It’s the British reality show that sees singles meet their potential partner on the dance floor, but what is it about Flirty Dancing that makes it such a heartwarming watch? Tara Ward finds out. What in the sweet soft shoe shuffle is it? Flirty Dancing is Britain’s latest television sensation. It’s a reality show about two … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Minister proposes big jump in dumping levy, Reserve Bank declines to loosen LVRs, and timeline slips out on major Porirua redevelopment programme. With the volume of rubbish being dumped continuing to increase, the government is planning to put a much higher levy in place, reports Anan … Read more
Z Energy is New Zealand’s largest petrol retailer, yet its CEO says he’s dedicated to mitigating climate change. Alex Braae spoke to Mike Bennetts about how that apparent contradiction can work. For the boss of a retail business, Z Energy CEO Mike Bennetts spends a lot of time talking down his own product. In a … Read more
As the death toll grows, the immunisation campaign is crucial. At a time like this individuals spreading nonsense is downright dangerous, writes Madeleine Chapman. As of November 27, there have been 33 confirmed measles-related deaths in Sāmoa, 29 of them children. There have been 2,686 confirmed cases of measles in the current outbreak, in a … Read more
We know that implicit bias exists in our society. It exists in our workplaces, it exists in our schools, and exists when our police use guns, writes Fa’anana Efeso Collins, a former researcher in youth gangs and currently councillor for Manukau. Earlier this year I went along to the Pasifika Youth Court as an observer. … Read more
Māia Abraham reviews an exhibition currently showing at the Christchurch Art Gallery bringing to the fore the rich moving-image practices of Māori artists. On a table in a room of Māori Moving Image: An Open Archive sits written material about Māori artists and their practices. It barely fills three archive boxes. In this exhibition we … Read more
Alex Casey dissects the most exciting and enticing New Zealand pop culture news of 2019. I know, I know. This story could just be the headline and it would probably win an award. This story could just be a tweet and it would get upwards of 10 likes. But, folks, it’s pure hell out there … Read more
Pay-as-you-feel dining concept Everybody Eats, which uses food that would otherwise go to waste, has found a permanent home in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga. Founder Nick Loosley explains how it’s about so much more than taking on food waste. “We’re increasingly disconnected,” says Nick Loosley. “We don’t really gather as a community any more. … Read more
I want to reflect the complexities of disabled people’s lived experiences and identities – and on our own terms, writes Michelle Walmsley. Featured in a 1972 film called To Help a Crippled Child are images of disabled children playing and interacting with their families. They are also depicted in educational environments and towards the end … Read more
This piece by Tracey Slaughter is one of the stand-outs from a new compilation, Strong Words, that showcases the best of the latest Landfall essay competition. Landfall editor Emma Neale wrote of it: ‘I could only read this essay in small bursts; as if I had to rebuild the ability to bear the agony and … Read more
The Opposition’s newly released law and order policy makes some claims that aren’t based in fact, argues Dr Nessa Lynch, an associate professor at the Faculty of Law at Victoria University of Wellington. New Zealand’s youth justice system works well for the majority of our young people who come to notice for offending. Like in … Read more
What was once a distinctly US pastime has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon worth millions of dollars. But as consumers, how do we know we’re not just falling for the hype? Here’s what to keep in mind ahead of November 29. One of my earliest memories of Black Friday comes from watching the six o’clock … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: National promises heavy crackdown on gangs, combined announcement puts ECE pressure on govt, and Samoa measles outbreak gets worse. National have set clear daylight between themselves and the government in their latest policy discussion document. The law and order policies are aimed at creating an overall … Read more
And how did William Wood, who is still at school, with the National Party candidacy in the first place? Liam Hehir, a Manawatu resident and former National Party electorate chair for the constituency, takes the temperature. William Wood may not be elected for Palmerston North next year, but he has already made history in a … Read more
At Vodafone HQ on the North Shore, a multinational team is working to build a network which will change New Zealand. Duncan Greive watches the birth of 5G. The fridge is basically the same as those at workplaces across New Zealand, groaning with beer and little else. It looks like any other modern double door, … Read more
The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read the rest of the series here.
