The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton is off on a Nashville adventure overseas.

She highlighted the live bands, the country bars, and the Opry as her personal highlights - and purchased a pair of authentic cowboy boots.

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This week on the Sunday Panel, editor Jo McCarroll and NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

As retail crime amps up, security guards want more workplace protections and legal power to detain criminals. Will these measures help cut down on crime?

NZ First leader Winston Peters has pledged to introduce a members bill requiring separate unisex and single-sex toilets in all new publicly accessible buildings. Is this really an issue New Zealanders should be concerned about?

Some common British insults like 'ninny', 'nitwit', 'prat' or 'git' are being forgotten by younger generations. Do we need to work to keep these words alive before cruder words replace them altogether.

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This Mother's Day, there's more concern about mothers taking on a significant workload - and all the negative health implications that come with that.

Mothers in this day and age have voiced concern with the workload, as they balance full-time work with child-rearing and household management.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara says it's important to prioritise sleep, balanced meals and allocating some 'me time' each week.

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Little apple pies with malted crumble and yogurt:

COOK TIME: 27 MINUTES

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

SERVES: 6-8

6 Braeburn apples

1 tsp vanilla paste

3 tbsp honey

8 x 10cm puff pastry discs

1 tbsp malted barley syrup

100 gm unsalted butter

100 gm wholemeal flour

50 gm brown sugar

100 ml greek yogurt

Pre-heat a oven to 180*c

Mix together the apple, honey and vanilla. Toss until well coated.

Peel the apples, cut into 1/4 and remove the core and cut in half again, giving you 8 wedges per apple. Arrange around 5 pieces of apple together in a tight circle in a grease-proof paper lined oven tray. Place a piece of the puff pastry over the top. Mold the puff down and around the apple tightly. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Make up the crumble, combine the butter, wholemeal flour, sugar and malt barley in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour out onto an oven tray and spread out.

Bake for 10 minutes before stirring and continuing to cook for another 5 minutes or until golden. Remove and allow to cool. Now bake the apple pies into the oven into the oven for 12 minutes or until the pie case is golden.

To serve, turn the apple pie upside down onto place so the apple is facing upwards and sprinkle with the crumble mix.

Finally serve with the yogurt.

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Amazing science news this week comes from the UK, where a 1 year old baby who was born deaf due to a genetic condition called auditory neuropathy was treated with gene therapy.   

Six months later, the researchers involved in this ground-breaking study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Baltimore this week, reported that the toddler can now hear unaided and her prognosis is great for her being able to hear in the future.

Auditory neuropathy is caused by a variation in a gene called the OTOF gene. This gene produces the protein needed to allow the inner hair cells in the ear to communicate with the hearing nerve which sends signals to the brain. Patients with the condition are unable to hear as the lack of proteins mean the ear cells can't communicate with the brain.  

The gene therapy treatment involved the baby being given an injection into her cochlea that contained a modified virus called AAV1 which was loaded with a working copy of the OTOF gene.  This virus delivered the working gene to the ear cells, and the gene-reading machinery within those cells used the new information to build RNA which directs the correct proteins to be made that can carry out their job as normal.  The amazing thing about gene therapy is that you only need one treatment for the results to last a lifetime.

One of the impressive things about this study is the young age of the patient.  

Typically, auditory neuropathy isn’t diagnosed until a child is 3 years old. However because the older sister of this patient was also born with auditory neuropathy, the diagnosis was given in this patient when they were only a few weeks old. By being able to determine and treat the cause of her deafness before the age of one, the researchers believe that she won’t have significant delays in her speech as she grows up.

While gene therapy is relatively new, we are working on a gene therapy here in New Zealand at the Malaghan institute that treats cancer, called CAR-T cell therapy. 

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Sci-fi blockbuster Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was released to theatres last week - a long-awaited sequel to the earlier trilogy series. 

Set a few generations after 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes, this film explores two rival groups of apes battling it out in an overgrown world.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says the film is also filled with visual call-backs to the original Planet of the Apes.

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Comedy and opera are set to come together in Moses Mackay's newest project. 

The Sol3 Mio member is set to take part in a Kiwi retelling of Le comte Ory, which is set to kick off later this month.

This will be Mackay's first performance with NZ Opera since 2012, where he performed as an Emerging Artist.

He says he's proud to be taking on a key role in this piece.

"It's a beautiful time. There are other singers in this production who are incredible and have been singing opera for years and years and years - it's a privilege to be on stage with them."

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Wellington has been revealed as the production hub for the two newly announced Lord of the Rings films.

The first one, The Hunt for Gollum, is in the early stages of development for a 2026 release, with Andy Serkis returning in both a starring and directing role.

Screen Wellington's Head of Attraction Mark Westerby says this will offer lots of employment opportunities.

"It's what we do best - making swords and armour and using our beautiful locations and the crafts of our skilled filmmakers, which is awesome."

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After making waves in the beauty industry, Ethique founder Brianne West has set her sights on beverages.

Her newest venture, Incrediballs, offers consumers flavoured tablets that turns water into flavoured drinks - cutting down on plastic pollution.

She says the number of single-use bottles wasted every year is a 'disgrace', and wanted to develop a solution.

"In New Zealand we throw away just over two billion plastic containers every single year, we recycle very few of them, and a vast majority of people use drink bottles. It makes absolutely no sense!"

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Diane Kruger is returning to the screen in the new Kiwi-directed biopic Joika.

The Troy and Inglourious Basterds star plays Joy Womack- one of the few Americans to be accepted into Russia's infamous Bolshoi Ballet.

Kruger says she's always been fascinated with the discipline and grace that comes with ballet, despite giving up performing.

"I love the atmosphere of a ballet studio, of seeing the girls doing their exercises - I'm still able to see who does well, who's struggling in certain areas, it all comes back to you."

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The Greens are feeling the impact of last week's outburst in the House by MP Julie Anne Genter.

The newest Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll shows the Party has dropped 4.4 percentage points, to 10.2.

National is holding steady at 37.3 percent - and with the support of ACT on 9.4 and NZ First on 5.5, the Coalition Government would remain in power. 

ZB political editor Jason Walls says this coming week is a recess week for Parliament, which means Genter won't be resurfacing for another few days. 

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There's growing calls for security guards to receive more protections and power - including the legal ability to detain offenders.

This comes as security guards face increased hostility, including verbal threats and even physical aggression.

Security Association CEO Gary Morrison says security staff would like the power to detain offenders in order to crack down on shoplifting.

"We can do a citizen's arrest, but that's in very limited circumstances. Generally, security staff are instructed to not take any form of attempt to detain people."

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This week I received a letter in the post. It was from my 17-year-old son who lives at home with us and is in his final year of school. 

The address was in the top right hand side of the envelope where the stamp goes, and my name was underneath the address. The writing was tiny and illegible – and my eye sight isn’t that bad.  

It is a miracle this letter, a half-hearted attempt at writing a Mother’s Day card which ended in him jokingly asking for petrol money, actually made it into my letter box.  

It is a reminder of the little things we assume our children can do, but the reality is they have never needed to. Why send a letter when you can email, text, or Insta someone? 

I shouldn’t really worry about this. I can remember a former producer here at Newstalk ZB, aged 25, asking me how she should address an envelope when sending out movie tickets to a listener. I thought she was joking. She was dead serious. Anyway, she’s a superstar at what she does and is killing it in Australia, so I’m not so too worried about my son not knowing his way around an envelope.

However, it did make me think about the fact my son is hoping to head away to university next year, and whether he is ready for solo adulting.  

Many wiser parents than I, tell me teenagers, especially boys, learn to do what they need to do when they have to. So don’t worry about whether they can iron a shirt or change a tyre or knock out a spaghetti bolognaise. They will work it out when they have to.  

But I just can’t quite leave it to chance. I want my children to leave home and love it out there, and be useful and competent.  

Motivating me on my new crusade is data just released by Britain’s Office for National Statistics, which revealed that a third of all men under the age of 35 still live with their parents. The figure for women is less than a quarter. 

Now there are some very real reasons why this is happening. High rents, the difficulty in raising a home deposit, a cost of living crisis, and poor mental health means adults are getting around to adulting later in life. And then, there’s the reality that life is so much easier when you live with someone who might just do your cooking, cleaning and laundry.  

So, it felt like the universe was speaking to me as Mother’s Day approached this year. My son isn’t as useless as the envelope implies – he’s held down a part time job for 18 months, works hard and is a responsible kid – and it’s not like we’ve done everything for our children, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a whole lot of other little things to start trying to skill him up on to make sure the adulting kicks in a lot earlier than 35. 

