Freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy makes a plea to politicians and the public, urging them to trust that the people who study water quality know what they’re talking about. Imagine you had just stepped onto a plane, and the captain’s voice came over the intercom. “We’ve been held back from take-off while the engineers look … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Shane Jones says the quiet bit out loud to forestry industry, massive marches take place against climate inaction, and pharmacists fear Chemist Warehouse wipeout. Cabinet minister and NZ First MP Shane Jones has allegedly been caught saying the quiet bit out loud again. The NZ Herald’s David Fisher … Read more
On the tenth anniversary of the tsunami that claimed 143 lives in Samoa, Sapeer Mayron speaks to the people who were there. Sapeer Mayron is a reporter for the Samoa Observer, covering the 10th anniversary of the 2009 Tsunami. Ten years have passed since a devastating tsunami thrashed the shores of Samoa, and took the … Read more
Penny Hulse is retiring after a 27-year council career. She talked to Hayden Donnell about the reasons she stood down, the councillors she can’t stand, the Tamihere vs Goff battle, and her secret to staying sane during even the worst council meetings. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For … Read more
On the eve of her son turning seven, Emily Writes shares a personal essay on birthdays and parenthood. It was dark and I heard a little whimper then: “mama?” A little body quickly climbed into my bed and huddled up closer reaching for my hands. I pulled my arms around him and softly stroked his … Read more
Jack Lasenby died on Friday afternoon. Here, collected stories about a great writer, mentor and friend. Jane Arthur, formerly of Gecko Press, co-founder of The Sapling: I met Jack when I helped publish Uncle Trev and the Whistling Bull at Gecko Press. He made a big impression on me. I have never been so delighted … Read more
This week’s Sunday Theatre feature is Ablaze, a drama about the 1947 fire at the Ballantynes Department Store in Christchurch that killed 41 people. Tara Ward reviews. The Ballantynes Fire disaster is etched in New Zealand’s collective consciousness as one of our greatest tragedies, but it wasn’t until I watched Ablaze that I realised how disastrous it was. … Read more
Get the kids to help you make these during the holidays, then add them to the regular lunchbox rotation come back-to-school time. If you’re reading this and have children then, according to recent research, there’s a 50% chance they aren’t consuming their recommended daily serving of vegetables. Walk through your local supermarket and it’s little … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. Jane is away, so the mice will play. Call the coppers, its a chaos pod this week no with proper doc, no proper stings and no proper adults. It’s been a great week of reality television, with … Read more
For Auckland is a Spinoff podcast of civic conversations with people working to create and sustain a better Auckland for all. In episode eight policy analyst Owen Gill outlines his vision for Auckland and how we can get there. Auckland in 2019 is in the same moment as Los Angeles was in 1945 and what … Read more
Uber became one of the biggest companies in the world in a few short years. Duncan Greive reviews Mike Isaac’s extraordinary Super Pumped, which shows the world just what it sacrificed for cheap rides. There are so many stories in Super Pumped, a riveting new account of the rise of Uber, which seem to capture … Read more
If you’ve ever voted in a local election, you’ll know the heady mix of confusion, boredom, and anger that comes from trying to fill out the DHB section of your ballot. Thankfully Julienne Molineaux is here with an explainer, and a plea for change. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff … Read more
Toby Morris plays the lo-fi avian puzzle game that’s taken over the internet. “It’s a lovely morning in the village. You are a horrible goose.” And with that, we’re in the world of this week’s surprise hit game: Untitled Goose Game by Australian studio House House. You play a goose – not a super powered … Read more
Over 170,000 people went on strike for the climate crisis across New Zealand yesterday. Photographer Sylvie Whinray was in Aotea Square, Auckland, along with 80,000 others.
What’s the best way to get adults reading? Get them reading when they’re children – and there’s no better place to start than the Unity Children’s Bestseller Chart. These lists of the bestselling children’s books at Unity Wellington and Little Unity in Auckland cover the four weeks to September 26 2019. AUCKLAND 1 My First … Read more
Otago University professor James Flynn says the ‘banning’ of his book by the publisher that rejected it is an attack on free speech. That’s an obtuse understanding of what free speech really is, writes Danyl Mclauchlan. James Flynn, an emeritus professor at Otago University, is one of New Zealand’s most renowned social scientists. His work … Read more
In our latest local elections 2019 race briefing (read the rest here), Tara Ward goes into the New Plymouth election campaign, which is notable for being filled with pictures of turds. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click here. … Read more
Despite the world’s attention turning elsewhere, thousands of asylum seekers continue to die on perilous voyages across the Mediterranean. Alex Braae spoke to a New Zealander trying to save their lives. A human body doesn’t take long to disappear in the Mediterranean. Salt water breaks it down, fish nibble it, and before anyone notices, it … Read more
Laura O’Connell Rapira looks at what benefit cuts and successive generations of an unregulated housing market has done to welfare and housing for those in the margins. For the first seven or so years of my life, I was raised mostly by my mum on the domestic purposes benefit (my dad is a big part … Read more
Ryan Murphy’s new show for Netflix indulges without excesses and fires off shots without finding a target, Sam Brooks writes. Ryan Murphy is a polarising figure in television. After a dodgy start to his career – the tonally bonkers Popular and the famously scuzzy Nip/Tuck – he achieved proper mainstream success with Glee, and pivoted … 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 Testaments by Margaret Atwood (Chatto & Windus, $48) “… part of the engine of The Testaments is a challenging … Read more
Organisers estimate that 170,000 New Zealanders have joined the strike for the climate around the country. Here’s what went down. More than 40 #climatestrike events took place this afternoon around New Zealand, as part of a global movement calling for urgent action on the climate crisis. The core of the strike was school students, but … Read more
For three hours, we’re going quiet. Here’s why. Despite it being known, catalogued and largely undisputed for decades, a decent response to climate change felt like something we could reach by next year. We just had to get our head around the housing crisis, or the GFC, or the Iraq war, or big tech, or … Read more
Planning a big blowout of illicit dairy deliciousness? This is the brownie for you. How great was Covering Climate Now last week? I was engrossed, following along with these practical, sobering and funny discussions about what we are (or are not) doing well now and should do in the future to change the course of … Read more
The ban and buyback passed by a united parliament in the wake of the Christchurch massacre will achieve little in the long term unless accompanied by modernised gun regulation, writes Hera Cook. New Zealanders register their cars, they register their dogs. Why should they not register guns, which are designed to kill? Guns are uniquely … Read more
A new poem by Hera Lindsay Bird. COLORADO SPRINGS 1989 After David Berman whenever I get lonely I go to department stores and wander around looking at all the t-shirts with made-up names and dates on them. some days I think it’s almost sweet this collective longing for an imaginary past if they weren’t so … Read more
The Guerrilla Girls are an infamous group of feminist art activists who’ve been calling out sexism and prejudice in the art world since the 80s. On the eve of her first trip to New Zealand, group member ‘Frida Kahlo’ talks to Megan Dunn. In 1984, the Museum of Modern Art in New York launched the … Read more
Sophie Handford, the 18-year-old responsible for starting School Strike 4 Climate NZ, is running for council in the Paekākāriki-Raumati Ward. Alex Casey hasn’t done anything as impressive as that, but does look a bit like her. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and … Read more
Speaker Trevor Mallard has announced a crackdown on parties using footage of their opponents in parliament for attack ads. What’s this all about? Electoral law expert Andrew Geddis explains. As the House was kicking off its business yesterday, Speaker Trevor Mallard opened things up by announcing a ruling on Standing Orders. A Labour Party MP … Read more