No one likes the tax man. Not even his mum. But Dany Miller-Kareko is the modern face of the IRD, who’s out to convince Kiwis she’s here to help. James Borrowdale followed her around Auckland while she tried. If there was one place to prove that old adage wrong – the one about about the … Read more
South Taranaki iwi Ngāti Ruanui have commended the government on its decision to stop block offers for offshore oil and gas exploration, despite holding more oil and mineral exploration permits than any other iwi. If only the government were better prepared for the transition, writes Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Our iwi understands that there needs to be … Read more
On Friday 20 April the doors to the Karori Plunket Creche will close to the last child, the last family, for the very last time. Angela Cuming spoke to Liz Taylor whose son Allan attends the creche. In March, Plunket announced Karori Plunket Creche’s closure, and took the $50,000 the community had fundraised and earmarked for renovations. … Read more
Rampage hits cinemas this week, and you might be surprised to learn it’s based on a popular video game. Gaming novice Alex Casey saw the film without playing the game, gaming expert Sam Brooks played the game and refuses to see the movie. Alex Casey I’m no expert on gaming, giant monkeys or crisis management, but … Read more
New verse by West Auckland writer Michael Steven. Neilson Street Nearly always it is still dark when he threads the chain of the roller door through his hands, and as that steel door shudders and shrieks as it rolls up, he will most certainly be wearing his red waist-cut woollen Swanndri, the … Read more
In which Steve Braunias announces the resumption of New Zealand’s most famous free media lunch extravaganza on the banks of the Waikato River in Hamilton. And on the fourth day Press Club rose again. A kind of resurrection story was played out just before Easter. On the Monday, some guy from Wintec phoned me and … Read more
Kate Robertson talks to Alison Wonderland, the Australian EDM producer who’s playing Coachella this weekend. If you’re of the assumption that electronic music is little more than a beat to rave to, you must not have come across Alison Wonderland. The LA-based Australian producer has earned a reputation for giving soul and an emotional identity … Read more
If there’s one thing that the National opposition appears keen to signal, it’s that they think a lot of things are virtue signalling In an interview with the Spinoff a little over a year ago, then prime minister and National Party leader Bill English was asked whether he considered himself a feminist. Though he believed in … Read more
The week’s best-sellers at the Unity Books stores in High St, Auckland and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND UNITY 1 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B Peterson (Allen Lane, $40) “Many people have written to me asking what they should read to properly educate themselves. Here is a list of books that I found particularly influential in … Read more
The fact that the ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration permits was announced so quickly – and with seemingly so little research – should worry us all, writes Jenée Tibshraeny. This column was first published on interest.co.nz. ‘Think globally, act locally.’ That’s a nice phrase that that can be applied to the environmental movement. … Read more
Why is Māori land rife with conflict and challenges that impede land aspirations? A new study reveals that big egos are in the driving seat of many Māori land trusts. Researcher Kiri Dell (Ngāti Porou) looks at the causes, consequences and ways forward. This is part of a series on Māori land and housing. Some … Read more
The new show by Ryan Murphy, Feud: Bette and Joan, hits Lightbox next week. Sam Brooks runs down which great current-day actor is playing which star of Hollywood’s golden age, and where to check out their best work. For a self-identified actressexual like myself, Feud: Bette and Joan is a goldmine. The miniseries follows the making of … Read more
Hal Crawford is the head of news at Mediaworks, owners of Three and RadioLive. He has been here for two years and still has no idea why our TV is such an absolute mess. TV in New Zealand is odd. It’s odd in a whole lot of great ways – Hunt for the Wilderpeople-style – … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Australia plays politics with NZ’s refugee offer, National vows to reverse govt’s stance on oil exploration, and dentists warn against getting teeth done overseas. Behind closed doors, Australia asked New Zealand to keep a rejected offer to take refugees interred on Manus Island on the table, … Read more
