On the eve of the opening of the 53rd parliament of New Zealand, Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas dress up as Black Rod. As 120 familiar and fresh faces swarm upon the tropical paradise of Wellington for a brand new parliament, the Gone By Lunchtime trio ruminate on the politics to come. What … Read more
On Sunday, Stuff published a column by journalist Andrea Vance saying Wellington’s good days were over. Wellingtonian Emily Writes steps up to defend the city’s honour. I’m a big Andrea Vance stan so I was shocked when I saw the headline to her column “Wellington, I’m sorry to say it, but your good days are … Read more
New Zealand has some of the worst rates of family violence and abuse. Addressing those, especially in the courtroom, is about more than punishment. Teuila Fuatai reports. Whaea Michelle is part of Frame, a series of short documentaries produced by Wrestler for The Spinoff. Tucked away on the third floor of the Auckland District Court house … Read more
Some observers are questioning whether there are sufficient Facebook livestreams to support the goal, writes chief caring correspondent Danyl Mclauchlan Jacinda Ardern has responded to a surge in house prices, concerns about carbon emissions and calls for action on child poverty by pledging to care more about these issues. The pledge comes after a week … Read more
It wasn’t so long ago that New Zealand would have to wait months, maybe years, to see a television show. We were fine with it. Then TVNZ took it too far. I remember the anger, the frustration, the resentment. It was 2006. I had dial-up internet that we shared with our landlord. I was yet … Read more
A second review by the Children’s Commission has made four key recommendations, including the transfer of power to iwi, hapū and whānau. A new report from children’s commissioner Andrew Becroft is calling for an immediate overhaul of Oranga Tamariki – largely through a transfer of power to Māori. The report, released yesterday, found Māori were … Read more
Thanks to falling interest rates and higher wages, mortgage affordability has remained surprisingly steady, writes Greg Ninness for interest.co.nz. But that doesn’t mean things aren’t a lot tougher for those trying to get onto the housing ladder. The latest house price figures make startling reading for potential first home buyers. According to the Real Estate … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Shifts in foreign policy since the elections, government increasingly looking to fast-track through RMA, and Andy Foster gets into bizarre tent tangle. All things being equal, which US president would you enjoy a twenty minute conversation with more – Joe Biden or Donald Trump? PM Jacinda … Read more
An investigation has found that workers on many palm oil plantations suffer shocking levels of abuse and exposure to chemicals so toxic they can cause miscarriage. But, as Amal Samaha explains, a consumer boycott of the brands that use the oil may not be the answer. Some of New Zealand’s most popular cosmetic products are … Read more
In part two of Coming Home, hosts Duncan Greive and Jane Yee meet more recently returned New Zealanders and learn what factors drew them abroad and what life looked like in their new home countries. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you usually listen to podcasts. In last week’s episode, we heard about the “brain drain” … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 24. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 9.00pm: Resene shop closes, other sites of interest visited by Air NZ crew member revealed Auckland Regional Public Health Service has announced further information about sites visited by the Air NZ crew member who is under investigation in China for Covid-19 prior … Read more
Last year the fledgling charity scheme Kiwi Christmas Books gave 1600 children’s books to Auckland Women’s Refuge and the Auckland City Mission. This year they’re going national, as founder Sonya Wilson explains. My earliest memories involve books. Kew Hospital, circa 1983: I remember stiff scratchy sheets, red jelly on a grey tray, the smells of … Read more
The Dietary Requirements team drag Lucy and Matt out of the office and into the studio to discuss some of The Spinoff’s most controversial food topics from the past week. Exciting news – Dietary Requirements is moving from monthly to fortnightly episodes! We’ll still have a special guest from the food world once a month, … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 23. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8pm: The day in sum Two new imported cases of Covid-19 were announced – but the location of origin for one of the two cases is still being determined. An Air New Zealand worker has reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 in Shanghai. … Read more
A new New Zealand study offers some important lessons on how the coronavirus can spread aboard an aircraft. One of the good things about New Zealand pursuing an elimination strategy for Covid-19 (aside from the obvious) is that we are able to help answer some of the questions there are about how the SARS-CoV-2 virus … Read more
And the one change that would make it even better. It’s been on telly for 50-odd years, it frequently tops the weekly ratings and it just won best factual series at the 2020 NZ TV Awards. What is it about Country Calendar that we just can’t get enough of? José Barbosa investigates.
