‘Burners’ around the country will have to look elsewhere for their collectivist fix after Kiwiburn 2019 was cancelled by event organisers. New Zealand’s regional Burning Man event has been cancelled after extended negotiations around council noise restrictions meant a 2019 iteration of the festival became unfeasible. A sell-out event held annually at the end of … Read more
A lily-livered foreigner braves the fiery cauldron that is Chóngqìng’s specialty. You know your food’s going to be fucking hot when the restaurant has installed a sprinkler system to spray you with a cooling mist while you eat. Recovering in the comfort of my hostel 24 hours after my first Chóngqìng hotpot (huǒ guō), I … Read more
Last week, Robyn released ‘Missing U’, her first solo single in since 2010. Ellen Falconer writes about the Swedish pop artist’s enduring relevance and the incredibly therapeutic power of her music. Eight years’ absence is a long time for a pop star in 2018. In this era of a seemingly endless stream of #content and … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Glut of good news for sheep farmers, a new poll comes out, and education minister hammers teacher pay aspirations. It’s a good time to own a flock of sheep. NZ lamb prices have hit a record high, reports the NZ Herald. It’s not expected that they’ll go … Read more
Charter schools are no silver bullet, but the principle behind kura hourua is a form of rangatiratanga (sovereignty) in action. The kōhanga reo example is a reminder that Māori education is too important to fall victim to partisan battles, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira. The Anglican missionaries who arrived in Aotearoa in 1814 came with a mission: convert … Read more
To grasp why the push to change has caused such a fuss, and to appreciate why it’s so muddle-minded, we need to consider how the university got its name, and what names mean to the university community, writes André Brett Universities are funny things. They have evolved from rarefied campuses of privileged elites into mass educators, … Read more
As the Auckland leg draws to its close, our reviewers hail a clutch of restored and modern classics. Leave No Trace I asked Brent after we saw Leave No Trace, “Did I cry so much because it’s such an excellent imagining of a tragic situation, or did I cry so much because it’s such an … Read more
A change to the Medicinal Cannabis Bill could ensure New Zealand made products are affordable and available as early as next year. We have a great opportunity to provide affordable access to people who desperately need it – let’s not stumble at the last hurdle writes Manu Caddie of Hikurangi Cannabis Company It probably doesn’t sound like … Read more
Food and drink are the source of many memories. Simon Day remembers a hangover and his childhood with milkshake guru Matt Fitzgerald. Of all the scenes from 1982’s Spielberg science fiction classic E.T. to be preserved in Matt Fitzgerald’s mind, it’s the moment young Elliott is sent out to get pizza by his brothers that’s … Read more
David Farrier delves into the 30-year-old mystery of Richard A Kontos, a man with a dream of a better world. A man obsessed with talking peas and the tiny town of Peasville. It all started with an email. “A man named Richard A Kontos from Daisy Hill, Queensland, has for the past 30 odd years … Read more
The paths that lead to receiving moko kauae, the tattooed marks worn on the face by Māori women for centuries, vary from person to person. For one Waikato woman, it was a tribute to her mother. Words and pictures by Cornell Tukiri. With thanks to Maxine Te Rongomau, her whānau and community. It is 8am … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. Toby Morris: The Side Eye: Inequality Tower 2018 Imagine all the wealth in NZ as a ten-storey apartment building. Imagine half of NZ crammed in a tiny corner of the bottom floor. This is the worsening reality in New Zealand, 2018. Steven Adams: Why does … Read more
Finally, the definitive ranking of Aotearoa’s favourite snack – featuring notes of burnt marshmallow, wet undies and duplicitous giraffes. This post was first published in August 2018 Pastry-bound parcels of deliciousness have been in the news a bit recently. Earlier in the week, the nation’s best pies were lauded at a (presumably) glittering awards ceremony, which … Read more
After years of watching powerlessly as his iPhone took over his brain, Duncan Greive found a way of getting it back. Last Saturday I was sitting with a friend, patting a puppy while she idly thumbed her phone. I was a few feet away, but it sure looked like the screen was black and white. … Read more
The ghosts of the 1981 Springbok Tour still haunt Auckland’s inner-suburb streets.