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Real Americansby Rachel Khong. A big multi-generational story told in 3 parts. In the beginning, Lily is living a penurious life in NYC when she meets a mega wealthy man at a party who whisks her off to Paris and they eventually marry. When their parents meet, the dynamics are very weird and uncomfortable. Lily eventually finds herself living on the other side of the country with her son Nick who has never met his father – doesn’t even know who he is – but manages to track him down and they start a relationship, albeit an awkward one. Nick then goes to San Francisco where he connects with his maternal grandmother who narrates the third part of the book – and tells of her marriage in China, set against the background of the Cultural Revolution. She and her husband eventually emigrated to America and she brings this story full circle, with the expose of family secrets. I loved it. 

The Coast Roadby Alan Murrin. Set in Ireland in the 1990’s before divorce was legal and is primarily about two women, both of whose lives are entirely circumscribed by their husbands. Colette has recently moved into the town after running away from her husband and having a wild affair which didn’t work out – and she’s come to this small town to try and get her life back together – but she struggles – her life is chaotic and catastrophic. She befriends a local woman, Izzy – and when Colette’s husband bans her from seeing their children, Izzy offers to engineer a meeting between Colette and her boys. This is small village life done brilliantly. I reckon it might win prizes. 

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BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton shares her tips and tricks for getting around Disneyland - and unpacks the changes to their iconic rides and FastPass system.

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This week on the Sunday Panel, broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton and partner at Freebairn and Hehir Lawyers, Liam Hehir, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more! 

In light of Winston Peters' 'defamatory' comments, it seems like the coalition Government is having more and more internal clashes. A political podcast asked a group of National, NZ First and ACT MPs if the coalition will last- what do we think?

Green MP Julie Anne Genter has been accused of more aggressive outbursts off the back of her confrontation in Parliament- what can the Green Party do about this? Is this another Golriz Ghahraman situation waiting to happen? 

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We all have our moments where stress and anxiety are too much to bear - so how can we stop ourselves from feeling overwhelmed?

Anxiety has been found to weaken your stress coping abilities, and 'task paralysis' can add to anxieties.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains how to get around the extra stresses of day-to-day life.

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Parsnips in a soup with curry oil 

Cook time: 35 minutes 

Prep time: 20 minutes 

Serves: 6-12 

1 kg parsnips, peeled and chopped 

3 white onions, peeled and chopped 

10 cloves garlic 

3 tbsp sunflower oil 

1 cup white wine 

1.5 ltr vegetable stock 

2 cups cream 

salt 

Curry oil  

1 tbsp coriander seeds 

1 tbsp cummin seeds 

2 tbsp garam masala 

1 tsp turmeric 

1/2 cup sunflower oil 

1 tsp salt 

Start by heat a large deep based pot over a medium heat. 

Add in the oil and then the onions and garlic, slowly cook them out but be careful, not to allow it the stick and start to colour up. The end result wants to be a white creamy soup not brown. 

Once soft, add the parsnips and continue to sauté for another minute before adding the wine. Once the wine is reduced add the stock and season with salt. 

Cook out for 30 minutes before testing. 

To make up curry oil, start by making a basic curry powder. Toast of the coriander seeds, cumin seeds until fragrant. Place into the pestle and mortar and crush. Add in the garam masala and turmeric. Bingo, you have just made a basic curry powder!! Place the curry powder into a pot with the oil and salt, bring to the simmer. Turn off and allow to cool before passing through a chux cloth.

Don't push it through, just allow it to drip. Blitz the soup and add in the cream, check the seasoning. 

Serve in bowls with a drizzle of oil.

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Why do we like our beer cold but our sake warm?

This was the question posed by two scientists who were out drinking together. Their results have just been published in the journal Matter.

The researchers measured the contact angle of different solutions that had varying concentrations of water and ethanol - which is the most common form of drinking alcohol.

This gave them insights into how molecules within the solution were interacting with each other.

At low alcohol concentrations like those found in beer, they found that at room temperature ethanol forms more pyramid-shaped structures around the water molecules.

Pyramid structures lead to a taste profile that is perceived as less alcoholic and so warm beer tastes like it has less alcohol in it.

When they reduced the temperature in the 5 percent ethanol (beer equivalent) solution from room temperature to 5C the ethanol transformed from a pyramid shape to a long chain-like structure.

These structures lead to a more of an alcohol taste on our tongue which is why professional tasters often report a stronger ethanol-like taste in beer after it has been in the fridge.

With ethanol being characterised by a bitter, slightly sweet taste, being able to taste it in beer is a desirable thing which explains why cold beer tastes better than warm beer.

From the study, the researchers suggest the perfect pint should be consumed at 5C, which luckily is about the temperature of your fridge.

So why do we like sake warm? Well, as the level of alcohol in a solution is increased, the ethanol naturally starts to arrange itself end-to-end in a chain structure giving high alcohol containing drinks like sake its potent alcohol taste at room temperature without you needing to cool it down. It is this chain-like structure that gives alcohol its burning sensation and ethanol taste that drinkers seem to like when consuming alcoholic beverages.

Not only can this research help us to serve up our favourite drinks at the perfect temperature but it could also help the alcoholic drinks industry to produce lower alcohol-containing drinks that still taste great when served at the correct temperature.

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Comedian Jerry Seinfeld managed to dominate the headlines ahead of the release of his newest Netflix project.

Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story was overshadowed by Seinfeld's statements about the state of comedy, where he took pot-shots at the 'extreme left'.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall explains why a cast of comedians and big acting names couldn't help this film.

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Australian sailor Lisa Blair has undertaken plenty of adventures - and gone on to break records and inspire a documentary.

In 2022, Lisa became the fastest person to sail around Antarctica solo, non-stop and unassisted, something only achieved by two other sailors. 

Her first attempt at that feat went on to inspire the new documentary 'Ice Maiden'.

She says she examined the perceived risks of the journey - but her skills helped her achieve her goal.

"Something like sailing solo round Antarctica seemed super risky - and when you watch the film, you'll see it was super risky in some elements - but if you've got the right skills and experience to back up those conditions and the right type of boat for the project, then you really can go on and achieve anything."

ICE MAIDEN at the Doc Edge Festival is playing in Christchurch (19-30 June), Auckland (3-14 July), Wellington (3-14 July) and then nationwide via the virtual cinema (15-31 July). More info atdocedge.nz

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New reports suggest filmgoers are less interested in sex scenes than ever.

Data shows there has been a 40 percent drop in sexual content in major Hollywood movies than there was at the start of the millennium.

Founder of Intimacy Co-ordinators Aotearoa Tandi Wright says societal changes have led to audiences reconsidering intimate scenes in films. 

"The conversations that followed #MeToo, which was from 2017 onwards, I think, led to a broader kind of examination of the intimate content - and how that was being made."

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Kiwi indie band The Beths have enjoyed plenty of success and international acclaim.

Their 2022 hit Watching The Credits got a shout-out from Barack Obama as part of his summer playlist, and they've made their Coachella debut last month.

Lead singer Liz Stokes says they played to a full tent - with lines outside their performance.

"There's definitely a pressure, the place that a festival like Coachella holds in pop culture is interesting. It's big in your brain, the whole day just revolves around getting there."

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Not all agree with the cancellation of this year's New Zealand Fashion Week.

Event organisers pulled the pin after financial pressures on the industry and made it a bi-annual event, starting from next year.

Fashion PR agency Showroom 22 director Murray Bevan says he feels a midway point could've been reached.

"When the chips are down, sometimes you double down on how hard you pushed to pull out of those troughs. And Fashion Week is a massive branding and marketing exercise for designers, so it's a shame that it's gone completely." 

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A nightmare run for the Green Party as further accusations come out about Julie Anne Genter.

The MP's now being accused of grabbing Wellington business owner Nicola Cranfield, during a heated exchange.

It's the latest of several alleged altercations that have come to light involving Genter, after her outburst in Parliament on Wednesday night.

ZB political editor Jason Walls says Genter technically wouldn't lose her job because she's an electorate MP.

"I reckon if there's enough pressure and enough stories come out - there could be some conversations she might be having behind the scenes. However, we don't know that that's the case yet." 

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There's pleas for the Government to hit the brakes on education overhauls, amid concerns changes are being implemented without sector consultation.

It follows commitments to crack down on cell phone bans, attendance and implement a structured literacy approach by 2025.

