Trying to navigate what films and games your child consume can be difficult. But R18 means R18, says Emily Writes, who calls on other parents to monitor what their kids are watching – for the sake of all children. When our son was two, we took him to an AC/DC concert. It was outside, at … Read more
In the second instalment in the Money Talks series, Alice Webb-Liddall and Henry Oliver face up to their finances. Dealing with money is complicated enough when you are a single person with a single income. But it can be more than twice as complicated if there are two (or more) of you in a committed … Read more
The Monday Extract: A harrowing personal essay by Christchurch poet Jeffrey Paparoa Holman from his new memoir. Even before I took LSD with a poet friend I was becoming unhinged. It was as if I just didn’t care; with a few cans of beer on board to dull the rational sites in the brain, dropping a … Read more
Kiwi builders have never been in hotter demand, but red tape is making it nearly impossible to get ahead. Alex Braae spoke to builders and bankers about the state of the construction industry. Willie Hewitt’s construction company, Westmoreland, is constantly flat out, but it’s never making any money. In the middle of housing boom he’s … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: NZ tries to avoid picking a side in heavyweight trade war, Hamilton bus strikes escalate on both sides, and outspoken academic’s car sabotaged. The week of summits has shown the NZ government to be determined to avoid having to pick a side as the dispute between … Read more
The Testimatic is New Zealand’s first medicinal glory hole, providing an eye-contact-free testicular examination. Don Rowe gets his balls squeezed in public. “If you don’t do it, your story is bullshit fake news,” the man said. “That’s journalism – you have to do it or really you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” … Read more
News that the word ‘trivial’ had stumped students taking an NCEA history exam has prompted worldwide ridicule and much handwringing about the state of New Zealand education. But is that really the right reaction, asks high school teacher and author Bernard Beckett. Trawling through the comments section of news sites, like driving on this country’s … Read more
Ant Timpson got a fright to discover his FlyBuys had been stolen, cameras purchased and the goods sent to a notorious Auckland address. He rejects claims he’s fallen for a phishing scam. A week or so ago Ant Timpson, an Auckland producer who has worked on films like The Greasy Strangler and The ABCs of … Read more
It’s one thing to commit to ‘treat drugs as a health issue’, and another to put that pledge into concrete action, writes Ross Bell of the NZ Drug Foundation Jacinda Ardern refused to sign up to President Trump’s War on Drugs statement at the United Nations General Assembly last month. We applaud her for that … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. Emily Writes: Inside the secret world of co-sleepers “Oh god there is a dad here. I ask if he’s lost. He tells me that he’s a proud co-sleeper. This is outrageous. Men don’t co-sleep. Men are meant to want their “marital bed” back. Does he … Read more
Lithium-ion batteries are magnificent feats of engineering and vital for renewable energy. But if we’re not careful with them, they’ll create enormous environmental problems, writes Vector Senior Sustainability Advisor Juhi Shareef. Have you ever seen huge piles of tyres in New Zealand? I have. There are thousands of them throughout our country, and that’s mostly … Read more
Why would a business owner choose to reduce customer numbers? The couple behind high-end Auckland restaurant Pasture explain their philosophy. Some key rules for running a successful restaurant are keep your food costs down, keep the average spend high, and maximise your floor space. Get as many customers in and out as possible. A popular … Read more
In an attempt to unwind the country’s gun regulations, Australia’s version of the NRA knows that state governments are as good a place as any to start. One of the more noticeable ad campaigns in the upcoming Victoria state election comes from a seemingly unlikely source. The Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA) seeks to … Read more
Luke Buda and Don McGlashan have today released “Children Don’t Belong in Jail”, a protest song about the refugee children detained on Nauru. The song, released in association with trans-Tasman advocacy group Mums 4 Refugees in the leadup to Universal Children’s Day on 20 November, seeks to add energy to and raise funds for calls to … Read more
This week British PM Theresa May thought she’d finally come up with a Brexit deal that her own MPs would accept. Things didn’t quite turn out that way, writes RNZ. After two years of discussions and negotiations with the European Union (EU), British Prime Minister Theresa May announced three days ago that her Cabinet supported … Read more
