Alex Braae 
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Labour accused of hypocrisy over fundraisers, voting about to close in by-election, and Speedway is leaving Western Springs in Auckland. The Labour Party has been accused of hypocrisy after Grant Robertson spoke at an exclusive $600 a head fundraising event, reports Stuff. Robertson, the finance minister, was … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Like it or not, a plastic bag ban is coming, loan sharks are flouting laws, and Bob Jones is going to court. A ban on single-use plastic bags is almost certain to be announced this year. Earlier in the week environment minister Eugenie Sage hinted to Newshub that legislation … Read more
The calls happen every year now for Matariki to be turned into a public holiday. Soon they will be too loud to ignore. It always happens around late May, early June. It gets cold, the days are short, the steam from cooking pots on the stove fogs up the windows. The good folk of New … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Jim Bolger is back, Housing NZ CEO set to front up, and logging debris causes havoc after Tologa Bay flooding. Sector wide collective agreements, and minimum pay and conditions across industries, will be investigated by a government working group. The working group will look at ways to … Read more
Good morning, welcome back from the long weekend, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Climate change impacts on meat industry in focus, international student industry likened to pyramid scheme, and South Auckland playgrounds are underfunded. When long weekends come along, there doesn’t tend to be a defining issue to follow in the news. So … Read more
Good morning, welcome to winter, and and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Auckland Council passes 10 year budget, National hates Labour’s sentencing proposals, and a concerning glimpse of the culture at Tauranga hospital. Auckland’s ten year budget has made it through Council, meaning spending and rates plans for the next decade can be locked … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government plans major sentencing changes to reduce prisoner numbers, meth contamination testing scandal rumbles on, and Google pays almost no tax in NZ. The government is planning to introduce major changes to sentencing in the next two weeks. Newshub reports the changes will include ditching the controversial three … Read more
We will also test Housing NZ properties for traces of students, pets and bad vibes, reveals our proud CEO (Boiler Suits Division) Alex Braae The report into the pointlessness of testing houses for meth contamination has come at a very bad time for The Spinoff. All those stories about how if one hit was taken … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Another leaked MPI report shows more fish dumped, meth testing scam dismissed by top scientist, and Christchurch residents turn to spring water to escape chlorine. Huge amounts of fish are being wasted and dumped, according to an MPI report leaked to Newshub. Almost 3000 tonnes of Southern Blue … Read more
National might be the largest polling party, but they’re sorely lacking any serious parliamentary sidekick. ACT clearly isn’t the solution, so how about contriving a new splinter-party? Good luck getting that past the electorate, writes Alex Braae Voters are a strange group of people to lump together. By and large they have little in common … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Eradication, not containment chosen for m. bovis outbreak, National eyes up new allies, and welfare working group disappoints activists. The government has decided to press ahead with eradication of cattle disease mycoplasma bovis. Radio NZ reports the eradication plan will cost close to a billion dollars, with the … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major changes recommended to NCEA system, new poll has bad news for almost everyone, and two significant announcements will be made today. Huge changes have been recommended to the NCEA system by a review, reports Stuff. In particular, the changes would significantly lower the burden on students … Read more
Can newspapers based in tiny towns be profitable? A publisher based on the sparsely populated West Coast believes it can, and is expanding as a result. As the so called death of journalism gathers momentum, media companies are increasingly looking to consolidation for survival. More content syndication, covering a bigger geographical area with single titles, … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Historic Trump–Kim summit cancelled overnight, nurses disappointed with pay recommendations, and transport minister Twyford gets snapped. The historic summit between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong–un has been cancelled overnight, reports Radio NZ. It follows a series of events that ratcheted up tension on both sides, … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Possible super–referendum mooted for next year, damning fishing report leaked, and Fonterra raises milk price forecasts to near record highs. The social conscience of the nation could be sternly tested next year, if two burning political issues are put to a referendum. Both legalising marijuana for personal … Read more
The visibility of hologram technology was given a major boost in New Zealand when the prime minister used it to make a Techweek speech. So how might the technology be used in the future? If holograms are the future, what exactly are they the future of? Anyone who saw Jacinda Ardern striding out onto the … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: EU gives go ahead for trade talks with NZ, marijuana referendum could be held next year, and Auckland’s mayor is under scrutiny over report secrecy. The European Union has given the go–ahead for free trade negotiations with Australia and New Zealand. The story was broken by SBS yesterday across … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: PM steps in to cattle disease response, spotlight put on possible worker abuse in strip clubs, and a big win for local game company Grinding Gears. The bill for combatting cattle disease mycoplasma bovis is expected to grow, according to the Prime Minister. One News reports that the … Read more
Is hype around the All Blacks out of all proportion in this country? Alex Braae went along to the first squad naming of the year to see just how big a deal it all is, and talk to a player with a unique perspective on it all. About two dozen journalists attend a typical prime … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: The government has partly made up its mind on the mega–prison, Māori wards fall short in regional votes, and midwives say the budget boost was too little, too late. The government has made a decision to not expand Wakeria Prison into a so–called mega–prison, but is … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. Today we’ve got all the washing up from yesterday’s budget, plus news about councils, cows and creeps. The first budget of the Labour–led government has been delivered, with few surprises for those who’ve been avidly following developments over the last month. Finally, the exact spending plans the government intends to … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: It’s Budget Day. Also, the issue of unpaid overtime in retail has exploded, and Tauranga’s council is at odds with local MP Simon Bridges over the fuel tax. It’s Budget Day. After the political trench warfare of the last month, it will be good to see what’s … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Another political intervention from new Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr, government considers shared equity for first home buyers, and the best coverage of the hikoi at Parliament. Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr says he “gave up” on trying to invest in the Christchurch rebuild, while he … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. Rate of inflation higher for those with less, Winston Peters is going to China, and the government backtracks on much–needed Official Information Act reforms. The rate of inflation, typically assumed to be low recently in New Zealand, has been found to be higher for those who can least … Read more
The leader of the opposition has lately been touring the small towns and outer city suburbs. Why? Alex Braae went to Huapai in northwest Auckland to find out. Up and down the country over the next month, National leader Simon Bridges will be working the room in dozens of RSAs, community halls and churches. The … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: US President attacks national drug buying agencies, Iain Lees–Galloway embraces his critics, and Greenpeace under fire for sweary voicemail. New Zealand could end up paying more for medicine after a proposal from US President Donald Trump. This story on Stuff (joint winner website of the year) has … Read more
With Budget day fast approaching, how will it be sold to the public? And how will the opposition go about pinning a derisive name on it? Let’s look back at some of the best and worst attempts. Budgets are complicated, big hairy beasts of policy packages rolled out to the public in the space of … Read more
If you’ve ever caught one of Auckland’s Link buses, you’ve probably spent a good chunk of the ride sitting at a bus stop, not moving. But why? On Monday morning I got on the Inner Link bus at Victoria Park on the way into Britomart at 9.21am. It had just stopped for a driver changeover. … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Contracts signed by Filipino migrant workers have illegal anti–union clause, voters stream away from Māori roll, and the government considers an inquiry into forced adoptions. Filipino migrant workers have been jibbed out of jobs in construction,a Newshub investigation has found. Dozens of illegal contracts, which promised work … Read more