There was a lot of kōrero at Waitangi this year about women’s speaking rights, both at Waitangi and around the motu. Dr Rawiri Taonui looks at the history. The call for Māori women to speak on marae was reignited this year when Mere Mangu, the chair of Te Rūnanga ā Iwi o Ngāpuhi, welcomed Prime … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: March 15 memorial service to go ahead, more travel restrictions likely to be announced, and moves against migrant exploitation in spotlight. Unless there is a last minute cancellation, commemorations of the March 15 mosque attacks will be going ahead this weekend. Stuff reports that because of a … Read more
A proper reckoning with March 15 2019 demands that we take up a generations-long struggle to destroy all the exclusions that make up our society and produce the conditions we know as racism. An essay by Morgan Godfery. This work is made possible by Spinoff Members. 1 I was cleaning out the garage the other … Read more
It is not a time for panic. It is, however, a time to draw up a pandemic preparedness plan. Where to begin? Siouxsie Wiles to the rescue. The Spinoff’s ongoing expert-led, evidence-based coverage of Covid-19 is funded by Spinoff Members. To support this work, join Spinoff Members here. Now that Covid-19 has officially been declared … Read more
She had a modest message about peace and solidarity to share, and then it was confiscated from her. Something perturbing happened to my friend at the cricket. It was, on the face of it, a minor act of censorship that went unnoticed by most. It might have been something and it might have been nothing. … Read more
Damien Wilkins’ novel Aspiring is out today. It sprang from this very Salinger-y short story, which we remembered reading in Annual and are delighted to publish again here. First, a brief intro from Wilkins: I don’t write for children. Kate de Goldi made me do it. She very kindly asked if I’d write something for … Read more
In light of Covid-19’s new pandemic status, the Ministry of Health gave an update this afternoon on New Zealand’s status and measures being taken. For the fifth consecutive day, there have been no new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand. The numbers remain at five confirmed and two probable. Director-general at the Ministry of Health, … 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 Florence and Chloe Van Dyke from Chia Sisters. What happens if you combine neuroscience, herbal medicine, and a … Read more
Several major events across the US have also been postponed or cancelled, including the NBA season after a player tests positive. What’s happening? In a televised address from the Oval Office, President Donald Trump has announced that all travel by foreigners from Europe to the United States would be suspended from midnight Friday for the … Read more
A little bookshop on High Street just scooped a massive prize. We caught up with Jo McColl to celebrate. A trove of wonderful books and wonderful book people, Unity Books Auckland was overnight recognised on the world stage, winning the 2020 Bookstore of the Year Award. The London Book Fair at which the prize was … Read more
We wanted to find out how schools were doing, irrespective of the privilege of their students. So we created a new measure to assess it, and we’re urging the Ministry of Education to pick it up, writes Eric Crampton of the New Zealand Initiative. If your school has strong NCEA results, is it because it’s … Read more
We’re excited to announce the launch of Emily Writes Weekly, a new paid newsletter by The Spinoff in collaboration with Emily Writes, landing in subscribers’ inboxes every Thursday evening. Below she explains what it is – and why it costs money. It has been five years since I wrote my first blog post. It’s easy … Read more
The British prime minister has been showering Budget lollies overnight, but he served up Kiwis a shit sandwich, writes Newshub’s Europe correspondent Lloyd Burr. Boris Johnson’s government has increased the National Health Service surcharge for a third time in just four years, which migrants must pay in order to live in Britain. An extra £224 … Read more
Dealing with grief is hard. Comfort carbs make it a little bit easier, says Amanda Thompson. As near perfect a country as Aotearoa undoubtedly is, I don’t think as a whole we’re so great with grief. Grief for a lover lost, a terrible accident suffered, a rugby game unwon, a beloved pet buried. The tragedy … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Covid-19 officially declared to be a pandemic, abortion clinic Safe Zones stripped from legislation, and Hauraki Gulf under extreme biodiversity pressure. Overnight, the World Health Organisation officially declared that the Covid-19 outbreak has become a pandemic, reports AP News. That’s a term defined as a disease spreading … Read more
