Alice Webb-Liddall 
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council was the first in New Zealand to vote in Māori ward seats. This election, the region’s longest-standing Māori councillor is up against some fierce competition from a former broadcaster who’s already put his skills to use in a viral video. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by … Read more
Most KiwiSaver funds are managed by one of the big Australian banks, which create returns through investments in fossil fuels, human rights violations, tobacco and weaponry. With attitudes shifting towards sustainability, what can ordinary investors do? This month 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg completed a journey across the Atlantic in a zero-emissions yacht to attend … Read more
The New Zealand Drug Foundation has just released a proposed model for the legalisation and regulation of cannabis in Aotearoa. With the 2020 referendum fast approaching, what should the government be considering in their approach to this legislation? As the days tick down towards 2020 and the referendum on cannabis legalisation the NZ Drug Foundation … Read more
In June 2018, Rawinia Higgins was appointed chairperson of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. She’s the first woman and the first te reo Māori second-language speaker to hold the role, and during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, she sat down with The Spinoff to talk about her life. “You can’t do a … Read more
A new version of Bic Runga’s classic single ‘Sway’ is among the tracks on Waiata/Anthems, a compilation of te reo Māori versions of hit New Zealand songs. Runga spoke to Alice Webb-Liddall about how recording ‘Haere Mai Rā/Sway’ helped her reconnect with her whakapapa. Bic Runga’s father Joseph was a Māori ex-serviceman whom Runga and … Read more
Hōkai Rangi is a recently-released strategy aiming to drastically lower the ratio of Māori in prison in New Zealand, using Māori strategy to do so. Alice Webb-Liddall spoke with Tuari Potiki, the University of Otago’s director of the Office of Māori Development, about what these changes mean for incarcerated Māori and their whānau. Over half … Read more
With American comedy PEN15 landing on Neon today, Alice Webb-Liddall chats with its creators and stars about uncovering all the shameful secrets pre-teen girls thought they got away with. Being a 12-year-old girl is hard. There’s schoolwork, there’s parents who just don’t understand, there’s friendship dramas and there’s the encroaching threat of periods, first kisses, … Read more
Award-winning designer Nash Karaitiana just had his first show at NZFW. Alice Webb-Liddall caught up with him about his unique brand Unco, and his journey to Fashion Week. The Miromoda show at New Zealand Fashion Week is a must-see each year. Avante garde shares a catwalk with baggy streetwear, simple designs walking alongside wearable artworks … Read more
Over the course of the local elections period, The Spinoff will be publishing primers on some of the most interesting races around the country. Today, Alice Webb-Liddall looks at the Gisborne District Council election. The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. … Read more
The Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak has just been released in toy stores worldwide. Alice Webb-Liddall got the chance to try one out. It’s a Tuesday, and a snowy owl flies above my head on the way to work. It poops on me. That’s extra good luck, I think to myself. I get to work, make … Read more
Meng Foon has been a fixture in Gisborne local government for more than two decades. Today he starts a new role, as race relations commissioner. Alice Webb-Lidall heads over to his Gisborne home for dinner, to find out what he’ll miss as mayor, and how he’ll approach his new job This feature is made possible … Read more
On the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing in Aotearoa, Ian Taylor is vowing to tell the story of those who came before Cook: the Polynesian celestial navigators. “My ancestors travelled across a third of the planet to get here,” says Ian Taylor, “they used state-of-the-art craft and the stars and they knew exactly … Read more
Tensions at the Ihumātao occupation in Māngere, south Auckland escalated last night after a dramatic increase in police numbers. Hundreds gathered at Ihumātao on Monday night as police increased their presence, cutting off the road and refusing blankets to shivering land protectors. Around 30 officers have been at the whenua since July 23, when a … Read more
Māori protests in New Zealand have often been led by women. From the suffrage movement in the late 1800s to the fight for Ihumātao today, here are five wāhine Māori leaders who faced large criticism, but left larger legacies. “The protest at Ihumātao is a feminist issue,” explained Pania Newton during a hīkoi of the … Read more