New Zealand Principals' Federation President Leanne Otene says it's importance to pace these changes for the benefit of educators. 

"This will be placing immense pressure on teachers - and this is the first of the six priorities. If we're going to see them all rolling out continuously with mandates starting in 2025, we're going to have an overwhelmed workforce."

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So, there’s a dog-fight brewing in Auckland - literally - and it got me thinking.

Now I know this is potentially a controversial question - especially coming from someone who’s only had cats as an adult - but should you really have a dog in the city if you don’t have time to walk it yourself?

Recently, a dog died after being mauled by other dogs that were being walked in a pack by a dog walker, and there are worries the growing dog-walking business is attracting people without the knowledge or experience to safely walk a pack of dogs.

There’s concern it’s going to put the whole dog-walking business at risk; and it’s a growing business it seems.

It wouldn’t hurt to have some rules and regulations around ‘best practice’ for pack- walking dogs, for both dog and human safety. As expert animal behaviourist Mark Vette said in the NZ Herald this week, “pack mentality was 'dangerous' when not handled by skilled professionals”. Vette suggests “the number of dogs walked by one person be capped at 10 per person to ensure they have control over the pack at all times”.

But why do a growing number of people need someone to walk their dog for them?

I know there are good, legitimate reasons why people may need someone else to walk their dog - they physically can’t walk their dogs, they may be too elderly, they might have a barking dog that when left alone at home annoys the neighbours. In that latter case, I imagine your neighbours are very happy you are paying someone to walk your dog.

But if you don’t have time to walk your dog in the morning or evening and a member of the family isn’t around much during the day, then maybe having a dog is not a good idea.

I understand we now outsource a lot. We order meal kits, hire people to mow our lawns, do the garden, clean homes and maintain the pool, so why shouldn’t we pay someone to walk the dog?

I have one pretty good reason not to. And it’s that everyone I know with a dog will tell you that their dog just wants to spend time with them. They want companionship and undivided attention.

A romp with some mates around the neighbourhood, up a west coast beach or in a woodland sounds great - but mostly, like younger kids, they really just want you.

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Return to Bloodby Michael Bennett: sequel to Better the Blood from a couple of years ago, featuring Hana Westerman who in the first book was a detective in Auckland, but she’s moved now to a small town looking for a fresh start. A skeleton is found in the sand dunes near her house – the bones of a young Maori woman who’s been missing for five years, and Hana has a connection to the case. Twenty years ago, a friend of hers was found buried in the exact same spot but the man who did that is in prison. She goes looking for answers – initially through her former husband who is himself a Detective Inspector – but when she’s cut out of the investigation she realises she will have to go it alone. Great local resonance – the landscape and the language, and Hana is a terrific character.

The Everything War by Dana Mattioli. This is the story of Amazon – how it’s become a household name, beloved by consumers around the world who’ve benefited from the company’s focus on Customer Obsession. Behind the scenes though, this benign mantra masks a relentless attack on anyone and anything which stands in their way, using their size, leverage and access to data across many industries to choke competition. It’s a fascinating - and alarming - account of a company which has never paid its fair share, while sometimes using ethically questionable and even illegal tactics to bulldoze their way to global supremacy.

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Tourists may think twice before visiting Venice, with a new entrance fee set to be put in place.

The tax will be levied on tourists who come to the Italian city for just a day.

BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton says this move has been met with scepticism from residents and critics alike.

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This week on The Sunday Panel, Front Page host Chelsea Daniels and producer and commentator Irene Gardiner joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!

Is health the best area to be making cuts in? Is there a difference between making cuts, and making cuts to bring an organisation back to budget? Are we concerned that this will have an impact on hospital care for patients?

New research shows more people than ever are retiring at 67, up from 61 two decades ago. Does this mean we need to raise the superannuation age? 

The Wiggles have released dance remixes of their greatest hits- do we see this catching on?

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There's a lot of hype around 'free-from' diets - but will they do people more harm than good?

There's been an uptick in people avoiding certain ingredients for dietary reasons, including gluten, dairy, eggs, and soy.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara unpacks this trend - and examines the drawbacks.

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The New Zealand International Comedy Festival begins this week - and one Kiwi comic is set to make a return to the stage.

Actress, writer and Billy T nominee Alice Snedden has been making waves overseas, having written and directed international hit series Starstruckwith Rose Matafeo.

She says it's been difficult returning to the world of stand-up after four and a half years.

"You have an expectation of how good you'll be at it - and then you have to measure up against the reality. It's like if I hadn't exercised for four and a half years and then I'm like - now I'll go run a marathon."

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Chorizo paella with green chili and coriander:

Cook time: 45 minutes

Prep time: 5 minutes

Serves: 6

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 white onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 chorizo sausage, sliced

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

3 cups vegetable stock

2 tsp tomato puree

1/2 tsp salt good crack of pepper

12 cooked prawns

1 green chili (cayenne or similar)

1/2 cup fresh coriander

1 lemon, cut into 6

Start by pre-heat your oven to 180*c

Place a deep EngelElzen pan or deep cast iron pan onto a element and start by sautéing the onion and garlic in the sunflower oil until soft. Add in the chorizo and continue to sauté. Once the chorizo starts to colour up slightly, add the rice.

Reduce the heat and sauté the rice for a couple of minutes before you add in the red wine. Reduce the wine fully before adding in the vegetable stock, tomato puree and season with salt and pepper.

Place a skillet pan or lid onto the pan and fire it into the oven for 35 minutes.

After this time, remove and check the rice is just cooked through. If it is, scatter over the prawn and place back into the oven without a lid for a further 10 minutes.

After this time, remove and top with sliced green chili, coriander and lemon wedges.

Serve.

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I am not a robot.

It’s a common box that you have to tick on many websites as you log in - which apparently proves that you are a human, and not a robot.

Many people however, seem to be more robot than human as they struggle to get the correct answers - which in some cases could mean the difference between getting tickets to a sell-out show or not.

Captchas (an acronym for 'Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart') are puzzles designed to safeguard websites from spamming bots attacking networks and websites.

The captchas can be as simple as checking an 'I am not a robot' box or more difficult such as deciphering artistically drawn letters or numbers, or sometimes seemingly impossible like identifying images in a grid that contain a stoplight.

The bad news for those of us who already struggle to solve the current captchas, is that they are about to get a lot harder.

Since captchas were launched in the year 2000, bots have become much smarter, meaning that now it's the humans that need to keep up.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine recently found that bots could consistently answer the captchas that showed distorted text with almost 100 percent accuracy.

With the advancement of artificial intelligence powered image recognition - bots can now also identify images including stoplights, bridges and the other common images that captchas ask humans to find.

Ironically, while humans still struggle with these image tests trying to decide if the tiny corner of a stoplight, or bridge within a square is enough to be selected or not, the bots have learned exactly how much is needed to pass through the system.

So what do we have to look forward to?

To try and outsmart the robots again, captchas are moving to puzzles that ask humans to solve puzzles that will seem to make no sense. As robots and AI struggle with nonsensical problems it is hoped that presenting puzzles that don’t look like real life could give humans the advantage again.

New puzzles might show you a picture of a wild animal that is dressed in human-like clothing including a vest and jacket. Rather than be in the forest, the animal might be floating around with some watermelons. The captcha request could be to click on the animal’s bowtie. Hopefully easy for a human, but perhaps more difficult for a robot with so many parts of the image being out of context.

Other puzzles might ask you to identify two objects in a photograph that are the same shape, or to click on the non-aquatic animal in a photo containing lots of different sea creatures.

So if you are just learning how to be more human than a robot in a test, get ready to redefine your humanness once again.

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Comedy, action and romance come together in The Fall Guy - now playing in theatres.

Starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, the film explores the world of stunts and movie-making it between romantic drama and brewing conspiracies.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall examines whether or not this film is worth a watch. 

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Irish author Marian Keyes is back with her 16th book - My Favourite Mistake.

She's already sold 35 million books over the course of her career, and even has a Netflix adaptation in the pipeline.

Keyes says she felt inspired to write about relationships, friendships romances and community during a turbulent time in the world.

"I've subsequently discovered that people are craving love stories. Because what we read goes through phases - I still read a lot of crime because everything gets sorted out in a crime novel. And the same with love stories, things get fixed."

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Kiwi kids will return to school tomorrow - but the cellphones won't be part of the experience.

The Government's ban on phones in schools kicks in from term two, meaning students won't be able to use them during the day, including lunch time and breaks.

