Five minor parties have joined forces to challenge the big two parties – and the Electoral Commission – about their low allocation of public funding for election broadcasts. Alex Braae reports. A coalition of minor parties has emerged to challenge the allocation of public funding for election broadcasts, the majority of which has been locked … Read more
It’s a return to (nearly) normal as New Zealand moves to alert level one and the country is declared free of known cases of Covid-19. Justin Giovannetti reports from parliament as the decision was made. New Zealand will end nearly all Covid-19 restrictions at midnight while maintaining strict controls at the border, making it one … Read more
This afternoon, on the same day New Zealand recorded zero active cases for the first time since the pandemic began, the prime minister announced the country would move to alert level one at midnight, signalling the end of all domestic Covid-19 restrictions. This is the speech she gave. Today is day 26 of alert level … Read more
New Zealand has crushed Covid-19, but now the government must devise a resilience strategy that will ensure our independence and sovereignty are protected in the post-Covid world, writes Anne-Marie Brady in this paper for the SSANSE Commission for a Post-Covid Future at the University of Canterbury. New Zealand has emerged from eight weeks of Covid-19 … Read more
New Zealand’s fishing boats were all supposed to carry cameras by the end of the month. And then they weren’t. With Greenpeace pointing fingers at NZ First for the delay, MP Shane Jones says he won’t accept criticism from the ‘green blowfish’ anymore. The government’s decision to delay the installation of monitoring cameras on fishing … Read more
Amid the economic downturn caused by Covid-19, local government is under serious financial pressure. Alex Braae reports. During his speech to announce the 2020 budget, finance minister Grant Robertson made it clear that there would be no return to the politics of austerity. Central government would borrow huge sums, blowing out debt levels. The massive … Read more
The union movement launched a push earlier this week to double the legal minimum of sick leave from five days a year to 10. Is a change likely? What’s all this then? In light of the recent global pandemic putting the focus on health in the workplace, unions have called for changes to how much … Read more
The biggest danger facing New Zealand under level one will be the border. Justin Giovannetti looks at what the government is doing to increase border defences and prevent another influx of Covid-19. As the elimination of coronavirus appears imminent in New Zealand, the country’s attention turns to its border and the conflicting need to keep … Read more
The country’s coronavirus restrictions might be coming to an end sooner than you think. Justin Giovannetti looks at what level one rules mean for you. Crowded stadiums and restaurants filled to capacity could be reality in New Zealand as soon as next Wednesday as the government eyes an early move to eliminating nearly all remaining … Read more
The US president has warned he could to send thousands of ‘heavily armed soldiers’ into the streets. Can he do that, and what will it mean if it happens? What’s all this then? Protests have been raging across the US for almost a week now, after the suffocation of Minneapolis man George Floyd by a … Read more
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this work, … Read more
Debt has been a bad word in Wellington for decades. All of a sudden the government is planning to spend billions of dollars we don’t have because of Covid-19. Justin Giovannetti on the new appetite for debt, and how it compares with the rest of the world. New Zealand is about to embark on a … Read more
The commitment and coordination demonstrated can inspire us towards a true Te Tiriti partnership, reinforced by human rights, write Meng Foon, the race relations commissioner, and Paul Hunt, the chief human rights commissioner. As we all get used to life at Covid-19 alert level two, we’ve been thinking about the success of the Iwi-led checkpoints … Read more
No, there is nothing ‘wrong’ with being white. But it comes with unearned privilege which makes progress through the world easier. It is a tailwind through every storm, writes Mary Breheny, associate professor of health sciences at Massey University. I have never thought of myself as coordinated or physically adept, but since the first week … Read more
National and Labour have once again dominated the Electoral Commission’s broadcast allocation, reports The Spinoff’s minor party correspondent Alex Braae. The pot of money for political parties to spend on election advertising on radio, television and the internet has been divvied up for 2020, with Labour and National securing more than a million dollars each … Read more
