Rebecca Macfie talks to the acclaimed, alarm-sounding David Wallace-Wells, author of the extraordinary new book The Uninhabitable Earth “It is worse, much worse, than you think.” With these words, New York journalist David Wallace-Wells proceeds to pound the reader of The Uninhabitable Earth with brutal truths about climate change. About how much more rapidly it … Read more
Climate change is here and now, and young people will bear the costs of continued inaction. But it matters less whether they skip a day of school than what they do when they go back, argues climate scientist Dave Frame The school students’ climate change strike has divided political and parental opinion. For some, it’s … Read more
Samuel Flynn Scott is a coffee tragic who loves a lightly roasted single-origin bean as much as the next Wellingtonian. But he also has a thing for instant. Now, his two worlds have combined. I’ve drunk a lot of instant coffee. I’m wasted. Is this what it was like for Kerouac when he wrote (or, … Read more
As part of a day of #schoolstrike4climate, demonstrations by young people calling for action on climate change, thousands of New Zealand students are expected to skip classes tomorrow. What’s going on, and where? What and when? Rallies and marches are planned around the country, kicking off a day of action around the world. In Auckland, … Read more
A report commissioned by Uber says Auckland wins Australasia’s traffic congestion Grand Prix and needs to embrace ‘point-to-point’ transport. It’s official: Auckland is the most congested city in Australasia, according to Uber. It hired international management consultancy Boston Consulting Group to look at transport in the region’s major cities and what role ridesharing services such … 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 Imche Fourie, General Manager of LevelTwo, and Dr … Read more
Fellow kids, are you going on strike for climate change tomorrow? Here are some top tips from seasoned protesting pros. On Friday March 15, school kids around the world will be walking out of classrooms and taking to the streets to march against government inaction on climate change. For many of them, climate change is … Read more
Changing Rooms was a 90s DIY show like no other. After this year’s Australian Changing Rooms reboot crashed due to low ratings, Tara Ward relives the glory days of the UK original. This year’s Australian reboot of Changing Rooms came and went from our screens quicker than you could turn a piece of MDF into a hanging shelf … Read more
For a desperate and difficult period of at least eight hours, Facebook and Instagram suffered a massive outage. They’ve so far kept a stony silence on the reasons. And wild uninformed speculation loves a vacuum. Here are 10 definitely true theories. 1. Facebook have confirmed on Twitter that they have not gone down because of … Read more
CubaDupa festival hosts nearly 200 artists across two days in the heart of Wellington to mark the end of summer. Trip glitch, Indian jazz fusion, 80s glam, alt dream-pop, contemporary jazz Afrofuturism, German electronic jazz, postpunk dream pop, and psychedelic kraut space rock. These are just a few of the nearly 100 different genres of … Read more
Twenty-one years after Steph Martin’s mother was killed in a road crash, she reflects on what’s been happening on New Zealand’s roads. Last year, 378 people died in road crashes – more than one life lost per day. Of those, 53 were under 20, and 16 hadn’t even reached the age of 15 – too … Read more
The Police have referred their investigation into $100,000 in donations to the National Party to the SFO. It’s plainly a very bad look but can we deduce much else, asks Andrew Geddis On its face, news that the Police have referred Jami-Lee Ross’ now-five-month old allegations about Simon Bridges, the National Party and $100,000 in … Read more
Yesterday Google went down. Today it’s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Please call an internet plumber immediately. The shit hit the fan about 2.30 yesterday afternoon. Here at Spinoff Towers we were about to launch our webseries On the Rag. “Can anyone send an attachment?” Fucking Gmail was down. I woke up this morning bleary after … Read more
Alex Casey combs through the most furious complaints made to the ASA about sanitary product advertising. In preparing for the period-themed episode of our new webseries On the Rag, I found myself watching a lot of old tampon, pad and liner ads. Remember the one where the lady uses a pad to clean up spilt … Read more
