After six months of film delays and cinema closures, Tenet is New Zealand’s only blockbuster hope, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund. Black Widow, No Time to Die, A Quiet Place 2. All were big-budget should-be hits scheduled to open in New Zealand cinemas during the time of Covid-19. Now, they won’t be hitting screens until, at the … Read more
Our two main political parties are pretty similar. The NZIER public good team uses an economic tool called Hotelling’s law to explain why National and Labour are creeping closer together. On October 17, we resident adults will elect New Zealand’s government to see us through the next three years, including what’s left of 2020 – … Read more
The topic of racism has been at the forefront of conversations both in New Zealand and overseas since the Treaty Partnership episode of Bad News was made. Co-hosts Alice Snedden and Kura Forrester sat down to talk about it. Watch Alice Snedden’s Bad News – Treaty Partnership and other episodes in the series here. Kura: … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 4, 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 stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 5.00pm: Man in 50s with Covid-19 dies in Middlemore Hospital A man in … Read more
Wellington will be home to up to 80,000 more people by 2050, and the question of where they’re going to live is becoming increasingly pressing. Should the look of the central suburbs really take priority over warm, dry, affordable housing? To say there’s animosity towards Wellington’s housing stock among young people like myself would be … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 3, 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 stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.00pm: The day in sum There were two new cases of Covid-19 in … Read more
A recent column by the director of New Zealand’s Suicide Prevention Office argued that ‘normalising talking about suicide’ doesn’t help. Linda Collins, the author of a forthcoming book about losing a child to suicide, wonders how silence can ever be a solution. Just this week, a friend who helps maintain a suicide prevention website messaged … Read more
Of the 41 developed countries included in the latest Unicef Innocenti Report Card, New Zealand ranks 35th overall for our child wellbeing, dragged down by a number of poor scores for mental and physical health care. But Jacinda Ardern says the report misses a lot of the child wellbeing gains New Zealand has made over … Read more
Is there a colony of copperhead snakes living in the remote West Coast bush? Yes, say some locals. Possibly – but probably not, says one government report. Charlie O’Mannin set off on a cross-country journey to uncover the truth. It’s 1990 and a gold prospector is working in a secluded West Coast valley. On one … Read more
If a face mask is now part of your daily life, you may have noticed that not all are created equal. Epidemiologist and mask enthusiast Lucy Telfar Barnard is here to simplify the mind-boggling variety of fabrics, fits, layers and patterns on offer. This isn’t about why you need to wear a mask – lots … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 2, 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 stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 6.15pm: The day in sum There are another five cases of Covid-19 today, … Read more
The son of a Mongrel Mob president, former professional boxer Dave Letele is now helping South Aucklanders get jobs, get fit and get fed. Reiná Vaai meets the ‘Brown Buttabean’ at his Manukau HQ. “I should’ve been in prison or dead by now,” says Dave Letele, also known as Brown Buttabean. In his early 20s … Read more
Merv was not alone. Marcus Lush has, once again, been doing God’s work: confronting the nation’s late night racists one by one. Newstalk ZB late host Marcus Lush was last night confronted by Judith, who called up demanding answers to one of the biggest questions of our time. Why are Albatross chicks always given a … Read more
Once you start noticing how rigorously the status quo is maintained, you start to notice it everywhere – and it always seems to be the same people who are worst affected. Watch Alice Snedden’s Bad News – Prisoner Voting Rights and other episodes in the series here. I think that, politically, I’m an optimist. I … Read more
Covid-19 has changed how all families grieve, but for Pasifika and Māori whānau, it’s disrupted centuries-old traditions, as well as affecting how these families affirm their cultural identity. When a Samoan dies, the home of the deceased will become the focal point for their community for a two- to three-week period. It’s not uncommon for … Read more
Listening and hanging out are small acts that make a huge difference for young people facing challenges. Dietrich Soakai has 15 years’ experience working in youth services, and doesn’t think children are our future leaders… he thinks they’re leaders in their own right, here and now. “I genuinely believe in young people. I believe in … Read more
Some people seem like they’ll never be persuaded, but don’t give up. Here are some effective strategies for convincing the sceptics in your life. The cannabis referendum is likely to be a nail-biter, with polls and campaigners predicting a very close vote. With the election approaching, cannabis campaigners are working to get the word out … Read more
Himalayan tahr were introduced to New Zealand more than a century ago for sport, and they remain a popular target for hunters today. But hunting hasn’t stopped tahr numbers ballooning to an estimated 35,000 on public conservation land – far too many for the fragile ecosystem to take, writes DOC’s threatened species ambassador, Erica Wilkinson. … Read more
A landmark High Court decision means Greenpeace can finally have charity status. But what happens when it’s granted to political advocates you might disagree with? Many people might be surprised to learn that until a few weeks ago, Greenpeace wasn’t actually classified as a charity. That’s because our charity law – relying on English court … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 31, 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 stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7pm: The day in sum Auckland has moved to join the rest of … Read more
What is OnlyFans and why are sex workers upset about celebrities using it? I heard about OnlyFans at the beginning of the year when friends who were sex workers started using the platform during the first Covid-19 lockdown. Back in March, few people outside of sex workers and their supporters understood or used the platform. … Read more
In the aftermath of the 2019 Christchurch terror attacks, Guled Mire found himself a reluctant spokesperson for the New Zealand Muslim community. His experiences in the year that followed are the subject of new Loading Docs documentary short One Year On. Even as we approach a year and a half since that day, I struggle … Read more
The cannabis referendum is not just about creating a fairer Aotearoa, writes the Drug Foundation’s Ross Bell. It’s also another chance to prove to the world that we know how to lead on progressive, health-based policy. Since Auckland moved back into level three more than a fortnight ago we’ve been reminded how fearful the coronavirus … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 30, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ is in level two. More details here. Official information here. Contact me at catherine@thespinoff.co.nz 7.15pm: The day in sum … Read more
People aren’t the only ones who can partake in pot. Mirjam Guesgen delves into the world of weed for pets. What’s a weed pet product? Medicines, supplements and foods for pets (mostly dogs and cats) made from parts of the cannabis plant. What do they look like? There’s a veritable bounty of weed products for … Read more
Alie Benge signed up to a dating app with a sense of dread. What she found restored her faith in people – and in love itself, she writes, in the first instalment of a new series following her dating journey. I went into the first lockdown a hardcore introvert, one of those annoying people talking … Read more
No doubt cannabis can cause harm, but for some of us, it helps. A regulated market would allow us to use it in a less haphazard and more informed way, writes Jenifer*. Before my foray into psychosis – that is to say, before being depressed and traumatised to the point of breaking out in psychotic … Read more
For some, the loss of even fleeting touch heightened a sense of distance and dislocation far beyond the effects of the official isolation imposed on us. Jennifer Little looked to nature for a remedy. You couldn’t even pay anyone to touch you. Codified connection with another human through professional massage was banned. With so many … Read more
We’re all going to die – but should we get a say in how? For Alice Snedden, like many of us, this year’s euthanasia referendum is the first time she’s had to consider the possibilities. Watch Alice Snedden’s Bad News – Euthanasia and other episodes in the series here. I’m afraid of dying. It just … Read more