The New Zealand wing of the world’s largest conservation organisation has crossed enemy lines to team up with two large fishing companies on a proposal to mitigate the threat to a critically endangered species… and other environment groups aren’t buying it. Wildlife conservation group WWF-New Zealand has partnered with two major fishing companies on a … Read more
In the space of days a waitress was racially abused in Auckland and a deaf student mocked by his peers in Canterbury. In both cases there were apologies. In both cases those apologies fall short, writes Christine Ammunson What a stink week. Within days and in two different cities, we had two very different young … Read more
Brazil’s rainforests are ablaze, and even from the distance of New Zealand, many of us are losing sleep. For the climate and for humanity, we can do something profound and simple, writes Kena Duignan I’ve asked my dad to look after my kids yesterday so I could write this, after a night of not sleeping … Read more
Ahead of debuting her solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week, Korean-NZ couture designer Cecilia Kang talks about growing up ‘feminine’, being influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, and why an ‘administrative error’ at Fashion Week left her so shaken up. ‘I like something big,” says Cecilia Kang, gesturing to the giant nest of tulle protruding … Read more
Faced with staff shortages, equipment failures, cancer risks, and a jump in critical calls that can leave them traumatised, some firefighters are wondering if it’s time to hang up the hose. Gareth Shute reports on the dissatisfaction inside Fire and Emergency New Zealand. The state of our nation’s fire service is probably not something most … Read more
New Zealand teacher aides say their pay reflects an outdated idea of what they do. Elizabeth McLeod hears from four TAs, and one parent, about the classroom realities they face every day Cleaning up poo, defusing violent situations, copping physical and verbal abuse: these are the realities of a teacher aide’s typical day. There are … Read more
Every scholarship exam and approximately every two external assessments are wrapped in their own single-use plastic bag. We’re asking the NZQA to cut it out, writes year-13 student Sophia Honey Every year after an exam, I see the same conversation happen. Friends turn to each other, talk about how difficult that question was, and then … Read more
Countless stories from women who have a right to be safe on campus still go unanswered, writes Kate Hannah, deputy director equity and inclusion, Te Pūnaha Matatini Despite the hashtags and the headlines, universities in New Zealand seem to have largely avoided facing up to their own “#MeToo moment”. It is not for the want … Read more
Sometimes, less is more. Even when it comes to Quentin Tarantino (Warning: Contains mild spoilers). Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is an impressive film. It’s got great acting, stunning visuals, and a twist ending, all laced with the sort of attention to detail you’d expect from the nuttiest of film nuts out there. It’s … Read more
The anti-1080 lobby has made a martyr out of kea, but that ignores another salient fact: kea survival in large part depends on pest control. Dave Hansford explores on the challenge to balance pest control with conservation. In April this year, Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP) announced that two kea had died after eating 1080 baits … Read more
Work-obsessed drone Alex Braae assesses whether shutting himself up in a dark room will allow some semblance of normality on a day off. It is a sad fact of life that many of us spend alarmingly large chunks of it working. The relationship is like quicksand: as we spend more time on the job, we … Read more
We’ve become used to Samoan characters as peripheral bad guys. But from the tatau Sāmoa on his chest to his relationships with his aiga, Hobbs & Shaw showed us someone who is us. And he kicks arse. When I was growing up, there were hardly any Sāmoan or Polynesian faces on our television or movie … Read more
High speed rail links between cities could play a massive role in revitalising regional New Zealand, says a visiting transport infrastructure expert. Professor Andrew McNaughton spoke to Alex Braae. Imagine commuting from Hamilton to Auckland, and it only taking an hour to get there. It’s a vision of how the right transport infrastructure, based around … Read more
New Zealand has long been the world’s imagined lifeboat – and increasingly for something more than just escape, writes Elle Hunt. One Friday morning in January 1847, Charles Dickens wrote to his friend John Forster that he was “disposed to go to New Zealand and start a magazine”. The quote was circulated in an editorial … Read more