Researching ancestry is a spiritual matter for Māori, and platforms like ancestry.com just don’t cut it. Ahau, a Māori-led startup, believes the mysterious technology of blockchain holds the answer. Dan Walker was a bit nervous when he put his great-great-great grandfather Tuwhakaruru Katene into ancestry.com. Tuwhakaruru lived through some of the hardest years of colonisation for … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Judicial review action launched against Hit and Run inquiry, healthy new chunk for conservation estate, and changes to sex crime trial process recommended. The lawyers representing Afghan villagers caught up in Operation Burnham have launched a new legal action – this time against the inquiry itself. Operation … Read more
This week, and pretty much all the time, young people are putting to shame the aged moaners among us, says Emily Writes I’m of the opinion that generally children are better than adults. This week has thoroughly cemented this view for me and it’s only Thursday morning. I don’t know what it is about becoming … Read more
The ‘Finchy’ of the UK original sitcom is full of himself, makes vulgar jokes and routinely crosses the line of acceptable decorum. Yet somehow, he never gets in real trouble. Sound familiar, asks Liam Hehir Shane Jones, the Minister for Regional Economic Development, is embroiled in questions over funding for a Northland tourism venture in … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the sixth week on Married at First Sight Australia, with special thanks to Nando’s. If we told you this wasn’t a rude pod, we’d be lying. What more can you expect from such a rude week on MAFS AU, complete with naked calendar shoots, brazen buttcracks and passionate party pashing? … Read more
The country’s biggest literary festival, Waituhi O Tāmaki, has just launched its programme, and it’s another ripsnorting lineup. Check out the whole thing here. Below, some of the events that are high on our list. Shayne Carter chatting with John Campbell The drool will be dripping from the rafters at the very idea of the snarling … Read more
As the United Kingdom wakes in yet another pool of fevered Brexit sweat, here are the essential things to know – and a glossary for bluffing your way through a conversation about it all Just when you thought the USA was running away with the title of most abjectly humiliating end-of-empire flameout, Britain has surged … Read more
Based on the podcast of the same name, Alex Casey, Michele A’Court and Leonie Hayden set out to jelly wrestle with every issue under the sun. First up: periods. The Spinoff apologises for an error in the above video: Jill Brinsdon was the first female creative director in New Zealand, rather than the first female … Read more
How did Conscious Light, a ‘documentary’ on cult leader Adi Da, end up getting shown at a public library? Anke Richter goes down the rabbit hole. Give me a cult doco like Holy Hell, The Family or Wild Wild Country any day. I’d happily pay a lot more than the small koha they ask you … Read more
Danyl Mclauchlan stares into the abyss that is Google and wonders if we are about to experience the birth of a new, even more terrifying capitalism. I feel it most when I’m at the supermarket. I’m standing there looking at jellymeat but at the same time, I’m aware of being embedded in a web of … Read more
A simple, well-executed tomato pasta is a thing of beauty. This recipe is for those days when culinary inspiration just won’t strike, and if you’ve got a garden full of ripe tomatoes, it’s a great way to use them up (if not, a couple of tins of tomatoes work well too). With few ingredients, the … Read more
Shane Jones is under pressure over a Provincial Growth Fund conflict of interest. He’s attempted to turn defence into attack with typical immodesty, even comparing himself to one of NZ’s top sportsmen and launching a bizarre ‘bunny boiler’ slur on a journalist, writes Guyon Espiner Shane Jones likened himself to Sonny Bill Williams on Morning Report this … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Another NZ First minister accused of using funding for votes, police refer donation complaint up to Serious Fraud Office, and Ihumātao development opponents march. Defence minister Ron Mark has appeared to pitch for votes from a veterans group, in exchange for funding he has secured … Read more
We should be proud young people in New Zealand have the courage to demonstrate their commitment to addressing climate change, and welcome their passion, writes the children’s commissioner, Andrew Becroft The children and young people taking part in Friday’s climate strike are not adults-in-waiting whose views don’t yet count. They don’t need adult permission to … Read more
After happily attacking the government on capital gains tax for the past few weeks, Simon Bridges finds himself again on the back foot, writes Jane Patterson in this post originally published by RNZ. The police investigation that had been bubbling away in the background has now exploded into a Serious Fraud Office investigation, with the National … Read more