The good, the bad, and the unexpected in our latest film festival reviews. [CENSORED] Not quite what I was expecting – although, in some ways, more than I expected – [CENSORED] is the fruit of filmmaker-cum-archivist Sari Braithwaite’s time spent holed up alone in an archive screening room with a fascinating and difficult collection of … Read more
Meet the UK chef inspiring his Kiwi counterparts with a radical approach to food waste. At Silo Brighton, Doug McMaster binned the bin. More accurately, the English chef binned the concept of the bin — there’s never been one at his restaurant, which opened four years ago in the heart of the famous seaside town. … Read more
We look at the primary school teacher strike: why are they striking and what are they likely to get? On August 15, offices around the country will likely have school kids running around. That’s because that day an all-day primary school teacher strike is scheduled. Primary teachers will be marching across the country (but mainly … Read more
Whanganui High School invited only Māori and Pasifika boys to a Joseph Parker speaking event, which some believed to be racism in action. Hint: it wasn’t. Here we go again. On Tuesday, news broke that Whanganui High School had limited a Joseph Parker speaking event to Māori and Pasifika boys and their fathers. Some parents … Read more
Sometimes it pays to focus on the dark side of gaming. Hayden Donnell shares the harrowing story of his own crippling addiction to Dark Souls. I’ve been going to therapy lately. A therapist will tell you many of your self-destructive behaviours can be traced back to seemingly small past traumas. Schoolyard bullying. Smacking. That scene … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. In this Very Special Episode of The Real Pod, we’re joined by Survivor NZ legend JT Muirhead to look back at what was a flaming hot second season. How bad were the tribal toilets? What … Read more
There’s been a lot of talk about the state of early childhood education in New Zealand over the last few days. Most of it has been shit. Here’s Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw doing what she does best – cutting through the crap so we can have a rational conversation. I imagine a world where childcare is … Read more
Being boring is not just an unfortunate side effect of being Mark Zuckerberg, it’s a strategy, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his choice of clothing. In an essay from the freshly published second volume of the The California Review of Images and Mark Zuckerberg (yes, it’s really a thing) New Zealanders Kelly and Anna … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Don Brash ban backlash intensifies, nurses and DHBs finally come to an agreement, and Queenstown residents concerned about airport expansion. Former National leader and Hobson’s Pledge founder Don Brash has been prevented from speaking at an event on Massey University’s campus, after a decision from the … Read more
Late last month, John Hart attended the ProteinTech 2018 conference and got thinking about New Zealand’s agricultural future. I was at the ProteinTech 2018 conference held in Auckland in late July – the first of its kind, and judging by the response, definitely not the last. Among the 200 plus attendees were representatives from traditional … Read more
The old saw about men being less capable of noticing household dirt isn’t the reason they do so much less housework than women. The truth is, it’s all about gendered expectations. The problem with housework is that it is never-ending drudgery. As soon as the floor is cleaned, the dog throws up, the kids spill … Read more
With its fascinating regional diversity, New Zealand’s most popular red has evolved into a wine that’s making the world sit up and take notice. Pinot noir is a fickle friend. It’s one of the most difficult grapes to grow and wines to make. It requires a sunny, cool climate; its tightly clustered bunches are particularly … Read more
Introducing our new maramataka column, focusing on the cycles of the Māori lunar calendar. Each month Ayla Hoeta will share insights into the tohu of the whenua, rangi and moana, as well as key dates to add into your calendar. The maramataka is the Māori lunar calendar. These calendars were used by our Māori and … Read more
A celebration of the resurgence of the maramataka. Many indigenous cultures around the world have their own version of the maramataka which aligns with the phases of the moon, rather than the common Gregorian calendar. Māori and our Pasifika cousins are reviving and reconnecting with the maramataka to restore systems and knowledge of agricultural productivity, … Read more
Stephanie Johnson suspects the debut novel by English writer Lisa Halliday is “the first flaring of a great talent”. Lisa Halliday’s novel Asymmetry is divided into three parts. “Folly” is the first and longest, and concerns a love affair between Alice, a young publishing assistant, and Ezra Blazer, a famous Pulitzer Prize-winning author many years … Read more
