Some border workers are now undergoing daily spit testing. Does this mean the end of nasal swabbing? We explain how the tests work and why the two tests co-exist. Voluntary saliva testing has been rolled out at Auckland Airport and the Jet Park quarantine facility for border workers, sparking hope for some that the sometimes … Read more
The scarcity of Covid-19 cases in New Zealand allows our formidable scientists to learn things you simply can’t in places where the virus is widespread. This helps us not just strengthen our controls but contribute to the world’s understanding. The new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand remain a bit of a mystery. Fortunately, … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Morrison responds to Ardern serve over accused terrorist, we’ll find out later today if lockdown will be lifted, and Sallies report shows those with least are going backwards. A diplomatic rift has opened up over the case of the accused terrorist captured on the border … Read more
Just-released pre-pandemic stats show that rises in disposable income have been matched by skyrocketing housing costs. And that poses a conundrum for the prime minister, writes Max Rashbrooke. Jacinda Ardern’s critics, who see her as unable to solve the housing crisis or make meaningful progress on tackling poverty, will be emboldened by yesterday’s release of … Read more
The annual Salvation Army state of the nation report shows that for many people already doing it tough, life got much harder in 2020. Alex Braae reports. Thousands of new people approached the Salvation Army for assistance over 2020, and Ronji Tanielu is worried about them becoming regulars. Tanielu is a lawyer, and a principal … Read more
Over the past year, The Spinoff audience has grown dramatically. Founder and managing editor Duncan Greive explains what The Spinoff is, and how best to use it. The purpose of this note is to welcome those new and newish to The Spinoff, to show you around and generally help you understand what we’re about. Our … Read more
Australia’s decision to revoke the citizenship of a dual citizen, who has lived in Australia since the age of six, has prompted a furious response from the New Zealand prime minister. ‘They did not act in good faith,’ she said. In blunt and dramatic contrast to the typically cordial tone of trans-Tasman relations, Jacinda Ardern … Read more
Two Outlander stars want to take you on the road trip of your Scottish dreams. If you’re a fan of Outlander, Neon’s popular time-travelling drama about a woman who accidentally finds herself in 1745 Scotland, you might feel like you already know everything about Scotland. You’ve soaked up the beautiful scenery and had a taste … Read more
The Climate Change Commission’s progressive recommendations to reduce transport emissions are realistic and achievable – and they could be revolutionary, writes Z Energy’s Sheena Thomas. I recently read about a Californian startup developing a diamond-encased battery powered by nuclear waste that would last a lifetime and solve the world’s energy and climate change problems. It … Read more
Some of our strongest solo hip hop acts have formed a supergroup: BLKCITY. Jonique Purcell talks to its five members about changing the landscape. Within recent years the names Raiza Biza, JessB, Abdul Kay, Blaze The Emperor and Mo Muse have become synonymous with Aotearoa’s simmering hip hop scene. Last year, after recording Raiza Biza’s … Read more
If you live in Auckland and your work is closed due to level three restrictions, and you can’t work from home, here’s what you need to know. Three days is a long time to go without trade for most businesses. For a few of them with low margins, it could spell a knockout blow. Because … Read more
At a college track and field meet in 1974, a New Zealand long jumper representing Washington State University did something that had never been done in competition before – a somersault. Years before he joined NZ First and became a member of parliament, Tuariki Delamere was a promising long jump athlete with a scholarship at … Read more
How much can you trust the information you’re pulling off a pad wrapper? Mirjam Guesgen finds out. Those with menstrual cycles may be familiar with Libra’s Odd Spots – mini-facts you can read while spending more than the reasonable amount of time on the loo during that time of the month. According to Libra’s marketing … Read more
The gymnastics governing body has admitted the sport has been physically and psychologically abusive, and apologised for past harms. But saying sorry isn’t enough, writes former international gymnast Georgia Cervin. Within days of serious allegations of physical and psychological abuse in New Zealand gymnastics emerging in late 2020, the sport’s governing body Gymnastics New Zealand … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: How the latest Covid-19 outbreak is being felt, NZ woman captured on Syrian border on suspicion of being a terrorist, and bipartisan commitment to supporting Saudi war effort revealed. Yesterday was a day of significant developments in the Covid-19 outbreak and third lockdown, and I’ll … Read more