NZ Secondary Principals' Council chair Kate Gainsford says schools across the country already have measures in place - but these changes will make it easier to stop distractions.

"Parents have really appreciated the support, because they're often having the same kind of conversations in their own family home about the harmful effects and about limiting screentime, so having the adults working together is helpful."

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Prime Minister Chris Luxon has pulled no punches in his first Cabinet reshuffle during his tenure.

Media Minister Melissa Lee and Disabilities Minister Penny Simmonds have both been dropped from their portfolios, after a string of controversies surrounding them.

ZB political editor Jason Walls says Luxon has acted on the number one rule in politics to remove all distractions.

But he says he has a bit more sympathy for Lee, where the Government was hamstrung on what they could do amid the media's woes.

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It was amazing to see so many people out commemorating ANZAC Day at Dawn Services and parades around the country this week.

We may move chronologically further away from the horrors of World War I, but it’s heart-warming to see so many people continue to honour the sacrifices made by our servicemen and women at any point in history, and currently.

Our Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister was in Turkey and delivered a moving tribute at the dawn ceremony in Gallipoli, which was quickly identified as having a few passages that closely resembled the sentiments of a famous speech by a former US President. Abraham Lincoln, no less!

The minister’s speech went from being praised to being questioned. Was it inspiring or embarrassing?

The answer is, both. It was a good speech. It fitted the occasion. It followed the structure you’d expect, commemorating the lives of those lost in war, and reflecting on how that sacrifice can guide us today.

Regardless of whether the passages would have benefited from referencing Lincoln or quoting him directly and attributing them to the rightful author - and so avoiding the embarrassing taint of plagiarism - the importance of the message itself shouldn’t be lost in this little controversy.

Let’s be honest, unless you have a robust knowledge of political speeches throughout history you’re not going to have recognised the references, and even now, when we understand the origins, it doesn’t change the meaning and purpose of the speech the minister gave.

There are plenty of more embarrassing situations when politicians have been caught using other people’s words.

After being re-elected as a UK Labour MP, Kate Osamor’s speech to her constituency was borrowed from one of Barack Obama’s post-victory speeches in Chicago. The changes were minor – she removed “American” and replaced it with “Edmonton”, her constituency.

American politicians have borrowed from the UK as well. In 1987, Joe Biden copied several passages from a speech by former UK Labour Leader Neil Kinnock without attribution. It ended his campaign for president, and Kellyanne Conway was all too happy to bring up again in the 2020 election campaign. Kinnock came out in support of Joe, so that backfired.

Some plagiarism has you scratching your head, such as in 2016 when Melania Trump was accused of plagiarising a speech by Michelle Obama. How anyone thought that was a good idea, I just don’t know.

And then we have our own Prime Minister, taking things to his own unique level, by referencing himself at his Waitangi Day speech earlier this year. Turns out, some people are so good they only need to quote themselves.

Hope you had a good ANZAC Day. Let’s keep focused on what’s important. We will remember them.

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WARNING: This interview mentions suicide and may be distressing.

Reports of online 'sextortion' are on the rise, according to experts.

Recently, police have issued a warning claiming reports of online child exploitation have quadrupled in the last five years. 

Bloomberg investigative journalist Olivia Carville says the FBI has labelled this issue a 'hidden pandemic' for users.

"This crime has exploded in recent years- as the New Zealand police have pointed out as well. It's not just happening in New Zealand and America, this is a global issue."

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Broadcaster and Podcaster Brodie Kane joins Director at Capital and political commentator Ben Thomas on The Panel.

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Ava DuVernay is a critically acclaimed, Hollywood film-maker who's not afraid to push the boundaries. 

She's behind films such as Oscar nominated Selma, and documentary 13th. 

Her latest film has been labelled rebellious and radical - based on the book Caste by Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson, the film is called Origin.

Ava joined Francesca to discuss her newest film. 

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Studies show about a third of people wake throughout the night, with various reasons for sleep disruptions. 

Erin O'Hara is a naturopath and joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss ways to get better sleep.

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Bacon and Egg Pie 

Cook time: 40 minutes 

Prep time: 10 minutes 

1 packet of flaky puff pastry, 5 sheets 

10 fresh eggs 

150g streaky bacon, cut into 1 cm dice 

½ white onion 

1 stick of rosemary (optional) 

½ tsp flaky sea salt and cracked pepper 

2 T sesame seeds 

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees 

Take a heavy 26cm EngelElzen cast-iron or similar pan and lightly spray the inside with cooking spray. 

Crack one egg into a small bowl and lightly beat with a fork. 

Start by laying one sheet of flaky pastry on side of the pan then another 1/3 of the way around, brushing with eggwash where the pasty touches. Then the third sheet to cover the remaining pan. The whole inside of the pan should now be covered. 

Spread the bacon out across the bottom, the crack in the remaining eggs. Sprinkle across the sliced white onion, seasalt and a good crack of pepper. 

Lay the remaining 2 sheets of pastry across the top, again using egg wash to bind the 2 sheets. Fold over the outside edge and roll to seal. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and leaves of the rosemary. 

Heat the pan on the stove top for 4 minutes before placing into the oven on a lower rack. 

Cook for 40 minutes or until golden brown. 

Serve the next morning with some spicy tomato jam. 

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Scientists off the coast of south-east Alaska used an underwater speaker to play a recording of a humpback whale greeting call. 

A humpback whale broke away from its group and approached the vessel, in which is thought to be the first time humans and whales have communicated with each other in the humpback language. 

Nanogirl Dr Michelle Dickinson discussed this and more with Francesca Rudkin.

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Steve Newall from flicks.co.nz joined Francesca to chat nominations for the Aotearoa Music Awards, as well as Zendaya's new film Challengers. 

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Last weekend in the aftermath of the Bondi Mall stabbings, we saw a prime example of how badly wrong the internet can go. 

For 14 hours, Sydney student Ben Cohen was widely named and wrongly identified as the killer - and it spread like wildfire internationally.

By Sunday morning, his name had made its way into the mainstream media - with Australia's 7News misidentifying Ben as the attacker. 

Barrister Chris Patterson joined Francesca to discuss how this happened. 

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In 1944, Phyllis 'Pippa' Latour parachuted into Nazi occupied Normandy as an undercover agent. 

Had she been discovered, she would have been shot instantly - however Pippa made it out. In fact, she was one of the last female special operations agents to get out of France Alive. 

After the war, Pippa ended up here in New Zealand, but never told a soul, not even her husband or children, about her mission during the war. 

Before she died last year, she told her fill story to Jude Dobson.

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has had a busy week in Southeast Asia. 

ZB Political Editor Jason Walls discussed with Francesca Rudkin what came out of this trip, as well as further AUKUS Pillar 2 talks. 

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I’m not sure the government thought through the timing of this week’s release of guidelines around kids’ illness and school attendance. 

Half way through the school holidays, I can assure Associate Education Minister David Seymour that after another week most parents will be happily marching their children off to school, snotty nose or not. 

Which isn’t to say we don’t love our children. They’re the most important things in our lives, we’d do anything for them, and we love spending time with them.  

But let’s be honest, we prefer it when they’re at school for a number of reasons. It’s where they need to be to get an education. We also want them out of the house. We like routine. The juggle of childcare and looking after sick children for two working parents is a nightmare if you can't work from home. And finally, those who parented through lockdowns understand the academic, social and health impacts on our children when they aren’t in school regularly.  

So while the coalition government’s intentions are good and we want kids in school as much as possible, acting like a nanny state and telling us how to parent isn’t the way to do it. 

We’ve moved on since Covid’s restrictions and most parents are making sensible decisions about when they should or shouldn’t send their kids to school. A decision that 's best for their own child, and the rest of the classroom. For the most part I think parents do their best to get that balance right.  

I understand this is part of the Minister’s plan to lift school attendance rates and make the stats look better with short-term illness or medical reasons the biggest cause of justified absences.  

Don’t forget a child only needs to be away from school for a week a term to be categories as not regularly attending. That’s a high bar.   

But let’s not focus too much on short term illness. We know children and teens can catch up after a few days off battling a cold. Longer term medical reasons are more of a concern.  

Talk to the amazing team at the Northern Health School, who help children carry on with their education when they’re assessed as too medically unwell to attend school. They’ll tell you their students used to be mostly being treated for cancer or recovering from an operation. Now, they’re overwhelmed with children dealing with serious mental health issues. 

I can say from experience that the work they do is vital to getting students back into school without having fallen behind academically. They are some of the unsung heroes of our education system.  

