The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

A former party leader says political parties need to have big bold ideas - not just slogans.

Former United Future leader Peter Dunne says both National and Labour are fighting to keep their voters and trying to reach people who may be eyeing up the minor parties. 

He says that doesn't look to be working at the moment. 

Dunne says there's yet to be a standout moment from the campaign so far. 

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An Australian clinical psychologist says she's excited to see New Zealand following Australia in offering MDMA as a treatment option for PTSD. 

Medsafe has given two psychiatrists approval to prescribe the drug. 

Monica Schweickle says she's had the ability to use MDMA in treatment for the past three years. 

She says it can be a much quicker option for treatment - but it won't be given to every patient. 

"The people that we are sort of seeing - usually, they're tried a number of other things first. So MDMA's being used as a last resort."

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The All Blacks are smarting physically and mentally from the 29-24 loss to the Springboks in Soweto.

A shoulder injury to Ardie Savea means he won't be heading to Baltimore to attempt to level the series and Quinn Tupaea is also nursing a banged up knee.

Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith says the there's a lot of lessons the Kiwi side can take on board from this loss - including not letting the opposition surge too far ahead.

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So on Saturday morning, driving around Auckland, the sledgehammers were all go pounding election billboards into the ground. As once neat and tidy patches of grass were being transformed into a visual assault of names and faces just waiting to be vandalized by some smartarse, I thought to myself, only 9 more weeks to go.  

I love elections, I love a contest of ideas, I love watching my son be politically engaged and eager to cast a vote for the first time on November 7th.

But I’m also getting concerned that this contest of ideas is going to be frightfully dull, and short on ideas. 

Are we going to learn anything from a televised debate if a leader is constantly telling us what dreadful things their opponents will do if they get the chance, rather than selling us their own bold vision for this country? It’s politics by warning label.

The campaign so far feels defensive, reactive and relentlessly focused on the other side. Rather than asking voters to imagine a better New Zealand, the parties seem more interested in persuading us to be frightened of the alternative. Fear is a reliable political motivator.

I know - it’s a strategy and a tactic which is as old as marketing. Stick to the core message you want in people’s minds, and they will ultimately believe it. The National Party has decided that the only thing they want you to take away from any interview over the last week, and from TikTok, is that Labour is going to lump you with taxes if they come to power.

It’s already a tedious tactic as proven by National’s campaign Chair Simeon Brown on Friday afternoon talking to Heather du Plessis-Allan.

So, when does staying on message start to make you look silly? I would say on Friday afternoon, at about 7 past 5. 

For those of us who would like more than a soundbite this election, it’s going to be a long 9 weeks. But you have to hand it to National, they are controlling the conversation, and have put Labour on the backfoot as they have constantly had to defend their tax policy and account for their spending.  

The problem with sticking to the message, and telling us what other parties are planning to stick us with post-election, is that two can play that game. Labour has been pacing itself when it comes to getting into election mode, and they had a bit of a messy week, but as soon as they get a little momentum and decide on the messages they want to repeat, constantly, there is nothing stopping them doing the same.  

And with all the yapping back and forth, we’re the ones missing out on valuable conversations. There is something deeply unsatisfying about this election campaign so far.  

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Irish-born Kiwi author Nic Russell has dealt with an unrelenting amount of hardship and grief - and she's turned her experiences into a book.

She's survived breast cancer, she’s lost a child, had a heart transplant and been diagnosed with Parkinson's - all before the age of 50 - and that inspired Kenzie’s Gift, a charity that supports young people through times of grief.

She's shared her stories in a new book - Bollix.

"I'm changed, the events of my life have changed me - hopefully for the better. Hopefully I have more understanding and empathy and know what's important in life. I think that's really what life has taught me."

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Hundreds of family videos and years of research have gone into an intimate new documentary about rugby legend Jonah Lomu.

The film draws on archive footage to tell the story of the All Black, who died 11 years ago aged 40.

It follows Lomu from his time at Wesley College through his rise to the All Blacks, and the pressures that came with being in the limelight. 

Co-director Vea Mafile'o says the film captures the quiet moments the public never got to see.

"He went through a lot...and he did get a hard time from multiple different places, and so it felt really important to just put a little more context so people could have a better understanding of his life and upbringing."

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The Body and the Blood by Molly Crighton. This is a crime thriller set in and around St Paul’s Cathedral in Dunedin’s Octagon. A woman is found on the floor beneath the organ loft - initially the police assume she’d fallen, but a young police administrator senses that something more sinister was afoot and recruits a notorious journalist to help get to the bottom of it. For people who know Dunedin well, it’s a great location.

Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty. Many readers will remember her excellent Big Little Lies some years ago which was subsequently made into a terrific TV series. This is a sequel, ten years later when the kids from the original book are now at college and their parents are navigating complex lives. There’s outrage in the community when the principal of the college receives a shocking delivery and a strange man starts hanging round the school, and eventually there has to be a reckoning. These are terrific characters, and anyone who loved the original book will also love this (though it can equally be read on its own). 

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About 8.7 million passengers were affected by a cyber attack on a group of airports in the UK last week.

Data relating to car park, lounge and fast-track security bookings at three major airports was accessed in the hack, including passengers’ email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes.

BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton says this is a cautionary tale about the dangers of free wi-fi - and outlined how travellers can protect themselves while using the internet overseas.

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Cook time: 2-3 minutes 

Prep time: 15 minutes 

Serves: 6

1 batch fresh pasta

3 lemons  

3 cloves garlic, crushed  

1 cup parsley, chopped  

2 tbsp grapeseed oil  

Sea salt  

Cracked pepper

Good parmesan

Zest the lemons and then juice into a bowl, add the oil, then add the crushed garlic and chopped parsley. Season well and set aside.  

To make the pappardelle - 

Cut the dough into 1/4 and then press down with your fingers to begin with.  

Lightly dust a bench surface and using a rolling pin roll out each 1/4 of pasta. Continue to roll until you reach a thickness of a about 2-3 mm.  

Dust with a touch more flour and cut into 1cm strips, toss over a touch more flour before continuing with the remaining pasta.  

Once all the pasta has been rolled and cut, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. 

Drop in the pasta and allow it to come to the surface, Once the pasta is floating, continue to cook for a further 2 minutes before removing.  

In a large bowl, toss through the gremolata and finely grate over a pile of parmesan cheese. 

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This week on the Sunday Panel, Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills and host of The Prosperity Project, Nadine Higgins, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!

There's calls to make changes to the health system, with General Practice New Zealand outlining a 10-year plan and calling for a bipartisan approach to make changes. Do we think these changes are long overdue?

The Government has outlined their new social media bill, where teenagers under 16 would be banned from social media. But they're also indicated Kiwis of all ages could be banned from certain platforms if the major outlets don't comply. Do we think this is a step too far? 

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