The Bulletin: Nurse tests positive amid wider workforce fears

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Queenstown nurse tests positive for Covid-19, more detail emerges on case clusters, and NZers in Australia score moderate victory. A Queenstown nurse has tested positive for Covid-19, bringing to light wider fears of health workers. The Otago Daily Times reports the nurse worked at the Lakes District Hospital, where … Read more

Covid-19 live updates, March 31: Easter trading hours announced; some community newspapers allowed to publish

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 four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members here. 6.15pm: … Read more

Covid-19: Every New Zealand case, mapped and charted

Introducing a brand new series of charts, graphics and data-visualisations by Chris McDowall, covering the Covid-19 epidemic within New Zealand. This is the first edition – we’ll publish the latest set each day on The Spinoff. This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff Members Information about confirmed and probable cases of … Read more

You’re scared, I’m scared too: A nurse on life on the Covid-19 frontline

Nurses are the first people you’ll meet if you think you have Covid-19. Here, one of our frontline workers describes the rapid changes both healthcare workers and the public are facing. As told to Josie Adams. I was working at an urgent care clinic in East Auckland when the first reports of Covid-19 came out … Read more

Siouxsie Wiles: What is different about the new, fast Covid-19 blood tests?

Some countries are now using a serology test, which uses blood or serum samples to look for antibodies we produce in response to the virus. Siouxsie Wiles explains its strengths and weaknesses. Read Toby Morris’s new Side Eye comic, created with Siouxsie Wiles, here. And more of Siouxsie’s writing here. The Spinoff’s Covid-19 coverage is made possible … Read more

Lockdown policing can’t work well while there’s still confusion over rules

When officials – including police themselves – don’t seem clear on the rules around movement, it makes it harder for everyone to do the right thing, writes Andrew Geddis. Aotearoa New Zealand has committed to trying to eradicate the virus that causes Covid-19 from its shores. To do that, as a society we’ve moved to … Read more

Disabled people can’t be allowed to fall through the cracks of the Covid-19 crisis

Robyn Hunt writes on the challenges facing disabled people and what needs to be done to support them in lockdown and beyond. Disabled people at higher risk need more help. Many of the almost one quarter of New Zealanders who are disabled are doing it hard as the country goes into lockdown. If the levels … Read more

Lockdown letters, #4, Glenn Colquhoun: A note to Hone Tūwhare

In our new series The Lockdown Letters, some of New Zealand’s best writers tell us what they’ve been up to in the days of Covid-19 alert level four. Today, writer and doctor Glenn Colquhoun goes full epistolary, with a letter to Hone Tūwhare – and his Travelling Band of Constant Companions. Kia ora Hone, Well brother, … Read more

High School 2.0: It’s time for education to prepare for the new normal

As New Zealand looks toward an uncertain future in all areas of life, Auckland school principal Claire Amos sees an opportunity to change high school education for the better.  The last week has been an interesting one for school leaders. Monday arrived, it was all on – schools were closing the next day, schools across … Read more

The Bulletin: When are we getting out of lockdown?

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Conditions for leaving lockdown explored, nation’s first death from Covid-19 reported, and Australian govt continues to discriminate against NZers. When will the Covid-19 lockdown across New Zealand end? Short answer – when it’s actually safe to do so. Officially, the current state of level four restrictions … Read more

Covid-19 live updates, March 30: PM announces price-gouging watchdog email; good news for NZers in Australia

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 four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members here. On … Read more

Covid-19: Petitions launched demanding ‘hazard pay’ for essential workers

Calls are growing for extra payment for those who continue to head out to work every day, including many on very low wages. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members here. Two petitions have been circulating over the weekend calling for essential … Read more

History, hope, and Covid-19

Covid-19 will transform society, just as the plague and smallpox transformed nations centuries ago. This time, however, we have something they didn’t, writes historian Ayelet Zoran-Rosen. Throughout history, epidemics and pandemics have been a threat to people and states. They strike societies with little or no notice, upend their social and economic patterns, seep through … Read more

Broadband and data usage surges as New Zealanders reach out

Whether to connect with friends and colleagues, catch up on news, or stave off the boredom with bingeable TV, we’ve all been on our devices a lot more than normal. Vodafone has released a summary of its traffic stats for the past six days, which compares phone calls, broadband, and mobile data use against the … Read more

Covid-19 scams: Here’s what you need to look out for

Scammers have been making the most of Covid-19 by preying on people’s fear and doubt. Here are some calling cards of the con artists. With most New Zealanders tucked up at home, digital devices are proving to be critical tools for staying connected with each other. However, this dependence is providing an avenue for those … Read more

Covid-19 live updates, March 29: First Covid-19 death in NZ; Supermarkets pledge worker bonus

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 four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members here. … Read more

The face of the Covid-19 response: Who is Ashley Bloomfield?

A month ago, not many had heard of Ashley Bloomfield. But as the Covid-19 response has ramped up, the director-general of health has become a calm, reassuring presence in a time of uncertainty and fear. Rachel Thomas profiles him, in a piece first published on RNZ. Today, Saturday, director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield is … Read more

Can you go fishing under NZ’s level four lockdown? It’s a hard no from the ocean safety experts

By now, everybody should know about staying in their bubble and leaving the house only for essential services and exercise, provided social distancing rules are followed. Does this mean people can still take the boat out, or go surfing?  “Staying at home will save lives,” said Jacinda Ardern in a question and answer session she … Read more

Covid-19 live updates, March 28: NZers stuck in Peru bumped from repatriation flight

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 four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members here. … Read more

What happens when breakfast radio enters the lockdown era?

As New Zealand adjusts to our new normal, one thing from the old world remains – commercial breakfast radio. We tuned into the first morning of lockdown on the airwaves.  In a time when the world seems completely upside-down, you can thankfully still count on commercial breakfast radio to be there for you, bright and … Read more

Government rules that magazines and community papers aren’t an essential service

Just a tiny handful of print publications will continue through the lockdown, with only daily newspapers specifically identified as being able to continue. Duncan Greive spoke to publishers of magazines and community newspapers about the impact on them and their communities. Publishers of magazines and community newspapers are reeling, after a ruling from their regulators … Read more

Lockdown letters #2, Morgan Godfery: I’m never sleeping

In our new series The Lockdown Letters, some of New Zealand’s best writers tell us what they’ve been up to in the days of Covid-19 alert level four. Today, political commentator and essayist Morgan Godfery. I’M TWEETING AT 2AM. The responsible part of my brain is sending sleep signals. Inconvenient yawns. The first. The second … Read more

How is the govt handling Covid-19? The first opinion poll since NZ locked down

As New Zealand entered national lockdown, The Spinoff commissioned social media polling company Stickybeak to measure the mood of the nation. Stickybeak co-founder David Brain reveals what the poll results show. As soon as prime minister Jacinda Ardern made her Monday afternoon announcement that the country was going to alert level three and then to … Read more