So instead of patronising parents about colds and snotty noses, I’d like to see the government focus on addressing a much more important issue, how do they better support the educational needs of children dealing with much more serious life challenges that keeps them out of school for longer periods of time. And if they haven't already, I'd suggest they start by having a chat with those making a difference in this area daily. 

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On Friday, Mike McRoberts announced his news presenting journey would come to an end. 

The final 6pm NewsHub bulletin on July 5th will also be Mike's last... after a 40 year career in the media, half of which was spent in the prime-time news slot.

Mike McRoberts joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss his decision to step away. 

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The Borrowed Hillsby Scott Preston. Set amidst the foot and mouth scare in Cumbria in 2001, this is the story of two men, William and Steve, who have neighbouring sheep farms and are forced to destroy all their stock. They attempt to hide the remnants of one of their flocks from the authorities, and then when Williamfalls in with a criminal shyster, Steve is roped into their plans to travel south to rustle a pedigree flock from a faraway farm to give them something to go on with. William’s new friend brings chaos and destruction close to home. Whilst this is set against a somewhat brutal background. the author’s craft lifts it to another level entirely. 

A Calamity of Soulsby David Baldacci. In southern Virginia in 1968, a black man and his wife are charged with the murder of an elderly white couple. Jack Lee takes on their case and is joined by a young black lawyer who’s a crusader for justice and civil rights. Everything is stacked against them and the relentless march towards Death Row for their defendants looks inevitable. This took David Baldacci ten years to write and is his most deeply personal story yet – and even for those of us who have read a lot of legal thrillers set in similar circumstances, the degree to which racism was entrenched in the State at that time is truly shocking and makes for a highly charged novel. 

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If you're about to embark on a first cruise or you're carrying out a post-Covid bucket list adventure, there's plenty you should be aware of before you set sail.

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton recommends returning to the ship on time during planned excursions, and taking advantage of the dining room- among more travel tips.

Read more of Megan's advice for what not to do on cruises here.

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This week on the Sunday Panel, Coast's Lorna Riley and senior PR consultant at One Plus One Communications, Damien Venuto, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week- and more! 

There's growing concern locally produced Kiwi content could be facing more difficulties. On top of the Newshub and TVNZ cuts, there's fears TV shows like Shortland Street could be scrapped. Should we do more to save Kiwi content? 

World Athletics recently confirmed it plans to offer gold medallists a cash prize in the upcoming Paris Olympics. Is this the right decision?

Rage rooms- would you pay to go somewhere to work out your anger?

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Dietary fibre supplements are enjoying a resurgence in the world of wellness.

Research shows fibre has plenty of benefits- it helps with regulating bowel movements and gut health, weight management and blood sugar regulation.

Naturopath and wellness expert explains the benefits of fibre, and other ways we can get it besides supplements.

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Beer battered fish with creamy tartare sauce

Cook time: 5 minutes

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves: 6

4 sides white fish like, gurnard, snapper, or similar

2 bottles beer

1 cup flour

salt

oil for frying

Creamy Tartare

2 egg yolks

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

300ml grapeseed oil

3 Tbsp crème fraiche

2 Tbsp chopped capers

2 Tbsp chopped gherkins

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

juice and zest of 1 lemon

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Start by making the the tartare.

Place egg yolks, vinegar and mustard in a food processor and blitz to combine. With the motor running, gradually add the oil until the mayonnaise is thick and smooth. Now add all of the other ingredients and stir to combine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the beer into a bowl and sift over the flour and whisk in until a smooth thin batter forms. Season with salt.

Heat enough oil in a pot to 180*c, you can test a small drop of batter to check temperature. It should float to the surface and not colour up too quickly.

One by one run the fish through the batter and then slowly lower into the hot oil. Moving the fish round until fully submerged. This will stop the fish from quickly dropping to the bottom of the pot and sticking.

Once golden keep hot in an oven until all the fish is finished.

Serve alongside the tartare and some greens.

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If you are feeling angry, you might be tempted to vent, but science has a much better, evidence based solution for you.

Research published this week in the journal Scientific Reports involved scientists asking 100 volunteers to write an opinion piece about important social issues such as whether smoking in public should be banned. They were told that their writing would be evaluated and feedback would be provided to them.

The volunteers spent time writing their pieces, and no matter how good they were, every volunteer received insulting and negative feedback about their work and were scored low on intelligence, interest, friendliness, logic and rationality.

They also received insulting feedback that included statements like 'I cannot believe that an educated person would think like this'.

Immediately after receiving the insulting feedback, all of the volunteers showed an increase in their subjective rating of anger.

The volunteers were then given a piece of paper and asked to write down their immediate thoughts and feelings about the situation.

One group was asked to either throw away the piece of paper or to place it in a paper shredder and watch it be shredded. A second group was told to keep the paper either in a clear plastic box or a clear folder on their desk.

The results showed that the volunteers who kept their paper thoughts stayed angry, however the volunteers who threw away or who shredded their written thoughts returned to their initial calm state very quickly.

The researchers themselves were surprised at how effective destroying or disposing the paper was in immediately reducing feelings of anger, and seem to have found a cheap and easy way to help people to feel calm.

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Three's new local psychological thriller series is set to follow two best friends- and a surrogacy pact that falls through.

Set in a post-quake Kaikōura, the series explores the town's recovery following the disaster, as the friendship between the leads turns toxic.

Series creator Sarah-Kate Lynch and lead actress Morgana O’Reilly say the earthquake provided a solid backdrop for the series, as it impacted people differently.

"For some people, the earthquake wasn't the end of anything, it was the beginning of things. If you were working on the roads, for example, your business might have done better. But if you had a little motel, you might have done worse."

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Some of cinema's biggest names are expected to go head to head at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

Paul Schrader, David Cronenberg and Francis Ford Coppola have films ready to go for the May event, with the latter's $120 million Megalopolis attracting plenty of pre-festival buzz.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall explains what film fans can look forward to ahead of the festival.

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Foreign Minister Winston Peters has been busy over the last few days.

Peters even got to catch the eclipse in New York, on the last leg of his diplomatic journey through the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

ZB political editor Jason Walls says Peters has also pushed New Zealand a step closer to joining up with the AUKUS agreement.

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Dame Susan Devoy seems to have done it all.

She's been a four-time world squash number-one champion, former Race Relations Commissioner, chairwoman of The Halberg Trust- and even a contestant on Celebrity Treasure Island.

She says her original vision for the book was a 'tell-all, name-and-shame' look-back at everyone who'd gotten under her skin- and it turned out quite different.

"It's easy to write about your failings and the things you're not good at and your negative aspects- it's very hard to talk about your success and your achievements in a book."

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In 1954, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulmewere convicted of one of the most infamous and high-profile murders in the history of New Zealand.

The brutal beating of Honora Rieper made headlines all over the world, and got more exposure in the 1990s following the release of Sir Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures.

Seventy years on, the brother of one of the teen murderesses, Jonathan Hulme, appeared on Anna Leask's A Moment In Crimeto discuss the aftermath of the case.

Podcast host and senior journalist Anna Leask says Jonathan Hulme wanted to tell the world what his sister was really like- as our collective understanding of mental health has evolved over the years.

"After she died, he just had this growing compulsion to speak out and let people know what she was really like, what her life as really like, he just wanted people to have a better understanding of her."

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There's growing concern that the cuts across TVNZ and Newshub won't be the last for locally produced content.

As the nation's biggest broadcasting companies struggle with falling advertising revenue, the fate of Kiwi favourites such as Shortland Street remains uncertain.

NZ Screen Producers’ Guild President Irene Gardiner says local content plays an important role in keeping audiences together.

"It's our identity, it's our humour, it's what we are - and I think local content, both the more serious news and current affairs kind and the more entertaining kind, is very important."

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Forensic teams in Sydney have begun a scene examination into yesterday's fatal stabbing at a shopping mall.

Six people - five women and one man - were killed and eight injured by a knife-wielding assailant, who was shot dead by a police officer on site.

Australian correspondent Sam Emery says several other people have been hospitalised following the attack.

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So World Athletics made an announcement this week that will no doubt send ripples throughout other global sporting organisations - and give ammunition to those who claim the Olympics aren’t worth the bother anymore - by announcing they would pay track and field gold medallists at the Paris Olympics $50,000 (USD).

Understandably, the first question asked was if this move violated the Olympic spirit? This is, after all, the first time in the 128 years of the modern Olympics that athletes will receive prize money for topping the podium.

