On Friday 15 March, a terrorist attack in Christchurch took the lives of 50 people at prayer. Eighteen months into her first term as prime minister, Jacinda Ardern faced a formidable task: communicate what happened, embrace a ruptured community, and force through real reform. Madeleine Chapman reports. The kids couldn’t believe she was there. A … Read more
At the end of a long week of anger and sorrow, you may need something soothing from your TV screen. If that’s the case, we can help. After the horrific events of last Friday in Christchurch, writing about television seems frivolous. But, if we use the power of television for good, it can offer us … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. This week he talks to John Macaskill-Smith, CEO of virtual health company Ventures. … Read more
Al Noor Mosque Imam Gamal Fouda today spoke to thousands of people of all faiths at Friday prayers in Hagley Park, a week after the terrorist attack in which many of his worshippers were murdered. Below, an abridged transcript of what he said. Last Friday I stood in this mosque and saw hatred and rage … Read more
Last week international acts Beach House, Rhye and Four Tet played at the Auckland Arts Festival. Lauren Spring went to all three shows. I arrived in Auckland from Wellington, thoroughly wiped out. My very humid arrival in Auckland was heralded by a very painful tattoo on my ribs (I 100% screamed like a little bitch), … Read more
New work by poet Mohamed Hassan. If you are on mobile, read the poem in its intended format here. National Anthem I pledge allegiance to love and good coffee a sleepy heart two sets of feet burning a clatter … Read more
Some have argued that non-Muslim women wearing headscarves today is a tokenistic gesture, or that the hijab itself is oppressive to women. Mahvash Ali, an associate producer for The Project NZ on Three, has this to say in response. Every time I get a call I stick my phone in my hijab and go about my … Read more
Switch up the flavour combination to suit your mood, or the contents of your pantry. Everyone needs a good staple biscuit recipe and I think this one is a winner. Packed with nutrient-dense oats, hazelnuts and coconut, it has texture and flavour with the addition of the figs, and the ginger lends a lovely earthy, … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Bi-partisan changes to gun laws announced, immigration minister urged to step in on visas of attack victim families, and stats lay bare Islamophobia in media. The first major law change since the Christchurch terrorist attacks has been announced. The PM has announced that all of the weapons … Read more
The former NZ PM says the global policy boss for the online behemoth has contacted her saying he wants to visit NZ, following an angry backlash against the platform over its livestream of a mass terrorist murder at a Christchurch mosque. Toby Manhire reports Helen Clark has joined the chorus condemning Facebook and other online … Read more
The Christchurch Mosque Shootings saw journalists scrambling the country over to cover the unfolding horror. New Zealand’s subreddit experienced an unprecedented rush too, swamping the volunteer moderators and exposing them to some of the worst reactions on Reddit. We speak to the moderators of r/newzealand. Almost as soon as news broke that a gunman had … Read more
The government’s language so far is imprecise and it must word its ban carefully to stand up against a ferocious lobby from pro-gun groups. New Zealand lawmakers will need to write the law banning semi-automatic weapons so that it can’t be defeated, a gun safety expert says. In the wake of the Christchurch shootings the … Read more
Twenty years ago – before Instagram – a game about documenting your every move was released. That game was Pokémon Snap. The year was 1999. Hilary Swank was playing Brandon Teena, something that would now absolutely not be allowed. Troye Sivan was basically a fetus, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were at the top of the world, and people … Read more
To mark the launch of the Helen Clark Foundation‘s first report, its executive director Katherine Errington writes about New Zealand’s potential to become a ‘green’ hydrogen exporter. Much has been written about hydrogen of late, debating its place in the transition to clean energy. Globally, the debate is broadly split between Japan and North America. … Read more
Literal fake news is fuelling attempts to divide New Zealand’s religious communities, writes Aaron Hendry, an Auckland youth worker and Christian. In the wake of Friday’s horrific attack there is no doubt that New Zealand has changed. But perhaps one of the most welcome changes to emerge from the shock and horror is the overwhelming … Read more
