Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Climate change battles loom at Pacific forum, Corrections fails to stop Christchurch accused getting propaganda out, and details on Winston’s racing industry boost. A fractious Pacific Leaders Forum is shaping up in Tuvalu, with sharp conflicts emerging between attendees. The interests of Australia and New Zealand … Read more
After the deaths of two more horses, sparks have once again flared between animal rights groups and the racing community. Trainers and activists both love horses, but only one side has the resources to do anything about it. This story was first published in August 2019 At a Taumarunui Racing Club meet in Rotorua at … Read more
MediaWorks’ CEO asks us to imagine a world with only government-owned TV news. Unless something is made to change at TVNZ, he tells Duncan Greive, that could be a reality. The New Zealand media executive in 2019 is an individual suffering from a very specific type of exhaustion. This is true of people from all … Read more
While awaiting trial for the murder of 51 Muslims in Christchurch, the man responsible for the March 15 terror attack has been permitted to send a hate-filled letter to far-right sympathisers. Does Corrections really not understand the potential for serious harm, internationally, if they fail to do their job to highest standards, asks Anjum Rahman. … Read more
The National leader says census data is so ropey we should halt the redrawing of electorate boundaries. Down that path lies a dangerous world of ‘alternative facts’, writes Andrew Geddis Let’s be clear – the 2018 census turned out to be a good, old-fashioned omnishambles. The just released report of an independent review into the … Read more
On the latest episode of The Good Citizen podcast, Anahera Rawiri talks to Jeremy Hansen about a uniquely Māori solution to Auckland’s housing crisis. The Good Citizen podcast: Download (right click to save), have a listen below, or subscribe to the series on iTunes. New Zealand’s housing crisis is a systemic failure on so many fronts: … Read more
Sam Brooks reviews the second season premiere of Succession, the dark-as-tar family drama from one of the minds behind The Thick of It. There’s one scene in the first season finale of Succession that sums up the family-slash-business drama in a few brutal, bleak moments. The wedding reception of Shiv (Sarah Snook), the only daughter of … Read more
This year Nicole Hawkins has decided to opt out of Wellington on a Plate over its lack of engagement with people who are offended by its marketing creative. Read Wellington On a Plate’s response at the end of this article. It’s annual burger and bougie plate season in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara. I ordinarily relish this time of … Read more
Caroline Moratti goes all the way undercover to discover the truth about nude modelling for artists and photographers, in this story first published in Critic Te Arohi, the University of Otago student magazine. Like any woman, it’s fair to say I have a complicated relationship with my body. By complicated, I mean a lifelong obsession … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Census problems will linger a long time, big tobacco tries to get into NZ Fashion Week, and farmer survey shows big concerns about climate change policy. The government’s top statistician fell on her sword yesterday, to take responsibility for the botched 2018 census. Toby Manhire has … Read more
Several labels turned down a proposal that would have seen a multinational cigarette manufacturer pay their fees and venue costs. Business editor Maria Slade reports. Fashion designers were offered the opportunity to stage a show at this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) virtually for free – if they accepted help from tobacco company Philip … Read more
What does it say about our sporting bodies that we’d even consider letting those who have admitted sexual assault compete under our banner, writes Casey Lucas. “A promising young athlete…” It’s startling how a seemingly innocent phrase can conjure cold dread in the stomach before your eyes even reach the end of the sentence. “You … Read more
When the University of Otago was founded 150 years ago the interests of local Māori were disregarded. But now, in the last 50 years, engagement with tangata whenua has become an essential part of the university’s identity. New Zealand’s first university was co-founded by a controversial Scottish politician determined to make something of himself in … Read more
The best little art show about the environment is big on charm and low on preaching and you can find it at Robert Heald Gallery in Wellington for one more week. Megan Dunn reviews. Are we all screwed? Pastorale, the current show at Robert Heald Gallery in Wellington, suggests not yet, but we might be … Read more
