Karl Popper, 20th century philosopher, was a defender of free speech and a believer in the vulnerability of democracy. Dr James Kierstead and Dr Michael Johnston from Victoria University of Wellington discuss Popper’s politics and the relevance of them today. In March 1938, a little-known Viennese philosopher called Karl Raimund Popper arrived in Christchurch to … Read more
While sometimes you have to laugh at the bad advice and medical professionals ‘hooning their fingers next to your girly bits’, vestibulitis, a form of vulvodynia that affects the nerves of the vagina, is no joke. I’m standing in the health and beauty aisle at Countdown, staring at the wall of “feminine hygiene” products and … Read more
Becky Manawatu’s first novel is published by Mākaro Press and it’s a blinder. Dedicated to her cousin Glen Bo Duggan, who was 10 when he was killed by his mother’s boyfriend, it’s a story about kids and gangs and curdled masculinity. About serendipity, and taniwha, and resilience. It begins with Taukiri dropping his little brother … Read more
The four days Paula Harris spent in the psych ward against her will, with only the overwhelming negativity of her own depressed brain for company, ‘breached the legislation’. It also scarred her forever. It was a Friday when I went into the psych ward. Friday the 13th. Yesterday was Sunday. Yesterday was the second anniversary … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. Another week, another new reality show to pour into our gullets like a jug of mirror glaze over a too-warm cake. The Great Kiwi Bake Off is back for another season, returning to the original 90-minute format … Read more
Nearly 60 years since he first graced Auckland’s city centre streets, Auckland’s Giant Santa will retire after one last Christmas. Sam Brooks has the good oil on what’s happening to the city’s iconic Christmas overlord. Two things mark the start of the festive season in Auckland for me: The first time I hear the jingle … Read more
Sam Brooks, noted critic of the Queer Eye juggernaut, reviews Over the Top, a memoir by the show’s most flamboyant star Jonathan Van Ness. The phrase “like Maya Angelou taught me” shows up two pages in. It doesn’t quite set the tone so much as prepares you for what’s to come. This is what we’re … Read more
Shane Jones’ inflammatory comments last week failed to understand the complexity of arranged marriage, serving only to repeat deeply entrenched racist colonial stereotypes, writes Josephine Varghese. Last night I, an Indian immigrant, was having dinner at a small Vietnamese BYO in Christchurch (run by Vietnamese immigrants), happily savouring the lemongrass flavour in my favourite dish. … Read more
Last week The Spinoff released its first ever book. The cover is a crowd of mostly familiar faces, inked by illustrator Toby Morris. See how many you can identify, then read Toby explain who these people are, why they’re there and which was the biggest bitch to draw. How do you sum up a book … Read more
From a rural shed to a multimillion-dollar acquisition by DB, with a few legal battles thrown in for good measure, Tuatara’s two decades in the business have been a wild ride. Now, after revamping the beers, its talented head brewer has called it quits. Alice Neville checks in. For a while there, Tuatara Brewing seemed … Read more
RNZ is set to announce the Bird of the Year for 2019 on Monday morning. In honour of this event, and our finest terrible birds, Sam Brooks brings you the third edition of The Spinoff’s alternative contest: New Zealand’s Dirtbag Bird of the Year. Reacquaint yourself with last year’s Dirtbag Bird of the Year finalists … Read more
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson (Doubleday, $55) Bryson, eh? Just casually walloping both Booker winners a … Read more
A new poem by Dunedin-born poet Holly Fletcher. I’ve buried 13 grandmothers and 21 mothers Am I occupied? Last Wednesday there was this huge train full of people running. How they navigated was beyond me. There are so many make-believe sweets that I am making sick in the air at the thought of … Read more
Last week three months of striking ended with no resolution. But psychologists say the fight isn’t over. In July, psychologists in district health boards (DHBs) around the country went on strike for the first time in their careers. Last week the three-month-long, 600 person-strong APEX union strike ended without resolution. They had rejected a pay … Read more
