Covid-19

Live updates, June 17: Ministry of Health confirms Covid pair got lost, had ‘limited physical contact’ with two friends

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For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff … Read more

Essential Kiwi Legend: The Syrian refugee turned Dunedin grocery store worker

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Nedal Ebrahim never thought he would be forced to flee his home and start all over again. But now, as a former refugee, supermarket assistant, passionate cook and Covid-19 essential worker, Nedal has become an important and valued member of his new community. Taste Nature in Dunedin is a favourite stop for organic and sustainable … Read more

I am the River: Whanganui iwi on the four natural laws that guide them

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Māori leadership throughout the Covid-19 crisis has looked different from iwi to iwi, and hapū to hapū. In Whanganui, as before, iwi have taken their lead from Rangi, Papa and the sacred River, writes Āneta Rāwiri. Just over three months ago, on March 11, the World Health Organisation declared the Covid-19 coronavirus a global pandemic. … Read more

Military could lead oversight of revamped Covid-19 isolation, says health minister

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The system of managed self-isolation has failed in the case of the two women who arrived from the UK, David Clark said, and the government wants to ‘strengthen the oversight’ of the process. The “failing in the system”, which saw a recent arrival from Britain who later tested positive for Covid-19 being approved to drive … Read more

Amid all NZ’s Covid back-patting, let’s not forget the country that did it first

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New Zealand has been lauded for its response to Covid-19, but the fastest country to act was Taiwan, which has gone 64 days without a new locally transmitted case. So why has it been overlooked? When New Zealand announced on June 8 that it had reached the significant milestone of zero active Covid-19 cases, the … Read more

The Bulletin: Two new Covid-19 cases, serious questions about border

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Failings around Covid-positive visitors who were allowed to travel, massive new report on health reform unveiled, and police executive redesign proposed. There are two new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, breaking a long streak of zero days. Our live updates page from yesterday has the details of … Read more

A failure of New Zealand’s defensive wall against Covid-19

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Days after she arrived in the country, a woman with mild symptoms was given an exemption to leave managed isolation. She wasn’t tested and may have never been given a full health check, writes Justin Giovannetti, who has first hand experience of how the system should work. “Are you OK” was never the question a … Read more

Live updates, June 16: Two new Covid-19 cases were allowed out of isolation, travelled to Wellington in private car

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For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members … Read more

End to DHB elections, new agencies proposed in major health system review

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The Simpson report into the health and disability sector has finally been released, proposing major changes to the way the health system is organised and governed. Alex Braae reports on the most important bits. What’s all this then? About two years ago, Heather Simpson was tasked with leading a massive review into the health and … Read more

The Bulletin: Fast-tracked projects aimed at job-creation announced

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: List of infrastructure projects for fast-tracking announced, Labour releases list for election, and concerns raised about police firearms vetting process. Get your shovels out – 11 projects have been announced to start imminently after being included in an infrastructure fast-tracking bill. As Stuff reports, the inclusion is aimed … Read more

Exclusive new poll: public support for Covid response remains sky high

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Fifth survey by Stickybeak for The Spinoff shows support for the government response solid as we enter level one – and the highest number yet give top marks. Popular support for the response to the coronavirus crisis is undimmed as New Zealand enters its second week of a mostly restriction-free alert level one, a new … Read more

Live updates, June 15: Fast-track building projects announced; Ayesha Verrall wins high position on Labour list

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For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members … Read more

And now, some good news: Three big opportunities to emerge from Covid-19

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Based on the latest Kiwi Economics data, Kiwibank senior economist Jeremy Couchman explores what fresh economic shoots could be growing in the fertile ground left by Covid-19. New Zealand has done extremely well to crush the Covid-19 curve and allow the rapid reopening of the economy. At Kiwibank we have been pleasantly surprised at the … Read more

The Bulletin: Muller makes his pitch for the middle

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Todd Muller makes pitch for the middle, further BLM protests take place, and two pieces to illustrate the importance of science in public life. The opposition leader gets precious few chances to try and define themselves in the public eye, and Todd Muller has had … Read more

As 43,000 flock to Eden Park, is Covid-free NZ the freest place on the planet?

