Plastic Free July is over, but Josie Adams is still fighting for the environment. After a month of minimising plastics, emissions and even recyclables, she reflects on what she’s learned. You can read the first three diary entries here, here, and here. July has ended and so has my time as New Zealand’s most formidable … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Why the OCR cut is a big deal, significant non-compliance on Waikato dairy farms revealed, and major changes to Misuse of Drugs Act passed. The Reserve Bank has cut the OCR further than expected, bringing it down to 1.00% rather than the 1.25% that was … Read more
John Sato, a 95-year-old World War Two veteran, made international headlines when he took four buses to join an anti-racism march in central Auckland after the March 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks. This is his story. My name is John Edward Henry Sato. I am 95 years old. What brought me here? Well, they tell me it … Read more
A poll reveals startling gaps in our knowledge. Countering this is urgent and important, especially given the rise in division and hatred around the world, writes Melissa Derby. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is an old cliché, but an appropriate sentiment in light of results of a survey … Read more
Announcing the winners of the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young People. Right now the loveliest people in the country are gathered at Te Papa celebrating 2018’s most brilliant and amazing books for children and young people. The best of the batch, officially, as of just a few minutes ago: The Bomb. … Read more
After 15 years, the satirical video game Metal Wolf Chaos XD is finally being released worldwide. Today its depiction of a crazed, militaristic America seems more prescient than ever, writes Sam Brooks. In gaming, very few things are truly inaccessible. If someone knows there’s a game they might love, they’ll do their best to get … Read more
A ‘health based’ approach to drug enforcement is one step closer to being written into law after the third reading of the Misuse of Drugs Act Amendment Bill. Don Rowe reports. The Misuse of Drugs Act Amendment bill has passed its third reading tonight in what MPs and harm reduction advocates are calling the most … Read more
Simon Day has eaten great food in iconic cities all over the world. Nothing beats Wellington’s food scene, even on a bad day. Wellington is my favourite food city in the world. I’ve eaten croissants in Paris, and pizza in Rome, and pickled herring in Copenhagen. I’ve tried modern Japanese in Melbourne, and eaten my … Read more
Sure, it’s not as easy to love as the versatile lemon or the alluring tangelo, but the grapefruit has its place, says Amanda Thompson – and that place is on your toast. All over my dreary winter town, small gold and orange suns are bursting forth over fences, over hedges, casting themselves to the ground. … Read more
The world’s largest parrot, standing up to a metre tall with a beak that could crack most food sources, used to live in New Zealand, paleontologists have revealed after a breakthrough fossil find. If you think kea having a crack at your wing mirrors are scary, imagine how much more we’d fear native parrots if … Read more
This government once boasted it’d be the ‘most open and transparent’ in New Zealand history. The case of Julie Anne Genter’s letter shows just how badly they’ve failed on that front, argues Ben Thomas. Countless hours of film nerd blood, sweat and effort have been devoted to the mysterious briefcase which hitmen John Travolta and … Read more
When we decided to do an episode of On the Rag on ageing, I knew immediately I wanted to talk to one of my kuia, and I knew who I wanted it to be, writes Ātea editor Leonie Hayden. Growing up, Naida Glavish (Ngāti Whātua) was one of my adopted mum’s very good friends, her … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Storming economic figures defy gloomy predictions, govt considering volunteer rural cops, and Auckland to spread around Drury and Pukekohe. It was wholly, entirely unexpected. In fact, some are saying not a single economist predicted it. But data from Stats NZ out yesterday has showed something remarkable … Read more
Question: What do Boris Johnson, the 1981 Springboks tour, the 1985 nuclear weapons debate, and the Emperor of Japan have in common? Answer: Jeya Wilson. Matt Hayes calls Jeya Wilson, the second woman of colour to be elected president of the Oxford Union and a New Zealander, to hear about her extraordinary life and career. … Read more
Last week we asked New Zealand CEOs whether greed is still good. In the second part of our series on the ethics of NZ businesses, we put them on the spot over whether short term profits trump long term environmental impacts. “If I had a choice I would much prefer not to sell fossil fuels … Read more