It seemed like a good idea at the time. But a few drinks with friends turned into a few more, and the next morning you’re not feeling so crash hot. Is there anything you can take to help? Ken Harvey of Monash University and Paulina Stehlik of Bond University look at the evidence Over recent years, a number of products … Read more
In the mid-1980s, a teenager paid five dollars for a Katango fan club parcel. Thirty years later, her son attempts to track down the missing goods, or at least a refund. Katango was one of thousands of bands in the 1980s. Their members were effeminate young men who wore make up. Their fashion was loud … Read more
Holding up a fish in your Tinder profile is one thing, but what about firearms? Hannah Reid finds concerning meaning behind the dating profile trend. Yet another mass shooting in the United States. More conversations about how lucky we are to live in New Zealand, with our Arms Act 1983 and no pesky second amendment … Read more
This year the Basement Christmas show enters its tenth year with Work Do, written by superstar comedians Rose Matafeo and Alice Snedden. Alex Casey talks to the duo about office parties, Christmas fantasies and Michelle Obama. Somewhere in London, Rose Matafeo is lying on her bed, embroiled in a late night battle with what she … Read more
Only 39 shopping days till Xmas! Get in early and peruse the week’s bestselling books at the Unity stores in Willis St, Wellington, and High St, Auckland. WELLINGTON UNITY 1 Tart & Bitter: Four Decades of Dining Nightmares by David Burton (Potton & Burton, $30) Food. 2 The Friday Poem: 100 New Zealand poems edited by Steve Braunias … Read more
New verse by Dunedin writer Vincent O’Sullivan. After Lucy Tinakori’s Famous Party I love it that poetry now so possesses the world it is not possible to play ‘pin the tail’ at a children’s party without every child being the winner wherever the tail’s pinned. Space is guaranteed compliant the way thumb’s fumbling’s inevitably … Read more
New Zealand has its own drag reality show now, House of Drag – but how does it fare under the mighty shadow of RuPaul’s Drag Race? Sam Brooks tunes in. Once in a generation, a piece of work comes along that is so much of landmark, so much of a game-changer, that everything that comes along after … Read more
In a dramatic moment on the radio airwaves, a sports talkback host put the theory of giving nothing to racism into practice. It has long been clear that rugby has a problem with racial classification of players. It’s a well worn trope that white players get described as intelligent and knowledgeable, while brown players are … Read more
The refusal of a Serco prison officer to take his shoes off at a marae, for the tangi of a prominent New Zealand musician, has been labelled disrespectful and rude, writes Leigh-Marama McLachlan for RNZ. Tensions were running high last week for the whānau of the late Tama Renata from the reggae band Herbs – not … Read more
Instead of spending all night in the kitchen, keep it simple and use the time you gain to dazzle your guests with that sparkling wit of yours. Let me tell you something: attempting to make a risotto for the first time while simultaneously trying to greet guests, make awkward small talk and get them settled … Read more
Vegan, kaimanga, kapa kaiota, whekana – whatever you call it, a movement towards a harm free, plant-based lifestyle is being championed by Māori looking to protect Papatūānuku. Across Aotearoa, people are ditching dairy and moving away from meat in an effort to live healthier and more sustainable lives. Plant-based diets are becoming more popular, and … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Water bottlers plead their case, concerns around cultural competency of overseas teachers, and govt. confirms it won’t restructure Māori Council. It has become one of the most controversial points in the ongoing, and often furious, debate about foreign ownership of New Zealand resources. Commercial water bottling for … Read more
Henry Oliver talks to writer of funny songs and not funny songs, Bret McKenzie, about his new project/tour Strange Caravan and which is definitely 100% not a band (even though it’s very similar to a band). A few years ago, a few old friends started an irregular jam session, intending to help each other work … Read more
Women have made a massive impact on scientific research in Antarctica, but they don’t get remotely the recognition they deserve. Science-celebrator Steph Green wants to do something about that. Antarctica, the edge of the world – a seemingly endless expanse of glacial and sea ice, with no indigenous human population and an inhospitable climate. If … Read more