Now, once upon a time when sport was truly amateur, I may have agreed prize money was not in the Olympic spirit. But in 2024, when many professional sports people perform at the Olympics - think golf, tennis and basketball - I’m more inclined to say, why not? Why shouldn’t the athletes take a share of the revenue the International Olympic Committee (IOC) distributes to World Athletics?

Track and field is a massive drawcard. Surely those who provide the entertainment should benefit from it?

They‘re not being paid to train for four years, so nothing changes in the lead up to the Olympics. While it’s no doubt nice to get, I doubt it will be the overwhelming motivation for athletes. I’m making an assumption here - I’m no Olympian - but the work and sacrifice it takes to compete against the best at the Olympics is likely enough in itself for most.

If you asked New Zealand track and field athletes if they do it for money I’m guessing the answer would be no. If they were about the money they’d do better to get other jobs; one’s with a salary.

The IOC was blindsided by the announcement and quick to issue a statement reminding us it’s up to each sport’s governing body to decide how to spend their share of Olympic revenue. Apparently, up to 90 percent of all the IOC’s income is redistributed to help athletes and the development of sport. If World Athletics believe they can support their sport and rewards gold medallists, good on them.

Many gold medallists are already renumerated for their performances – by either their country, their Olympic and Paralympic Committees, or sponsorships. The US Olympic Committee paid gold, silver and bronze medallists between $37,500 (USD) and $15,000 (USD) at the last games. Some countries offer more. Hong Kong offered roughly $638,000 (USD). Here in NZ, High Performance NZ hands out $60,000 to gold medallists, which is pretty good, and you may also get to help flog some lamb. Some countries offer nothing.

So why not share the profits with those who reach the top, as long as the sport in general is also being supported?

While there is a list of criticisms about the Olympics, such as how they manage drug cheats, which sports are added or removed, and whether triathletes should have to swim in dodgy waters - I just can’t wait for the games to begin on the 26th July.

It’s almost impossible not to get drawn into the drama that will unfold over the roughly 16 Olympic days. We’ll get to share the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, heart-warming underdog stories and heart-breaking missed opportunities.

It will give us a wonderful distraction in the heart of winter.

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Day One by Abigail Dean. Set in the Lake District of England, this is about a school shooting and its aftermath. A local school is putting on an annual performance by the older kids, designed to make the four year olds who will start school in the autumn feel comfortable and keen to begin their education – but it all goes horribly wrong, and the way it plays out afterwards is a real sign of the times. A young man with connections to the town becomes convinced that it never happened, while the daughter of one of the teachers killed in the tragedy has a version of events that seems at odds with some of the evidence. It’s a sobering premise which I think is probably drawn from recent world events such as the Sandy Hook massacre in the States, after which a denier called Alex Jones claimed it was all made up and peddled gross misinformation. 

Run for Your Life by Sue Williams. Nick Stride is an Englishman who moved to Russia in 1998 to work on the construction of a new British Embassy in Moscow, and then later on a palatial new home for one of Putin’s sidekicks, a guy named Shuvalov. He fell afoul of them and he and his family (wife, two kids) increasingly feared for their lives and moved half way around the world to Australia where they went completely off the grid, staying on illegally after their visas expired and spending years in the remote Kimberley which must be one of the most inhospitable places on earth. They eventually decided to hand themselves in but the callous indifference of the Australian immigration authorities made reintegration to mainstream society extremely difficult. Nick and his children ended up here in New Zealand where I believe they still live, and feel it’s the right time to tell their incredible story. 

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The Port of Oakland authority have launched a plan to change their "Metropolitan Oakland International Airport" to "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport".

Despite speculation, this change isn't to end decades of mix-ups with Auckland Airport, as the locations were once famously mixed up by an unfortunate traveller in 1985.

BloggerAtLarge.com writer Megan Singleton says this name change is actually for marketing reasons- the inclusion of 'San Francisco' will hopefully being more travellers in.

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This week on the Sunday Panel, ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills and partner at Freebairn and Hehir, Liam Hehir,joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week- and more!

An opinion piece from Jason Walls claimed the Prime Minister, his Ministers and every other MP in parliament is underpaid. Do we agree with this claim? Do politicians deserve more money? 

Prime Minister Chris Luxon has been on the receiving end of some backlash amid claims he's running New Zealand like a business. His list of 36 action points came with a lot of business jargon- can we look past that? What does his business background mean for his leadership skills? 

Are children's birthday parties out of control? A new article says middle class parents spend anywhere between NZ$629 and NZ$2098 – or far more – on their child’s special day. Is this getting ridiculous? 

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Research shows gut health is critical to one's overall health- so how can we spot the warning signs of an unhealthy gut?

Bloating, constipation, or painful digestion are the obvious symptoms, but an unhealthy gut can lead to obesity, mental health challenges, food sensitivities, skin problems and energy loss, among other conditions.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara outlines the steps you can take to spot an unhealthy gut- and reduce the impact of harmful symptoms.

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Australian author Liam Pieper's has his work all over bookstores across the Tasman- but they've typically never featured his name.

Pieper's been behind several bestselling celebrity memoirs, but as a ghost-writerhis name doesn’t appear on the cover and he gets absolutely no public credit for the book’s success. 

His new novel dissecting Australian celebrity culture and the fear of getting 'cancelled' bucks this trend.

"I've drawn on the mechanics of ghost-writing and what it's like to sit with a celebrity - usually someone who's pretty famous, certainly much more famous than me - and plum their mind and insecurities and doubts and hopes and dreams and try and make a story out of that."

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Rosti with poached eggs and creamed spinach 

Cook time: 30 minutes 

Prep time: 30 minutes 

Serves: 6 

5 large potatoes 

100gm butter, melted 

3 Tbsp sunflower oil 

Good amount of salt freshly ground black pepper 

300gm black pudding, grilled or fried (optional) 

6 eggs, poached 

Creamed spinach: 

1 Tbsp sunflower oil 

1 onion, finely chopped 

1 bag spinach 

1/2 cup white wine 

1 cup cream 

1 tbsp dijion mustard (optional) 

salt 

Preheat oven to 180*C. 

Peel the potatoes, place into a pot and cover with cold water with a good pinch of salt. 

Bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Check by pressing a knife into the potato, they should still hard in the centre (firm enough to grate). 

Drain and cool the potatoes. Once cool, grate the potatoes and combine with the melted butter, salt and pepper. 

Heat the sunflower oil in a large cast iron or non stick frying pan. Start by pressing in the potato mix. Ensure the bottom of the rosti is kept moving to avoid burning. Once all the potato has been pressed into the pan, cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Drizzle the remaining oil around the edge of the rosti and allow it to flow down to the bottom. Place the pan into the oven. and bake for 30 minutes. 

After this time, remove the pan and flip the rosti out onto a board to segment into wedges to serve, Serve with poached eggs, black pudding and creamed spinach. 

For the creamed spinach: 

Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add the chopped onion and sauté for 1 minute. Add the white wine and reduce slightly. Pour in the cream, return to the boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drop the spinach in, bring it back to the boil, then remove from the heat. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. 

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Exciting news this week, as a nuclear fusion reactor in South Korea breaks all records by running an experiment at 100 million degrees C for 48 seconds.

Just for context, that’s around 7x hotter than the centre of the sun. 

Nuclear fusion is the process of heating and forcing tiny particles particles together under high pressure and high temperature to make a heavier particle - which releases energy. It is the same process by which stars burn and results in the generation of huge amounts of energy without producing greenhouse gases or long-term radioactive waste. 

Scientists have been trying to harness this power because - in theory, if the process is done efficiently, the amount of energy released will be way more than the amount of energy put in and voila the world will have a new way of producing renewable energy for the planet and its ever-increasing need for electricity. 

The experiment involves the superheating of plasma and trapping it inside a donut-shaped reactor surrounded by powerful magnetic fields. 

The plasma cooking part is easy - however containing the super hot result in a way that doesn’t melt the container the experiment is held in is a whole different challenge. Scientists have also not yet been able to carry out the experiment in a way that creates more energy than has been put in, and it is likely to take at least a decade if not decades before nuclear fusion is seen as a feasible way to produce sustainable energy for the planet. 

There has been huge interest and investment in nuclear fusion recently, especially as newer technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain require growing amounts of energy. Sam Altman, head of ChatGPT creator OpenAI has personally invested hundreds of millions of dollars into fusion research - and science always moves faster when investors support them with cash. 

