We need to find an alternative to the dangerous enforcement tactics of the global response to the drug trade, or people will keep dying, writes Kali Mercier. New Zealand’s recent deaths from synthetic cannabinoids are deeply tragic and should never have happened. A report released yesterday by the Global Commission on Drug Policy shows how … Read more
The man embroiled in the scandal that saw Clare Curran sacked by Jacinda Ardern challenged an audience at AUT to think about their careers. Madeleine Chapman was there In an AUT function room at 5pm on a Thursday, Derek Handley, the man who was supposed to be New Zealand’s Chief Technology Officer, is speaking about … Read more
In New Zealand, some people think we have it pretty good when it comes to abortion access. But with abortion still in the Crimes Act and other people getting to decide whether pregnant people can terminate, we really have no reason to feel safe. Abortion Law Reform New Zealand president Terry Bellamak writes. Tomorrow is … Read more
Danyl Mclauchlan examines the latest work of one of the most famous public intellectuals in the world. Five years ago, Yuval Noah Harari was a humble academic, quietly lecturing at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he specialised in medieval history. In 2014 his fourth book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind – originally published in … Read more
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s been in the US this week and her arrival with baby Neve has caused quite the stir. If only they could get her name right…
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, Duncan and Alex are left to stumble through a cold and uncertain world, like poor moonboot-wearing Jamie-Lee on The Bachelor Australia. As a result, you’ll get all the reality … Read more
A challenge for the Auckland mayoralty is looming next year, with John Tamihere today turning up at Auckland Council to rattle some cages. But what is he actually standing on? And will he really run? Alex Braae went along to the JT show. John Tamihere came in early, to stake out a claim on a … Read more
This week, Alice Neville welcomes new beginnings for a beer that’s had its fair share of drama, and Henry Oliver tips his hat to a wallet-friendly white. GARAGE PROJECT DFA 7.5%, 330ml, $6.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co This week’s beer comes with a touch of controversy. First brewed in 2013, the then-named Death From … Read more
He’s driven tanks, he’s flown planes – now he’s ready to sail ships into war. Adam Goodall takes the plunge into World of Warships. “Have you heard of the Battle of the River Plate?” “Uh, the name’s familiar.” I’m scrolling through the Premium Shop in World of Warships, looking at boats. They’re all big, and they’ve … Read more
The leak of a report into allegations of an assault by the Labour MP on a staffer has sparked another probe. Who might have leaked it, and what does it mean for Jacinda Ardern, asks RNZ’s Jane Patterson There are now two investigations under way into leaks that have targeted the leader of the opposition … Read more
To mark Auckland Council environment month, Mayor Phil Goff writes about the challenges facing the city and surrounds – and how the new targeted rate will be used to address them. Auckland is blessed with a beautiful natural environment. It is sited on three harbours, with 1,000 beaches, numerous maunga and reserves and flanked by … Read more
Friends, we’ve finally made it. Tools are officially down, and The Block NZ is nearly over for 2018. Tara Ward recaps. For the past 12 weeks we’ve stared into an abyss of portaloos and pavers, of hypnotists and Heimlich manoeuvres, of sheep mustering and nipple coloured walls. We’ve endured pointless challenges with sponge cake and sudoku … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Waka jumping bill could become law tonight, internal report into Meka Whaitiri’s conduct leaked, and sports doping testing system under scrutiny. The Electoral Integrity amendment bill is making its way through Parliament, and could well become law tonight. Commonly known as the waka-jumping bill, it would mean … Read more
Cars, campervans and now food: There is no end to the sharing economy, and a serial entrepreneur is making your kitchen the scene of his latest venture. Business is what Daniel Kieser breathes, sleeps and eats. Literally. You might wonder why the South African-born entrepreneur wanted to launch his latest digital platform, Dine at Mine. … Read more
Any substantial difference in tackling climate change from banning oil and gas exploration will be tiny, and there will be serious economic costs. If it’s all for symbolic reasons, that’s fine, but let’s be clear that’s what it is, write Liam Hehir Ever since MBIE released its official advice on the oil and gas ban, … Read more
