Aotearoa must follow the lead of Britain and legally prohibit this pernicious practice, writes Toni Duder of RainbowYouth “Do you have anyone we could talk to who has gone through conversion therapy at RainbowYouth?” As the Communications Manager at RainbowYouth, part of my job is to make sure that we have people from queer, intersex … Read more
New research from the University of Auckland reveals startling disparities in the ways communities are targeted by junk food retailers. Don Rowe speaks to the study’s author, Professor Boyd Swinburn. A combination of political apathy and toothless local government is exacerbating New Zealand’s obesity crisis, a new study has found. We’re living in fundamentally unhealthy … Read more
A 24-hour strike is under way after last-ditch talks failed yesterday. What it’s all about and what does it mean for patients? Via RNZ Who’s on strike? Up to 29,500 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants working for district health boards have begun a 24-hour strike after the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) rejected the latest … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Lobby group wants to fundamentally reshape tenancy laws, nurses go on strike, and business leaders pledge action on climate change. Tenant rights group Renters United have put out a 36 point plan that they say will dramatically improve the lot of renters in New Zealand, reports Newshub. They … Read more
Broadcasting minister Clare Curran yesterday announced how $15m of new funding for the media will be distributed. How will it affect what you hear, see and read? The minister called it the “beginning of a new era”. Sounds radical. What was announced? Yesterday we learned the detail of a $15m boost to media funding announced … Read more
To combat climate change, we essentially need a new industrial revolution, and at last attitudes across the business sector appear to be seriously changing, writes climate scientist James Renwick To make an effective response to climate change, what is required is leadership from both the public and private sectors. So the announcement of a new … Read more
A group of 60 CEOs from companies including Air New Zealand, Spark, Fonterra and Vector have formed the Climate Leaders Coalition, with the purpose of reducing the country’s emissions. But what does this actually mean? Jihee Junn talks to the coalition convenor, Z Energy CEO Mike Bennetts In 2016, New Zealand ratified the landmark Paris … Read more
The Block NZ is back, and it’s time to rejoice like we just won a Bosch kitchen upgrade that includes both a griddle and a hand blender. Tara Ward power ranks. Somewhere in the pristine new suburb of Hobsonville Point lies four new couples on four new mattresses inside four new townhouses, which are as empty … Read more
New Zealand’s crankiest uncle, broadcaster Leighton Smith, hangs up his headphones at the end of this year. He’s been on the periphery of our lives for 34 years, but he remains a man of mystery to most of us. The Spinoff TV’s Angella Dravid investigates. The Spinoff TV, Fridays at 9.45pm on THREE
Nurses have rejected a last-minute DHB offer and tomorrow will go on strike. Here’s what to expect. This story was first published on Newshub. The nurses’ strike on Thursday will have the largest, most immediate effect on New Zealand’s hospitals, where nurses make up 60 to 70 percent of the frontline staff. This is all … Read more
Chloe Blades finds joy in a memoir of the Obama Presidency by a millennial stenographer, who is instructed to ‘exude femininity in a strictly non-sexual way’. Since The Donald was sworn in as leader of the free world, raucous exposés have made their way out of the White House and into the once resistible American … Read more
A Warkworth baker who spurned a lesbian couple’s wedding cake request has highlighted the simmering tension in some parts of society between gay rights and religious freedom. But for Aaron Hendry, the question is simple. After going all the way to the US Supreme Court, it was only a matter of time before the Cake … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. On this week’s Real Pod, Alex is exiled to snowy South Island (like foot island, but lower), leaving Jane and Duncan to struggle on as a duo. Jane’s already daunting task of hosting without Alex … Read more
Harlots returns to Lightbox tomorrow with a second season full of intrigue, feminism and corset-ripping good times. The show is full of famous faces, but where have you seen them before? Samantha Morton Who is she playing? Margaret Wells! She runs a brothel in 18th century Britain, and her brutal upbringing working in Lydia Quigley’s brothel … Read more