The future of fusion may still be a long way off, but that future could potentially be led by Kiwis with Wellington based OpenStar Technologies being one of the companies working to develop a nuclear fusion reactor. 

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The filmmaker behind indie hit 'Ex Machina' is offering viewers a look into a war-torn America ahead of a contentious election season. 

Director Alex Garland's 'Civil War' depicts a war-torn futuristic version of America, where states are at war with themselves.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall examines this contemporary thriller- and unpacks the idea that this could be a warning for the months ahead.

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Enormous frustration among aid agencies six months into the war on Gaza.

More than 30,000 Palestinian people, including 13,000 children, have been killed since the war began.

Save the Children's Joseph Kay says aid agencies still face heavy restrictions from Israel.

He says the numerous deaths of aid workers, including seven World Central Kitchen staff this week, has taken a toll.

"This terrible tragedy does highlight that nowhere is safe in Gaza."

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It's been almost 20 years since former newsreader Judy Bailey read her last bulletin- and she's been taking part in several causes and campaigns since.

The former 'Mother of the Nation' has recently been busy helping people to embrace aging through her new book Evolving: Finding Health and Happiness As We Age.

Judy Bailey says reaching an older age can be an 'uncomfortable' experience if you let it happen- so it's important to prepare and plan.

"When you turn 65, people tend to treat you as though you might be a bit vulnerable and frail and a bit doddery, maybe. We tend to be be the target of either retirement village ads or ads for incontinence pads... and we have at least three good decades ahead of us."

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One of ZB's leading policitcal commentators has claimed the Prime Minister, his Ministers and every other MP in parliament is underpaid.

Jason Walls outlined this concept in a premium opinion piece for ZB Plus, after The Business Herald's Executive Pay Survey revealed CEOs had received an average pay of just under $2.3 million.

He says Luxon and his Ministers have to face more public scrutiny and media attention- and have more people reporting to them in comparison.

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More public sector roles face the chopping block, following recent announcements.

The Ministry of Health is the latest to propose slashing jobs in order to meet the Government's cost-cutting targets- of an average of 6.5 percent.

Former United Future leader Peter Dunne says there needs to be a purpose for restructuring the sector beyond cutting jobs.

"It's pretty easy to say- let's just cut numbers. But you've got to have a purpose for doing so other than saving money."

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I rolled my eyes on Friday as New Zealand youth became the latest punching bag of politicians getting some air time.

School was ditched for another Climate Strike around the country, that not only called for action on climate change, but also featured calls for Māori rights and a free Palestine.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour said it was 'unacceptable' for students to protest during school hours and they should be marked absent by schools.

He’s right on both accounts. Ideally our children would be in school, and they will be marked as absent - unjustified absent even. Not that that means much.

But here’s why I don’t like using youth as political point scoring:

We want our youth to be curious, and engaged with the world. We want them to have their own opinions, a vision for the future, and hope. But when they express this we seem to get miffed. We talk about the need for civics to be taught in school - but when young people taking an interest in Government policy and global events we demean them.

Just because they have views that may be different to other generations doesn’t make them any less valid. Listening to other people’s points of view and understanding their perspective is as important in a civil society as knowing how to voice your own views. We are not teaching youth this by gaslighting them.

Sure, there are teenagers who aren’t really engaged with the issues who likely took the day off school to attend, but that’s only a problem if they aren’t attending school regularly - and that’s where our focus should be.

If your kid does attend school most of the time and just went along to check it out - clock it up as a valuable life experience. They’re not ram-raiding a dairy for vapes in a stolen car. Or swanning around on an international family holiday in term time. There are lots of reasons why teenagers aren’t in school. Is this reason so bad?

And remember, as annoying as the disruption is for teachers when teenagers don’t turn up to school, it’s actually not hard to catch up on a day’s work. As one of my children (who didn’t attend the protest said), the Minister for Education keeps telling us the curriculum is poked. That’s not much of an incentive to go to school.

Many claim a student-led climate protest is a waste of time, and won’t achieve anything. The same could be said about various other protests we’ve seen over the last 4 years - but what I would say to politicians who dismiss these protesters as just kids who should be at school, do so at their own peril. Many of those expressing their concerns at this Government’s climate policies, or lack of them, will be voting in a couple of years, and becoming young leaders in their own right.

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Rachel Ward's latest ventures have taken her in a different - and unexpected - direction.

She's gone from Hollywood actress and Vogue cover model to becoming a farming expert in rural Australia, alongside her husband Bryan Brown.

After her farm was taken out by the devastating 2019/2020 Australian bushfires, Ward decided to change her focus towards regenerative farming- a journey she's documented in her film Rachel's Farm.

She says the transition to regenerative farming was a long journey, but creating the documentary taught her a lot.

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This week on the Sunday Panel, journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton and editor and commentator, Jo McCarroll joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week- and more!

Another year, another debate about the state of Easter trading hours. Is it time to move past shutting the shops during the holiday? Do we need clearer rules this weekend? Do workers need the guaranteed time off? 

 Have we got our heads in the sand about AI? The International Monetary Fund has released a survey that revealed AI will impact nearly half of all jobs around the world. Experts here warn we should start preparing for a future where humans are no longer necessary. Should we start preparing for a different world?

We're a quarter of the way through 2024- how are we getting on with our New Year's Resolutions.

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After this weekend's inevitable binge on chocolate and carbs, many will want to get back on the 'straight and narrow' after Easter.

The annual excuse to indulge in sugar can spark a lot of guilt by the end of the holiday, and one expert recommends balancing out the intake.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara says exercise and moderation are helpful steps to take to cancel out the harm of over-indulging.

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Mike Van de Elzen: Getting smoky flavour into food

Hot Smoking  

- Food is smoked inside the same unit as a fire source.

- In the Engel fire, you can move the fire basket closer or further away from the food being smoked, controlling the temperature.

-Making a hot smoker can be as easy as finding a steel cabinet with shelves, drilling a number of holes into the bottom and top. Then creating a small fire in the bottom of the cabinet and closing the box.  Or using your gas stove and a heavy steel tray. 

- Always brine your meats first and ensure you have a certain amount of ventilation in the top of the box to allow moisture out. 

Cold smoking 

-Food is smoked in an adjoining unit to the fire source.

-Here at the school we use a UFO - a small metal cylinder filled with wood chips, connected on one side to a fish pump and the other, an adjoining chamber. 

- The product you are smoking must be as dry as possible and ideally cut or broken up into pieces, creating more edges for the smoke to stick to. 

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Charles Darwin confidently stated that male mammals were mostly bigger than females, and this view has been held for over 150 years.

New research out this week in the journal Nature Communications,however, finds that Darwin's statement isn’t true and there is actually no difference in size between most male and female mammals.

In the study, the researchers compared the body masses of 429 wild animal species. They found that in many species including lemurs, golden moles, horses and zebras, the size of both sexes is the same.

Contrary to popular opinion, males were typically larger than females in only 28 percent of the mammal species studied.

Now there were some species that had significantly larger males in the cohort, including the elephant seal in which the males typically weigh in at three times the size of females.

However, to counter that the study also found that female peninsula tube-nosed bats were typically 40 percent larger than the males.

So why do so many of us believe that males are bigger?

Well part of it is to do with Darwin, but part of it is to do with what we are surrounded by locally and on TV.

Many familiar mammals, including pets like cats and dogs as well as livestock like sheep and cows have males that are larger than females. We also tend to watch wildlife documentaries that focus on charismatic species like primates and carnivores which also have larger males as they have great fight and dominance scenes in them. Typically, the male of the species is heavier when the males are required to fight to acquire a female mate.

Bias in the scientific literature has played a part in the misconception that males are normally bigger with most of the research being carried out by male scientists. One of the first studies that countered their view was in 1977 by female scientist Katherine Ralls, but her research was drowned out by all of the male dominated opposing studies.

The science-backed truth is that in the majority of mammal species, monogamy is the trend and males don’t need to fight for access to females. When this is the case, the females are typically larger which helps them to produce and carry more offspring.

It’s also a great lesson in how even scientific evidence can be shaped by our own pre-existing beliefs and why it's important to increase diversity in the science sector.

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Euphoria and Anyone But You breakout star Sydney Sweeney has stepped into the world of producing in her latest project.

Immaculate, a psychological horror starring Sweeney herself, is based off a decade-old script she discovered- and brought back to life as a co-producer.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall explains if the result if worth checking out.