Emotions are high, feelings are plenty, and we’re one moonboot down. There’s no doubt we’re reaching crunch time in this week’s episodes of The Bachelor Australia. Miriam Moore recaps. Episode 11 begins with sassy Cassie finally having her name read out on the single date card. In the background, music akin to the “passionate kiss” … Read more
The NZ prime minister set foot in the US and immediately became a media sensation. Hayden Donnell looks at Ardern’s transformation into a beacon for our troubled world. At home, Jacinda Ardern’s life is filled with stress, trouble, and Winston Peters. She’s somehow involved in a multi-week scandal involving a person that willingly donated a … Read more
In her second Elleswhere column about life as an expat New Zealander in London, Elle Hunt writes about seeing the city through the eyes of people who are just passing through. I am at an indoor market in Brixton. I have never been to this market before, though it is held every week, about a … Read more
A tool of colonisation or liberation? Te Paipera Tapu (The Holy Bible) turns 150 this year, with the first full translation being published in 1868. Dr Hirini Kaa shares some of the cultural and historical significance of this book. The late, great Māori academic Ranginui Walker, in one of his memorably powerful phrases, once described Christianity as ‘total … Read more
Content note: this essay may be distressing for some readers. Years later I read that fighting with your partner while pregnant can cause the foetus life-threatening stress. I remember Fiji, where Robert doesn’t notice that he’s used a $US100 note to buy something. American notes all look the same and he thinks it’s a single … Read more
Anika Moa Unleashed had a triumphant first season, and showcased the singer-personality as one of our best interviewers, but what does the second season do with her? If you wrote Anika Moa as a character in a work of fiction, you’d be told she was too perfect and you had to go back to the drawing … Read more
Many of us have suffered the terror of a beetroot poo, but few of us ever talk about our experience. Hayden Donnell says it’s time to bring this important issue into the light. Maybe it hasn’t happened to you yet. But it will. One day, after using the toilet, you’ll glance down and experience a … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Cost of living rise cuts into government efforts, Greens say Labour is watering down oil exploration ban, and Environment Court gives America’s Cup green light. It’s becoming harder to make ends meet in New Zealand, despite the efforts of the government earlier this year to redistribute … Read more
Forget the UN. Forget the Today show. The undeniable high point of the NZ prime minister’s trip to New York is her imminent appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Lucky for her, Tim Lambourne has her back. In 2013 I interviewed Jacinda Ardern on a late night comedy chat show. Three months later the show … Read more
As a minister in a National-led government I was proud to speak at the UN against pursuing an outdated and overly punitive approach on drugs. Now the bipartisan focus on drugs as a health issue seems to have been tossed aside by Simon Bridges’ party as a political inconvenience, writes Peter Dunne Just two years ago … Read more
As Russell McVeagh hits the headlines again for inappropriate behaviour by a senior staff member, former lawyer Sacha Judd says time is up on the bullying, macho, sexist culture of the legal profession. This speech was given last night at the Auckland University Law Review Alumni Dinner. I was an editor of the Auckland University … Read more
Stay tuned for updates as top Kiwi broadcaster lashes back at Donald Trump with word play after being victimised by brutal new rules and/or not filling out a form he needed to fill out. Sunday April 15, 6am It’s there above the masthead of this morning’s Herald on Sunday. Top Kiwi broadcaster Barry Soper has … Read more
Alan Perrott reports on the pressures of running a secondhand bookstore in 2018. Maud Cahill has owned secondhand bookstore Jason Books in downtown Auckland since 2002. “My parents didn’t read very much,” she says. “But I can’t remember not having books. I’d go to the library every week, search every shelf with children’s books, then go … Read more
It’s taken three games to get there – but Valkyria Chronicles 4 finally recaptures the addictive and bizarrely positive magic of the first game. Sam Brooks reviews. When Valkyria Chronicles debuted on the Playstation 3 nearly ten years ago, it was a different time. Marion Cotillard was reigning Best Actress, George Bush was President, and the PS3 was … Read more