A Christchurch racing club is offering ‘kiddie picks’, where children bet on the horses and get lollies if they pick a winner. Inspired, The Spinoff TV’s Hayden Donnell got to work on his own R18 product for kids. The Spinoff TV, Fridays 9.45pm on THREE
The angst of a Wellington winter melts away amid the tongue-tingling tastes of the Middle Kingdom. You’re in the break room guarding the microwave as your soup-berg slowly circles. Your toast’s just gone down. Pete comes in. You eyeball him: lay down that Vogel’s bro, this needs at least another minute. The weather’s shit. Work … Read more
They’re young, they’re hungry, and they’re not taking any crap. Waves of rangatahi activists are using the UN to share kaupapa Māori values with the world. In 2017 Te Ara Whatu became the first all-rangatahi Māori delegation to attend a UN Conference, and played a significant role in advancing indigenous rights at the COP23 Climate … Read more
Henry Oliver talks to Eddie Johnston, the man behind Lontalius, about living and working in LA and his first new music in two years. Eddie Johnston, who makes music as Lontalius (and also as Race Banyon, but that’s another story), grew up as some sort of Wellington indie rock prodigy – going to cool shows … Read more
ANZ’s latest recruit is a virtual assistant designed by hi-tech New Zealand company Soul Machines. Intrigued, Jihee Junn decided to give her a whirl, chatting about film, literature, and “closing the pod bay doors”. First she was Rachel, then she was Sophie, and now, dressed in a light blue shirt and thick-framed glasses, she’s Jamie … Read more
If you think there’s an easy answer on the whole Lauren Southern/Stefan Molyneux saga, law professor Andrew Geddis reckons you probably haven’t thought about it hard enough. Up until about a week ago, I and most of New Zealand hadn’t the faintest clue who Lauren Southern or Stefan Molyneux were. Having better things to do … Read more
Wellington Paranormal, the TV spinoff of Taika Waititi’s hit movie comedy What We Do In The Shadows, debuts on TVNZ tonight. So what’s it like? There’s a bit in last week’s episode of Police Ten 7 where Officers Kevin and Bevan (I know) go looking for a rough sleeper who’s skipped a court date and now … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Nurses strike set to take place tomorrow, China responds to Defence paper that names their country, and Auckland Council is being taken to court over two extremist speakers. In what is arguably the most important story of the year so far, the nurses strike is back … Read more
In The Spinoff TV series Frickin Dangerous Bro Review White People Things, James Roque, Pax Assadi and Jamaine Ross try all the fancy shit white people seem to like for no apparent reason. This week: kombucha. Previously: Frickin Dangerous Bro Review Bath Bombs The Spinoff TV screens Fridays at 9.45pm on THREE. Thanks to NZ … Read more
Leah Hamilton moved to Berlin with her whānau from New Zealand. She explains what it’s like raising children in a haven for kids. When my husband got a job offer in Berlin, my mind immediately jumped to how cool the city is. I had visited six years ago by myself, and had spent most of my … Read more
Statistics NZ has conceded that the 2018 census response rate may be down by almost 5%, sparking concerns that some groups might not be captured by the survey. It has also led to a delay in the release of first results till March next year, and an apology from the government statistician The 2018 Census, … Read more
Diana Wichtel won the non-fiction book of the year award in May with her Holocaust book Driving to Treblinka. Her partner Chris Barton writes about his own profound experiences – and life-changing revelations – when he accompanied Diana to the Nazi death camps. It was an odd place to be having a ridiculously obvious realisation about my life. … Read more
Phil Goff’s decision to ban two right wing Canadian provocateurs from Auckland council venues has a lot of us re-examining our views on hate speech, free speech and censorship. Danyl Mclauchlan sat down with Danyl Mclauchlan and Danyl Mclauchlan to debate the issue. Liberal Danyl: Okay, let’s try and think our way through the whole … Read more
Could this be the gayest video game guide ever? Kermath shares his definitive guide to the games coming up over the next 12 months – and which Grindr tribe they belong to. The main game announcements for 2018/early 2019 have pretty much all been made. Outside it’s cold, work is shit, and you have nothing … Read more
Chef Luke Adams shares three delicious Māori dishes. As he whipped up an on-trend beetroot and farro concoction in the kitchen of a cafe in Auckland’s Newmarket, Luke Adams talked us through how to make something very different — the kai he was raised with. Adams (Te-Uri-o-Tai hapū, Te Aupōuri iwi) is head chef at … Read more