Those trying to oppose an “ambitious” offshore drilling project on the grounds of climate change are out of luck. Green MP Gareth Hughes explains why, and sets out his views on what should be done about it. Update, 14 June: the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) has responded. Their comments are … Read more
Auckland Council declared a ‘climate emergency’ yesterday, but campaigners say there are legal impediments to it making truly impactful decisions. Josie Adams speaks to those wrestling with New Zealand’s sometimes bizarre environmental legislation. Yesterday Auckland Council joined counterparts in Canterbury, Kāpiti and Nelson in unanimously declaring a climate emergency. The resolution has little power on … Read more
Landlords face a $4000 fine if their properties are uninsulated on July 1 – but insulation companies say time’s run out and if they haven’t done it by now, bad luck. Don Rowe reports. Two weeks out from the Residential Tenancies Act insulation deadline the industry has reached total capacity, with businesses warning there is … Read more
Ten years after Bazooka Kid, one of the most singular New Zealand albums, Duncan Greive sits down with PNC to talk about its genesis, and why rappers still don’t get their due in this country. 2009 was a year of transition for hip hop. Lil Wayne was at his commercial peak, winning four Grammys; Kanye … Read more
Tom Rodwell interviews the musician and artist Lonnie Holley, who this week brings to New Zealand his unbowed truths from an ethereal and gritty underground. There is a creative archaeology, that tells a story gathered from society’s discarded debris. Lonnie Holley’s remarkable art and music embody this technique. With just the right kind of sleight … Read more
Costco is on its way to New Zealand, parking up in Auckland’s Westgate shopping centre, and offering locals the chance to shop for petrol, groceries, homewares and tyres in one building. New Zealanders love a bargain, and the world’s second-largest retailer promises to deliver better bargains than even the red shed can offer. So what’s … Read more
In the latest episode of On The Rag, based on the podcast of the same name, watch as Alex Casey, Michele A’Court and Leonie Hayden wrestle with the positives and perils of being a woman online. In episode three of our On the Rag web series, we explore the ways that the promised utopia of the … Read more
In what is being touted as “paw-some” news by AT, domestic pets will be allowed on trains in Auckland from Sunday 16 June. Here are all your burning questions answered. First of all, what the hell is a so-called domestic pet? Domestic pets are defined as “tame animals that live inside the customer’s home” by … Read more
A trans-Tasman conference is being held this Friday to discuss the cultures that breed racism and extremism in Australasia. Tayyaba Khan, founder of Khadija Leadership Network, and Farida Sultana, founder of Shakti New Zealand and Australia spoke to The Spinoff about why it’s so important to continue the discussion. There was not much else on … Read more
Tom Augustine on the mythic satire of William Melvin Kelley’s A Different Drummer, written nearly 60 years ago and still too relevant. The haunting and oblique A Different Drummer, a classic of the civil rights era by unsung satirical mastermind William Melvin Kelley, takes its prophetic title from, and begins with, a quote from Henry … Read more
A new report from the justice advisory group Te Uepū Hāpai i te Ora challenges the government to find solutions in te ao Māori that restore relationships and mana instead of continuing to feed Māori into the criminal justice system. Grief. That was the overwhelming emotion people expressed to us when talking about the criminal … Read more
The Court of Appeal has decided that China’s criminal justice system is so flawed that a murder suspect living in New Zealand should not be extradited there. That’s an extraordinary development in the already strained NZ-China relationship, writes law professor Andrew Geddis. I am fortunate enough to be a citizen of three countries – New … Read more
Millions of women spend hours a day shaving, trimming, plucking, waxing and lasering their hair to maintain a certain ‘acceptable’ level of body hair. But why and where did the pressure come from? Alice Webb-Liddall investigates. In the years leading into puberty, my mum told me not to shave. I have light, fine hairs on … Read more
Last week an Auckland cinema hosted a six-hour Shrek marathon. In a show of classic Kiwi stoicism, Josie Adams found that what didn’t kill her made her stronger. At the end of the first Shrek film, our hero turns to his loyal friend and noble steed, Donkey. “Donkey, can you ever forgive me?” From the … Read more