An independent review into the data shortfall in the first digital-driven census has seen the government statistician fall on her Y-axis, accepting the serious failures identified What just happened? Liz MacPherson, the chief executive of Stats NZ and official government statistician, announced that she would resign those roles at the end of the year, following … Read more
Over 400 doctors, most specialising in child health, have signed an open letter to the coroner expressing concerns about a judgement which blamed alcohol in breast milk for the death of an infant. Update 13/08: The open letter to the coroner has now been submitted with a total of 727 doctors’ signatures. Sapphire Rose and … Read more
Alex Casey reviews the premiere of The Bachelor Australia, where the gowns are glorious and the PhDs are plentiful. Everyone knows that in both nature and reality television, the Honey Badger is a pretty hard act to follow. Honey Badger don’t care – he’ll eat a snake, he’ll dig a hole, he’ll get to the … Read more
Talking to Ātea editor Leonie Hayden, Herbs: Songs of Freedom director Tearepa Kahi discusses the ‘constant riddle’ of documentary making, and the joys and sorrows of celebrating 40 years of one of our most important bands. A Tongan, a Sāmoan, a Cook Islander, a Māori and a Pākehā walk into a bar, and make music … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alice Neville critiques a curious culinary union. Fusion cuisine gets a bad rap, but some of the finest dishes on earth are culinary mash-ups. Would you really want to live in a world where there’s no bánh mì, where … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Huawei’s stern letter to ministers gets leaked, Fonterra announces dire financial projections, and movement inches forward on genetic engineering changes. Chinese technology giant Huawei has threatened to leave the NZ market, if they’re not allowed to participate in the 5G rollout. It came in a letter … Read more
The old utopian ideal of an unmoderated free speech arena can’t survive this upswing in right wing violence, writes the co-author of a report calling for greater regulation of the internet. Like many people my age, I feel like I grew up both on and with the internet. There was an amazing sense of freedom … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Tara Ward on mouse-dancing theatrical spectacle Disney on Ice. Before you ask, I don’t know why Disney is on ice. It makes no sense, but neither does Aladdin not having nipples, and we all seem to accept that just fine. … Read more
New Zealand’s largest company has warned it will lose as much as $675m this year. What has happened in dairying and are we doomed? What has Fonterra said? Fonterra Co-operative Group has given farmers and the markets an update on its financial situation. It says it will make a whopping loss for the year of … Read more
Ana Arriola has made a career at the forefront of product design. Arriola, who is speaking at the Future of the Future presented with Spark Lab on August 15, has helped create everything from the first iPhone to the infamous Edison blood testing machine. Now she has turned her eye to harnessing the potential of … Read more
The NBR’s Rich List is always a big day for New Zealand’s wealthy elite. So who’s on it, who’s up, who’s down, and how did they get there? Here are 10 things we learned. Technology still isn’t a golden ticket. Among the top 50 entries, there are a grand total of four tech entries. And of … Read more
Paula Green, madwoman, took it upon herself to launch three (3) books this month. The biggie is Wild Honey, a deeply-researched but accessible tribute to women poets in New Zealand. We’ve a review underway, but for now, let’s talk about the cover – the bit that hits you first. It’s a painting by artist and … Read more
Is Slack really the force for productivity it claims to be, or just another form of social media in disguise? Jihee Junn talks to Slack co-founder and chief technology officer Cal Henderson on the right (and wrong) ways to use his messaging platform. Every morning, Cal Henderson spends around 50 minutes walking to work, not … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Nervousness about latest batch of tourist numbers, Waitangi Tribunal hammers prisoner voting ban, and more refugees heading for smaller provincial centres. The tourism industry is showing definite signs of a wobble, with arrival number growth looking flat and certain key markets dropping away. Despite 2019 being … Read more
A new ruling on the ban on prisoner voting delivers a fierce reminder of the need for urgent change. Now it’s over to the government: put up or shut up, writes Andrew Geddis. In some ways, it tells us nothing we didn’t already know: the legislative ban on prisoners voting enacted in 2010 by National … Read more