As part of a $175 million arts package, a new $7.5 million ‘Careers Support for Creative Jobseekers’ programme was announced today, building on ‘the most successful aspects’ of the former Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment (Pace) programme, which ran from 2001-2012. Former Pace recipient Henry Oliver writes on what he learned on what became … Read more
The prime minister yesterday announced a package including $25m to ‘provide artists whose projects are funded by Creative NZ with jobs.’ An even more substantial investment in the creative arts will help drive our post-Covid recovery, argues Paul Millar. When Covid-19 forced the postponement of the popular international literary festival WORD Christchurch, director Rachael King … Read more
The government has just announced a whole lot of new rules and policies for freshwater with the aim of urgently stopping degradation and cleaning up rivers over the long term. What’s all this then? A massive package of work on freshwater quality has just been announced in an attempt to halt further damage and start … Read more
Diversifying the export economy is a worthy goal – but let’s be realistic about what throwing away a critical relationship with China would mean for New Zealand, writes Stephen Jacobi of the NZ International Business Forum. In a 2018 study of 183 economies’ dependence on China, undertaken by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and … Read more
Last night New Zealand witnessed one of the most exhilarating, confronting political stories to air on national television. Hayden Donnell has watched it several hundred times. Newshub at 6 opened last night with a back-and-forth between presenters Samantha Hayes and Mike McRoberts. After an intro from Hayes, McRoberts set the scene for a drama inside … Read more
The chief propagandist of rage against the privileged Westminster elite has proved himself the epitome of the privileged Westminster elite, writes Elle Hunt from London. He is the prime minister’s top adviser, he unambiguously broke the rules around lockdown, and people have already been fired for less. But I never really thought that Dominic Cummings … Read more
There’s more to the finance minister’s controversial move than meets the eye, argues Max Rashbrooke. If you’re a current beneficiary, I can see how it looks like a slap in the face. Finance minister Grant Robertson yesterday announced that people rendered unemployed by the coronavirus will receive a 12-week benefit of $490 a week, nearly … Read more
National has a new leader and it could upend parts of the political map that previously looked much more stable. So how could things change as a result? Under Simon Bridges, National needed to get exceptionally lucky to win the next election. While the party’s polling at the start of the year was strong enough … Read more
Will the door be open to a new National leadership, and does the party need to flex its muscle to get noticed in the coming months? Suddenly it’s election year again. The National Party has jettisoned Simon Bridges in favour of Todd Muller, a sensible man with a firm handshake. Over the weekend Jacinda Ardern … Read more
From international relations to climate change to world trade, New Zealand has an opportunity to affect the post-pandemic world for the better, writes Robert G Patman in this paper for the SSANSE Commission for a Post-Covid Future at the University of Canterbury The Covid-19 crisis has confirmed the near breakdown of an international rules-based order … Read more
Now that his old friend Todd Muller is National leader, Matthew Hooton is pulling back from political commentary. His critics say he should have done so before the contest kicked off, writes Colin Peacock for RNZ. Prominent political pundit Matthew Hooton has withdrawn from commentary for the time being because of a conflict caused by … Read more
The prime minister often invokes the former Labour leader and prime minister, Norman Kirk. Margaret Hayward, former parliamentary secretary to Kirk and author of Diary of The Kirk Years, compares their careers and their qualities. On 8 April, I sent my first email to Prime Minister Ardern with the heading, “Norman Kirk couldn’t do it, … Read more
Charismatic leadership has historically been less important to New Zealand voters on the right. But when the country was thrown into crisis the old rules suddenly no longer applied, writes Danyl Mclauchlan. And just like that the National Party has a new leader. Todd Muller has replaced Simon Bridges because of profound policy and ideological … Read more
Four months out from a general election, National has turfed out Simon Bridges and installed Todd Muller as leader. Justin Giovannetti writes from parliament on a big day for NZ’s biggest party. As Simon Bridges clears his desk in the the leader’s office, the National Party now prepares to enter an unprecedented election campaign with … Read more