Melbourne joins two American cities as launch markets for Uber air taxis, part of plans to add a ‘third dimension’ to its ride-hailing services Uber users could be travelling by air around Melbourne as soon as 2023 under plans announced today. The Australian city was named as the third pilot market for Uber Air, and … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Auckland Council the latest to declare a climate emergency, money runs out on Fox River cleanup, and taking of children into state care in focus. If you live in Auckland, you now live in a city where a ‘climate emergency’ has been declared. The motion was passed … Read more
Just because Budget 2019 was technically accessible doesn’t mean it was legally fair game for National, writes AUT law professor Kris Gledhill. It is, of course, still theft if there is inadequate security in the shop to guard against shoplifters; or if someone takes something from a roadside stall with an honesty box and doesn’t put … Read more
John Tamihere’s unconventional campaign for the Auckland mayoralty continues, with his putting money behind a social media post attacking Simon Wilson’s coverage for the Herald. Auckland mayoral hopeful John Tamihere has stepped up his increasingly hot war with Herald journalist Simon Wilson, putting money behind a tweet from late last week which compares the Tamihere-Goff … Read more
She has scores of credits to her name, awards galore, she’s an CNZM, and she stars in the cabaret Delicious Oblivion, opening tonight in Auckland. Jennifer Ward-Lealand talks to Sam Brooks about her most memorable roles. It’s not hyperbole to call Jennifer Ward-Lealand a living legend. Across her 40-year career, the actress has graced both … Read more
Mark Longley on his new podcast Death and what inspired him to tackle one of our last taboos: what we do when someone dies. This story was first published on Newshub. I was at a social function about three months after my daughter Emily died and I was talking to a guy I knew, but not well. … Read more
One of the best T20 bowlers in the world is currently without a cricketing gig. What does the future hold for Mitchell McClenaghan? It’s telling that out of all of the many shirts worn by cricketer Mitchell McClenaghan, his favourite one is still the black shirt of New Zealand. But he’s been forced to watch … Read more
A fledgling writer asks five of the best how they are striking a balance between work – as in, for proper money – and writing. We like writers to be poor, but in a sexy way – black clothes from the op-shop, a windowless flat, and an endless supply of wine and cigarettes, but no … Read more
In her second column for The Spinoff, activist Anjum Rahman recounts her experience at a recent media event as a way of examining what’s at stake in the free speech debate. To receive an invitation to the renowned Hamilton Press Club lunch is quite a thing, given that many media personalities and prominent community members … Read more
Stan Walker just made Postie (nee Plus) cool again, but he’s not the first celeb brand ambassador to raise our collective eyebrows. Tara Ward takes a trip down New Zealand’s weird and wonderful celebrity endorsement highway. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, and Postie (nee Plus) wants to thank us for buying a … Read more
The Football Ferns are about to play their first game at the Women’s Football World Cup in France. How deep into the tournament could they go? Alex Braae has a cheat sheet. What’s all this then? The beautiful game, the world’s game, poetry on grass, and so on. It’s football, it’s a World Cup, and … Read more
Matariki is here! It’s time to look to the stars to see what the year ahead has in store. Learn more about the maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar, here. The Māori New Year is marked by the rising of Matariki (Pleiades star). It is a common ‘New Year’ tohu (marker) however we are not limited to this … Read more
If coalition MPs are as opposed to troops in Iraq as they say they are, why are they waiting two and a half years to withdraw them, wonders former National government defence minister Wayne Mapp. Yesterday’s announcement that the Iraq deployment would be extended to June 2020 before they are finally withdrawn reflects two realities … Read more
The government should go ahead and introduce a digital services tax to show the likes of Facebook and Google that their tax planning practices are unacceptable, writes Terry Baucher. Around the world tax authorities and the voting public are coming to the conclusion that current international taxation rules give digital companies an unfair advantage over traditional businesses. A … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Forum puts insurance costs into focus, two new polls show opinion turning against cannabis legalisation, and Makhlouf saga likely to be aired in parliament today. A major forum in Wellington has highlighted problems faced by the insurance industry and those wanting to buy their services. It’s a … Read more