All you need to know about the government’s latest support package for businesses and sole traders affected by the rise in alert levels. What’s all this then? In response to the current – and possibly future – increases in alert levels, the government has introduced a financial support package for affected businesses. Called the Resurgence … Read more
Houseplants have become celebrities, commanding huge fees, bitterly fought over in digital marketplaces. Domestic foliage addict Steph Matuku dishes the dirt. I am writing this surrounded by a fittonia, two monsteras, three dracaenas and a golden pothos. If you know what I’m talking about, congratulations, you are my people. If you don’t, where on earth … Read more
The Māori economy continues to grow, while employment drops and home ownership remains a distant dream for many. Business advisor Joshua Hitchcock explains the disconnect. The Māori economy is now worth almost $70 billion. That was the headline figure of Te Ōhanga Māori 2018-The Māori Economy Report 2018 recently released by BERL (Business and Economic … Read more
Last year a swathe of new rental reforms were passed into law. This week, a number of those finally come into effect. So what can you expect? What’s all this? The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020 delivered one of the most significant updates to our rental regulations in years. While some of those changes are … Read more
On Wednesday, Stuff wrote a glowing tribute to aspiring property magnate Ana Meredith. We commissioned a special Spinoff data project to look into some of Meredith’s ambitions, and unearthed some disturbing implications. Stuff’s profile of the Christchurch serial landlord Ana Meredith is pitched as an inspirational riches-to-riches tale. It starts in 2016, with Meredith nervously … Read more
The recent GameStop frenzy showed how much US retail investors are prepared to lose to make Wall St burn. But are New Zealand investors motivated by the same activist zeal? Michael Andrew asked the founders of Hatch and Sharesies. There are many things in life that are very easy to dislike. For some people in … Read more
Last week Reddit users, including plenty in Aotearoa, took on Wall Street hedge funds. Here’s how they’re feeling now. Aucklander Zoe* is 24, a student, and she refuses to sell her GameStop shares. Her hands are so strong from holding them that, in Reddit lingo, they are made of diamonds. But she’s not holding them … Read more
A letter offering condolences to David Townsend’s wife greatly exaggerated his death. It was amusing, but also concerning, he writes. It was just another sunny, summery start to the Wellington weekend. A lunch out at a friend’s for my wife and me: a delicious rosé the lively escort to a classy menu. And a fascinating … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 29, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz Our members make The Spinoff happen! Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us from as little as … Read more
Taking control of your financial wellbeing can have cascading positive impacts for your life and it can also be fun. With the help of the team at Kiwi Wealth, we’ve compiled some simple tricks for balancing your books in 2021. There’s something about the beginning of a new year, especially after the decadence of the … Read more
For two decades, under both National and Labour governments, housing costs have risen far faster than wages. Here’s a horrific graph that shows by just how much. Last Thursday saw the first of what will no doubt be dozens of housing-related set pieces from Labour, wherein they announced 8,000 public and transitional houses. Or, as … Read more
Our guide to stopping procrastinating and actually (finally) getting on top of investing. Because there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you don’t know a single thing about it. In part one, we covered some of the basic things you need to know about investing – why do it? How hard is it? … Read more
Pinged $65 for overstaying 10 minutes in a parking block? Put away your hard-earned cash and read this first. Hopefully, by now, I’ve already established myself at The Spinoff as the resident tightarse, determined to avoid all unfair and unnecessary punishments (see: oversize baggage charges). Today, I’m focusing my attention on a similarly evil institution … Read more
Summer reissue: Alex Casey goes on a hunt to find the rarest $10 note in the land. First published February 10, 2020. I’ve always been really good at finding money. Not in the useful, fiscal hole kind of a way, but in the literal, frequently picks up bottle caps thinking they are 50c coins kind … Read more