Gambling and booze, booze and gambling. Those legal – but potentially devastating – vices. Rebecca Stevenson investigates how a handful of people, including sitting councillors, hold a tight grip on West Auckland nightlife. A piece published last week on the Spinoff, arguing that licensing trusts are holding back West Auckland, triggered a national conversation about the arcane governance that … Read more
The government sprung a surprise today by announcing an end to offshore oil and gas exploration permits. The response was mixed, with criticism from industry and acclaim from environmental groups. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, formally revealed the move in this speech to students at Victoria University of Wellington. I want you for a moment to think … Read more
The latest inventory of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions shows a 20% increase in emissions from 1990 to 2016. The Science Media Centre has collected commentary from the experts Climate change minister James Shaw announced the result of the inventory this morning a few hours after Jacinda Ardern declared that the government would not hand out any new offshore … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. This week Simon talks to Jennifer Rutherford from the Hi-Tech Trust about how … Read more
After hurricane force winds battered Auckland on Tuesday night, lines company Vector awoke to the task of rebuilding its severely damaged network. Minoru Frederiksens talks Don Rowe through the aftermath. On Tuesday night a severe storm tore through Auckland, cutting power to more than 100,000 houses across the region. Whole suburbs went dark as trees … Read more
‘Every child in New Zealand deserves the support they need so that they can succeed in education,’ said Labour during the election campaign. Now it’s time to back up those words with real funding for children with autism and other special needs, writes Erika Harvey. Dear Jacinda, I didn’t expect to be here. To be … Read more
“Tyrants around the dinner table, fake news inside our heads”: Charlotte Graham-McLay celebrates the new novel by Auckland writer Charlotte Grimshaw. When I was a kid and nicked books from my parents’ bedroom because I’d run out of my own (the trick was to write down the page the bookmark was on, demolish the whole … Read more
Even if you admire the ends, the who and what of tax is pretty loathsome, argues Danyl Mclachlan. Last week was tax week at the Spinoff. It celebrated companies that pay tax, interviewed Sir Michael Cullen, argued that tax is love and that we should stop talking about it as a burden, and gave a … Read more
Today, Ladi6 announced her first tour since she lost her voice a year ago, an event that led to the cancellation of two tours and which required two surgeries and weeks of silence to recover. Here, for the first time, she tells her story. In order to understand what happened with my voice and subsequent … Read more
This week, TVNZ announced our very own local version of The Great British Bake Off, The Great Kiwi Bake Off. Tara Ward comes in hot with her predictions of what it could possibly be like. Unless you’ve been hiding under a croquembouche helmet for the past few years, you’ll know that The Great British Bake Off is … 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 Kareena Harris from The Misprint Co, makers of bespoke upcycled paper notebooks. ONE: How did The Misprint Co start and what was the inspiration behind it? The idea for The Misprint Co … Read more
Last week, a United Nations committee noted concerns about the lack of constitutional protection in New Zealand for some types of human rights, including rights of Māori. Treaty and constitutional law lecturer Carwyn Jones recommends the government revisit the relevant documents. Concerns were expressed last week by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Hit and Run inquiry launched, the government moves against offshore oil exploration, and there’s an outbreak of measles in the South Island. The government has launched a long-awaited inquiry into the events detailed in the book Hit and Run. The book, by investigative journalists Jon Stephenson … Read more
At a central Auckland organic supermarket, where the shelves are stocked with high end specialty foods, the workers are about to strike over low pay. And they’re not the only supermarket where workers are getting fed up. Update: Strike cancelled! More here Organic. Spray free. Superfood. Gluten free. Ethical. These are some of the words … Read more
Illustrator and writer Toby Morris checks in with five Auckland residents to get their reactions to last night’s storm. Geoff Tonkins, 28, St Heliers Geoff was up reading up all this bloody hoo-ha about Taika saying New Zealand was racist. Racist!? Pfft. He had a real zinger of a comment lined up about the Maoris … Read more