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."

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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." 

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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