Eden Park has been home to Kiwi sports fans for 120 years, but now it’s launched a new effort: to be a leading NZ venue for big music events. The battle between the managers of Eden Park and residents of the leafy streets surrounding the stadium is about to resume, with a resource consent application … Read more
Kiwibank’s chief economist Jarrod Kerr looks back to SARS, and into the future, to help make sense of this once-in-a-generation economic storm. Covid-19 has drawn comparisons to the 2003 SARS outbreak, but those who lived through that should know that this is a very different era. Hits to our short-term confidence, business’s supply chains and … Read more
Elon Musk is flinging long, screamingly bright strings of satellites into space – into our sky – with the noble goal of revolutionising internet access. Naomi Arnold, star geek and one of the many superb authors just announced to appear at the Auckland Writers Festival, considers what could be lost. I went down many astronomical … Read more
Jamie dances like nobody’s watching, Claire finds herself a new surname, and Roger’s going to sing until someone tells him to stop. Tara Ward recaps episode four, season five of Outlander. Read all of Tara Ward’s Outlander recaps here. I know what you’ve been thinking about this past week. It’s been on my mind too, … Read more
The debate over whether games can ever be considered a legitimate art form has been raging since the days of Manic Miner. Now Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the latest title to try to tip the balance. Lee Henaghan travelled to San Francisco for a hands-on preview. Can video games ever be … Read more
Financial markets around the world have been jumpy this week, with fears around the coronavirus putting them on edge. What does it mean for New Zealand? US Stocks Plummet Amid Oil Fears. Wall Street Plunges in Worst Drop Since 2008. Sharemarket Recovers From Sharp Losses. Bold headlines have dominated the business news over the past … Read more
As rumaki reo classes and other kura reo begin again for the year, RNZ journalist Te Aniwa Hurihanganui reflects on coming full circle back to te reo Māori. Why did I lose my reo? That’s the question I have been asking myself since I enrolled in Te Pōkaitahi Reo, a full-immersion te reo Māori programme, … Read more
Sure, you might turn up to find the lights off and the doors closed, but if you can catch it open for business, The Afghan Restaurant on Lincoln Road offers an unparalleled culinary experience. You can’t call a restaurant a hidden gem when it’s on one of Christchurch’s busiest roads. The Afghan Restaurant may be … Read more
The debate about methane emissions from farming is both ongoing and polarising, and many are pinning their hopes on scientific advances to avoid both de-stocking and climate breakdown. But how effective can these measures actually be? Alex Braae visited a research lab on the front lines of this fight. At a sprawling campus on the … Read more
Cameo is a website where fans can pay for their favourite movie, television, sports or social media star to send them personalised video messages. In the throes of a full-face rash, I paid two of the country’s top sportspeople to send some positive vibes my way. For a while I’ve been obsessed with the idea … Read more
The spectre of the coronavirus Covid-19 has reminded us all of the importance of hand-washing, face-touching and other basic hygiene. And it got Madeleine Chapman wondering: how many things do my hands come into contact with every day? In recording everything I touched over the course of a regular workday, I learned four things. 1. Having … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Lab test worker strike criticised and defended, business confidence slumps, and Porirua emergency housing motel proves controversial. There has been controversy over a strike by laboratory workers this Friday, amid the wider Covid-19 outbreak. Newshub reports that the strike has been planned long in advance – since … Read more
Just months from the referendum, myths and misinformation about cannabis legalisation continue to proliferate, writes Fiona Hutton. I was recently invited to Whanganui by the organisers of the Science Forum there – they wanted a panel of experts with knowledge about drug research to discuss the cannabis referendum. There was an audience of just over … Read more
Last year environmental campaigner Neil Miller wrote a comprehensive conservation policy setting out in detail a ‘billion-dollar boost’. Yet however many might agree that it is common sense, no mainstream political party has picked up the idea and run with it, he writes. My mistake was writing the policy for the wrong party. I was … Read more