The former wetland of Cranford Basin was all set to create 400 new properties as part of an exciting, and much needed, regeneration plan in Christchurch. Three years on, the land remains empty. What went wrong? Picture this: it’s the year 2020. In the north of Christchurch, the first of over 400 sections are being … Read more
Each week in the lead-up to the election, The Side Eye cartoonist Toby Morris is going to teach us how to draw a different New Zealand politician. This week, it’s the leader of the opposition. Click here for the rest of the How to draw series. Click here for the rest of the How to … Read more
Activist and former politician Sue Bradford has been called an ‘angry radical’ most of her life. Leonie Hayden caught up with her to find out how she uses that anger for good. Watch On the Rag: Anger (full episode) here When I was tasked with thinking of women I admire that have been called “angry” … Read more
As much of Auckland Council grapples with slashed budgets, one department has avoided major cuts and is enticing investment into South and West Auckland, Justin Latif reports. Covid came at just the worst time for Geoff McKay. The Māngere-based concreter had his van and all his tools stolen a week prior to the lockdown and, … Read more
The director general of health is ‘increasingly confident’ the Auckland outbreak is contained – but his virtual dashboard isn’t quite at green. Last week, prompted by a question from The Spinoff, the director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said his Covid-19 dashboard was flashing “orange”, as a result of growing cases in the Auckland community … Read more
For 71 days, protesters have been locked in a battle with contractors to save 26 native trees in the Auckland suburb of Avondale. The fight to save 26 100-year-old native trees – what remains of an original 46 – came to a head this morning when more than 200 people showed up to prevent diggers … Read more
New research into online crowdfunding for healthcare reveals some worrying trends around which campaigns are deemed ‘worthy’ – and poses wider questions about who we want to be as a nation. “Charity is a sign of the failure of the state.” The above statement from Chlöe Swarbrick on Breakfast will be controversial for some – … Read more
Despite having lived with a disability her whole life, it took becoming one of the unlucky few who experience symptoms long after they should have ‘recovered’ from Covid-19 that forced Áine Kelly-Costello to reckon with a different kind of disability experience. I was born with a congenital condition with a fancy name that designates a … Read more
Don’t approach the task as a battle to be won, but as a conversation to get to the underlying reasons why someone might have been susceptible to the false information in the first place. Last week marked six months since the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic. How the world has changed in that time. Here … Read more
Justice reinvestment redirects spending on criminal justice into social justice initiatives that strengthen communities and reduce social harms. Criminology professor Elizabeth Stanley explains why it could be game-changing. New Zealanders have long grappled with an obsession with criminal justice expansions, even though crime rates are on the decline. We tell ourselves: “Just another thousand police … Read more
Locations include Les Mills gym in Takapuna, Countdown Milford and The Warehouse Milford. A person who subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 took part in classes at Les Mills in Takapuna as well as visiting various North Shore retailers. Attention is focused particularly on the gym sessions, with Auckland Regional Public Health Service saying anyone who … Read more
Drain layer Ses Tohi (aka Professional Mud Dog) takes Sherry Zhang and photographer Edith Amituanai on a tour around his work site near Auckland Airport – and talks about what he loves about his job, misconceptions about tradies, and what it’s like owning his own business. Ses Tohi, director of drain laying company SS Civil, … Read more
Auckland Theatre Company opened two shows this week, performed under Covid-19 restrictions. So what’s it like to go to the theatre during a pandemic? One of the last theatre shows I saw before we went into the first lockdown was Auckland Theatre Company’s Black Lover. It’s fitting, then, that it’s one of two shows the … Read more
Each week in the lead-up to the election, The Side Eye cartoonist Toby Morris is going to teach us how to draw a different New Zealand politician. First up, it’s the prime minister. Click here for the rest of the How to draw series. Click here for the rest of the How to draw series. … Read more
