Forget Married at First Sight, the craziest hookups are happening at Wellington Zoo. Capybara reporter Emily Writes reveals all. I’ve been obsessed with the capybaras at Wellington Zoo for a long time now. They first arrived in 2016 from Paris. Sister wives Vara, Guara and Iapa and pseudo husband Guarani. I loved them on sight, … Read more
Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden, Michèle A’Court and Mahvash Ali tackle the past month in women, with thanks to our friends at The Women’s Bookshop. For our March episode we have brought in an extra special guest to reflect on the month in New Zealand that was. Mahvash Ali is a producer for The Project NZ, and describes … Read more
Owning a home isn’t just paying back a mortgage over 30 years – it also comes with dozens of extra expenses you may not have thought of yet. Congratulations! Through some combination of hard work, self-denial, and outside assistance, you’ve managed to scrape together the savings to buy your first home. Getting a deposit together … Read more
She’s written some of the biggest hits across the world the past few years, and now she’s stepping into the limelight. Here’s what you need to know about pop music’s next superstar. Jessie J co-wrote ‘Party in the USA’ before she found fame under her own name. Julia Michaels co-wrote ‘Hands to Myself’, ‘Bad Liar’ … Read more
Acting PM Winston Peters did the rounds this morning and nobody was safe. We present a list of Winnie’s sassiest zingers. AM SHOW Winston joined Duncan Garner by video link to cover China and guns. Things got off to a cracking start, and went downhill from there. Duncan Garner: I tend to disagree with you … Read more
What is Newton’s Law, or more important who is Newton and what is her law? Tara Ward has the lowdown on Newton’s Law, which you can watch on Lightbox right now. What’s it about? Josephine Newton is a brilliant Melbourne lawyer. She spends her days in court as a small-time solicitor, advocating for the suburban underdogs charged with … Read more
On the 6th of May, the Victoria University of Wellington council will meet to discuss a proposed name change – again. National MP Nicola Willis thinks the whole thing is absurd. Of all the issues I thought I’d be debating as a new MP, the name of my former university was not one. I graduated … Read more
When 60 CEOs signed up to the Climate Leaders Coalition in July 2018, much was made of the presence of the big players like Air New Zealand, Spark, Fonterra and Vector. The Spinoff caught up with the nimble smaller companies leading from the back. Since the launch of the Climate Leaders Coalition last year, … Read more
James Casson’s comments on refugees and the Christchurch attack have earned him widespread condemnation, but he’s far from the first Hamilton councillor to spout embarrassing rubbish, writes longtime Hamilton Council watcher Angela Cuming. When the tinfoil-hat wearing Hamilton City councillor Siggi Henry was revealed to be an anti-vaxxer loon who believes measles is not deadly … Read more
New Zealanders have shown they care about the terrible situation refugees have found themselves in. But for so many people languishing in camps, they currently have no chance at all to make it here, writes national director of World Vision New Zealand Grant Bayldon. As we sit on cushions inside Khelfa’s plastic tent drinking thick black … Read more
The censorship of a food writer’s Instagram post of piggy trotters and ears on a kitchen bench is a disturbing example of how disconnected from our food we really are. The other day while I was mindlessly scrolling Instagram, I came across an image posted by London-based Ukrainian food writer Olia Hercules. My rapidly swiping … Read more
The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read more comics here.