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The Call is about Detective Sergeant Honey Chalmers who, after surviving a brutal attack goes back to her small home town to care for her mother. In the course of her work she’s become too close to an informant who’s linked to a gang made up of 501 returnees from Australia, and she’s pretty sure the informant, Kloe, is now in trouble. Honey’s private life is complicated and when Kloe turns up in the small town, events converge. This is a terrific thriller, based in our own backyard and I hope will be the first in a series. 

The Trading Game : A Confession by Gary Stevenson. Gary grew up in poverty in east London . The one thing he had going for him was his intelligence – he’s a maths whizz and put that to good use to win a place at the London School of Economics where he discovered that rich people think that poor people are stupid – something he then used to his advantage. He got a job at Citibank where he started to make really stupid money and discovered that enough is never enough. He worked incessant hours and had no other life, losing friends along the way - eventually having a breakdown after which he got his life back together. He now campaigns against inequality, having come to realise that while the money was good it can be at the expense of his soul. 

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BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton returns with a list of 'crazy and bizarre' travel facts for the weekend.

Between the rule that you can't photograph the Sistene Chapel ceiling and the impact cabin pressure has on your tastebuds, there's not shortage of unique travel facts to drop into conversation.

Listen to Megan's other unexpected travel facts here.

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This week on The Sunday Panel, Chelsea Daniels from the Front Page podcast and NZ Herald Senior Writer Simon Wilson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week- and more!

Following Princess Kate's shocking cancer diagnosis announcement, do the trolls and speculators need to take a proper look at themselves? What have we come to as a people when our first reaction is extreme theories and to poke fun at doctored photos? 

The Herald's Liam Dann has asked in an opinion piece if the Government needs to put their promised tax cuts on hold until the country can afford them. Do we agree with this?

Have hot cross buns gone too far? Do we really need one with cheese and onions mixed in?

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Princess Kate's announcement that she's undergoing cancer treatment confused and shocked people all over the world. 

There has been a notable increase in cancer in young adults, with people aged 18-49 being impacted more than usual.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explains further.

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If you have ever had a teenager in your home, you know that they have their own unique teenage aroma. New research out this week was able to confirm that teenagers typically smell of goats, cheese and urine- and there is a chemical reason why.

Published in the journal Communications Chemistry,the researchers sewed cotton wool pads into the armpit area of pyjamas to collect the sweat from 36 volunteers who wore them overnight. 18 of the volunteers were infants aged 3 and under and 18 of the volunteers were teenagers aged 14-18.

The extracted sweat was then analysed using both a gas chromatography-olfactometry device for chemical analysis as well as professions human smellers.

The infants had their own unique smell which was described as smelling like violets and due to a higher level of the ketone α-isomethylionone.

They found that chemically two steroids 5α-androst-16-en-3-one and 5α-androst-16-en-3α-ol were only present in the teenage sweat. These steroids are reported to have a smell that is similar to sweat, urine, musk and sandalwood.

The teenagers also had elevated levels of six different carboxylic acids which smell of goat, cheese, capsicim and wax according to the professional smellers.

The change in the smell of teenagers is due to the onset of activity of sweat and sebum glands combined with hair growth, and microbes on the skin.

Sebum is an oily substance that helps to protect your skin and these glands become very active around puberty.

While the study didn’t come up with a conclusion as to why the smell of teenagers changes, previous research into stickleback fish found that related sticklebacks dislike each other's smell once they reach sexual maturity which might help them to avoid inbreeding.

Whatever the reason – the likelihood is that your teenager stinks and there isn’t much anyone can do about it.

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The 1989action movie Road House, remembered by audiences as a classic guilty pleasure, has been remade.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and boxer Conor McGregor, in his acting debut, the film promises to give audiences a fresh take on familiar cheesy 80s charm.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall explains the film further.

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The insular Greymouth community of Gloriavale has kept Kiwis enthralled as testimonies keep emerging.

A new TVNZ documentary, Escaping Utopia, promises to unveil the stories of people who've left the community- and the struggles they've endured.

Co-director Justin Pemberton says Gloriavale is going through a transitionary period following the death of their former leader.

"The community is now imploding, it's going through some sort of- either regeneration or collapse, and we don't really know which yet, it's very much a live story. I think that's why we felt so compelled to need to go and visit."

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Kiwi actress Rachel House has built up quite a screen presence, having appeared in many local and big-budget international films.

She's also a dedicated acting coach and she's been a passionate advocate behind getting Disney films translated into Te Reo.

And now, she's making her way into the world of directing through her new film The Mountain, arriving in theatres this week.

Rachel says her experience as an actress prepared her for directing her first full feature film.

"I think more film directors should do theatre, and I think more film directors should do acting as well, because you learn how to break down the beats, you learn how to really dissect a script and you learn how to give performers direction." 

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A chain of well-known Swedish pharmacies made headlines by introducing age restrictions for certain skincare products.

Social media has led to an explosion of under-13s using skincare loaded up with ingredients including retinol, AHAs and peptides, and there's concern surrounding the impact on young skin.

Dermatologist Dr Juber Hafiji says these products have their benefits, but there's risk of swelling, itching and flare-ups if people use them too early in life.

"The products in and of themselves have benefits for the skin in terms of anti-aging, so reducing fine lines, pigmentation, improving skin texture and the quality of the skin- but it's all in the timing."

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A chance to hit the refresh button, and lay down Labour's values now in Opposition.

Party Leader Chris Hipkins is giving his verdict on the State of the Nation this afternoon.

Senior Political Reporter Sophie Trigger says it's Hipkins' first major speech as Opposition leader, and it's an opportunity for a reset five months on from election defeat.

She says he's speaking to party faithful in South Auckland, considered traditional Labour heartland- and he's expected to draw on party values of old, and outline what Labour stands for in 2024.

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Telecommunications giant and internet service provider Spark is set to introduce more firewalls, filters, barriers and protections to protect Kiwi users.

From April, Spark will be the first New Zealand-based provider to join the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in order to reduce exposure to malware, scams and sexual abuse material.

Make Sense co-founder Jo Robertson says Spark will go from blocking a few hundred URLs to blocking at least 6,000 objectionable links per day. 

"What they're doing is- they're essentially removing so much more child sexual abuse material from their platform than other internet providers."

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It's been 24 hours since the Princess of Wales' cancer diagnosis was revealed to the world via social media.

Kate Middleton announced yesterday she's receiving preventative chemotherapy, following weeks of speculation about her health and whereabouts.

Daily Mirror royal editor and Pod Save the King host Russell Myers says Kate's 'emotional' and 'personal' statement has generated sympathy from all over the world.

"Regardless of your opinion of the royal family- we've been poring over the intrigue, the scandal, the in-fighting of them over recent years. But as people in the palace have said to me very recently, they're humans too."

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The Hunter by Tana French. Sequel to her earlier book, The Searcher though can easily be read on its own. Cal is a retired Chicago detective who’s moved to a small Irish village looking for a quiet life. He befriends Trey, a young girl who’s long lost Dad suddenly turns up with a get rich scheme for the locals which he desperately needs them to fall for. He reckons though without his daughter who has ideas of her own and some big motives for revenge which she is meticulously planning. This is a very fine novel from a writer at the top of her game.

The Long and Winding Road by Lesley Pearse, She’s known for her novels – she’s written more than 30 – all of which have strong female lead characters who have challenges to be overcome and she’s beloved by millions of readers. This new one though is nonfiction – it’s her memoir, and reading it it’s very easy to see where she gets both her ideas and her empathy from. She’s really lived a life – spent time in an orphanage as a child before going to live with her father and stepmother; scrounged for survival doing a number of dead end jobs; gave up a child at the age of nineteen; was at the heart of the swinging 60’s in London and eventually published her first book at the age of 48. Anyone who loves her novels will also love this – it reads just like they do.

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Travel expert and BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton has been seeing the sights across the ditch in Perth.

Megan's been taking in the sights of the city and touring the Swan River- as well as checking out the coffee and indigenous food available.

Read more about Megan's recommendations for visiting Perthhere.

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This week on the Sunday Panel, political commentator and Director at Capital, Ben Thomas, and TV producer and commentator Irene Gardiner joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week- and more!

Where can the Green Party go from here? They've had a bad year so far, between a change in leadership, Golriz's arrest and Darleen Tama's alleged role in an exploitation scandal. Does the party need a reset? How damaging could this all be?  

More rumours swirling around Kate Middleton's absence- is the public owed an explanation? Will Kate's disappearance be that damaging? Is the public and media reaction over the top?

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