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In most of the world, the idea of gathering with thousands of strangers in a stadium is completely unthinkable.   Many forests have been lost to internal reviews and newspaper columns diagnosing the plight of the Blues, and how to reinvigorate the fan base, but not one of them included “appalling global pandemic”. That 43,000 filled … Read more

Live updates, June 12-14: Zero new Covid-19 cases for 23rd straight day as crowds gather

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For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members … Read more

So long to Ashley TV: How a nation got hooked on the daily Covid show

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Over lockdown, the daily Covid-19 update became appointment viewing. As the country returns to normality, Fiona Rae looks back on how the 1pm briefing became a nationwide ritual. It was a low-budget show that screened every day at lunchtime. There were only two starring roles and about the same number of camera angles. The scripts … Read more

How lockdown helped get Wellington’s rough sleepers off the streets

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While undoubtedly a challenging time, for many of the capital’s most marginalised people, the Covid-19 crisis provided the motivation they needed to move into a home – and showed how well government, social and community agencies can work together to help. When the call came to go home and stay home because of the threat … Read more

The trans-Tasman bubble can wait. NZ and the Pacific can make a Covid-free zone

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The health arguments are sound, and the economic and cultural imperatives are clear. The Pacific islands need to be prioritised post-Covid over the trans-Tasman bubble, writes public health expert Collin Tukuitonga.  Much has been made about the need to open a trans-Tasman travel bubble as a priority. This is despite the fact that Australia continues … Read more

The Bulletin: A dozen stories to wrap the week

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Review finds rest home with Covid outbreak breached care obligations, Coster clarifies rubber bullet comments, and Otago University forecasts heavy losses. Something slightly different today: Rather than a lead story with lots of detail, today’s Bulletin will be about rounding up a whole lot of news … Read more

Live updates, June 11: Day 20 of no new cases; Ministry of Health releases review of aged care facility clusters

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For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members … Read more

Commercial Bay: Auckland’s $1bn retail precinct launches into an economic storm

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It’s a state-of-the-art retail and hospitality centre opening in the jaws of a recession. Michael Andrew takes a look at the hurdles and hopes for the new billion-dollar Commercial Bay. Earlier this week, two days before its official launch, the Commercial Bay development in downtown Auckland opened for a discreet preview. A small group of … Read more

The Bulletin: Billions needed to fix hospital infrastructure

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Billions needed to fix poor state of hospital infrastructure, colonial era statues in the spotlight, and major problems emerge in modem rollout to students. Dozens of hospital buildings are in a poor condition, a new stocktake has found.Radio NZ’s Phil Pennington has a detailed report on … Read more

Fashion house Ingrid Starnes to close all retail as Commercial Bay store opens

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The local fashion industry takes another hit with Ingrid Starnes closing its stores after more than a decade. Fashion brand Ingrid Starnes has announced it’s closing the retail arm of its business due to the impacts of Covid-19. Its new store opening in Commercial Bay on Thursday and its current store in Ponsonby will remain … Read more

What next for New Zealand? Six visions for a post-Covid country

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Visionweek is a not-for-profit web summit with an aim to stimulate a conversation about the future of New Zealand as we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis. We asked participants to give us their big ideas to transform the country. Running June 8-12, the Visionweek online summit features an array of New Zealand’s top business leaders, … Read more

The Bulletin: How Australia sees the trans-Tasman bubble

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: How Australia sees the trans-Tasman bubble, police Armed Response Teams scrapped for good, and cheese in the spotlight in Europe trade stoush. Today’s main story comes from a reader suggestion, who had spotted a gap in news coverage. Dan wrote in to ask how Australia was … Read more

My fight to bring my Māori children home

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Who would leave the safety of Covid-free New Zealand to travel to the US during a pandemic amid escalating racial tensions? Well, I would – but only for three very special reasons.  My whakapapa extends from the tangata whenua (people of the land) of Aotearoa and across the Pacific to Samoa, Europe and beyond. I … Read more

Live updates, June 9: Armed patrols scrapped, border restrictions tightened

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For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members … Read more