The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

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."

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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. 

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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." 

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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."

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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. 

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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.

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