Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Race to be Britain’s next PM takes shape, OIA release raises further GJ Thompson questions, and ministers respond to farming world concerns about trees. We’ll go international this morning, for an update on the race to be Britain’s next PM. As one of the leading countries in … Read more
The ACT leader has unveiled his ‘Freedom to Speak Bill’. But the case law makes it clear that the laws he seeks to reform are not the terrifying, freedom crushing beasts he has made them out to be, writes Cameron Walker ACT leader, David Seymour, has promised to introduce a “Freedom to Speak” private member’s bill, … Read more
Correspondence released under the OIA suggests that GJ Thompson, the lobbyist who took a ‘leave of absence’ to work alongside Jacinda Ardern, failed to meet undertakings to alert managers as conflicts arose, writes Asher Emanuel The lobbyist who served as the prime minister’s closest adviser during the early days of the coalition government appears to … Read more
To celebrate the eighth season of this local institution, Hussein Moses goes behind the scenes of the series putting New Zealand rappers to the test. David Dallas is waiting. It’s mid-morning on a weekday in May and as he sits in the control room of Red Bull Music Studio Auckland, a camera crew sets up … Read more
On the Wellington waterfront, over several dark and stormy nights, a documentary is being filmed – and they need extras. Josie Adams, who had blood to spare, spent the night at Second Unit’s new, undead theatre experience. The only thing I knew about my night was I would enter something called the Cathedral of Despair. … Read more
Onehunga is one of the most eccentric suburbs in the supercity. Josie Adams got a tour of the beating heart of Auckland from its inventive locals. Onehunga sits at the very centre of Auckland, nestled between Mangere and Cornwall Park. Major transport arteries flow through and around the suburb connecting east to west and north … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, ACT has launched a podcast called Politics in Full Sentences as part of their party-wide rebrand. Media and politics nerd Alex Braae watched the first episode on Youtube. There’s always a question creators of new media products or content … Read more
Parent to a fussy toddler? The ‘I’m Not Hungry for Fruit Mum’ bag is the only meal kit service you’ll ever need! Delivery meal kits seem to be everywhere at the moment. Every company insists they have the food that your kids will love. They say you’ll never have to think about what you cook … Read more
In the first episode of The Spinoff’s new monthly podcast, Actually Interesting, Russell Brown explores the world of A.I. and the way it’s already affecting our lives. Subscribe to Actually Interesting via iTunes or listen on the player below. To download this episode right click and save. When you hear the words “Artificial Intelligence” your … Read more
Sam Rutledge dives into Arthur, the 90s animated classic making headlines for a recent gay rat wedding, because of course it is. Remember that absolutely delightful kids TV show Arthur? Chances are, if you’ve spent any time on the internet in recent weeks, you have. The 90s classic has jumped back into the cultural conversation due to … Read more
Will Pukekohe continue to be a food bowl for Auckland and New Zealand, or yet another victim of the Super City’s metropolitan sprawl? Stephen Forbes for interest.co.nz looks at the small rural town at the frontline of the battle between sustainable development and urban encroachment. The ongoing importance of Pukekohe and the need to preserve it was highlighted … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Sir John Key fronts up over bank boss departure, social workers defend Oranga Tamariki actions, and major proposed Wellington festival falls over. Anyone who watched politics over the last decade will have got used to press conferences fronted by Sir John Key. The blithe reassurances, repeated use … Read more
One of the country’s highest paid chief executives has lost his job after an embarrassing brouhaha over personal expenses. Business editor Maria Slade tries to make sense of the mess. Who is David Hisco? David Hisco was the CEO of ANZ New Zealand from 2010 until Monday. He started out working for a local branch … Read more
Flamingo and the Uber-owned Jump launch in the capital today, with the city becoming New Zealand’s fifth to see shareable e-scooters Eight months after the invasion of the Limes scandalised the previously 100% safe streets of Auckland, Wellington is to get its first taste of electric scooters, with two rival providers having received permits from … Read more