Spinoff Parents columnist Angela Cuming writes about what her children’s early childhood education centre means to her and her whānau. From the outside, there’s not much to give it away. An old two-storey villa, black asphalt driveway, a faded wooden fence just tall enough to peep over. But push open the heavy front door and … Read more
Hobson’s Pledge and their ilk argue for a culture that treats everyone the same. Anthropologist Haimona Gray looks at what’s actually at stake when we embrace multiculturalism. Go look at a wall! Is it very different to say, dirt? It is, because a wall is not a natural phenomenon. A person made that wall, but … Read more
The former National leader and Hobson’s Pledge advocate has become a fresh lightning rod in the debate around free speech and ‘deplatforming’. We asked a range of people to give us their view on the decision. Massey University announced this morning that a planned address by Don Brash this week would not go ahead. In … Read more
A ’70s housewife, an exhausted mother, and a law student moonlighting as a call girl: these are just a few of the people coming to Lightbox in August. Better Call Saul (S4 starts August 7, Express) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYl0Bio5E-E The mostly-prequel sometimes-sequel series to Breaking Bad could very easily have been more of the same. There was a … Read more
Toby Morris has illustrated a new publication in the School Journal Story Library that tells the story of the Treaty of Waitangi. Below, a selection of the work, introduced by Ātea editor Leonie Hayden Toby approached me to read a few early drafts of his School Journal, and I was struck by how simple you … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government moves to address construction concerns, NZ First links to Wally Haumaha keep getting revealed, and push to bring back health targets. The government has agreed to stop low-balling construction companies who bid on contracts, in an effort to save the sector from collapse. Stuff reports that the … Read more
Many of today’s concerns around home ownership and urban planning were found in centuries past, writes Jeremy Moyle Current anxieties about city planning and the possibility of home ownership can seem like particularly modern issues, but their origins are old – really old – and the concerns of 19th and early-20th century New Zealand sound … Read more
As if parents of pre-schoolers didn’t have enough to deal with, a searing column on Monday informed them that the daycares they sent their kids to were kiddie prisons. Duncan Greive examines this appalling situation. Monday’s Herald brought worse news than usual for parents of young children. Most were likely awoken earlier than they’d have … Read more
Judith Collins called on Jacinda Ardern to condemn France over a story she sourced from yournewswire.com. Hayden Donnell scans the site for more shocking stories about people the prime minister should condemn. Judith Collins was trawling the internet this morning when she came across a shocking story. Her news source, Yournewswire.com, accused France of becoming … Read more
Journalist Baz Macdonald was your quintessential hyperactive child. He looks back on the terror he caused, the productive ways his parents curbed his energy, and the effect it has had on his life. In public spaces, we have all experienced that one kid who is just mayhem: running up and down the aisles of stores, … Read more
Alex Casey counts down the most intriguing Instagrammed breakfasts of Sir The Mad Butcher. I don’t know about your social media diet, but I am sick of scrolling through endless pictures of smoothie bowls, protein oats and mermaid toast wondering when a foodie influencer will finally post something a) actually relatable or b) actually yum. … Read more
The story of the illustration of an unnamed Māori trading a crayfish with Joseph Banks, drawn by the Endeavour‘s onboard navigator Tupaia, is told in a beautifully produced book on Cook’s three voyages to New Zealand. Tupaia’s only known drawing of New Zealand may have been made during or soon after the visit to Tolaga Bay. … Read more
It’s time we called time on stigma and discrimination against sex workers in New Zealand, writes criminologist Lynzi Armstrong. Imagine you decide to start a business. You have an exciting idea and great people to collaborate with. You finish your business plan and are ready to embark on your new challenge. But when you go … Read more
In the middle of a building boom, construction companies keep going out of business. Leonie Freeman explains why it’s happening and what we can do about it. It’s hard for many of us to square: while we seem to be on the brink of a house building boom, construction companies are falling over. It’s like … Read more