A bus stop, a soap dish, beer crates and a pile of rubbish: in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the National Contemporary Art award, we look at the media beat-ups, lessons learnt and collateral damage from the competition’s first two decades. Congratulations! Ayesha Green is the winner of the 2019 National Contemporary Art Award … Read more
Tensions at the Ihumātao occupation in Māngere, south Auckland escalated last night after a dramatic increase in police numbers. Hundreds gathered at Ihumātao on Monday night as police increased their presence, cutting off the road and refusing blankets to shivering land protectors. Around 30 officers have been at the whenua since July 23, when a … Read more
At the last election, Metiria Turei stood down as Greens co-leader amid the controversy that followed a personal and polarising speech, the reverberations of which are felt to this day in the party. She has since stayed out of the public spotlight and immersed herself in art and performance. In a rare interview, she sits … Read more
Alex Casey watches BossBabes, TVNZ OnDemand’s new reality series following Instagram entrepreneurs Iyia Liu and Edna Stewart. Breaking news: eyeliner is over. Ever since eyelash extensions came onto the scene, Iyia Liu declares from her king size bed, eyeliner is just “not a thing” any more. It’s the first key learning of many from BossBabes, … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Shape of abortion law reform announced, dramatic night plays out at Ihumātao, and opposition brews to Catholic Cathedral decision in Christchurch. The reforms to abortion law have been formally announced, and they will fulfil a long-term promise from the PM and her government. Abortion will be … Read more
Fervent euthanasia opponent Maggie Barry is giving her party a headache that may last right up to next year’s election. When Judith Collins tearfully told Parliament during the second reading of David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill in June that she had been on “the wrong side” of the debate and now she was … Read more
Commissioners are among the most powerful and coveted roles in television. Suddenly, after years of little movement, there are five vacancies. Two stories hit players in the local television industry hard and in quick succession. The first came early in July when TVNZ announced the departure of its longtime head of scripted, Kathleen Anderson. Then, … Read more
Bruce Mau believes that far from being a hopeless case, the future of the planet is in safe hands. Mau, who is speaking at the Future of the Future presented with Spark Lab on August 15, told Charles Anderson how his philosophy of looking at the world as a design problem gives him optimism for … Read more
The white supremacist terrorist who killed 20 people in El Paso over the weekend claimed direct inspiration from the Christchurch mosque shootings. Don Rowe explores how our darkest day became an aspirational target for the far right. Scrolling 8chan after another white supremacist terrorist attack was foreshadowed on the site over the weekend I flicked … Read more
As efforts ramp up to save New Zealand’s native wildlife from invasive species, Johnny Crawford looks back wistfully on the centuries-long relationship between humans and rodents in Aotearoa. I think all of us can agree that New Zealand has a pest control problem. Our native species have long been terrorised by introduced ones from which … Read more
A bizarre postscript is under way in the saga of Cameron Slater’s notorious blog shutdown. Alex Braae reports. Liquidators have fired a public shot at Juana Atkins, the wife of Cameron Slater, who has taken over the company behind the now defunct Whaleoil blog. Go to Whaleoil.net.nz and you’ll find a long history of posts, … Read more
In February 2018, justice minister Andrew Little wrote to the Law Commission asking for advice on abortion law reform that would ensure New Zealand’s laws are consistent with treating abortion as a health issue instead of a crime. Today the government announced its intention to remove abortion from the Crimes Act. So what just happened? … Read more
Pickle fanatic Dara Flaws brings us this definitive list of which gherkins are worth their brine. I work in a restaurant in Wellington and one of my biggest pet peeves (aside from the charming, considerate customers clicking their fingers to gain your attention) is when someone says: “Can I have the burger – without the … Read more
Jacinda Ardern announced the first part of the government’s cancer plan which is set to impact many in the regions. Not quite following? Here’s what you need to know. So, what’s the big news? The big news is that the government has announced that cancer patients in Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki and Northland will, for the … Read more