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 one – read 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, join The Spinoff … Read more
Something very big is missing from the proposed overhaul of our health system, writes Professor Boyd Swinburn. The long-awaited Simpson review of our health sector makes a powerful call to refocus the system on creating better health outcomes through prevention. But something very big is missing. The focus is on the healthcare institutions themselves, like … Read more
While the pandemic has certainly exacerbated anti-Asian sentiment, New Zealand has a long history of turning a blind eye to racism of this kind. The culture of silence is maintained by both sides, says Liang Cui, but she knows first hand the importance of speaking out. When the first case of Covid-19 was discovered in … 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 one – read 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, join The Spinoff … Read more
The inclusive and intimate Thai martial art has forced one new follower to reckon with her inner agreeableness and fight the impulse to be nice. Women have long been stereotyped as more apologetic than men. We are, apparently, more empathetic, caring, and better in tune with people’s emotions. The divisive YouTube celebrity and psychologist Jordan … Read more
New polling shows New Zealanders expect to see the environment take a back seat to economic recovery, little change in fortune for low-paid essential workers, and a long wait for tourism to return to pre-Covid 19 levels, writes Stephen Mills of UMR Research. There’s been a lot of speculation about what changes the Covid-19 pandemic … Read more
South Auckland’s multimillion-dollar bike paths set a new gold standard, but getting locals on track with council’s grand plan has proved an uphill battle. A scene from the 1962 film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner often plays through my mind as I ride along the relatively new multimillion-dollar award-winning cycleways around Māngere. The … Read more
Online and blended learning could be the future for universities but that doesn’t mean it’s cheaper to deliver, writes Massey University provost Giselle Byrnes. Recently, politicians and students both here and abroad have been calling for a reduction in fees for courses and qualifications taught partially or fully online. There have also been discussions around “fair … Read more
A group of mothers, personal trainers, and physiotherapists have joined together to try to address New Zealand’s lack of post-birth care. Here’s why. In the year ending March 2020, 59,238 people gave birth. Many of them (more than you’d think) will suffer from urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse. When you give birth you roll the … Read more
Plans for a modern, efficient light rail network have taken an unexpected detour. Greater Auckland editor Matt Lowrie recounts the brief history of how we got here, and how there may still be light at the end of the tunnel. The good news is we’re not going to be sending billions of dollars offshore to … Read more
Mistakes in the testing regime for people departing managed isolation have prompted alarm about the possibility the virus has been seeded locally. Dr Siouxsie Wiles offers a dose of perspective, and explains why the critical line of defence remains the isolation and quarantine process. Both the leader of the opposition Todd Muller and University of … Read more
The strain of the experience, writes a returning NZ citizen, is compounded by the opprobrium. Over recent days I have been struggling psychologically with the experience of returning home. Not only the experience of being detained, which while of course necessary is no easier for it, but particularly the experience of being the subject of … 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 one – read 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, join The Spinoff … Read more
While some countries have largely wiped the virus out, across the world the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating, not slowing, writes Adam Kamradt-Scott of the University of Sydney. Around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating. While some countries such as Australia and New Zealand have managed to flatten the curve, in many other parts of … Read more
This is not the time to ask for ‘a conversation’ about colonial statues, writes historian Giacomo Lichtner, but a rare opportunity for action. In 1944, when American troops liberated Rome and made their new headquarters in Mussolini’s flagship sports complex – the Foro Italico – they found a vast and hideous mural entitled ‘The Apotheosis … Read more
It’s a grim time of year in Wellington, but not only the bleak weather is to blame, writes Danyl Mclauchlan. Then there was the bad weather. Wellington feels like it really only has two seasons, which stretch from solstice to solstice. For the first half of each year it is autumn, with maybe a few … Read more
Think people in hotel isolation here have it tough? As Trevor McKewen, an Australian citizen living in Auckland, writes, the Australians take it to a whole other level. It didn’t really feel like a choice when I boarded a plane to Australia from my home in Auckland. My brother is 56 and gravely ill. I … 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 one – read 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, join The Spinoff … Read more
Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden are back for a second season of On the Rag, and where better to start than with the mysterious, exhausting world of wellness? Dust off your jade eggs and crank the salt lamp, On the Rag is back for another season to talk all things wellness and self … 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 one – read 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, join The Spinoff … Read more
Communication issues and policy changes exacerbated students’ uncertainty during the lockdown period, reports Ellen Sinclair. The level four announcement on March 24 signalled the start of a period of upheaval for all New Zealanders, but few groups faced more challenges over lockdown than university students. From the rush to get home at short notice, to … 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 one – read 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, join The Spinoff … Read more
Taking up skiing when you’re nearly 50? It ain’t pretty, but it’s possible. For someone who spent their 20s and 30s drinking booze and smoking fags, my 40s have proven positively restorative. I’ve gotten fitter and stronger – and probably more boring – by kicking almost all my vices to the kerb and in favour … Read more
Following its birth in the 1960s, ‘self care’ has transmuted from a mental health concept into an amorphous, social media-spruiked brand. Now a back-to-basics version is being touted as an aid to building resilience in the face of Covid-19. We’ve all seen the ads online, tempting us into some “me” time. Over 28.6 million “self … Read more
The journey fleeing home in search of safety and settling in Christchurch has led former refugee Masood Chakari to be an advocate for New Zealanders in need. While most New Zealanders stayed at home during the level four lockdown, a few essential people were allowed to carry on with their front-facing work to ensure the … Read more
Cycling is an unusually controversial topic. The NZIER public good team explains why the government invests in cycle lanes, and why they make some people so mad. Under lockdown, we saw nature healing. The air was fresh and clean, native birdsong filled our ears, and bikes returned to the roads. It’s not surprising that bike … Read more
Over six years, Ben Sarten filmed Adam Rohe (who was assigned female at birth) on his journey into manhood, forming a friendship that to them has become as important as the documentary itself. Most documentary-makers put in hours, days, or years before a subject trusts them enough to do a film like Man Lessons. But … Read more
On World Refugee Day, New Zealanders of forced-migrant backgrounds share their memories of persecution and displacement, and their journeys to New Zealand. At Aotearoa Resettled Community Coalition we engage with forced-migrant-background communities, acting as the bridge between those communities and government and non-governmental service providers. For us, World Refugee Day means remembering those who did … Read more
Coming from a refugee camp in Nepal, truck driver Rose (Bishnu) Pradhan is living proof that, with hard work and determination, it’s possible you can achieve anything you set your mind to. During lockdown, supermarket shelves remained stocked and full of food for New Zealanders to eat while they were staying home and saving lives. … Read more