Able-bodied commuters who think they’re up against it would do well to take a moment to consider the challenges faced by disabled people on the same journey. Robyn Hunt writes. My daily commute these days is a few steps to my home office in my PJs and barefoot if I want. But I’ve done the … Read more
Children are sponges, they say. So why, asks Emily Holdaway, won’t radio give some thought to the kids who are adopting the incorrect pronunciation they hear on a daily basis? I stand in the kitchen, doing the dishes. I can hear Mum reading to Ziggy in the lounge. She’s reading to him the story of … Read more
At Techweek‘18 the people leading New Zealand’s innovation and technological revolution share their secrets. We asked the experts for their festival recommendations. The description of Techweek‘18 as a festival of the future is perfect. The pace that science and technology is reshaping our society and economy is often alarming and overwhelming. Techweek’18 is a diverse … Read more
At the height of their mid-90s fame, Jason Gunn and his sidekick Thingee made their own 60 minute movie, the Christchurch-set caper Jason and Thingee’s Big Adventure. Baz McDonald talks to team behind it, including Gunn himself. For New Zealand kids growing up in the early ’90s, weekday afternoons from 3:30 to 4pm meant one … Read more
Sometimes the judges on Dancing with the Stars can be just a little bit rough. Need proof? We’ve rounded up all this week’s meanest comments about celebrities moving around the dance floor. Presenting #DWTSNZ – Harsh Words. This content, like all television coverage we do at The Spinoff, is brought to you thanks to the excellent folk … Read more
KiwiSavers like you and me are the benefactors New Zealand’s infrastructural development is looking for, says Simplicity’s Sam Stubbs. The government is signalling that New Zealand’s infrastructure build, apart from anything rail related, will go slower than expected. Increases in core funding, let alone mouldy surprises at Middlemore, are draining the national coffers of monies that any … Read more
Murdoch Stephens from the anarchist publishing firm Lawrence & Gibson,on working with Brannavan Gnanalingam, a finalist in tonight’s Ockham New Zealand national book awards. Some of our authors come to us with a title that encapsulates the concept of their book and which we’re instantly sure of: Milk Island was an example of a title arriving … Read more
Kate Robertson talks to Auckland hip-hop/electronic/jazz band Yoko-Zuna ahead of Seamless, an all-ages show in Auckland this weekend. For Yoko-Zuna, 2018 looks set to be a tipping point. Consistently gaining momentum since their 2015 debut album This Place Here, the Auckland-based four-piece are finding themselves ready to break through the alternative sphere and well into the mainstream. … Read more
Headquartered in a tax haven, JackpotCity is getting around legal restrictions to advertise on television with what critics call a ‘Trojan horse’ – then using aggressive sales tactics to keep vulnerable gamblers hooked. And according to the Department of Internal Affairs, it’s all totally legal. Don Rowe investigates. Imagine yourself at home on your couch. … Read more
Budget 2018: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a tax, says Grant Thornton’s Dan Lowe. Budget day is fast approaching and the predictions are coming thick and fast. Many will be watching with keen interest, not just because it’ll be Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s first budget since being … Read more
New Zealand’s fifth biggest city is remarkably thin on culture, writes Rebecca Galloway, and it’s time to change that. Just like the real Miami. Tauranga is a beach city marked by an ever-expanding tidemark of homes under construction. Its low-rise downtown is studded by colourful shops with names like Tres Chic! and Fancy That, proving … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. Rate of inflation higher for those with less, Winston Peters is going to China, and the government backtracks on much–needed Official Information Act reforms. The rate of inflation, typically assumed to be low recently in New Zealand, has been found to be higher for those who can least … Read more
If a fuel tax is the best way to fund Auckland’s development, Councillor Efeso Collins asks that the benefits be invested in the people the tax will affect most – those in his Manukau ward. My parents worked on factory floors at NZ Forest Products in Penrose, cleaning operating theatres of Middlemore Hospital, and driving … Read more
The leader of the opposition has lately been touring the small towns and outer city suburbs. Why? Alex Braae went to Huapai in northwest Auckland to find out. Up and down the country over the next month, National leader Simon Bridges will be working the room in dozens of RSAs, community halls and churches. The … Read more