From unequal conviction rates to a glimmer of light on synthetics, here’s what the Drug Foundation’s State of the Nation report tells us. Reports of raids, drug busts and arrests appear in headlines every day. The next biggest methamphetamine seizure is guaranteed to grab attention. But with all the hype, it’s hard to make out … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government passes flagship climate change legislation, former minister Anne Tolley admits Peters disclosure, and changes coming at Oranga Tamariki. The Zero Carbon bill, one of the most difficult pieces of legislation of this government’s term, has finally passed a third reading. It came in more than … Read more
A combination of bad demographics, financial pressure and a decade’s old bill coming due make the new NZ Rugby CEO’s job infinitely harder than that of the next All Blacks coach, writes Duncan Greive. Thirty years ago, the CEO of what was then known as the NZRFU had perhaps the greatest sports administration role in … Read more
Rates of antidepressant medication dispensing are on the rise among young people, according to a new study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal today. What can this tell us about our prescribing habits and the demographics missing out? According to an article in the New Zealand Medical Journal, the rates of antidepressant dispensing (the … Read more
This afternoon the House of Representatives voted all but unanimously to enact the bill designed to make New Zealand net carbon zero by 2050. Some think the bill imperfectly soft. Others – including the largest party in parliament, the opposition National Party – think it imperfectly harsh. But its cross-party passing is, whichever way you … Read more
Tonight, TVNZ announced their slate of 2020 content, and they’re absolutely slammed with it. This is what we’re excited to watch next year. NEW The Bachelorette NZ Call the police, call a priest, call your boss and tell them you need some time off because Art Green is returning to television as the host of … Read more
Emily Writes gushes about the show she never thought she’d enjoy so much: the endurance-testing, gravity-defying Australian Ninja Warrior. I never intended to watch Ninja Warrior. I had originally thought it was similar to that show where people get nailed on a course above water. I didn’t really see the appeal of people getting smacked … Read more
Oranga Tamariki’s review into their own practices of uplifting newborn babies, spurred by a Newsroom investigation from June, has been released today. Here’s why it happened and what it says. Why was there a review? In June, Newsroom released a video showing the attempted uplift of a Māori newborn from his 19-year-old mother in the … 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 Victoria Carter, founder of car-sharing company Cityhop. The benefits of car share in an increasingly dense and urban … Read more
The outspoken parliamentary commissioner for the environment has released a tough new report about the lack of good environmental data. So why does that matter? What’s all this then? We don’t know what we don’t know, and when it comes to the environment, that’s a problem. So now the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) … Read more
Te Huka Mātauraka, the University of Otago Māori Centre, celebrates its 30th birthday this year as a crucial part of life for the university’s Māori students. Its manager Pearl Matahiki and student Sarafina Tipene reflect on what the centre means for them. In 2017 when Sarafina Tipene left home to attend the University of Otago … Read more
This dish strikes the perfect balance between comforting and interesting – perfect for a weekend brunch. It’s easy to get stuck in a breakfast rut and let’s face it, if you’re searching for inspiration in the cereal aisle you’re bound to leave empty-handed. The breakfast below, however, serves up more than its fair share of … Read more
Whiringa-ā-rangi (November) brings blossoming native flowers and delicious kaimoana. Learn more about the maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar, here. We are well into the second phase of summer Matiti Hana (see list below for phases). This phase ends around December 8, merging into the next, which is Muramura. A key tohu (sign) is the movements of … Read more
A new documentary by Mihingarangi Forbes and Great Southern Television for RNZ tells of the first conflicts over the fertile lands of Taranaki. A re-enactment shouldn’t be this touching. In the opening scenes of NZ Wars: The Stories of Waitara, a young wahine methodically plants her kūmara crops in the fertile Taranaki soil, unaware of … Read more
Shane Jones’ inflammatory remarks on arranged marriages have caused outrage, frustration and hurt among the New Zealand-Indian community, writes Gaurav Sharma. Let’s start with a story. The story of my wife and me – a scientist and a journalist, young and professional, contributing members of a society. Also, an Indian couple. We moved to New … Read more