Reports that Botany MP has been sectioned and is in care for mental health issues have sparked a flurry of conjecture over the last couple of days. The Mental Health Foundation of NZ, which has to date not entered the debate around the controversial MP, who by his own account had a breakdown in recent … Read more
In the fourth episode of Project Runway New Zealand, the designers had to make a sustainable red carpet look. Henry Oliver ranks the results. It’s the sustainability episode! So, let’s begin on a downer: Fashion is, by some estimates, the second biggest polluter by industry after oil. About 80 billion pieces of clothing are consumed globally … Read more
Writer and poet Paula Harris reflects on a childhood friend’s experience with abuse – and how her own upbringing affected how she viewed that abuse. Content warning: this essay discusses the physical and emotional abuse of children. Her name was Allie. Well, no, actually, it wasn’t. Despite never having changed a name for anyone in … Read more
First hand experiences of prison are shared in a new exhibition that provides an insight into the collateral consequences of incarceration. Eighteen people from around Aotearoa have shared their stories with Justspeak and sat for 18 different portraits, displayed at Potocki Patterson gallery in Wellington and online. It’s an opportunity to hear stories that are too … Read more
It’s natural to assume that the IT revolution will continue forward at a cracking pace, but what if there are limits on how much energy humanity can actually put towards it? That’s the focus of Professor Michael Fuhrer’s research, who is speaking at the Materialise conference this week in Wellington. The theory is called Moore’s … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. It’s a public holiday, so we’re going to have a slightly different edition of The Bulletin this morning. We’ll cover off a few major world news stories that are worth keeping an eye on, and if possible, what they mean for New Zealand. Don’t worry, normal service of the … Read more
World Energy Day has put a spotlight on New Zealand’s sluggish progress towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Vector’s Beth Johnson explains why the time is right to accelerate. This week, Vector Lights on Auckland Harbour Bridge will celebrate the special occasion of World Energy Day by shining a light on the history of … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. Don Rowe: Tasman deathtrap: the brutal toll of Australia’s deportation policy “Shortly after 9pm on September 11, Togatuki sent two calls for help over the prison intercom, telling guards he had harmed himself. No one responded. There was a big NRL game that evening. Sydney … Read more
Does my soul still burn? After six years, kind of! Sam Brooks reviews Soul Calibur 6. It feels appropriate to start this review of a fighting game by admitting I used to be the kind of person who beat semi-experienced players in Tekken 3 as Eddy by button-mashing. If one was to ever call into question my … Read more
Dick pics are widely considered a form of sexual violence. But while that is often true, they can also be funny, sexy and playful. Apparently, some straight guys even send them to each other. Why do men send dick pics? Some research and popular commentary suggests it is for reasons of narcissism and over-confidence. Some … Read more
In a week like no other in NZ politics, the Botany MP turned on his former party and its leader, going about as rogue as you can go. Toby Manhire tallies the explosions Over the course of 100 hours last week, Jami-Lee Ross turned into a human firestorm. It began on Monday lunchtime with the … Read more
What a difference a year makes, writes Massey University politics professor Richard Shaw. This article was first published on The Conversation. Shortly before last year’s general election in Aotearoa New Zealand, a Morrinsville farmer protesting the then opposition Labour Party’s planned water tax held up a placard describing its newly minted leader, Jacinda Ardern, as … Read more
Five women talk about challenging stereotypes in New Zealand’s ever-evolving beer scene. When Nicola Kay started her first brewing job, there were no women’s toilets. There had never been the need. It was the early 2000s, and Kay was working for Lion in Sydney. She’d been running the tasting panels at Lion New Zealand, then … Read more
Yet another waterfront stadium plan is being put forward for Auckland. Modern-day stadium naysayer Hayden Donnell summons his stadium-supporting past self to debate the merits. I used to support a waterfront stadium. It was 2006. Trevor Mallard was the minister of sport and he was offering Auckland $700 million to build a 50,000-seat facility across … Read more
The Jami-Lee Ross saga is a betrayal without precedent in New Zealand’s political history. Danyl Mclauchlan explains why. So much of what happens in politics never makes it into the media. Every now and then a journalist – out for an early run or stumbling home from a late night – passes Parliament and observes … Read more
National was firmly and rightly opposed to such an anti-democratic piece of legislation. But Jami-Lee Ross’s volte-face on quitting parliament means they’re more than entitled to invoke it to throw him out of parliament, writes Liam Hehir Jami-Lee Ross has reneged on his stated to intention to resign from parliament and run as an independent … Read more
In an astonishing interview on Newstalk ZB, Jami-Lee Ross has taken the principled stance of not resigning to fight a by-election he has no chance of winning. Will Simon Bridges now look to the waka jumping law? Throughout this week, rogue National MP Jami-Lee Ross has shown himself accomplished at the marathon press conference. Tonight, … Read more
New verse by Auckland writer Courtney Sina Meredith. 1 1 x mother 1 x ‘father’ 1 x shooting star Courtney Sina Meredith, 2018 The Spinoff Review of Books is proudly brought to you by Unity Books.
