A new ‘one nation’ New Zealand movement has sprung up, albeit from the usual suspects. Toby Manhire is captivated by the unique face of modern, anti-separatist New Zealand. Like sands through the hour glass, so are the anguished screams of “Māori special treatment fnarrrrrr!” The latest caterwaul comes in the form of Hobson’s Pledge. You … Read more
The big debate might have been broadcast, streamed and live-blogged by pretty much every person alive, but only the Spinoff (probably not only the Spinoff) has digested it into a five-minute read. NBC Moderator Lester Holt: I’m Lester. That’s Donald. That’s Hillary. That’s the audience. They’re going to stay quiet. Let’s talk about income. Democrat … Read more
On the world stage at the UN, the prime minister attempted to appear the global statesman. But following Obama’s pledge on resettlement, Key produced a series of clangers, argues Murdoch Stephens of the Doing Our Bit campaign. At the weekend both The Nation and Q+A interviewed John Key in New York, fresh from his address … Read more
With recent efforts at drafting a constitution for New Zealand stalled, a new and engaging approach is called for. Geoffrey Palmer introduces a fresh project and its core principles. “A constitution is a human habitation. Like a city, it may preserve its life and its beauty through centuries of change. It may, on the other … Read more
The prime minister took to the stage at the UN General Assembly in New York today. Watch a video of his address, and read the completely mature digested version. If the video fails to load, you can always click here to watch. Gidday world. I’m from New Zealand and I’m here to tell you to … Read more
While council politics are in the spotlight in much of the country, Christchurch has barely even registered there’s an election coming up. James Dann goes in search of some political passion in the Garden City. On a dark and stormy night, I find shelter in an upmarket European car showroom. Assembled are three councillors and … Read more
Who’s getting the blue tick – Goff? Swarbrick? Crone? Bright? Let us show you the way. The Spinoff’s War for Auckland psy-ops division has emerged from their underground bunker with their picks for Auckland mayor. – Click here – to discover on whom The Spinoff has bestowed its coveted mayoral seal of approval.
Right on the heels of the Unitary Plan, the Auckland Transport Alignment Project report is published tomorrow, and it, too, is absolutely critical for the city. Transport Blog guru-in-chief Matt Lowrie explains what ATAP is all about and why it matters. Even before Len Brown was elected mayor in 2010 on the back of promises … Read more
Phil Goff remains well out in front in the contest for the big job in Auckland but young pretender Chloe Swarbrick has built support against the odds. A new poll published today by the Spinoff shows Phil Goff on course to succeed Len Brown as mayor of Auckland, maintaining a comfortable lead over his closest … Read more
The most upbeat runner in the Auckland mayoral race has felt obliged to perform a weird half-withdrawal. And not for the first time, writes Toby Manhire Nudges and winks to the electorate have become a familiar part of MMP politics in New Zealand, with messages beamed to loyal supporters about how to vote strategically. This … Read more
Under pressure over its Auckland fixation, the Spinoff tasked Wellington man of letters Danyl Mclauchlan with investigating the mayoral race in the capital. He headed immediately for the key battleground: the La Scala lounge at the Malvina Major Retirement Home. It is the first of September, the first day of spring after an ominously warm, … Read more
Every immigration debate in history* has been riddled with racism. Duncan Greive looked at current coverage of the issue – and its impact on housing – and came away pleasantly surprised. September’s North & South came out a couple of Mondays ago and devoted a large chunk of its feature well to a single issue: immigration. It’s … Read more
Four of the would-be mayors gathered with RNZ’s Guyon Espiner for a breakfast barney at AUT this morning. The Spinoff’s Toby Manhire was there, too. Assembled in the television studio at AUT for an 8am start were mayoral hopefuls Mark Thomas, John Palino, Vic Crone and Phil Goff, with Guyon Espiner chairing and Todd Niall … Read more
She’s bright, she’s bold, she’s running for mayor. And yes, she’s 22. Katie Parker talks to Chloe Swarbrick about age, experience, and why she wants to be the big kahuna. Chloe Swarbrick, in person, is professional, earnest and engaging. She talks quickly and persuasively, holds your gaze confidently with her clear pale green eyes and … Read more
What will Annabelle Lee do when she sees the Labour leader nude on a rug? How will elitist lickspittle Ben Thomas insult Winston Peters? How much fake cocaine will Toby Manhire snort? All these questions answered in a new Gone By Lunchtime. The Spinoff’s unrivalled monthly politics podcast returns with a deep audio dive into … Read more