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: BOP Regional Council to investigate upgrading train lines, PM Ardern in China, and dozens of schools stuck using coal for heating. Choo choo for train lovers: The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is investigating a passenger rail system in and out of Tauranga, reports the Bay of Plenty … Read more
Welcome back to Papercuts, our monthly books podcast hosted by Louisa Kasza, Jenna Todd and Kiran Dass. In this episode we have a special guest! Anne O’Brien, director of the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi O Tāmaki joins us to discuss what punters can expect at New Zealand’s largest annual festival of ideas and literature. We … Read more
All the superheroes are coming to Lightbox this month – Spider-Man, Aquaman, Jennifer Lopez, Spongebob Squarepants – but there’s a few villains in the bunch too. It’s your round-up of what is coming to Lightbox in April. The Act (Four episodes dropping April 4, then weekly) From Jean Sergent’s review of The Act, coming later this … Read more
In this episode of Good Ancestors, we’re talking to the young people who are leading the campaign against unsustainable palm oil and how it shows that consumer power can make a difference – but, in the face of political inertia, it isn’t as easy as it looks. When Ben Dowdle was in year 11 at … Read more
Expand your horizons by giving these less popular white varietals some love. A nice glass of white wine is one of life’s great pleasures, but if you’re restricting yourself to the iconic trio of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot gris, perhaps occasionally branching out into a cheeky riesling, you’re really missing out. It’s understandable: if … Read more
With Vice NZ sadly closing its doors last week, here’s a round-up of some of the excellent work produced by the editorial staff over the last few years. The New Zealand editorial arm of global youth media outlet Vice closed on Friday, with five people losing their jobs. Vice New Zealand opened under the management … Read more
Following the terrorist assault on two Christchurch mosques on March 15, the Gone by Lunchtime team discuss what happened, and its political implications. Topics discussed include the impact on an often-marginalised community, the move to change our gun laws, the response from Jacinda Ardern and what the event says about the performance of our intelligence … Read more
The three-part mini-series Three Girls tells the story of the horrendous Rochdale child rape ring in the UK. It’s a harrowing watch, says Emily Writes, but it’s important we don’t look away – on screen and in real life. I’m not a fan of true crime; it too often feels like ingesting someone’s agony as … Read more
After a recent replay of the original trilogy, Sam Brooks writes on the unfairly maligned legacy of the Mass Effect trilogy. Spoilers for a trilogy that finished over half a decade again (be honest: if you wanted to play these games by now, you would’ve). If you’re even a casual gamer, the thing you probably remember most … Read more
The generosity of the Frank Sargeson Trust was my stepping stone into literary life, writes Catherine Chidgey, the driving force – and judge – of a rich new short story prize that bears the writer’s name. I wrote one of my earliest short stories when I held the Sargeson Fellowship in Auckland. It was 1998, … Read more
A new law makes domestic violence a workplace issue but does not spell out how businesses should respond, and even allows the employer to seek proof, writes Shine’s Holly Carrington. Within a few months of moving in together, Carol’s love for her boyfriend had turned to fear and she stopped blaming herself for the violence. … Read more
Is it time April Fools was abandoned as a public holiday? The efforts so far for 2019 have been dismal. Alex Braae casts his eyes over the worst efforts. In this morning’s edition of The Bulletin, I put out a call for good April Fools jokes. “If you see any that are actually funny, please … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Grace Stratton, founder of All is For All, about creating a pioneering online store that makes accessibility a priority. It all began last July with an uninvited tie. Grace Stratton – fashion enthusiast, uni student and wheelchair user – had bought a pair of pants online from a New Zealand designer, and … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Submissions show euthanasia campaigners have tough fight ahead, flooded dump causes environmental disaster, and Gareth Morgan cuts all ties with TOP. Heavy opposition has come in against changes to the laws on euthanasia, which signals the tough fight ahead for both sides. The NZ Herald reports submissions to the … Read more
The New World Beer and Cider Awards are serious business in the industry – so why not send along a beer rookie to see what it’s all about? “Burnt butter.” “A sort of minerality.” “Quite a firm, long, furry kind of bitterness.” “Grapefruity.” These are some of the ways head judge Michael Donaldson describes the … Read more
Children with special education needs and disability aren’t even getting the education they’re legally entitled to, let alone the one they deserve, and it’s about time the Minister of Education took ownership, writes Jai Breitnauer. I’m writing this from my kitchen table, not my office, because my ASD child has once again been stood down … Read more
A ticket retailer and a tech startup are joining forces to try and solve some of the industry’s biggest problems. Jihee Junn talks to the co-founders of iTICKET and Passphere on why they’re merging, what they hope to achieve with their new platform, and what they think about websites like Viagogo. Last month, pre-sales for … Read more