Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Wally Haumaha to keep job despite criticism in IPCA report, state of the immigration system in focus, and quarterly stats show economic slowdown. The appointment of Deputy Police Commissioner Wally Haumaha has been a festering sore of a story over much of the year. From the criticisms raised by … Read more
All week this week we count down the five best books of 2018. Number one, the very best: Kim Hill reviews Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People. The buzz around young Irish writer Sally Rooney made it very difficult to review Normal People. Even to read it. Would it be as good as everyone insists it … Read more
Chloe Ann-King wants to set up a digital union providing hospo workers with tools such as a ‘Rate My Boss’ scheme and an online pay checker. In Chloe Ann-King’s 14 years of working in the country’s bars and restaurants she has seen staff underpaid, harassed by members of the public, and exploited by employers. This … Read more
Every day in the lead-up to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Toby Manhire on an appalling trope that has long haunted our screens. There’s a moment in the final episode of Park Chan-wook’s masterful adaptation … Read more
Continuing our review of the year in politics, our firmament of experts offer the definitive summary of 2018 in just one sentence. For more of the political year in review –and 2019 in preview – go here Huh, turns out it can get worse from here. – Alex Braae Too many people, too many opinions … Read more
As a homegrown project from a Lower Hutt based studio making its first-ever game, Lee Henaghan desperately wanted Ashen to be awesome – and he wasn’t disappointed. Gaming journalists have always copped criticism from the angriest corners of the internet; some of it deserved, most of it not so much. The chief complaint among the … Read more
The increasingly hated Ivar revels in fake news, but will his people care? Alex Braae reviews the latest episode of Vikings. So, you might remember that there was a person about to be sacrificed at the end of the last episode, as a symbol of Ivar’s divinity. There were fears that it might be Hvitserk, … Read more
We have a winner – and it’s a gamechanger. Sam Brooks power-ranks the last episode of House of Drag, and assesses the season in general. It’s over, ladies and gentlemen, and we have a winner. But before we get to that history-making winner, a few thoughts! House of Drag has had a rocky first season, to put … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. THIS EPISODE CONTAINS MAJOR REALITY TV SPOILERS, TAKE HEED It’s our last proper episode of The Real Pod for the year, nicely timed with the end of every reality TV show ever. Join us as … Read more
In the now-annual event of the year, five of our podcasts’ hosts join forces like a mighty end-of-year podcast rat-king. Join Gone by Lunchtime, On The Rag, The Real Pod, Pod on the Couch and Dietary Requirements in regurgitating the highlights and lowlights of the year that was, and pondering the year that will be. In … Read more
After seeing so many reports over the years of the Swedish flatpack furniture giant coming to New Zealand, business editor Maria Slade is having a crisis of faith. I stopped believing in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy some time ago. Likewise, I do not believe IKEA is coming to New Zealand. My editor points … 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 Warner Cowin, founder and CEO of procurement … Read more
In a foreshadowing of the excruciating debate to come, FamilyFirst have gone head-to-head with an actual scientist on the issue of marijuana. But there’s an agenda on both sides, writes Don Rowe. In one of the many not at all unhinged conversations in our Twitter mentions yesterday, FamilyFirstNZ went head to head with another user over … Read more
To kick off our review of the year in politics, we asked our experts to pick the best and worst performing individuals (or parties or institutions or whatever). To come in the next few days: 2018 in a sentence and predictions for 2019. Alex Braae Champs Paul Goldsmith. Constant hits put on the obvious weirdness … Read more
We asked you, our loyal readers, what your favourite albums and songs of the year were, both from here and from elsewhere. Oh, and your favourite shows, your reflections on the year, and predictions for next year. This is what you told us. Best local album The Beths Future Me Hates Me (24%) Avantdale Bowling … Read more
All week this week we count down the five best books of 2018. Number two: Leonie Hayden reviews the text book Māori Made Easy 2 by Scotty Morrison. This is about Scotty Morrison’s Māori Made Easy 2. This is not about Scotty Morrison’s Māori Made Easy 2. It’s about te reo Māori, and the hole … Read more
Emily Writes decides to take a trip on the Interislander to Picton for a night away with her good friend and three kids under six. What could go wrong? To say it had been a bad week would have been an understatement. First my husband broke his foot. Then my six-year-old got chicken pox. And … Read more
Business editor Maria Slade reflects on lessons learned from her truncated career in corporate PR and the enduring importance of journalism. Not so long ago I did a stint in the communications department of a large organisation which shall remain nameless… Oh bugger it, it was Fonterra. The corporate world was new to me. The … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Biggest ever boost to minimum wage announced, Gerry Brownlee was well aware spy firm had been hired in CHCH, and Andrew Little talks about Google meeting. The minimum wage will jump by the largest single increase in history, from April 1 next year. The NZ Herald reports … Read more
Every day in the lead-up to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Jihee Junn on Christmas desserts. Around this time last year, I was very publicly, very elaborately outed to the world as an office Christmas … Read more
New Zealand currently invests in Olympic medals when it should be investing in viable careers for our athletes, argues Madeleine Chapman. “Inspiring the nation through winning on the world stage” That’s the core value expressed by High Performance Sport New Zealand, the agency responsible for allocating government funding to national sporting bodies each year. Last … Read more
The report on Thompson and Clark revealed seven government departments have engaged with a spy agency that acted unlawfully. It seems no one was safe from being spied on if they disagreed with government policy, and this should be a Watergate moment, writes Greenpeace’s Russel Norman. Around the beginning of 2017, Greenpeace received leaked information indicating that … Read more
Alice discovers that juniper and hops are a match made in heaven, while Henry pops the cork on a bargain bottle of bubbly. DUNCAN’S BREWERY JUNIPER IPA 7%, 500ml, $10.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co A lot of brewers have a penchant for gin. Come to think of it, winemakers too. I guess the point … Read more
All week this week we count down the five best books of 2018. Number three: Peter Wells reviews Calypso by David Sedaris. Many people know the sound of David Sedaris’s voice – high, thin, a drizzle of ironic sound. He himself says he has a “lady voice” and part of his shtick is being mistaken … Read more
The RNZ columnist reviews the year, and lays out the challenges for the parties in 2019 This assessment may surprise you coming from someone who spends his professional life criticising and critiquing politicians: Over the past 20 years we have been among the best governed countries in the world. No, it’s not just the festive … Read more
A Malaysian company that produces one in four rubber gloves on the planet has come under serious heat in the last week over a series of explosive investigations alleging forced labour and migrant worker exploitation throughout their vast network of factories. New Zealand needs to step up on these sort of questions, writes Edward Miller … Read more
Small business owner Heather Claycomb learned the hard way that donating till it hurts is not how to change the world. She offers some tips for making an impact. How many emails have you opened in recent weeks from companies telling you they donated to charity for the holidays? Corporate charitable giving at Christmas is … Read more
With actor Jason Momoa putting his problematic interpretation of haka on the world stage during the press tour for Aquaman, Tina Ngata revisits some of the myths and misunderstandings about Māori as a ‘warrior race’. “The notion of a warrior gene as a scientific fact is actually based on the history of a scientific and cultural … Read more
Working to combat New Zealand’s loneliness epidemic, Dinner Together matches volunteers with elderly people for a cup of tea and a spot of dinner. When Katie Brown was tasked with ringing Wainuiomata locals to check if they had their voting papers, she didn’t anticipate having her heart shattered into tiny pieces. But that’s exactly what … Read more