The fifth work in Yona Lee’s In Transit series is currently exhibiting at Wellington’s City Gallery. Megan Dunn writes on the aspirations of the piece and how comfortably it sits in a gallery context. On a Sunday afternoon I opened my laptop and sat in In Transit, the most ambitious and nimble exhibition on in the country … Read more
The sudden closure of Wellington’s Central Library was a shock to residents in the capital. Gem Wilder reflects on her love for the library and her hopes for its future. I received the news via the Wellington City Council twitter account, posted at 2:50pm on Tuesday afternoon: Wellington’s Central Library building will be closed from 8.30pm … Read more
How dare our national airline continue to brand itself with Indigenous symbols while rejecting employees who wear those same symbols on their bodies, writes Leonie Pihama. As I sit at a conference on the island of Maui, I see tā moko and kākau (a Hawaiian form of moko) proudly worn by Indigenous Peoples. The power … Read more
The removal of extremist content alone isn’t going to solve the problem of right-wing terrorism. Instead, we need to harness new technology to find such individuals early and intervene. Last week, 50 lives in Christchurch were lost in another act of terrorism by a white nationalist. This follows 11 dead in Pittsburgh. Nine dead in … Read more
The pending announcement of the Sunwolves’ exit from Super Rugby points to a collective agreement from the SANZAAR unions that the Nations Championship is the future. However, trickle-down economics may be a hard sell for their constituents. The dollars are on the table for World Rugby but the dinner bell has yet to ring for … Read more
This Race Relations Day, we call on all New Zealanders to take time out of their day to reflect. To stand united in mourning with victims of Christchurch, write Pancha Narayanan president of Multicultural New Zealand, and Paul Hunt, the chief human rights commissioner We are all in sorrow and mourning with the loss of our … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions raised about how white supremacist was missed, Christchurch businesses pitch in to repair mosque, and funerals for victims begin. In the wake of the terrorist attack in Christchurch, questions are being raised about how closely security services were watching white supremacists. The accused was not on … Read more
I want to forgive, but right now all I feel is anger, writes Lamia Imam. إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ – inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un – we belong to Allah and to Allah we shall return. This is what Muslims say to one another when they hear news about someone who has died. I’ve … Read more
Australia has had no mass shootings since the 1996 massacre in Tasmania. Not one. New Zealand has much to learn from Australian gun laws, an expert says. US late night talk show host John Oliver took a short break from poking fun at New Zealand this week to praise the country for its collective strength … Read more
Yesterday it emerged that 10 years of public documents from NZ spy agencies contained zero mentions of rightwing extremism. Yet narratives invoking racialised fears and myths of Pakeha superiority run deep, writes criminologist Elizabeth Stanley We have officially experienced two acts of terrorism in New Zealand. The first was the bombing of the Greenpeace Rainbow … Read more
Restaurateur Ganesh Raj details the future-of-food epiphany that led him to the conclusion that once the meat-mad dinosaurs are gone, the world will be a better place. My task was clear. Immerse myself in an alternative universe. One where there might never be meat, as we know it, again. A world where farms would disappear, … Read more
Five mosques in Auckland will throw open their doors this Friday, in a bid to demystify the Muslim community in the eyes of their fellow New Zealanders. Alex Braae reports. “Join us, we’re no different. We’re all the same. We’re trying to better our lives. We’re trying to raise our families. Come and talk to … Read more
Dr Asim Qureshi, a counter-terrorism expert and author of Rules of the Game: Detention, Deportation, Disappearance, writes about his time in New Zealand and the importance of remembering colonial violence in the narrative around the terrorist attacks in Christchurch. In November 2018, I was invited for the first time to take part in a conference in Auckland, … Read more
In 10 years of public documents from both the SIS and the GCSB, there are zero mentions of right wing extremism, writes Jane Patterson for RNZ. There is not one specific mention of the threat posed by white supremacists or right-wing nationalism in 10 years of public documents from the Security Intelligence Service or the GCSB. … Read more