Youth Wings: The election year debate we’ve been waiting for is here

The stars of Youth Wings brought the banter, and the party slogans, to the Auckland Town Hall earlier this month for a very special election year debate. Watch all the episodes of Youth Wings here. If the six youth wing leaders were feeling nervous about taking part in a debate filmed in front of a … Read more

Live updates, August 25: Seven new Covid cases; targeted testing plan launched

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 25, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ is in level two. More details here. Official information here. Get me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.00pm: The day in sum There … Read more

The ‘yellow flag’ case that shows why Covid-19 remains such a worry in Auckland

A man in his 30s turned up at hospital on Friday with symptoms. He’s now in ICU. Nobody knows how he contracted the virus. Amid the daily rush of numbers as Auckland’s tally of active Covid-19 tops 110, one new infection has given Ashley Bloomfield particular pause for concern. It’s another indication that the growing … Read more

Benee on Nadia on Reb on L.A.B on Troy: The 2020 Silver Scrolls finalists praise each other’s songs

This past weekend the five shortlisted songs for the 2020 Silver Scroll Award were announced. Here, exclusively for The Spinoff, the finalists discuss each other’s nominated songs. Benee on ‘Get the Devil Out’ by Nadia Reid This is a beautiful, poignant and moving song. I love its wistfulness and the depth of feeling her voice … Read more

Closing the recycling loop, one plastic bottle at a time

To take pressure off New Zealand’s swamped recycling system, Ecostore is taking on the responsibility themselves. Russell Brown reports on the brand’s attempt to lead the way.  Shopping dates. We all do them, right? Nights out are all very well, but sometimes it’s good to go out in the daylight together and do the errands. … Read more

The real question of the election: how thick does your MP spread their Marmite?

A new Instagram account holds our representatives to account on one issue: the manner in which they spread their Marmite on toast. The Spinoff talks to its anonymous founder. Move over oil, there’s a new black gold this election. Party policy is one thing, but your local electorate MP is someone who represents you on … Read more

Grey Power branch president pumps out Covid-19 conspiracy

The president of the Howick-Pakuranga branch of Grey Power has sent out a newsletter packed full of conspiracy theories about Covid-19, accusing the government of ‘brainwashing’ and trying to create a ‘potential medical/police state’. Alex Braae reports. In the “President’s Page” column of the latest newsletter from the Howick-Pakuranga branch of Grey Power, president Peter … Read more

Alice Snedden’s Bad News: Why are we still so scared of breasts?

The latest episode of Bad News follows Alice Snedden on a quest to expose the double standards around nudity, and break down the barriers by getting the first-ever topless scene on Shortland Street. Ever wondered why TK Samuels can’t stop taking his shirt off, but we’ve never seen a woman’s bare chest on Shortland Street? … Read more

Lovecraft Country presents a chilling mirror to a horrific society

In Jordan Peele’s new show, the acclaimed director of Us and Get Out once again uses horror as a vehicle to critique our broken society. If you’re watching the best, deepest and most thoughtful television today, chances are you’re watching a good piece of horror TV. The latest entrant into the recent boom is Lovecraft … Read more

Coming tonight on The Spinoff… Youth Wings: The Debate

It’s the political event the country has been waiting for. You’ve met the young leaders from Aotearoa’s five main political parties in Youth Wings, released on The Spinoff last week. Now, watch them go head-to-head on all the big issues in Youth Wings: The Debate. Filmed in front of a vocal audience at the concert … Read more

Facial recognition technology is here. New Zealand’s law is nowhere near ready

Without a strong legal and ethical framework and clear policy for use, FRT can have grave implications for individual and collective rights, writes Nessa Lynch. Automated facial recognition technology, which involves the use of an algorithm to match a facial image to one already stored in a system, is used in automated passport control and … Read more

Spot the difference: Why are South Auckland rents so high?

The region is known to lack many of the advantages of central and north Auckland suburbs, yet properties command rents as high as the likes of Mt Albert and Ōnehunga. So how do landlords get away with charging so much, Justin Latif asks. If you write the words “is South Auckland” into Google, the first … Read more

The Bulletin: Mandatory transport masks the new normal

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Alert levels extended until next Monday with new rules put in, managed isolation worker still hasn’t got test results, and Peters has new connection with Bad Boy of Brexit. The current alert levels will remain for another week at least, and even after that, things … Read more