It’s never been more important to support local. Janaye Henry has brought her exceptional taste to the fore to help you support Māori and Pasifika-owned business this Christmas. Kirihimete is fast approaching and what better excuse to support our Māori and Pasifika creators? I was overwhelmed at the sheer volume of high quality products being … Read more
Good morning and welcome the The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Contrasting visions on National’s defeat and future, St Johns ambulance in deep funding hole, and Tauranga mayor quits with call to sack council. Contrasting visions for why National lost the election so badly have been presented at the party’s AGM. As the NZ Herald’s (paywalled) Derek Cheng reports, … Read more
With women making up only 3% of tradespeople in New Zealand, it can be tricky to find one for a construction job. That’s why this website has put all the details in one place. Hiring a tradesperson to do a big job on the house can easily turn into a stressful experience. It’s not just … Read more
Community leaders and politicians are crying foul over how Auckland Council runs the decision-making body that rules on liquor store licences, with some going as far to describe the process as an example of institutional racism. “I just hoped we’d get a fair hearing.” That’s what Arihia Stirling was thinking as she went into the … Read more
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern has long championed high-end locally-made fashion, she wore local brand Maaike at her election night party. Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson has recently started taking a different route with her wardrobe – choosing instead a secondhand suit for her election night appearance. In the past few years, Instagram has become one … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 20-21. Reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz. 1.00pm: Nine new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation The Ministry of Health has just released its daily Covid-19 update by email. Here’s what it says: There are 9 new cases of COVID-19 to report in New Zealand today, all in recent … Read more
The Swimmers author Chloe Lane interviews Zina Swanson, whose paintings are inspired by old and outlandish books about botany. December 1990, my family and I stayed with my aunty and uncle in the Christchurch suburb of Mount Pleasant. I remember the summer mostly hazily – picnics, swims, long hot days – though I also have … Read more
NZ Rugby is in a fascinating situation at the moment, with some big calls to be made over the coming years. The man in charge of making them joins Duncan Greive on this week’s episode of The Fold. Mark Robinson probably has one of the most complex jobs in the country. As CEO of NZ … Read more
For nearly two years, blanket suppression orders prevented the New Zealand Herald from reporting the troubling case of a New Zealand teenager who planned to shoot teachers and fellow high school students. The teen – armed with a pistol grip shotgun and AR-15 semiautomatic rifle – described themselves as a ‘terrorist’ and a judge believed … Read more
We all have bad habits, picking her cuticles till they bleed is Ruby Clavey’s. She went on a mission to get to the roots of her compulsion – and how she can finally be free of it. Nail-biting, hair pulling, nose-picking, scab picking — most of us have bad habits. Some of us have more … Read more
Before Splore, there was a South Island music festival that celebrated ‘unity through diversity’ in the final years of the 20th century. In this piece originally published on AudioCulture, Gary Steel tells the tale of The Gathering. To paraphrase a famous hippie festival homily, if you can remember it you probably weren’t there. Despite its … Read more
Four Auckland POC women have kicked aside the old bros’ club to create three Auckland club nights that represent the power of music, culture and dance. Makanaka Tuwe talks to JessB, Yordi and Half Queen for Ensemble. It was 2008, just before the bell for morning tea rang, when I dropped down, squatted and flashed … Read more
Australian sketch comedy group Aunty Donna finally got a Netflix series. Have they sold out to Big American Comedy? No, says Josie Adams. I shook Mark Bonanno’s hand while he was flyering in Edinburgh. I stood next to Zachary Ruane in line for the movies in Melbourne. I ricoheted off Broden “Manbeast” Kelly when I … Read more