Judgement prevents understanding, which in itself is a barrier to preventing unsafe behaviour. Are different approaches to harm reduction in the Rainbow community needed? Sex. Drugs. Carly Rae Jepsen. This is the iconography that tends to be massaged into mainstream conceptions of gay culture. Depictions in TV/film see us railing lines of MDMA and sniffing … Read more
When Emily Writes reviewed a life-changing sex toy, the response from orgasm-starved women was huge. So why are so many having so few orgasms, and what can be done? For the last two years I’ve been running a pretty small – about 600-odd member – group for mostly New Zealand women to talk about sex … Read more
When Josie Adams broke her laptop last week, she knew she’d never find love like that again. Can the Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA offer a new kind of technological relationship? She reviews how it stands up to everyday use and the cosmic forces that seek to destroy her. Last Thursday I accidentally gave my old … Read more
The widespread use of the imperial flag suggests that New Zealanders’ knowledge of the second world war is incomplete, writes Rebekah Jaung. For many people from Asian countries it is a symbol of hate akin to a swastika, yet every couple of months I see a local person or company brandishing it. It’s been used … Read more
After the deaths of two more horses, sparks have once again flared between animal rights groups and the racing community. Trainers and activists both love horses, but only one side has the resources to do anything about it. This story was first published in August 2019 At a Taumarunui Racing Club meet in Rotorua at … Read more
Caroline Moratti goes all the way undercover to discover the truth about nude modelling for artists and photographers, in this story first published in Critic Te Arohi, the University of Otago student magazine. Like any woman, it’s fair to say I have a complicated relationship with my body. By complicated, I mean a lifelong obsession … Read more
What does it say about our sporting bodies that we’d even consider letting those who have admitted sexual assault compete under our banner, writes Casey Lucas. “A promising young athlete…” It’s startling how a seemingly innocent phrase can conjure cold dread in the stomach before your eyes even reach the end of the sentence. “You … Read more
Over 400 doctors, most specialising in child health, have signed an open letter to the coroner expressing concerns about a judgement which blamed alcohol in breast milk for the death of an infant. Update 13/08: The open letter to the coroner has now been submitted with a total of 727 doctors’ signatures. Sapphire Rose and … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Tara Ward on mouse-dancing theatrical spectacle Disney on Ice. Before you ask, I don’t know why Disney is on ice. It makes no sense, but neither does Aladdin not having nipples, and we all seem to accept that just fine. … Read more
A massive cleanup effort has saved the West Coast from total disaster, after flooding broke open an old dump next to the Fox River. But have we actually learned anything from it? This piece was first published on Radio NZ. While the first phase in Operation Tidy Fox draws to a close this Sunday, there are still … Read more
An exclusive interview with the principled principal who is leading the resistance to long-haired lads at high school. A 13-year-old boy taking Auckland Grammar School to court over his hair was in the news last week. Some people might say it’s wild that in 2019, when young people are facing a future that’s so damn … Read more
A poll reveals startling gaps in our knowledge. Countering this is urgent and important, especially given the rise in division and hatred around the world, writes Melissa Derby. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is an old cliché, but an appropriate sentiment in light of results of a survey … Read more
As efforts ramp up to save New Zealand’s native wildlife from invasive species, Johnny Crawford looks back wistfully on the centuries-long relationship between humans and rodents in Aotearoa. I think all of us can agree that New Zealand has a pest control problem. Our native species have long been terrorised by introduced ones from which … Read more
Want to feel better and sharper, and get a better night’s sleep? Nick Atkinson has just the thing, and it’s very cold and wet Winton’s caught a couple of great looking snapper. He’s kayaked to Te Kākāwhakaara/Watchman Island and I’m about to meet him after swimming out from one of the ratty little Herne Bay … Read more
The AUT vice-chancellor denies that a Tiananmen Square commemoration was cancelled at the request of the Chinese embassy, but the emails released are enough to send a severe chill through New Zealand’s universities, writes Jacob Edmond Auckland has a long and proud history of remembering the victims of the June 4, 1989 crackdown on student … Read more