Siouxsie Wiles: Why Covid elimination remains the best game-plan for NZ

Different countries are pursuing different strategies for taking on Covid-19. Despite the re-emergence of the virus, and the sacrifices our response demands, it remains absolutely the best approach for us, writes Siouxsie Wiles. Here in Aotearoa, we’re playing Covid-19 in “elimination” mode. Some countries are trying “suppression” mode, while others are running with what seems … Read more

Live updates, August 24: Auckland to remain at level three until Monday, rest of NZ stays at level two another week

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 24, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ is in level two. More details here. Official information here. Get me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.30pm: The day in sum … Read more

Ngā Roimata ō Ranginui: A memorial to pain, and to hope

Michael Steedman and Hirini Kaa on the layers of pain behind a new memorial on University of Auckland grounds – but also of hope, from Auckland to Christchurch to Parihaka, Our University of Auckland community gathered early in the morning for the unveiling of a memorial. Following Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei tikanga we gathered before light … Read more

Do primary school kids really need their own classroom iPads?

A push for greater digital access in schools can have its positives and also its negatives, as Julie Cullen explains. Recent articles in The Spinoff have examined digital inequality, and highlighted an initiative to increase digital access in a Māngere primary school. These articles raise valid points. Technology is used for so many activities now, … Read more

Emily Writes: What’s wrong with being wrong?

How can we help people realise they’ve made a mistake without falling into the ‘callout culture’ trap? This post was originally published in Emily’s newsletter: Emily Writes Weekly. Subscribe here. As soon as I saw the black squares on Instagram for Black Out Tuesday, I thought a feed covered in black squares would be helpful. … Read more

The meme election? A Q&A with the minds behind two political meme groups

Stewart Sowman-Lund talks to the anonymous, ideologically opposed creators of two Facebook meme pages about the role the Gen Z mainstay plays in our political landscape. In total, almost 70,000 people “like” the two biggest New Zealand political meme pages on Facebook. Out of the entire “team of five million”, that’s not a lot. However, … Read more

Youth Wings: Finding a second family in the Young Nats

The chair of the Northern Young Nats says her party feels like a family, and they’re sticking together despite the political turmoil of 2020. Watch the previous episodes of Youth Wings here. Aryana Nafissi’s favourite show is Question Time on Parliament TV. The Young Nats’ Northern chairperson watches the repeats at night with her sister … Read more

Covid is not just a disease – it’s a symptom of the global environment crisis

We must not squander this wake-up call. We must take action now to avert a climate catastrophe, write Dr Mike Joy and Dr Catherine Knight of the Better Futures Forum. Many New Zealanders will likely be feeling very uneasy about the resurgence of the coronavirus in our community. Just when we thought we were out … Read more

The Bulletin: Sentencing begins today for Christchurch mosque shooter

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Sentencing begins today for Christchurch mosque shooter, cabinet to decide on alert level moves, and polling shows public still largely behind government Covid response. Sentencing will begin today for the perpetrator of the terrorist attack committed on March 15 at two Christchurch mosques last year. In … Read more

The real conspiracy is that education is for the rich

It is a scandal in plain sight: our education system is racist and the outcomes people get vary substantially depending on ethnicity, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira. Avondale rapper Tom Scott recently took to Instagram to point out that the real conspiracy in this country is that education is for the rich. “Rich kids get private … Read more

The Side Eye: Weed versus Booze

On October 17 New Zealand will decide whether cannabis should be legalised and regulated. Toby Morris compares and contrasts the weed rules with those for another popular drug: alcohol.   The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read the rest of the series here.

Decision day: The key factors Ardern and cabinet will consider in making a call on alert levels

What are the criteria and the scenarios, and when will the alert level decision be announced? On day 13 of Auckland’s alert level three lockdown and the rest of New Zealand’s level two restrictions, Jacinda Ardern and her cabinet meet today to make important decisions about when those statuses will change – and to what. … Read more

The campaign to lower the voting age arrives today at the High Court. Here’s what is at stake

The court will be asked to rule that the current voting age, while legally valid, is a form of unjustified age discrimination, explains Andrew Geddis. Is there any good reason to let 18-year-old people vote, but not those who are 16 or 17 years old? That’s the question the High Court starts grappling with today, … Read more

Live updates, August 23: Three new cases of Covid-19 in NZ, but only one is local

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 23, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ is in level two. More details here. Official information here.  6.00pm: The day in sum There was only one … Read more

In lockdown 2.0, sewing is the new sourdough

The first time around, lockdown birthed a wave of artisan bread makers and K-Fry truthers. This time, it’s the craftspeople’s turn.  If you live in Auckland, the likelihood is you’ve been spending a lot more time inside than you usually do. Not only because the city has been placed into a level three lockdown, but … Read more