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 Nat Cheshire, self-described ‘fake architect’. About ten … Read more
Communication broke down in Britain’s parliament this week as a New Zealand-born MP struggled with another member’s Glaswegian accent. Sir Paul Beresford, MP for the Mole Valley in the British parliament, grew up in Levin and studied dentistry at Otago University before moving to the UK in the 70s to work in the NHS. “I’ve … 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 week on The Real Pod, we are finally reunited… kind of. With Duncan coming and going from the studio as he pleases, we are momentarily joined by Hayden Donnell, host of the Lightbox exclusive … Read more
It’s time for the annual Assassin’s Creed game, but 2018’s version doesn’t feel very much like an Assassin’s Creed at all. So why does it work so well? Sam Brooks reviews. The first Assassin’s Creed blew my mind eleven years ago. It was the first game that proved the power of the last generation’s consoles: it was a genuine graphical … Read more
The new drama from Facebook Watch (yes, that’s a thing) is the small screen’s most delicately rendered and thoughtful tackling of grief since Six Feet Under, writes Sam Brooks. Grief is like a snowflake made of shit – every experience is unique and unpleasant in its own way. When someone dies, the grief radiates outwards … Read more
Last night RNZ reported that a woman alleging bullying by rogue National MP Jami-Lee Ross said she had received threatening phone calls from Simon Lusk. Ross himself had earlier confirmed that he was taking advice from the shadowy political operative. But who is he, and where have we heard that name before? When private security … Read more
Only 67 shopping days till Xmas! Get in early and peruse the week’s biggest-selling books at the Unity stores in Willis St, Wellington, and High St, Auckland. WELLINGTON UNITY 1 Karori Confidential by Leah McFall (Luncheon Sausage Books, $25) Witty, luminous collection by the Sunday magazine columnist. So many zingers! “Karori is like Gloriavale without the … Read more
Twenty years on from the release of his debut album 2b S.Pacific, RNZ Music‘s Sam Wicks speaks to Che Fu about how getting kicked out of Supergroove lit the fire that helped him create his landmark album. In October 1998, BMG New Zealand released the debut solo project from Che-Fu (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Whakatere), an … Read more
It’s competitive out there for high schools these days. It seems like there are a million exams schools claim to prep their kids for in order to propel them to global dominance. But which high school has produced the most number one albums in New Zealand music history? James Dann investigates. High school can be … Read more
A new bill to increase the penalty for drug supply and distribution has passed its second reading in parliament. Green MP Chloë Swarbrick looks back on a decade of harmful drug laws. We are at a crossroads on drug policy in New Zealand. There is a real risk we take a backward step, further entrenching … Read more
From hand-rolling bliss balls to exporting to South Korea, Maria Slade spoke one half of Tom & Luke about taking their healthy bars and balls global. Tom Dorman may be one half of the duo giving its name to Kiwi healthy snacks success story Tom & Luke, but he is not a 50 percent kind of … Read more