DiscoveryCamp gives Māori and Pacific high school students the chance to experience science at a tertiary level. Alice Webb-Liddall finds out why it’s important to get these young people interested. Māori and Pacific people have been experts in science for thousands of years. They navigated the earth using astronomy, grown food with biology and created … Read more
At the same time as supermarkets adapt to increasing demand for online shopping, some supermarkets are investing in the development of their people. Alice Webb-Liddall finds out why humans still count. Online supermarket shopping and Click & Collect services aim to make the sometimes lengthy and totally necessary task of grocery shopping easier for everyone. … Read more
The 2019 budget put aside $300m for venture capital for small to medium-sized startups with the hope it will allow businesses to grow locally and stay in New Zealand for longer. In a small rural town on the east coast of the North Island a cannabis-growing business is planning for the future. The first seed, … Read more
In 2003 the Silver Ferns won the Netball World Cup, breaking the Australian Diamonds’ 16-year winning streak. In 2019, they’ve just done the same thing. Leana de Bruin was a rookie in that 2003 team, and talked to The Spinoff about the hard work and emotional high of becoming world champions. Just 11 months since … Read more
More than 20,000 Aucklanders don’t have access to regular showers or the ability to wash their clothing. Alice Webb-Liddall tags along on a shift with Orange Sky, who are giving homeless people back these basic needs. On an overcast Friday morning outside the Auckland City Mission, a group of volunteers are gathered around an orange … Read more
Twelve years since she last watched a Netball World Cup, Alice Webb-Liddall revisits her childhood passion to preview the 2019 competition before the Silver Ferns’ first game tonight. New Zealand has been in a bit of a slump when it comes to netball. What used to be a staple school sport is being closed in … Read more
Over a year after the office was vacated, a new race relations commissioner has been appointed. What do we know about the new guy, Meng Foon? A little over a year ago Susan Devoy stood down as race relations commissioner, declaring herself devastated but vindicated over scandals within the Human Rights Commission. Since then the … Read more
After waiting almost two years for the return of the 80s sci-fi/horror Netflix hit Stranger Things, Alice Webb-Liddall binged the third season on Monday night, and still sobbing from the finale, reviewed the laughter, violence, and heartbreaking sadness. Who would have thought that there was a place with more rats than Titirangi. Luckily for the … Read more
As part of the University of Otago’s Maya-Māori cultural economy exchange last month, four Mayan academics visited New Zealand to share their experiences of colonisation. Alice Webb-Liddall spoke to the group about what indigenous people can learn from their shared experiences. “It’s easy to get stuck in a bubble of your own survival,” says Maria … Read more
After a few months of tasting and testing, Alice Webb-Liddall ranks dairy free chocolate milks, because we all deserve a good drop of cool cocoa without the animal element. My mother always insisted on buying me a chocolate milk after every game of high school netball. “It’s scientifically proven to refuel your muscles better than … Read more
Over 2.8 million New Zealanders are signed up for Kiwisaver, but not many are aware of where that money is going. Weaponry, fossil fuels and gambling services are all being invested in from some of the most popular funds, and a new charity tool is making it one step easier to change what you’re investing … Read more
Earlier this month Vunilagi Vou opened in Ōtāhuhu, the first art gallery the south Auckland suburb has ever had. Its director, curator Ema Tavola, is passionate about centring South Auckland communities and art makers in conversations around contemporary New Zealand art. Ōtāhuhu is home to a large migrant population, more than half are from Pacific … Read more
We’re on the record praising the virtues of Mt Albert, but how did it get to where it is today? Alice Webb-Liddall tells the story of a suburb’s 900-year history in ten moments. Mt Albert is Auckland’s second oldest suburb and arguably its best. It’s home to one of the country’s biggest schools, best playgrounds, … Read more
Costco is on its way to New Zealand, parking up in Auckland’s Westgate shopping centre, and offering locals the chance to shop for petrol, groceries, homewares and tyres in one building. New Zealanders love a bargain, and the world’s second-largest retailer promises to deliver better bargains than even the red shed can offer. So what’s … Read more
A trans-Tasman conference is being held this Friday to discuss the cultures that breed racism and extremism in Australasia. Tayyaba Khan, founder of Khadija Leadership Network, and Farida Sultana, founder of Shakti New Zealand and Australia spoke to The Spinoff about why it’s so important to continue the discussion. There was not much else on … Read more