An audit of Team NZ and America’s Cup Events – companies both run by Grant Dalton – has found no evidence of financial wrongdoing. Still, Dalton emerges from the matter far from spotless, writes Pattrick Smellie of BusinessDesk. Grant Dalton has a strange take on the meaning of “vindication”. That’s what he says the summary … Read more
Will I get fined? Can I use a scarf? And what about on the school bus? All your questions about face masks on public transport, answered here. When and where do I have to wear a mask exactly? From Monday, all New Zealanders will be required to wear a face mask on public transport for … Read more
Justice Mander has in the Christchurch High Court delivered a sentence without precedent in New Zealand, life without parole, to the Christchurch mosque terrorist who killed 51 people at worship in March 2019. He paid tribute at length to the victims, the survivors, their families and the community more widely. Below, his remarks on reaching … Read more
The man responsible for the murder of 51 people in a Christchurch mosque has been sentenced to life with no possibility of parole – the first sentence of its kind in New Zealand. Tim Brown reports for RNZ. Warning: This story includes descriptions of the March 15 Christchurch mosque shootings. The man who carried out … Read more
Let us hope the sentence of life without parole handed down today allows the victims and their families to breathe a little easier. Their courage should inspire us to rise to the challenge that faces us now, writes Abbas Nazari. March 15, 2019 is a day I’ll remember forever. I remember reading about how our … Read more
Since political parties have existed, so too have their enthusiastic young leaders. In exclusive interviews with The Spinoff, eight MPs take us down memory lane on how they got their start in politics. Watch Youth Wings, The Spinoff’s new six-part documentary series that goes behind the O Week stalls to get to know some of … Read more
The victims and families of those who died in the Christchurch mosque shootings tell their stories. Compiled by Tim Brown for RNZ. Warning: This story includes eye-witness accounts of the March 15 Christchurch mosque shootings. On March 15 2019, evil entered two mosques in Christchurch and in just 15 minutes, 51 people lay dead or dying. … Read more
Down the rabbit hole and onto Instagram Stories, some of New Zealand’s most popular influencers are now regularly using their platforms to peddle fake news and conspiracy theories that could endanger public health. Jihee Junn finds out what consequences, if any, there are for those actively spreading mistruths. When the government announced Auckland would be … Read more
For every nugget of gold printed by The Spinoff, there are several more nuggets of slightly less lustrous gold. Hayden Donnell lists some of his rejected story ideas. In my time writing for The Spinoff, I’ve produced mountains of what historians will one day remember as “content gold”. Readers wept when they found out what … Read more
If you’re worried about getting a Covid-19 test because of fears of going into quarantine, don’t be. Here’s what you need to know, to make one scary thing a little less scary. The government’s decision to move community cases of Covid-19 into quarantine facilities has raised fears among some New Zealanders that might stop them … Read more
Linda Burgess puts on her mask, goes to the mall, and finds herself slipping into a dystopian level two nightmare… We’re in hell. Sartre wrote hell is other people, and he wrote that when malls were just a twinkle in Mr Westfield’s eye. Given that I’ll be living in track pants for the oxymoronic foreseeable … Read more
Two weeks into Auckland’s second lockdown, Sam Brooks reflects on the strange distortion of time in alert level three. I remember exactly where I was when Lockdown: The Sequel was announced. Actually, no. I remember exactly where I was when it was announced that Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield were going to be making a … Read more
The ‘Free The Nipple’ movement seemed to me a low-priority feminist issue at first, but it’s representative of a much larger concern. Watch Alice Snedden’s Bad News – Women’s Bodies and other episodes in the series here. As a teenager, it would have been my absolute worst nightmare to show my breasts to anyone, let … Read more
Without a strong legal and ethical framework and clear policy for use, FRT can have grave implications for individual and collective rights, writes Nessa Lynch. Automated facial recognition technology, which involves the use of an algorithm to match a facial image to one already stored in a system, is used in automated passport control and … Read more
The region is known to lack many of the advantages of central and north Auckland suburbs, yet properties command rents as high as the likes of Mt Albert and Ōnehunga. So how do landlords get away with charging so much, Justin Latif asks. If you write the words “is South Auckland” into Google, the first … Read more
Different countries are pursuing different strategies for taking on Covid-19. Despite the re-emergence of the virus, and the sacrifices our response demands, it remains absolutely the best approach for us, writes Siouxsie Wiles. Here in Aotearoa, we’re playing Covid-19 in “elimination” mode. Some countries are trying “suppression” mode, while others are running with what seems … Read more
A push for greater digital access in schools can have its positives and also its negatives, as Julie Cullen explains. Recent articles in The Spinoff have examined digital inequality, and highlighted an initiative to increase digital access in a Māngere primary school. These articles raise valid points. Technology is used for so many activities now, … Read more
How can we help people realise they’ve made a mistake without falling into the ‘callout culture’ trap? This post was originally published in Emily’s newsletter: Emily Writes Weekly. Subscribe here. As soon as I saw the black squares on Instagram for Black Out Tuesday, I thought a feed covered in black squares would be helpful. … Read more
We must not squander this wake-up call. We must take action now to avert a climate catastrophe, write Dr Mike Joy and Dr Catherine Knight of the Better Futures Forum. Many New Zealanders will likely be feeling very uneasy about the resurgence of the coronavirus in our community. Just when we thought we were out … Read more
On October 17 New Zealand will decide whether cannabis should be legalised and regulated. Toby Morris compares and contrasts the weed rules with those for another popular drug: alcohol. The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read the rest of the series here.
What are the criteria and the scenarios, and when will the alert level decision be announced? On day 13 of Auckland’s alert level three lockdown and the rest of New Zealand’s level two restrictions, Jacinda Ardern and her cabinet meet today to make important decisions about when those statuses will change – and to what. … Read more
The first time around, lockdown birthed a wave of artisan bread makers and K-Fry truthers. This time, it’s the craftspeople’s turn. If you live in Auckland, the likelihood is you’ve been spending a lot more time inside than you usually do. Not only because the city has been placed into a level three lockdown, but … Read more
A range of new measures are under consideration, covering the border, isolation and testing. Siouxsie Wiles assesses the options, and the opposition proposals. Because we don’t have widespread community transmission of Covid-19 in New Zealand, our response managing our border and responding to any outbreaks will also help the rest of the world understand more … Read more
Yesterday, a report was released calling for sweeping, systemic changes to disability employment. Here, Robyn Hunt writes from her own experience seeking work, and calls on employers and recruiters to do better. When I began my career many years ago, I applied for more than 40 jobs before I got my first one – unsuitable … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 21, 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 aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz 6.00pm: The day in sum … Read more
Can’t decide which rabbit hole to fall into? Not sure if you think Jacinda’s a reptilian shapeshifter, or if there’s a moose on the loose in Fiordland? Fear not – Sherry Zhang has consulted the stars. The rise of conspiracy theories goes hand in hand with a global pandemic. Could the combination of fear, misinformation … Read more
If we want to address family violence in Aotearoa, we need to change the way we act and think about shame, writes Leilani Tamu. The following includes discussion of child abuse and trauma. When I was six years old, my mother’s boyfriend told me to eat on the floor with his dog, a German shepherd, … Read more
How do the youngest members of our team of five million feel about the Covid-19 resurgence? When photographer Sonya Nagels had to explain to her kids that they were back in lockdown, she was struck by how much they understood. Lockdown, social distancing, masks, outbreaks, viruses – they knew all the jargon. Sonya asked a … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 21, 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 stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.00pm: The day in sum … Read more