Google has launched a new election trends hub, deciphering how New Zealanders are searching for parties, leaders and major topics ahead of October 17. It’s been a long, hard six weeks since the “rogue” Newshub poll that gave Labour hope of governing alone after the October election. Since then, we’ve had a second wave of … Read more
Since the late 1990s, suicide rates among young men in New Zealand have increased by almost 50%. ‘Zero Suicide Aotearoa’, the latest report from a cross-party mental health group, is looking to address these dismal suicide rates. After New Zealand placed 35th out of 41 OECD countries for our child wellbeing in the Unicef 2020 … Read more
All Black fans are desperate to watch them take on Australia. But the arguments for playing in New Zealand are worse than flimsy, writes Scotty Stevenson. On October 10 this year, the All Blacks and the Wallabies will play the first match of a Bledisloe Cup series. If there is any fairness left in the … Read more
A first-person account of one woman’s attempt to win justice after a sexual assault. As told to Alex Casey Content warning: This feature contains descriptions of sexual assault, which may be triggering to survivors. It was supposed to be the best day of my life. May 2017, my last semester at university, and I was celebrating … Read more
Our early success against Covid-19 was lauded the world over. If we want to continue to provide leadership, we need to reinvigorate our approach to foreign affairs, writes Nina Hall. With our borders largely closed, you could be forgiven for thinking that international affairs should take a back seat for a few months. But New … Read more
Property Investors Federation spokesman Andrew King has suggested landlords hold off installing a heat pump for tenants, saying a change in government could see the law reversed, and that some tenants don’t actually want new heat pumps. He has Hayden Donnell’s attention. New Zealand has long led the world in two shameful categories: Hobbit movies, … Read more
It’s likely you’re being exposed to masses of Covid information on a daily basis, and not all of it will be reliable. Here are some tips for telling the difference, and stopping the spread. Thanks to Covid-19, most of us have a new word in our vocabulary. Epidemiology: the branch of medical science that deals … Read more
If the yes votes prevail and it’s legalised, employers will need to figure out where to draw the line for worker cannabis use, write employment law specialists Susan Rowe and Shaun Brookes. With the referendum on the legalisation of cannabis looming, employers are asking what legalisation might mean for their workforce. Will an employee be … Read more
Covid-19 brought to an abrupt end to an extraordinary period of migration-fuelled population growth for New Zealand. Did we fully understand what was happening – and what comes next, asks Paul Spoonley. See also Duncan Grieve: The ‘staggering’ potential of New Zealand’s returning diaspora Toni Truslove: Returning New Zealanders deserve a softer landing – and … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 6, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole country is now in alert level two, with extra restrictions in Auckland. Official information here. 5.30pm: The day in sum There were five new cases of Covid-19 reported, four of them in … Read more
Jean M Allen, a New Zealand-born Tongan/Pālangi health educator, reflects on how she negotiates discussions about sex and pornography with her children. The recent Keep it Real Online campaign ads feature two porn stars knocking on the door of a Pākehā family’s home to talk to a mother about what her son has been up … Read more
Rebuilding and healing broken communities can be a slow and frustrating process. But as Max Rashbrooke writes, it starts with listening to the powerful stories of those with lived experience. Just before lockdown, in Porirua’s Te Rauparaha Arena, a reversal of fortunes took place. At the People’s Voices conference, organised by Wesley Community Action, the … Read more
Dr Collin Tukuitonga pays tribute to his mentor, Dr Joe Williams, who passed away yesterday after a battle with Covid-19. I have a lot for which to be thankful to Dr Joe Williams, or Papa Joe as we call him in the Pasifika Medical Association family. I was a refugee from the military coup in … Read more
In the second of our series on Alie Benge’s dating journey, she ponders if that intangible, unpredictable thing that is spark is really as crucial as she’d always believed it to be. I usually leave dates feeling buzzed from the interaction, regardless of how well it went. A few weeks ago, for the first time, … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 5, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole country is now in alert level two, with extra restrictions in Auckland. Official information here. Contact me at aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz 6.40pm: The day in sum The Ministry of Health was investigating a potential … Read more