How can private enterprise help local governments innovate? Mark Thomas reports from the World Cities Summit in Singapore. Imagine you’re a mayor. Your city is growing faster than you can build the things you need to support the growth, or you’re shrinking and trying to incentivise new industry. Either way, you can’t get the funding … Read more
In the fourth part of the new podcast series Venus Envy, Damaris Coulter, Annah Pickering, and Nunu Davey, discuss fighting for your community when no one else will. For three women who have been at the front lines of feminism for a decades, the #MeToo movement has little relevance, and Kate Sheppard’s meaning is limited … Read more
The two best teams in Super Rugby will contest the competition’s climactic match tonight. It will be a repeat of last year’s final, with the Crusaders and Lions again taking centre stage for the ultimate decider. There is no doubt both deserve to be there, no matter what you may think about Super Rugby’s complex … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to co-founder of The Pure Food Co, Sam Bridgewater, whose business makes nutritionally dense and visually appealing food for people who have a hard time eating. ONE: How did The Pure Food Co start and what … Read more
Does Christchurch “deserve” a better stadium? Should we just “get on with it”? James Dann dives into the argument that is almost as confusing as rugby’s tackle ball rules. The Crusaders are strongly tipped to retain their Super Rugby title in the final this Saturday, being held at the “temporary” AMI Stadium in Addington. But … Read more
The go-to argument for many people spouting anti-Māori sentiment often starts with ‘… but Māori killed all the Moriori’. Researcher Keri Mills is eager for fellow Pākehā to do some reading before reaching for this lazy argument. Firstly, the myth. You’ve heard it before. There were a pre-Māori people in New Zealand, called the Moriori. … Read more
New verse by Auckland writer Carin Smeaton. Our Lady every noon moses calls to our lady of the rosary she jus ‘round the corner eyes always 2 her heart that gurl ‘cept for the time she set the methodist church on fire feeding it all the dreams she ever held bright & o … Read more
The week’s biggest selling books at the Unity stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND UNITY 1 My Life, My Fight by Steven Adams with Madeleine Chapman (Penguin, $40) Woah! Number one with a bullet, in its first week in the stores; and on Thursday, Penguin announced it had sold the North American … Read more
The NZSO and The Phoenix Foundation performed their Celebrate! show last night at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington. Mark Cubey was there. “Anyone can be a success, but it takes real guts to be a failure.” That’s from a cartoon by Scottish genius John Glashan, who wrote plays and worked as an illustrator, but whose … Read more
This week is World Breastfeeding Week. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes speaks to Family Planning doctor Beth Messenger about what contraception is the best to use while breastfeeding and after you’ve given birth. So you’ve had your baby, and if it was a relatively recent experience you’re probably thinking that your vagina will never be … Read more
Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux are in New Zealand to preach their alt-right message in Auckland. But should the media just ignore them, asks Hayden Donnell for The Spinoff TV. “Their visit has excited both racists and people who are racist adjacent,” says Hayden Donnell. But as the Canadian visitor appear to perversely use even … Read more
‘The Powerstation is a blank canvas,’ says owner after organisers reveal alt-right duo Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux will appear at beloved music venue in Auckland this evening. The owner and manager of Auckland live music venue The Powerstation has cancelled the appearance this evening of Stefan Molyneux and Lauren Southern. Peter Campbell initially defended … Read more
How do you write about an experience that’s not your own – and do it without offending anybody? Sam Brooks, author of the play Burn Her on now in Auckland, offers a solution. A month or so ago, I saw playwright Victor Rodger give a talk about cultural appropriation. Drawing on Lionel Shriver’s controversial (and … Read more
Youth of New Zealand rejoice! Apple has become the most valuable company to ever exist and we’re all investors. Apple has become the first public company to reach a market value of US$1 trillion this morning – great news for Kiwis, who collectively own about $400 million of Apple shares through the New Zealand Superfund. … Read more