After a long struggle, the Environment Court has finally ruled that the ouvea premix stored across Southland will be removed by May 2021. Michael Andrew spoke to those involved in the campaign. The Paper Mill is part of Frame, a series of short, standalone documentaries produced by Wrestler for The Spinoff. Made with support from … Read more
A new poem from Tim Upperton. My childhood I was Dick. I teased Anne and George. I was Edmund, betrayed my friends for a sweet. Something rotten in me. Cast out, castaway. For long years I had an island to myself. I lived on corn, goat-meat, fish. All changed by a single footprint in the … Read more
I found my own first Martian meteorite sitting in a cabinet in a gem store in Akaroa, writes James Scott. Nasa’s Perseverance rover successfully touched down on Mars this morning, and has already begun beaming back images. But people might be surprised to learn there have been another 48 missions to the red planet so … Read more
Carla Crozier, one of Shortland Street’s most memorable villains, is back to wreak havoc in Ferndale. Actor Elisabeth Easther tells Tara Ward why she’s returned to the role – and what’s different this time around. It’s been 25 years since Carla Crozier waved goodbye to Shortland Street, but fans have never forgotten her. Nobody knows … Read more
New Zealand’s fertility rate is dropping below replacement rates. Paul Spoonley explains why, and why we should care. In recent years, many aspects of New Zealand’s changing population have drawn public attention. Immigration – tick. Ageing – tick. Regional differences and disparities – tick. Population growth rates and projections – tick. Fertility – not so … Read more
Nearly 42,000 years ago, the Earth got flipped turned upside down. It caused total chaos. And it might happen again soon. Mirjam Guesgen explains. Seemingly randomly throughout time, the Earth’s magnetic poles flip – magnetic north swaps places with the magnetic south. Up until now, scientists weren’t really sure what that meant for the planet’s … Read more
It’s hardly surprising that the story has faded from front pages, writes Amal Samaha – forgetting is just what we do when it comes to uncomfortable truths about New Zealand’s actions overseas. Early last week it was revealed that Air New Zealand’s gas turbine division was supplying the Saudi Arabian Navy with parts and engine … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Wild Wellington Council meeting sparks controversy, managed isolation cleaners being paid minimum wage, and major new report on tourism’s environmental footprint released. The Wellington City Council has made a dramatic series of votes, in a bid to come to grips with their current budget crisis. Many … Read more
A pioneering New Zealand voice, a neighbour, and not finished yet. Ahead of the 20-year anniversary concert for his great album, Michelle Langstone talks to Che ‘Fu’ Ness. Portraits by Edith Amituanai. I lived next door to Che Fu for a year when I was a Uni student. It was in between his breakthrough debut … Read more
With the Covid-19 immunisation programme beginning this Saturday, a South Auckland city councillor is warning not enough is being done to combat misinformation. South Auckland and Pacific leaders are calling for a concerted public information campaign to ensure those most needing the Covid vaccine aren’t put off from getting it. Auckland councillor Daniel Newman says … Read more
In the 1970s, a young New Zealand athlete introduced the world to a radical new long jump technique. But unlike high jumper Dick Fosbury and the Fosbury Flop, the Delamere Flip never got off the ground. Tuariki Delamere is upside down. Suspended in mid-air above the sandpit at the LA Coliseum, his knees are tucked … 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. This week he’s joined by Duane Mutu, founder and CEO of LetsPlay.Live. Esports is big business with the number of people playing competitively … Read more
All you need to know about the government’s latest support package for businesses and sole traders affected by the rise in alert levels. What’s all this then? In response to the current – and possibly future – increases in alert levels, the government has introduced a financial support package for affected businesses. Called the Resurgence … Read more
Russell Brown goes off the grid on Great Barrier Island to see out what it takes to get the local community online and connected. In the lead-up to Christmas on Aotea Great Barrier Island, locals were bracing for the deluge. Every holiday season, the island’s permanent population of around 900 multiplies and this summer, with … Read more