A new poll suggests appetite for a divorce from the monarchy is on the rise. But before we move to a referendum, there are a few things to get in place first, write Lewis Holden. Two months ago the result of Britain’s EU referendum was fresh and I wrote that despite Britain’s apparent move away … Read more
New Zealand First’s eternally puckish leader delivered a typically pugilistic key-note speech at the party’s annual gathering in Dunedin yesterday. But which sledges sledged the sledgiest? The New Zealand First leader took to the stage in Dunedin yesterday afternoon following a rousing, bagpiped Flower of Scotland. “We remember where we came from”, rasped the pin-striped, … Read more
The Spinoff’s magical interns Katie Parker and River Lin spent an evening gobbling fish and listening to people talk about death. Here they converse via email about what they learned about David Seymour, assisted suicide and their own mortality. Katie: River! So last night you and I were fortunate enough to attend a pretty exciting … Read more
The law needs to be changed to allow Lecretia Seales’ wish to determine when she died. But we must take care that such a measure would not be a slippery slope toward some ambiguous twilight zone, says Sir Geoffrey Palmer Lecretia Seales died of a cancerous brain tumour in Wellington on 3 June 2015. She … Read more
In an interview on The Nation, Nick Smith said he wants to make houses more affordable without actually making them cheaper. Hayden Donnell weighs in, with the help of Ben Thomas, on the two contradictory versions of the Housing Minister. Here’s a list of things worth $1 million: 1. Three black market kidneys 2. Two private islands in … Read more
The housing minister insists the government is limited to getting ‘the incentives’ right. But there’s plenty more they could do. And there’s only one Auckland mayoral candidate with a policy solution, writes Geoff Simmons. The average price of a house in Auckland is predicted to pass $1m when official figures are released later this week. … Read more
In the second post from our new collaboration with Figure.NZ, a glance at the proportion of women bosses in New Zealand, plus how the numbers look in higher education. Last week Alex Casey spoke to Tara Moss, “activist, author, journalist and very cool legend” about her book Speaking Out, and why women have been so … Read more
Patient autonomy is crucial, but the belief it should trump all other considerations should be viewed with caution, writes Medical Association chair Stephen Child. Dr Stephen Child will join David Seymour and others as part of next week’s Spinoff-Ika Table Talk, hosted by Jeremy Elwood, on August 30. More details here. The issue of voluntary … Read more
Polling expertise from David Farrar and insightful chats on the mayoral race, the council budget and tensions between the government and Super City. All that and more on the latest War for Auckland podcast. Joining marine commandos Toby Manhire and Hayden Donnell in the fourth War for Auckland podcast are the Auckland Central MP and … Read more
Opposition among disabled people to assisted suicide stems from long experience of encountering negative attitudes and human rights abuses, writes Robyn Hunt. I assure David Seymour that assisted suicide is a really big and complicated deal. It is no coincidence that disabled people all over the world oppose it. Our opposition arises from a (largely … Read more
The Spinoff/SSI survey reveals the extraordinary impact of housing crisis on residents of New Zealand’s biggest city – and the extent to which Aucklanders blame foreign speculation. There is a housing crisis in Auckland, and it has already bitten hard across the city, according to the latest results from polling conducted by SSI for the Spinoff … Read more
We have been waiting for a dramatic political event to live blog, and the unraveling events of yesterday’s ghastly meeting of local politics and a ceremonial sword fit the bill. 8.45am: As politics editor of the reality-television-and-housing-issues-focused New Zealand website The Spinoff, I have been waiting for an opportunity to launch a live blog. Preferably … Read more
NZ has been a world leader in eradication of cluster bombs, landmines and nuclear weapons. Where today are the moral principles the National government has shown before, asks Amnesty International’s Grant Bayldon. On the 16th of April this year, in a village in Yemen 10 kilometres from the Saudi border, two brothers aged 9 and … Read more
A survey commissioned for the Spinoff’s War for Auckland pop-up site puts the Labour MP well in front of his nearest rival, Vic Crone, just weeks out from voting. But many remain undecided. Phil Goff has established a commanding lead in the Auckland mayoral race with less than four weeks until voting begins. The former … Read more