The government faces a tough decision later this week: play it safe and extend the lockdown or relax restrictions. Justin Giovannetti looks at what factors are at play. Aucklanders are likely to learn around midday on Wednesday whether this snap lockdown will be a short blip or another long slog through the alert levels. The … Read more
A week after it made its attention-grabbing debut in the US, the documentary Framing Britney Spears has arrived in New Zealand. It’s an uncomfortable watch that forces us to consider our own complicity in Spears’ suffering, says Emily Writes. I’ve been following the collective reckoning around the United States and beyond after the screening of … Read more
No decision on extending lockdown can be made until officials are able to conclusively trace the path of the virus from the border, write Michael Plank, Shaun Hendy and Siouxsie Wiles. New Zealand’s latest community cases, the first to be infected with the more infectious B.1.1.7 variant of Covid-19, have a plausible link to the … Read more
Three new community cases of Covid-19 and an unknown source have plunged Auckland into lockdown and the rest of the country into alert level two. Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles tackles some of the critical questions we now face. Could we be looking at a situation as worrying as last August in Auckland? Yes. Like in August, … Read more
A surreal anti-lockdown protest took place today outside the Auckland electorate office of the prime minister, who is currently in Wellington. Alex Braae went along. If the anti-lockdown protesters outside Jacinda Ardern’s Mt Albert electorate offices say their voices aren’t being heard, they’re absolutely right. For most of this afternoon they were drowned out by … Read more
Dr Sarb Johal is an expert in emergency management and disaster psychology. His advice has been central to our government’s world-leading Covid-19 response, and he’s helped NZ, the UK and WHO develop psychosocial responses to crises such as H1N1, the Canterbury earthquakes, and the Christchurch mosque attack. This is an extract from his new book … Read more
While lines for a Covid-19 test grow around South Auckland, as Justin Latif reports, those living at ground-zero of this latest outbreak remain determined not to let it overwhelm them. “Gutted.” That’s the reaction of fellow students of the Papatoetoe High pupil who tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend. “I was gutted when I … Read more
The follow-up to When A City Falls celebrates the people of Christchurch and the wins of the rebuild, but loses some nuance in the edit, writes Erin Harrington. I’ve lived in Ōtautahi Christchurch all my life, but it took me until this week to watch Gerard Smyth’s 2011 film When A City Falls. This award-winning, … Read more
How do productive people use their phones to their advantage? In the first part of a new series, The Spinoff asks Vodafone NZ’s head of platforms Sharina Nisha how she makes her phone work for her, and the apps she considers crucial. Sharina Nisha is the head of platforms at Vodafone NZ, a short title … Read more
In this episode of The Spinoff’s media podcast The Fold, Duncan Greive is joined by New Zealander Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack, to talk about a new era of publishing and Elon Musk. For years, the media landscape has been filled with publications making money by selling ad space. While that model has proved itself … Read more
Aucklanders are back in alert level three, and should be wearing face coverings when out and about. The rest of the country is in level two, which means mandatory masks on public transport. We’ve all been here before, but if your mask game needs a refresh, epidemiologist and mask enthusiast Lucy Telfar Barnard is here … Read more
The loss of smell is one of the most conspicuous symptoms of Covid-19. It can be long-lasting, and its impacts are serious, writes Freya Sawbridge. Smell is our most underrated and misunderstood sense. It is such a passive act that we scarcely notice how much we need it. A 2019 survey ranked it as the … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: 72 hours of lockdown incoming for Auckland, vaccinations of border workers to begin imminently, and hospo businesses facing a difficult week. A new set of three Covid-19 cases in the community has been found, and the alert levels have shifted as a result. The cases are … Read more
The 30-year suppression of evidence and submissions from the inquiry into the March 15 terrorist attack sets an unwelcome precedent, writes former race relations commissioner Joris de Bres. The final act of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques was to suppress for 30 years all the evidence it received … Read more