A major new parliamentary commissioner for the environment report has just dropped, with recommendations about how tourism should be reshaped. Alex Braae spoke to Simon Upton about what he’s proposing. Last time parliamentary commissioner for the environment Simon Upton did some domestic tourism, he went to Raglan. He ate in a local restaurant, and attempted … Read more
Having recently moved here with his family from the UK, Chris Hall reflects on sending his two young children to school in New Zealand for the first time as well as the sacrifices that were made along the way. After my girlfriend and I dropped our children off for the start of school two weeks … Read more
If you’re across the ditch, you can no longer access our content via Facebook. Here’s how to ensure you don’t miss anything. In light of the news that Facebook has blocked news content for its users in Australia, here’s a reminder to our readers there – in fact anyone with an interest in news from … Read more
Duncan Greive analyses a shocking development in the global pushback against big tech. Subscribe and listen to The Fold via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider. At 7.38am today a short email arrived from Facebook News Partnerships. It contained a total of five sentences, the most important reading: “I am writing to confirm that due to … Read more
This weekend’s Garden Party festival in Wellington sees the premiere of Navigating the Stars, a live performance for families based on Witi Ihimaera’s acclaimed collection of the same name. Ahead of the show, Ihimaera spoke to his friend and former collaborator Whiti Hereaka about bringing the stories to the stage. Witi Ihimaera describes himself as … Read more
Ditching the fees may seem like an easy way to reduce carbon emissions and help transport poverty. But, as environmental sociologist Kirsty Wild explains, free PT is far from a silver bullet. When it comes to carbon fairness, transport is a bit of a minefield. Should low-income communities get cycleways because they deserve the investment? … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Why the lockdown is being lifted, last NZ troops to leave Afghanistan, and efforts to recover Pike River bodies come to an end. We got the news yesterday that the alert levels will be shifting down to level two for Auckland, and level one for … Read more
The eighth in a series of polls by Stickybeak for The Spinoff shows popular sentiment remains strongly in favour of the NZ approach to the pandemic. Ten days out from the anniversary of the day New Zealand reported its first positive case of Covid-19, with the first batch of vaccines set to be administered on … Read more
Intern stage manager Janaye Henry just had her first big gig running today’s alert level change announcement. Here’s how she went guiding Jacinda Ardern and Dr Ashley Bloomfield through the briefing.
Singer, actor and all-round good guy Moses Mackay is the new single bloke handing out the roses on The Bachelor NZ. Tonight TVNZ announced a new season of The Bachelor NZ will begin on March 2, which is less than two weeks or 14 single one-on-one dates away. Along with fresh episodes of the reality … Read more
Longtime Bachelor fans Jane Yee and Tara Ward strip down the highs and lows of the third week of The Bachelorette NZ. Tune into this week’s The Real Pod for more The Bachelorette NZ chat. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere else you listen to pods. Tara Ward: Jane, we’ve finally reached the next destination … Read more
In spite of the seeming intractability of the trans-Tasman row over the woman linked to Isis that was detained in Turkey, the situation facing her children needs resolving, writes Claire Breen. By unilaterally revoking the citizenship of the 26-year-old woman detained in Turkey this week, Australia has potentially left her two children in diplomatic limbo. … Read more
A recent Twitter thread, which asked Pākehā who are learning te reo to be gentle with Māori who don’t know the language, sparked a lot of conversation. Ātea editor Leonie Hayden reflects on her own experience, and offers some advice. It was a Pākehā friend who first told me that it wasn’t appropriate for her … Read more
Chloe Blades spent two years working to rehabilitate men like those in Jared Savage’s Gangland: New Zealand’s Underworld of Organised Crime. She explains how the book has upended her thinking. Gangland has the kind of title I’ve spent six years avoiding. Books and films on gangs are too often sensationalist. Typically, we get brief intros … Read more
Experts on employment predict how Covid-19 will change the way we work and impact jobs in the future. The isolating impact of Covid-19 forced us to change the way we work. It recast the relationship between employer and employee and it brought the role of technology in our workplaces forward by years. This shift was … Read more