The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

The election race is officially under way, and National has revealed how they plan to address the opposition's policies.

Both National and Labour are holding campaign launches today, with plenty of new announcements set to be made.

National campaign chair Simeon Brown says voters should know the left-bloc wants to tax, borrow and spend more.

"We cannot have a capital gains tax, a wealth tax, an inheritance tax, a land tax on top of your rates - these are the issues at stake as the work we've done, but also the risk that there is with a Labour-Greens-Te Pati Māori-Opportunity Government." 

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The school holidays are upon us again, the clocks changed for daylight saving this morning, and this week saw the final sitting of the House before the election.

You know what that means - stump speeches are being refined, hustings are well under way as the debate comes out of the House and into the public arena. Let the entertainment - or as one Newstalk ZB listener called it this week, the nonsense - begin. 

It actually feels like we’ve been in campaign mode since politicians returned to work after the new year, but from this weekend the campaign starts in earnest. Parliament will be formally dissolved on Thursday, but essentially - we’re all go from now.  

And that means it’s time for my favourite part of any general election - the televised debates.

The first of a variety of debates is on Tuesday and they’ll roll through until November 5th on all the main news outlets. The main attraction are the Leader’s Debates between Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins, of which there are three. 

But are these debates useful?

They can be. If the moderators and journalists can push past the rehearsed lines, there is a slim chance we’ll learn something new. If they can keep the participants from talking over each other, and keep deflection to a minimum, we’ll get the opportunity to see how participants handle difficult questions and pressure.  

Accomplishing this is a lot harder than it looks. 

The trouble is that modern political debates can become an elaborate game of verbal dodgeball. You ask a question about the cost of living, and suddenly you’re hearing about the other party’s tax policy. Ask about health, and somehow we’re discussing the economy. Ask about an awkward policy, and the answer is a sentence beginning, “Well, the reality is”…or “As I have indicated…”

There is a name for this – it’s called “block and bridge”, and Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins use this technique extensively. There is a very simple reason for it. Most voters do not delve deeply into the detail of a policy announcement, they don’t scrutinise the complex fiscal mechanics behind a promise. They make decisions based on slogans, media headlines and interpret them through their own beliefs and loyalties. This is why the constant repetition of key messages is vital to a successful election campaign. 

It’s also why, even though I still get excited about a televised leaders debate, I always feel a bit flat afterwards as commentators judge it like a boxing fight, and ultimately name a debate winner based on who was the most Prime Minister like. It all comes down to performance – or ‘studio presence’ - rather than substance.

With neither party or leader heading into this election with safe, promising poll results the pressure is on to convince voters they’re the person to lead the next Government. Let’s hope this pressure creates some unpredictability under the hot studio lights - that’s why most of us watch after all. 

Ultimately though, while a televised debate may help some undecided voters choose how they’ll cast their vote, I doubt they will change many other minds. At this point, Chris and Christopher are very familiar to most of us and what we think is locked in. Maybe one of the keys to getting our attention is surfacing others in the party who we haven’t already prejudged. 

So, let the campaigning begin. From now on every announcement will be carefully timed, every photograph will be carefully chosen, every slogan will be tested, and every awkward question will be met with a rehearsed answer to a completely different question. 

Hopefully, somewhere along the way someone will answer these simple questions - what exactly will they do, how much will it cost, who pays, and what difference will it make to my life?

Fingers crossed. 

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Dame Silvia Cartwright has been a trailblazer for women in the fields of law and justice, and she's detailed her life story in a new memoir.

She was one of two women studying law at Otago University in the 1960s, and went on to become New Zealand's first female High Court judge and the second woman to hold the role of Governor-General at a time when the sector was overly male. 

She's been on an extraordinary professional journey, which she's detailed in her new memoir That Woman.

"I do remember reading, or at least glancing at a book about Roman law when I was about 14 - but I think it was a process of elimination. In those days , if a woman studied at university, the options were fairly limited to teaching, nursing, or - being Dunedin - medicine."

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Actress and singer Keala Settle was launched into international stardom thanks to her role in The Greatest Showman as the bearded lady, Lettie Lutz.

She sang the film's biggest hit This Is Me, which won a Golden Globe and got an Oscar nomination - and it ensured the Tony-nominated actress became a household name.

Keala Settle spent a lot of time in New Zealand visiting family as she grew up, and she's set to return to our shores for the WITCH musical theatre premiere of Sunset Boulevard at the Wellington Town Hall.

"I'm just excited to go back - and then just forgot that there's this actual job that I had to do. So it could be overwhelming, if I let it be. But I'm just trying to keep my wits about me as much as I can and lean on everyone that's around me." 

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The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon. Fiction, based on the real life of Grace O’Malley who lived in the 16th century and gained renown as a fiercely independent woman and a fearless pirate who controlled an army of men, key maritime routes and trade in the west of Ireland. Suffering English rule, she bowed to no one and her story is extraordinary. This is by the author of The Frozen River which is one of my favourite books in recent years. 

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley. Readers of Agatha Christie will be familiar with Miss Marple, her village living amateur detective about whom many books were written. Lucy Foley has now produced a new Miss Marple story, authorized by the Christie estate - in which Miss Marple finds herself in a flash hotel high in the Alps where murders occur and of course her sleuthing skills come to the fore. It’s a real homage to the original author, and fans of her work - but also readers discovering them for the first time - will find much to enjoy. 

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Travel expert Megan Singleton recently went to the Cook Islands and she's revealed how to make the most of one small island - described as 'heaven on Earth'. 

The tiny island of Aitutaki is about 220km north of Rarotonga, and easily accessible on a short flight from the region.

Megan says you'd need three or four days on the island to see all that it has to offer - and outlined her recommendations.

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This week on the Sunday Panel, Partner at Freebairn and Hehir lawyers Liam Hehir and journalist, TV producer and commentator Irene Gardiner joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

National has proposed to, if elected, break up Foodstuffs in a bid to bring down food prices for Kiwi consumers. Has National made a mistake with this policy?  Does this completely go against the party's values of ambition and hard work and success? Do they also need to take a look at banks or petrol companies? 

Labour's Chris Hipkins recently claimed smaller parties shouldn't be able to veto National and Labour working together amid calls for more bipartisanship for key issues like the NZ-India trade deal or the teen social media ban. Do we think Hipkins has a point here? Would the benefit of the two major parties agreeing and working together outweigh any negative?

Wahs fever is on the rise - how excited are we for tonight's big game?

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Listen to the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 20 September.
Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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September marks a big period of change, as the weather gets warmer and the days get longer.

It's the perfect time to shake off the winter blues and get outdoors, especially with daylight saving due to kick in next weekend.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained further.

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Fired broccolini with grated ginger, parsley and parmesan

Cook time: 10 minutes 

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Serves: 4

1 pkt broccolini

Flaky sea-salt  

2 knobs ginger

1 cup flat leaf parsley

1 cup finely grated parmesan 

4 tbsp olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and plunge in the broccolini.

Cook until just under. This will take 2 minutes.

Remove and plunge into iced water to stop the cooking.  

Drain once cold and place the cauliflower into a large bowl, drizzle with oil and season with salt. 

Char-grill over embers or on a hot BBQ.

Place back into a clean bowl.

Peel the ginger and grate finely with a mircoplane and add to the broccolini.

Chop the parsley and add into the broccolini and finish with the Parmesan, olive oil and extra seasoning.

Season and toss. 

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