbating the risks of oceans rising and impacting land.  Physicist and science writer Laurie Winkless says oceans are getting warmer and glaciers are melting - and it's something that should be considered for future urban planning. LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 03 May 2025 23:49:54 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/steve-newall-flicksconz-editor-on-fyre-festival-going-up-for-sale/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/steve-newall-flicksconz-editor-on-fyre-festival-going-up-for-sale/ The Fyre Festival brand has gone up for sale - a matter of weeks after the organisers postponed Fyre Festival 2 with no new date set. Billy McFarland, the former organiser who served six years in prison after the 2017 event, claimed giving control of the festival to a new group would help build on the global entertainment brand. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall wonders if anyone will pay for the event. LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 03 May 2025 23:35:20 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/fergus-wheeler-death-without-debt-spokesperson-on-the-organisations-plan-to-help-kiwis-bring-funeral-costs-down/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/fergus-wheeler-death-without-debt-spokesperson-on-the-organisations-plan-to-help-kiwis-bring-funeral-costs-down/ New data has revealed the average cost of a funeral in New Zealand has surged to $14,000 - and one charitable organisation hopes to help Kiwis bring these costs down. Advocacy group Death Without Debt believes a DIY funeral can be done for little more than $1,000 - if people know how. Convenor Fergus Wheeler says families could manage the process with no loss of dignity and for far less. "Things like - moving a body around, not to embalm a body. You can register the death yourself, you don't need a funeral director to do that." LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 03 May 2025 23:16:49 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/sophie-trigger-zb-senior-political-reporter-speculates-about-the-pre-budget-announcements/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/sophie-trigger-zb-senior-political-reporter-speculates-about-the-pre-budget-announcements/ There's less than a month left to go until the 2025 Budget - and there's plenty of speculation about the announcements to come. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has been clear in her initial statements that this coming Budget will be focused on getting the books back in order. The Government has slashed its operating allowance to just $1.3 billion dollars - a substantial drop from the $2.4 billion forecast by Treasury.   ZB senior political reporter Sophie Trigger says it's been made clear this won't be a 'lolly scramble' Budget. LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 03 May 2025 23:03:46 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/steven-joyce-former-finance-minister-on-the-implications-of-australia-and-canadas-election-results/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/steven-joyce-former-finance-minister-on-the-implications-of-australia-and-canadas-election-results/ Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's re-election is cementing a belief US policy is influencing voters abroad.  The Labor Party has secured a historic, and comfortable win over Peter Dutton's Liberal National Coalition - with Dutton himself ousted from his own Queensland seat.  Over in Canada, Mark Carney secured the role of Prime Minister - with experts claiming anti-Trump sentiment helped propel his win. Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce says the political right has learned the same lesson as the left about online 'echo chambers'. "The broad middle of politics is much more pragmatic about what they want to see happen in the world, they're not so much interested in the culture wars - be they on the left or on the right." LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 03 May 2025 22:50:55 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/murray-olds-australian-correspondent-on-anthony-albanese-getting-re-elected-for-a-second-term/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/murray-olds-australian-correspondent-on-anthony-albanese-getting-re-elected-for-a-second-term/ Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is returning to the top job, after a decisive election win that was well predicted. He's the country's first leader to win back-to-back elections since John Howard in 2004, pushing his party back into office - this time with an even larger majority.  Meanwhile, the night proved a big loss for opposition leader Peter Dutton - after he lost his seat of Dickson in Queensland and conceded defeat.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this was an 'epic' win for Labor - and a significant loss for the opposition. "Unless Labor really stuffs things up, it's going to have another election win in three years time, because the Liberals - the conservative right of Australian politics - is in complete disarray this morning." LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 03 May 2025 22:28:09 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/gillian-swinton-author-of-the-good-life-opens-up-about-her-experience-homesteading-in-central-otago/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/gillian-swinton-author-of-the-good-life-opens-up-about-her-experience-homesteading-in-central-otago/ Gillian Swinton grew up watching her grandmother maintain a family farm in Northern Scotland - and used her experience to cultivate the rural lands of New Zealand. Now based in Central Otago, Gillian and her partner Hamish live on a 2.7 hectare property - embracing their own journey of living a self-sufficient and more simple life. Gillian has shared her own story of homesteading with tips and tricks in her new book The Good Life. "All of a sudden, we've got two-and-a-half hectares and sheep and bees - and it snowballed."  LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 27 Apr 2025 01:20:37 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/chris-whitaker-author-reflects-on-creative-journey-ahead-of-writers-festival-appearance/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/chris-whitaker-author-reflects-on-creative-journey-ahead-of-writers-festival-appearance/ Epic thriller All the Colours of Dark was one of the must-read books of 2024 - but author Chris Whitaker's road to success was a long one. Whitaker has suffered his share of trauma - childhood abuse, stabbing, and losing millions of pounds as a stockbroker. He turned to writing - a move he credits with saving his life. Ahead of his upcoming appearance at Auckland Writers Festival, Whitaker says it was a 'vulnerable' place putting his creative work out for audience approval.  "It felt like I didn't have anything else to offer - that was then, obviously, but now I've started writing a new book and I'm in love with that." LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:55:24 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/whitcoulls-recommends-1985-a-novel-and-high-heels-and-gumboots/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/whitcoulls-recommends-1985-a-novel-and-high-heels-and-gumboots/ 1985: A Novel by Dominic Hoey. Set in Auckland in the mid 80’s as the title suggests, this is the story of a young man coming of age in a dysfunctional family in Grey Lynn before it became gentrified, when the area and many of the people who lived in it were rough, not necessarily law abiding and where there seemed sometimes to be no future. Obi and his best friend Al discover a map which they believe leads to treasure, and which they hope will turn their fortunes around. The book is extremely atmospheric of the era, and took me right back. Terrific local fiction. High Heels and Gumboots by Rebecca Hayter. Rebecca is a sailor and a journalist, often combining the two things, who turned her back on Auckland and bought a property in Golden Bay, where she had grown up many years earlier. It’s a story about leaving the city and discovering independence and self sufficiency, a strong community to call her own, and finding ways to come to terms with the fractious relationship she had had with her mother, who was something of a legend in the area.  LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:42:55 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/megan-singleton-bloggeratlargecom-writer-on-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-spending-to-earn-airpoints/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/megan-singleton-bloggeratlargecom-writer-on-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-spending-to-earn-airpoints/ One of the perks of using credit cards is the Airpoints rewards - but there's benefits and pitfalls involved. A Platinum AMEX, for instance, will give you points for every $70 spent - but it comes with a higher annual fee than the Airpoints Low Fee Visa card. You can also earn Airpoints through New World's rewards programme, but it takes a bit of spending to make a significant impact. BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton explains further. LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:34:12 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/the-sunday-panel-do-we-agree-with-the-vatican-asking-people-not-to-take-selfies-with-the-late-pope/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/the-sunday-panel-do-we-agree-with-the-vatican-asking-people-not-to-take-selfies-with-the-late-pope/ This week on The Sunday Panel, NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson and journalist and editor Jo McCarroll joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Should Kiwis have more say over the state of the health system? Can health ever become bi-partisan? Do we believe it is a matter of doing things differently with the money we have, rather than continually expecting more money to be the answer?   Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world came together to pay tribute to the Pope - but the amount of people taking selfies raised a few eyebrows. Does this cross the line? LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:20:43 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/full-show-podcast-27-april-2025/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/full-show-podcast-27-april-2025/ On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 27 April 2025, author of smash hit 'All the Colours of the Dark' tells Francesca of the traumatic life events that inspire his writing. Scottish expat homesteader Gillian Swinton shares her journey to living self-sufficiently in Central Otago. New Zealand Archbishop Cardinal John Dew attended the funeral of Pope Francis overnight, he shares his experience from St Peters Square and explains his role in picking the next Pope.  Blogger at Large's Megan Singleton gives us tips to maximise the Airpoints you earn on your credit card and the panel debates whether taking selfies with the late Pope crosses an ethical line. Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:12:42 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/erin-ohara-naturopath-and-wellness-expert-reveals-how-to-tell-if-your-pelvic-floor-is-tight-or-weak/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/erin-ohara-naturopath-and-wellness-expert-reveals-how-to-tell-if-your-pelvic-floor-is-tight-or-weak/ It’s a subject many would prefer not to think about, but there’s no avoiding the fact that people can struggle with issues with their pelvic floor. A weak pelvic floor can lead to issues with getting proper exercise - as well as other complications.  Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara reveals the signs and symptoms of a weak pelvic floor - and how to best treat this condition.  LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:05:38 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/mike-van-de-elzen-chicken-coq-au-vin/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/mike-van-de-elzen-chicken-coq-au-vin/ Chicken Coq au Vin  Cook time: 25 minutes  Prep time: 30 minutes  Serves: 6  6 large bone-in chicken thighs or legs   2 cups red wine   12 baby white onions, outer skin removed   2 tbsp sunflower oil   Flaky salt and white pepper   200gm button mushrooms   6 rashers streaky bacon   1 cube chicken stock dissolved in 1 cup water   ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley + extra for garnish   6 serves mashed potatoes  Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and marinate in red wine for at least two hours in the fridge.   Preheat oven to 180*C.   Place the baby onions and mushrooms into a large casserole dish, toss with oil, salt and pepper and roast until the onions are tender (about 10 minutes)   Next heat a large cast iron pan and saute bacon till coloured. Remove bacon and chop into large pieces.   Remove chicken thighs from marinade and brown in the pan with a touch of oil. Cook the chicken in batches to avoid stewing. Once coloured place the chicken into the casserole dish Cover with bacon, onions, mushrooms, red wine, stock and parsley. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove tin foil and continue to cook for a further 25 minutes.   To serve: spread a generous amount of parsnip mash on each plate. Spoon over the coq au vin and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.  LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 26 Apr 2025 23:56:52 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/dr-michelle-dickinson-nanotechnologist-on-scientists-discovering-a-new-colour-with-lasers/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/dr-michelle-dickinson-nanotechnologist-on-scientists-discovering-a-new-colour-with-lasers/ Imagine seeing a colour so vivid, so unlike anything in nature, that your brain has no reference for it. That’s exactly what happened to five people who took part in an experiment published in the journal Science Advances this week.  The newly perceived colour, which is described as a hyper-saturated blue-green shade, has been named olo, and it unlocked a visual experience that was previously impossible with natural light alone.  To understand the experiment, we first need to understand how we see colour.  At the back of your eye lies the retina, which contains three types of photoreceptor cone cells - S, M, and L cones -each tuned to different wavelengths of light:  S cones respond to short, bluish wavelengths, M cones to medium, greenish wavelengths, L cones to long, reddish wavelengths.  Together, they allow your brain to mix and interpret the colours of the world around you. But here’s the catch: in nature, the M and L cones are almost always activated together due to how their sensitivities overlap. This means it's essentially impossible to isolate just the M cones with regular light. As a result, a truly pure green, seen by stimulating only M cones, is something no one had ever seen - until now.  The researchers used pinpoint lasers and advanced optics to stimulate individual photoreceptors in the human eye.  Using a laser no more powerful than a standard green laser pointer, the team was able to target cone cells with surgical precision.  First, they needed to create a cone map, a detailed image showing the exact arrangement of cone types on each participant’s retina. This map allowed the system to fire microscopic pulses of light solely at the M cones, leaving the others in darkness.  When volunteers looked into the laser system, they described a colour that doesn’t exist in nature. Some said it was like a supercharged peacock green, others just stared in amazement. As soon as the laser was adjusted to stimulate even a few non-M cones, the olo colour vanished and was replaced instantly by the familiar green of the laser.  The implications of this go far beyond a cool visual trick and open up new possibilities in both science and medicine. By allowing researchers to control cone cells at this level of precision, it may help us:  Understand how colour vision truly works on a cellular level, Simulate what it's like to lose certain types of vision, helping us study degenerative eye conditions like macular degeneration, Explore how to expand human perception, possibly giving people with colour blindness access to colours they've never seen before or even enable humans to experience tetrachromacy.  Sadly, most of us will never get to see olo ourselves, but its discovery is a powerful reminder of how much there is still to learn about the human body, even something as seemingly simple as colour.  LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 26 Apr 2025 23:52:36 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/steve-newall-flicksconz-editor-reviews-pink-floyd-at-pompeii-mcmlxxii/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/steve-newall-flicksconz-editor-reviews-pink-floyd-at-pompeii-mcmlxxii/ One of the most distinctive concert films in rock history, Pink Floyd at Pompeii, has been rereleased to theatres - along with an accompanying soundtrack. Filmed in 1971 and released the following year, the film captures the band shortly before Dark Side of the Moon ushered in their most commercially successful phase. Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall recaps the experience - and explains whether or not this is worth the watch. LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 26 Apr 2025 23:38:32 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/dr-glenn-colquhoun-and-dr-art-nahill-doctors-launch-h%C4%ABkoi-for-health-to-raise-awareness-over-struggling-health-system/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/dr-glenn-colquhoun-and-dr-art-nahill-doctors-launch-h%C4%ABkoi-for-health-to-raise-awareness-over-struggling-health-system/ Sick of inaction from politicians around our ailing health system, two Kiwi doctors are taking matters into their own hands.  GP Dr Glenn Colquhoun and general hospital physician Dr Art Nahill yesterday launched Hīkoi for Health: A People’s Inquiry. They’ve hit the road in a bright yellow 'vanbulance' in a bid to protest the state of the health system - and collect stories from people who've been impacted by the health system. "I've gradually seen conditions, both for patients and for healthcare providers, deteriorate - to the point where I didn't feel like I could bear anymore of what I would call moral injury from trying to treat and discharge patients in a broken system." LISTEN ABOVE  Sat, 26 Apr 2025 23:22:22 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/thomas-coughlan-nz-herald-deputy-political-editor-on-chris-bishops-announcements-about-roading-projects/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/thomas-coughlan-nz-herald-deputy-political-editor-on-chris-bishops-announcements-about-roading-projects/ Works toward improved public transport for northwest Auckland are a step closer after an investment case was endorsed by the Transport Agency, the Minister of Transport says. The announcement on the Northwest Rapid Transit plan - which includes public transport on State Highway 16 (SH16) from Brigham Creek to the city centre and a Northwest Busway - was made by Chris Bishop earlier in the week. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan explains further. LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 26 Apr 2025 23:08:14 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/jo-mckenna-rome-correspondent-on-the-crowds-of-people-who-turned-up-to-pay-tribute-to-the-pope/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/jo-mckenna-rome-correspondent-on-the-crowds-of-people-who-turned-up-to-pay-tribute-to-the-pope/ There's been an outpouring of support from all over the world as thousands gathered to pay tribute to Pope Francis. The 88-year-old pontiff has been laid to rest at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. At least 400,000 mourners, including hundreds of foreign dignitaries, paid their respects last night at Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican. Rome correspondent Jo McKenna says she saw flags from Croatia, Latin America and Germany - to name a few. LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 26 Apr 2025 22:53:05 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/john-dew-new-zealand-archbishop-cardinal-on-pope-francis-funeral/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/john-dew-new-zealand-archbishop-cardinal-on-pope-francis-funeral/ A sea of mourners watched on, as the Vatican bid a final farewell to Pope Francis last night. The 88-year-old pontiff has now been laid to rest at Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Hundreds of thousands filled out Saint Peter's Square and surrounding areas to catch a glimpse of the funeral. New Zealand Archbishop Cardinal John Dew was among the crowd - and he said it was a 'lovely' ceremony. "I think there were 50 heads of state here - from 50 different countries. I thought that just spoke volumes of the fact that that many people would make the effort to get to Rome for his funeral." LISTEN ABOVE Sat, 26 Apr 2025 22:25:48 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/rachel-fairburn-and-kiri-pritchard-mclean-comedians-discuss-shared-passion-for-true-crime-ahead-of-new-zealand-comedy-fest/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/rachel-fairburn-and-kiri-pritchard-mclean-comedians-discuss-shared-passion-for-true-crime-ahead-of-new-zealand-comedy-fest/ While true crime might not be the obvious pick for comedy-based content, a familiar duo have leaned into the genre. In All Killa No Filla, comedians Rachel Fairburn and Kiri Pritchard-McLane explore their shared passion for serial killer cases.  Ahead of their planned stops in New Zealand for the Comedy Festival, the duo opened up about their comedic podcast. LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 20 Apr 2025 01:32:43 Z /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/reb-fountain-kiwi-alt-folk-singer-talks-new-album-and-tour/ /on-air/the-sunday-session/audio/reb-fountain-kiwi-alt-folk-singer-talks-new-album-and-tour/ Singer-songwriter Reb Fountain is back with a new album blending folk, art-pop and rock - How Love Bends. Released in March, Reb and her band have wasted no time getting it out there with a new nationwide tour. This is Reb's first full album since Covid-19 happened , and she's looking forward to promoting her work without the lockdowns and restrictions getting in the way. "This one - it feels like it's a whole new experience to be sharing it with everyone while we can walk around and I can come and do interviews and play shows." LISTEN ABOVE Sun, 20 Apr 2025 01:17:53 Z