Ben Thomas, Annabelle Lee Mather and Toby Manhire kick off the year in political podcast punditry, taking on the major parties, Waitangi plans, councils, and the whopping great climate report. As news reaches Gone By Lunchtime that it’s already the second month of the year, The Spinoff’s political podcast triumvirate sits down to study the … Read more
There’s a by-election happening in South Auckland and, as Justin Latif reports, you’d struggle to find a more diverse group of candidates. What do a globetrotting singer, a record-breaking weightlifter, an ex-fisherwoman, a social media expert, a radio show host and an IT guy all have in common? Not much, other than that they all … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for February 1. Contact us at info@spinoff.co.nz. Keep The Spinoff ticking by donating here. 5.45pm: NZ ‘deeply concerned’ about Myanmar coup The minister of foreign affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, has issued a statement in response to events in Myanmar (see 1.45pm). Here it is, in full: “Aotearoa New Zealand is … Read more
Ardern says the government is ready to ‘accelerate’ to meet the ambitious demands of the emissions budget laid down by the Climate Change Commission. Every home and business in the country will need to see a substantial shift in behaviour under far-reaching guidance just released by the Climate Change Commission. The “emissions budget”, the first … Read more
The chair of the Climate Change Commission says he should have understood the challenge of the climate crisis sooner. On Sunday, the country’s first emissions budget will be released and everyone will understand, Justin Giovannetti writes. New Zealand is an international outcast. Its exports are boycotted around the world. Its leaders shunned. That’s a future … Read more
Telling a Rotary Club audience that housing is a serious problem and they should care deeply about it landed flat but took some daring from the National leader, writes Justin Giovannetti. Judith Collins’ level of control over the National Party is still a question best answered by a shrug. Elevated to her party’s leadership in … Read more
Few people outside of her campaign team gave Chlöe Swarbrick any chance of winning in Auckland Central this year – but the Green Party MP was too busy to listen. Here’s how they turned the electorate green. First published November 12, 2020. Three Ticks Chlöe is part of Frame, a series of short documentaries produced by … Read more
The chief executive of Oranga Tamariki is quitting, leaving behind an agency she’s admitted suffers from structural racism. Justin Giovannetti looks at the future of Oranga Tamariki. Grainne Moss’s tenure as head of Oranga Tamariki has been untenable since November when the government’s senior Māori minister wouldn’t express any confidence in her. Today she bowed … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s US presidential inauguration live blog: inauguration news, analysis and reaction, updated through Wednesday and Thursday. The inauguration ceremony begins at 5.15am Thursday, NZ time, and Joe Biden takes the oath of office around 6am. 3.10pm: New Radicals reform to perform one of the greatest pop singles ever Forgive the editorialising, but … Read more
The issues political editor Justin Giovannetti will be keeping an eye on in 2021 (that have nothing to do with Covid-19). New Zealand will be busy in 2021. The border will remain closed to nearly all travellers and Covid-19 will continue to lead the news, but the country has a packed domestic agenda of issues … Read more
Summer reissue: Greens MP Chlöe Swarbrick joins Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire to pick over the remains of election night in a special Sunday edition of Gone By Lunchtime. First published October 18, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members … Read more
Despite a popular and unifying leader of the governing party, divisions both in policy and culture will test the progressive movement, writes Peter McKenzie. ‘I think we’re confused.” Marlon Drake is an organiser for the Living Wage Movement. His job takes him all over Wellington, trying to convince businesses to increase their minimum wages to … Read more
The current number of members of parliament is starting to get too low for the job we expect them to do, argues Alex Braae. As a general rule, with the possible exception of their families, nobody likes backbench MPs. But it’s nevertheless time we accepted that parliament should have more of them. There’s no exact … Read more
More infectious variants of Covid-19 are increasingly being intercepted at the country’s borders, but the minister running New Zealand’s response is resisting pressure to accelerate vaccination plans despite demands from health experts as well as political friends and foes, Justin Giovannetti reports. New Zealand’s first Covid-19 jabs will be administered in April to border workers … Read more
As CEO of her iwi rūnanga, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was on the frontline protecting her community during the first outbreak of Covid-19. Now that more virulent strains threaten to breach our borders, the Māori Party co-leader calls on the government to introduce much stricter measures. As we enter the New Year I think it’s important that … Read more
It’s been described as ‘pointless revenge’, but impeaching the president has a firm moral purpose, argues Michael Blake – setting a limit to what sorts of action a society will accept. A House majority, including 10 Republicans, voted today to impeach President Trump for “incitement of insurrection”. The vote will initiate a trial in the … Read more
Several prominent Twitter users on the fringe of right-wing politics in New Zealand have had their accounts suspended amid a wider clampdown by the social media giant. Twitter has suspended the accounts of several prominent members of the right-wing fringe of New Zealand politics, amid a broader crackdown following last week’s US Capitol riot. The … Read more
Summer reissue: Merv Lee-Mather, Merv Thomas and Merv Manhire gather to discuss the most pressing issues of election 2020. First published August 11, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click here to learn more about how you can support us from as … Read more
The government should hit the ground running in 2021, writes Pattrick Smellie of BusinessDesk. For anyone still looking for a transformational agenda from the cautious Ardern Labour government, there’s good news: if it’s going to happen, it will happen in the next six months. Of course, like most public policy, the acts of transformation will … Read more
To complete our series looking back at 2020 and gazing ahead to 2021, we asked our big political commentary brains to nominate the three issues that will loom large in the year to come. Read more from our political year in review here. Alex Braae Who owns the water infrastructure? And more importantly, will Councils … Read more
Summer reissue: 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. First published 25 August, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click here to … Read more
Summer reissue: Some observers are questioning whether there are sufficient Facebook livestreams to support the goal, writes chief caring correspondent Danyl Mclauchlan. First published November 24, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click here to learn more about how you … Read more
New Zealand needs to be intellectually curious about what has taken place in the US under Donald Trump and what it may mean for our country. Trends in governance there can easily spread, writes former NZ prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer. The long and disgraceful end of Donald Trump’s tenure as president of the United … Read more
While New Zealand has been on holiday, Covid-19 has gotten much worse beyond our borders. Justin Giovannetti looks at the global situation and what we can expect in the year to come. It’s a new year, but the world remains locked in a very familiar crisis. Despite encouraging vaccine developments before Christmas, Covid’s spread has … Read more
Summer reissue: 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. First published August 24, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click here to learn more about … Read more
The 25th Amendment declares that upon the removal, resignation or death of the president, the vice president assumes the presidency. But what if he doesn’t want to go? Stephanie Newbold of Rutgers University, Newark, writes. A day after President Donald Trump incited supporters to attack the US Capitol, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer called on Vice President … Read more
Summer reissue: Shane Reti has emerged in recent weeks as the opposition’s most capable communicator in the age of Covid-19. Justin Giovannetti speaks with ‘Dr Shane’ about the changes he’s brought to National and how he’d seek to improve New Zealand’s response to the coronavirus. First published September 2, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. … Read more
Summer reissue: Has Michelle Boag finally gone too far? It won’t be the first time the question has been asked of New Zealand’s infamous right-wing PR consultant. First published on July 9, 2020 Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click here … Read more
While conspiracy theorists are often dismissed as a bunch of social media cranks, QAnon adherents were at the front line of the insurrection at the home of US democracy. What is the cost of propaganda, misinformation and conspiracy theories? Democracy and public safety, to name just two things. The United States has received a stark … Read more