The ‘rough sex gone wrong’ defence is on the rise in the UK – and, alarmingly, it sometimes works, writes Louse Perry of the We Can’t Consent To This campaign, which documents such cases Millions of people around the world now know the most intimate details about Grace Millane’s life and death, but we still … Read more
A gargantuan gaggle of Auckland’s most feared waterfowl have been served an eviction notice. But where are they really going? Alice Neville investigates. “A nice farm up north.” We all know a problematic animal who’s been subject to that euphemistic fate. A bitey dog, a skittish goat, a rabid rabbit (shout-out to my childhood pet … Read more
Last year saw the largest mumps outbreak in two decades across Auckland. Now a new outbreak suggests the disease may be back on the rise. There’s a new outbreak of the highly contagious viral disease mumps across the Auckland region, with localised clusters of cases diagnosed in Howick, Pakuranga, Auckland Central and Ponsonby. The point … Read more
In a column for The Spinoff yesterday, former National MP Chester Borrows lamented the cheap political rhetoric on crime and justice, including that of the current National Party leader. Here Simon Bridges responds. We’re not as far away from your prescription as you might think, he writes. Usually when I write a column in reply … Read more
From golden beaches to lush kauri bush, a visit to Te Tai Tokerau offers a true showcase of New Zealand’s natural splendour. We’ve put together a list of all you need to know before you explore the Far North this summer. If you’ve got friends or relatives visiting Aotearoa, top of their list should be … Read more
Confused about the various details and characters involved in the NZ First Foundation saga? So were we, so we put together a glossary to keep track of them all. Like a high-budget prestige drama, it can be hard to keep track of all the characters involved when political scandals break. The last few weeks, that … Read more
Happy Cow Milk is poised to relaunch with a new business model and an invention that could revolutionise dairy production, explains founder Glen Herud, in the latest instalment of his Spinoff series documenting the company’s fall and rise again. Just as we were chilling the beers for our equity crowdfunding launch last Thursday we crossed … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Minister wants winter grazing cleaned up before next season, elite figures wade into port debate, and golfers win Chamberlain Park fight. Environmental and animal welfare concerns have been at the forefront of a hard hitting report on winter grazing. It came from a taskforce convened by agriculture … Read more
At the Auckland High Court, I watched a trial unfolding as a crucible of modern gender and sexual politics under the spotlight of unprecedented media coverage, writes Nicola Gavey. See also: Defending the indefensible: On the Grace Millane trial and victim blaming Justice for Grace Millane. Now let’s now change how we talk about blame … Read more
Last week on The Spinoff, Tim Maurice of the Asylum Seekers Support Trust warned Behrouz Boochani, the Iranian who spent six years in an Australian detention centre on Manus Island, that New Zealand may not be the right place to seek asylum. Here Donna Miles-Mojab, Christchurch author and supporter of Boochani, offers a different view. … Read more
Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month we’re joined by Nick Loosley of pay-as-you-feel dining concept Everybody Eats. To listen, use the player below or download this episode (right click and save). Make sure to subscribe via iTunes, or via your favourite podcast … Read more
There are few things better to do than watch The Hui on a Sunday morning, but this week’s episode was especially spicy. Leonie Hayden on an amazing appearance by Auckland Nimby activist Lisa Prager. The protesters opposing Ōwairaka’s native regeneration programme have been camped out at the maunga for two weeks now, believing that the … Read more
‘I could’ve drawn a big penis on it, you know, but that’s really unoriginal.’ If you were charging through the mean streets of Newmarket last week, to the mall or to work or the train, you might have noticed a couple of A4 posters at eyeball level on the traffic light poles at the corner … Read more