It’s week three but it feels like we’ve never had a world without Dancing with the Stars. We’re down one Real Housewife™ but there’s still eleven contestants left. We power-rank those who remain, and farewell one more star. ELIMINATED: Naz Khanjani (and Shay) – Cha cha Naz had something that nobody else in this competition had: a … Read more
This week’s Ockham New Zealand national book awards marks the 50th anniversary of book awards in New Zealand. To mark the occasion, we asked 50 experts – authors, publishers, academics, booksellers – to name the very best local books published since 1968. And the winner is Plumb. Maurice Gee’s 1979 novel was almost immediately regarded … Read more
Founder of New Zealand’s first Women’s Fund, Dellwyn Stuart, reflects on the gifts we give when we support other women. I blame my mother. Repeatedly, in a strong clear and insistent voice, she told me ‘girls can do anything’. This was the mantra of my generation who grew up in the 70s with mothers who could … Read more
Dream pop is the genre of the moment in the worldwide indie scene and New Zealand is no exception, with acts like Fazerdaze and Yumi Zouma gaining huge international audiences. Back at home, the associated sound of shoegaze has made a return, with a raft of new bands emerging onto the live scene. Gareth Shute … Read more
The Spinoff concludes Commute Week by sharing commute images from you, our lovely readers. *We received exactly one (1) photo from the South Island. The Spinoff hosted Commute Week last week, seven days committed to discussing all things transport. Throughout the week we asked for pictures of your commute and you all delivered. The main … Read more
Commute week: For Sarah Dowie, the commute from Invercargill to work in Wellington typically eats up at least half a day. The most fascinating thing about National MP Sarah Dowie comes in a tantalising line from a since deleted Young Nats post: she is a “a one-time member of a travelling dance troupe in Russia”. … Read more
Hawke’s Bay juice makers The Apple Press say they don’t care about looks, just “good taste and low-waste”. Jihee Junn talks to co-founder Ross Beaton about how his innovative juice company came about. ‘You eat with your eyes first’ is how the old adage goes, with science proving over the years that visual stimuli really … Read more
Given he’s regarded as a leader from the pragmatic centrist side of the National Party, it was puzzling to hear Simon Bridges this morning apparently endorse trickle-down theory. “I think there is some trickle-down effect actually, and a lot of people say no, no no,” said Bridges on The AM Show this morning, when questioned … Read more
If we’re serious about improving youth participation in politics, we need the Don Brashes of the world to get out of the way, writes Action Station’s Laura O’Connell Rapira. When I was in sixth form (year 12) I was elected as the student representative on my school’s board of trustees. My primary school principal, Mr. … Read more
Nine complaints made to regulator following Spinoff investigation published last week. The Commerce Commission has opened an investigation into the accuracy of the labelling of some WORLD garments after it received nine complaints. The inquiry follows the Spinoff’s publication last week of an investigation revealing that t-shirts manufactured in Bangladesh had WORLD labels attached saying … Read more
Developed by New Zealand plant scientists and funded in part by a $20 million MBIE grant, Calocurb is being marketed as a major step forward in appetite-control treatment. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Weight loss industry expert Andrew Dickson gave it a try. Calocurb was launched here in New Zealand in … Read more
Angel, Dove, Mercy and the rest of the flock are back, as happy as ever in blue. Writer Anke Richter, a cult observer, watches Gloriavale: The Return. The best thing I could do to prepare myself for Gloriavale: The Return was to catch up on the latest episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale. It’d be a … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: US President attacks national drug buying agencies, Iain Lees–Galloway embraces his critics, and Greenpeace under fire for sweary voicemail. New Zealand could end up paying more for medicine after a proposal from US President Donald Trump. This story on Stuff (joint winner website of the year) has … Read more
Commute week: The arguments for ditching your four-wheel addiction are overwhelming, writes public health expert Caroline Shaw Commuting to work, study or school bookends most people’s days. Love it or hate it, it takes time. According to the NZ Time Use Survey we spend on average 46 minutes per day traveling to work and 52 … Read more
It’s been a huge week on Survivor NZ. The game is really heating up and absolutely no one is safe. Luke Harries takes a look at what went down this week. Adam & Tess v Dylan & Kaysha A cold war of sorts came to a head this week at Khang Khaw, between Adam and … Read more