Libraries pay a lot for their ebooks, and each copy ‘expires’ after a certain number of loans. Here’s why that’s fair. There are times I feel as if some librarians don’t like authors much. Last week, for instance, when I read Rebecca Hastie’s Spinoff piece, which began as a guide to making the most of … Read more
Questions are being asked about the judging process for New Zealand’s most prestigious art prize, the Walters Prize, with leading art commentators suggesting a review is necessary. It was a short 13 line story on Radio New Zealand’s website last Friday that signalled some discontent, somewhere, out in the artworld. “The judging process for the … Read more
Business after Covid: A return to normal might seem appealing, but as Tim Brown of Allbirds writes as part of a new business series, now is the time to strive for something better. The Covid-19 crisis has yanked our freedoms out from underneath us. Our sense of safety, community, and day-to-day life is no longer … Read more
Anzac weekend has always been a time for thinking about our country and during this one, in the quiet that has fallen during lockdown, we can contemplate a new kind of New Zealand. Read more from the lockdown letters here. Yesterday I put on a fire, the first one this autumn. Dragged a newspaper from the … Read more
As New Zealanders await the end of alert level four and the chance to escape their homes, some are in such scenic lockdown refuges they won’t want to leave. Every morning, the 11 residents at the Lake Tekapo Holiday Park wake up to silence. It’s dense and thorough – the kind that presses on your … Read more
Restaurants were already teetering on the edge. If they’re to survive this, the industry must come together and take one crucial step, writes Sophie Gilmour. We’ve heard about “the good old days” in hospitality – apparently, people wanted to work in the industry because they could make a decent living. Working conditions were great, people … Read more
In the third in our new video series 60 Seconds with Siouxsie, Dr Wiles explains why Donald Trump’s latest suggestion is bonkers. In this video, made possible by the support of Spinoff members, Siouxsie Wiles says the American president’s idea that disinfectant might be able to rid people’s bodies of Covid-19 is wrong and dangerous. … Read more
The latest in our series of charts, graphics and data visualisations by Chris McDowall. David Garcia worked with Chris to create today’s charts. This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff Members, with support from the Science Media Centre. These posts collate the most recent statistics and present them as charts and maps. … Read more
A poem by Ockham finalist Anne Kennedy. from ‘Thirty-Three Transformations on a Theme of Philip’ 32 The present pulls the plug on the present moment by moment Hands fly to the black tiles like pigeons to a rooftop The objects in the room join a passing train The thoughts in the room … Read more
The doors may be closed, but the Auckland Museum is open. Elly Strang pays a visit to Auckland Museum At Home. As New Zealand moves through its fourth week of lockdown, there’s no doubt many across the nation will be feeling an itch to explore a place beyond the four walls of their home. After … Read more
Business after Covid: In the second of a series featuring business leaders assessing the world that will rise after Covid-19, consultant Roger Dennis looks at the lessons that can be learned from the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake. Never waste a crisis. This should be the mantra that guides political decisions for the foreseeable future. … Read more
Week five, somehow, of these lockdown lists, compiled by the staff of Unities Auckland and Wellington. On the back of widespread reports that brains across the country have turned to custard, the theme this week is “books you can knock off in no time”. And speaking of no time: we are inexorably hurtling towards Tuesday … Read more
Letters to Hone Tūwhare and his Travelling Band of Constant Companions, continued. Read more from the lockdown letters here. Dear Archie Baxter, Well brother, I suppose it’s here again. Anzac Day and all that. I’m not sure what conscientious objectors make of it to be honest. I can’t really stomach all the chest-thumping any more. Not … Read more
The Salvation Army has issued its second Covid-19 monitoring report, urging the government to take action. A month ago, The Salvation Army began monitoring the effects of Covid-19 on vulnerable New Zealanders. Today, the organisation has come to the conclusion that an emerging “Covid-19 underclass” needs urgent and radical government intervention to prevent further distress. … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Global context for NZ’s climate change review, new media support package announced, and Wellington’s council looking increasingly dysfunctional. New Zealand’s carbon emissions cutting pledge will be reviewed by the new Climate Change Commission. As Eloise Gibson at Stuff reports, it may result in the target for 2030 – … Read more
For a month now, we’ve been asked to stay at home to stop the spread of Covid-19. New data visualisations now show how well we’re following that instruction. The Science Media Centre has funded data visualisations showing when and where we’ve travelled over the past month. Geographer Chris McDowall has made videos following population movements … Read more
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 … Read more
New Zealand is pursuing an ‘elimination’ strategy to counter the coronavirus pandemic. But that word, as with many terms in science, is not necessarily the same as its common usage. Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, our plan is to eliminate Covid-19. We have long since abandoned the “flatten the curve” strategy, which aims to slow … Read more
In the world’s first ever podcast undertaken by people in remote locations, it’s New Zealand’s leading epidemiologists and economists, Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas. An exclusive reading by the velvet voiced Jacinda Ardern biographer Madeleine Chapman kicks off the return of Gone By Lunchtime, who will not be muzzled by alert level four. … Read more
The new Neon series about the fight to have gender equality enshrined in the US Constitution is a fun 70s romp with a bitter twist, writes Catherine McGregor. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, they say, and right now that’s especially true for television, which is filled to the gills with historical series attempting to say … Read more
Social media remains fertile ground for con artists as promoted tweets rip off the broadcaster’s image in a bitcoin swindle. It’s not unusual for New Zealand Twitter users to encounter the face of Mike Hosking as they scroll through their streams, but this morning, it hasn’t just been the usual of links to op-eds, uproar … Read more
Within the rapidly changing landscape of the Covid-19 pandemic, physical distancing is fast becoming the new normal. But what does that mean for our sex lives? RNZ‘s Melody Thomas writes. Warning: Contains sexual references. This advice is not for everyone. If you’re dealing with the effects of sexual abuse and assault, here is a list of support … Read more
The latest in our series of charts, graphics and data visualisations by Chris McDowall. David Garcia worked with Chris to create today’s charts. This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff Members These posts collate the most recent statistics and present them as charts and maps. The Ministry of Health typically publishes … Read more
In the first part of a new series sharing the stories of families learning from home during lockdown, Emily Writes watches her sons hold on to connections in isolation. I think when I look back on this time as a parent one of the things that will stick with me is my seven-year-old son desperately … Read more
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 … Read more
The government decision to extend alert level four by five days has widespread public endorsement, according to a new survey. Overwhelming support for the measures taken by the Ardern-led government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has remained intact despite the extension of lockdown, rising from 84% to 87%, according to those surveyed by Colmar … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Mel Lewis from Ultrella. Every day a lot of people get up and apply a layer of aluminium … Read more
Praise all that is good and holy, hospitality businesses are allowed to reopen next week – with a bunch of restrictions. Here’s what you need to know. Takeaways are back on next week, right? Thank god, I’m sick of cooking. Yes, New Zealand is moving down from alert level four to alert level three at … Read more
With the lion’s share of the spend going to support broadcasters, newspaper operators are likely to be ‘aghast’, says media analyst Gavin Ellis. The first round of a rescue package for New Zealand media has been announced, following government promises to “triage” its support measures for an industry in crisis. The majority of the funding … Read more