Cantabrians have shown great compassion and generosity to Muslim and migrant communities following the terrorist attacks. But properly healing the wounds of March 15 also requires facing up to the city’s racist history, writes Dr Rawiri Taonui Content warning: this post includes offensive images and descriptions of violence and racist language. Following the terrorist attacks … Read more
The $800 per ticket, council-funded festival of ‘creative collisions’ has been cancelled and the company behind it has gone bust. Alex Casey reports. The first problem was that nobody knew how to say it. Without any discernible vowels, pronouncing WLG-X, the name of a five day festival of “creative collisions” planned for September of this … Read more
Interviewed by satirical comedy show White Man Behind a Desk about climate change, politics, and his career as a journalist, Newshub national correspondent Patrick Gower did not hold back. At the start of May, the White Man Behind A Desk team set themselves the task of making a 60 minute comedy show about climate change. … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, it’s all about African swine fever and the pending aporkalypse. TL;DR: It’s “the biggest animal disease outbreak the planet the planet has ever faced”, and Kiwi pork lovers need to do their bit to protect our local pigs. African … Read more
Today, longtime Time photographer Callie Shell releases a book of intimate images taken over more than a decade she spent photographing the Obamas. Hope, Never Fear is not a love-fest, she insists: “it is, instead, my personal portrait of a journey that changed us all for the better.” Here is the book’s introduction, abridged. I … Read more
Sound the alarm, evacuate the building and douse the entire city of Auckland in flame-proof retardant, because The Block NZ is back, and this season is: Firehouse! The Block NZ returns tonight for its eighth glorious season, which Mark Richardson promises will be “the most challenging season of The Block, EVER”. Exsqueeze me, Mark Richardson, I sat through two episodes last … Read more
As of 2018, the Independent Police Conduct Authority had zero Māori employees. For a police system that loudly embraces diversity, that’s not good enough, writes Carrie Buckmaster. We have known that Māori do not receive a fair go from the justice system for some time. In 2015 the Police Commissioner spoke with media about unconscious … Read more
Climate change and a warming ocean are putting immense stress on coral reefs in the Pacific. But some locals are refusing to passively accept the death of such vital ecosystems, reports Radio NZ Pacific’s Jamie Tahana. Listen to more on this story on Dateline Pacific here. When Kristine Zipfel jumped into the sea off Mo’orea, … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: ACT looks to the past with new policies, unions recommend new pay offer to teachers, and spies keeping oversight watchdog out in the cold. It was probably fitting Richard Prebble was there for the relaunch of the ACT Party over the weekend. After all, much of what … Read more
Our three month celebrity charity journey is over! Sam Brooks power-ranks the finale of Dancing with The Stars. Can I just say what an honestly strange event the last episode of this kind of reality show is? It’s one hour and 59 minutes of edging, with as much padding and promotion for the network’s upcoming big … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Casey borrows a dog and goes on a magical journey. Look, I had extremely high hopes for the day that pets were finally allowed on trains. I wanted guinea pigs wearing tiny backpacks. I wanted to see a … Read more
Auckland is great – but, argues Catherine McGregor, Melbourne’s restaurants, cafes and bars still have the edge. Long before ‘cool’ even existed, Melbourne was cooler than wherever you lived. Take it from me: if you’d stopped a 19th century dandy flaneur-ing his way along Karangahape Road to ask what he thought of Melbourne, the reply … Read more
Seven years on from his arrest, the extradition battle between Kim Dotcom and the United States reached New Zealand’s Supreme Court this week. RNZ‘s Kate Newton went to court to find out whether anyone seems to be winning. Ron Mansfield – bearded and bespectacled – stood at a blond wooden lectern in the centre of … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Guy Howard-Willis, formerly of Torpedo7 and now founder of Manta5, makers of the world’s first hydrofoil e-bike. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Manta5. We’ve … Read more
What was New Zealand’s role in the interception of the Andika, and is the $25 million allocated to preventing asylum-seeker vessels like it really a humanitarian act? In the 2019 “Wellbeing” budget, $25 million was allocated to maritime mass arrival prevention, described as an initiative aimed at preventing asylum seekers “departing for New Zealand”. But … Read more