Summer reissue: Buying secondhand clothing is one of the best ways to refresh a wardrobe without spending wads of money or contributing to the wasteful fast fashion industry. But there’s a fine art to finding pieces that are worth your time. First published August 2, 2020 I’ve never been hunting but I imagine, in a … Read more
Summer reissue: The price of gold hit record highs in August, and New Zealanders are lusting for it. Josie Adams investigates the age-old attraction of this precious metal – and where we’re getting it from. First published September 10, 2020. Gold is real money. You can’t print it from a machine or birth it from … Read more
Summer reissue: Less than half of New Zealand adults have a will. One hundred per cent of New Zealand adults die. Sam Brooks writes on why you need a will. First published February 29, 2020. Before you read any further, ask yourself this one question: If I dropped dead right now, reading this piece, would … Read more
Summer reissue: How to stop procrastinating and actually (finally) get on top of investing. Because there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you don’t know a single thing about it. First published September 29, 2020. I can’t say I have a lot of good habits, but one habit I can vouch for is … Read more
Summer reissue: When the iPhone owns less than half the market, what are the best Android alternatives at every budget? First published June 23, 2020. Getting a new phone can be one of life’s little pleasures. Many of us hang onto our handsets for two years or more, so when that magic upgrade day finally … Read more
Summer reissue: Homeownership has long been touted as the great Kiwi dream, but not everyone’s looking for a permanent fix. Jihee Junn explores the rising phenomenon of renters by choice. First published February 25, 2020. Even if I had a hundred grand sitting in the bank for me to spend right now, I’m not sure … Read more
Recapping the highs and lows of 12 turbulent months. It’s officially the last week of the year and yet March 2020 feels just like yesterday. So much of our lives have been affected in strange and unexpected ways since the global pandemic was declared and our markets and economies have been no exception. So what … Read more
It’s the most lucrative time of the year for retailers but a myriad of problems is threatening to change that. So what’s with the hold-up? And what are some goods New Zealanders might be hard-pressed to find on Christmas shelves this year? Despite being a geographically isolated country at the bottom of the globe, flowing … Read more
It’s been touted as the best performing asset of 2020, so what’s been driving Bitcoin’s recent success amid a global pandemic? Janine Grainger from Easy Crypto has a few ideas. The fact that Bitcoin has survived the stress-test of Covid-19 has been indisputable. Not only did it recover much quicker when compared to the other … Read more
Medicinal cannabis stocks took a dive in the aftermath of the cannabis referendum. Here’s why it happened. In the aftermath of the cannabis referendum on October 17, stocks for the two NZX-listed medicinal cannabis companies both sold down. While the referendum concerned the recreational, not medicinal use of cannabis, medicinal cannabis companies say there may … Read more
Following the raging success of the 2018 and 2019 non-goat ethical Christmas gift guides, we present – done up in reusable gift wrap – the 2020 list of ethical, sustainable, socially conscious and charitable gift ideas to satisfy all kinds of family members and budgets. By some miracle, this absolute arsehat of a year is … Read more
We’ve all bought or received gifts we know are never going to be used, which is why The Good Registry has created a way to channel those wasted funds into making a difference. Three years ago, Christine Langdon decided to give up a lucrative career in corporate communications to do something a little bit different. … Read more
With a $1.3 million seed round now under its belt, New Zealand startup Yabble is looking to help everyday consumers get fairly rewarded for their data by shaking up the way information gets bought and sold. Data is a powerful resource in today’s economy. Managed well, it can help businesses get ahead by giving consumers … Read more
The finance minister went to Martinborough today to open a new regional banking hub. But as Alex Braae reports, many see it as too small a measure to address a serious issue for regional New Zealand. There hasn’t been a bank branch in the south Wairarapa centre of Martinborough for a long time, and there … Read more
With retailers being urged to advertise honest and genuine savings this Black Friday, here’s what consumers should be looking out for. It’s been tough for a lot of businesses this year, but there was some good news for retailers earlier this week when Stats NZ revealed sales had jumped 7.4% year-on-year in the September quarter … Read more