In defending the selection of Sevu Reece, All Black coach Steve Hansen has said he doesn’t believe domestic violence in New Zealand is about gender, but a ‘New Zealand problem’. He’s half right, writes Josie Adams. Last year, Sevu Reece was discharged without conviction after he was caught violently beating his girlfriend, leaving her with … Read more
Whatever the shortcomings of corporate co-housing projects, that should not detract from the value of the community living projects people like me are pursuing, writes Elise Badger Together with my family, my sister and brother-in-law, I am currently immersed in the planning stages of a community living project. So I was intrigued to read an … Read more
The Resource Management Act is getting another facelift this year, but will it be in time to give Auckland’s kauri a fighting chance? Watercare recently lodged a resource management application in order to begin construction of a replacement water treatment plant in the heart of Titirangi, adding to the powderkeg of tension between locals and … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Casey and Jihee Junn give their thoughts on Dragfest 2019. With the growing mainstream success of RuPaul’s Drag Race has also come a deluge of drag superstars visiting New Zealand to perform in front of glittered-up and sold … Read more
Incrementalism will only take us so far, writes criminologist Jan Jordan, who argues the ‘system of injustice’ for sexual violence victims requires a transformational approach. Back in the mid-1990s a New Zealand judge, the Hon Justice E. W. Thomas, wrote an article slamming the lack of justice accorded rape victims by the very system in … Read more
They’re hinting that new rules might make them quit their New Zealand operations, and you should feel bad about it, writes Toby Manhire In this brutal modern life there’s a lot to worry about, all the time, so it’s completely understandable if you rarely find a moment to stop and think of the downtrodden and … Read more
A week later, that Queensland house with a glass-walled ensuite bathroom is still giving Emily Writes nightmares. In this confusing and chaotic world we live in there are so many issues that are legitimately outrageous. There are so many things you see online and offline that just shock you to your core. There are so … Read more
Elle Hunt recalls her days renting in New Zealand as a time of suffering and survival. But don’t we deserve better? A case often made in favour of buying a house (as though it were something that you could simply be persuaded into) is that renting is “just throwing money down the drain”. Firstly, that’s … Read more
Sources at Middlemore Hospital have expressed concern that two patients may have died after catching the flu when being admitted. As flu season applies pressure to hospital resources around the country, there are concerns two patients may have died after catching influenza at Middlemore Hospital, according to two sources spoken to by the Spinoff. When … Read more
Today the law against single use plastic bags goes into effect. One less thing to feel guilty about? Well, maybe, writes Pallas Hupé Cotter. Trips to the grocery store have never been my favourite thing. I’m not someone who flips through cookbooks as a pastime, dreaming of what I can create in the kitchen (I … Read more
The Aotearoa-born breed is having a moment in the spotlight, thanks to The Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Peter Quill. Kunekune pigs are great and all, but why should I care about them now? A big overseas celebrity has mentioned them – why else? Newlyweds Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger have welcomed two kunekune pigs into … Read more
How do we expect vets to care for our animals when we don’t always care for our vets? Ellen Sinclair reports on the struggles of an industry that is far more complex than it seems. Veterinarians and vet nurses commit their lives to helping our beloved pets, but few animal lovers are aware how rife … Read more
A new production of Once, the musical based on the hit film, opens in Auckland tonight. Sam Brooks talks to the director Jesse Peach about putting the New Zealand premiere on its feet. Being a musical theatre fan in New Zealand can be a testing experience. If you’re a die-hard fan, you’re likely to have already … Read more
The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read more comics here. Mark’s statistics can be viewed in more detail here.
The tale of the judge that went sailing with a QC that had just appeared before him, and the way it was handled, is almost enough to make you feel sorry for Jordan Williams, writes legal academic Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere. There is a scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl … Read more
Alex Casey chats to a group of 16 year-olds about the pressures of Instagram, weird men in the DMs, and their multiple online identities. “I’m planning on getting it,” says Neha. “Just my breasts. They’re just too small. It doesn’t look really nice in clothes and stuff.” Aaliyah would too, but wouldn’t touch her butt. … Read more
The gap between lectures and exams is often a crucial time for students to regroup and prepare for the oncoming exam storm. So it’s understandable that a proposal by Victoria University of Wellington to remove it is causing a stir. Faced with a condensed exam period and shorter break for students, Victoria University administrators have … Read more
Tara Ward power-ranks our nation’s most valuable, revenue-generating resource: Our big-ass rural monuments. Big Monuments are taking over the nation. No town is safe, no highway untouched by their enormous limbs and massive beaks and enormous carroty girths. We’re obsessed with these oversized symbols of Kiwi identity, and it’s time we celebrated them for what … Read more
It was the story that circled the globe – giant rats, writhing across Titirangi. But rats were here long before it was fashionable or “newsworthy” – as were rat hunters. Don Rowe talks to Phil Brown, Auckland Council’s head of biosecurity about the realities of fighting rats in the big smoke. Last week I journeyed … Read more
Animal rescue organisations in New Zealand are overworked and overflowing with stray animals in need of a caring home, Ellen Sinclair reports. The SPCA takes in over 40,000 animals every year, and with rescue organisations all over the country full with abandoned, dumped or stray pets, New Zealand has a serious surplus of animals in … Read more
The TAB is pulling in millions at the halfway point of the Cricket World Cup. So how much are they paying out? Don Rowe reports. As the Black Caps slug their way towards the finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, the TAB is pulling in record profits from punters back at home. More than … Read more
The metric system might seem obvious to us, but resisting it has started to become a point of extreme pride for Americans. Can New Zealanders help save them? Elle Hunt investigates. With Trump gearing up for his 2020 campaign amid ongoing investigations into Russian interference, it is the question on every honest American’s lips: can … Read more
Thousands of Pacific Islanders – including a quarter of Samoa’s population – are hoping for a new life through the annual visa lotteries. They are ready to wrench themselves from home for a New Zealand residence visa. But is the better life the ballot promises a reality? Philippa Tolley reports in this piece originally published … Read more
A mortar and pestle, a pair of scissors and a cooking pot are among the objects Cambodian refugees have kept with them since resettling in New Zealand. Kim Hak grew up in Cambodia just after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, listening to his family recount their memories of the time. He heard his … Read more
We’ve heard a great deal about the Kiwi response to the Christchurch terror attack but less from inside the event. Historian Ann Beaglehole considers how we support victims to ensure the history is written from their perspectives. When outside forces attack, there is a risk of victims focusing inwards and becoming alienated. Following the Christchurch … Read more
It is going to be a long journey to rebuild communities where people feel safe after the Christchurch terror attack. But if we commit to working together, it’s possible, former refugee Dennis Maang writes on World Refugee Day. Following the Christchurch terror attack, I’ve wondered how I will be able to regain the feeling of … Read more
Wahida Zahedi’s love for Christchurch began with a postcard of the Port Hills, sent from almost 14,700km away. This World Refugee Day, she shares her journey from Afghanistan to her new home. Christchurch. How can I describe this magical city? The place I now call home. A city full of dreams, happiness, hope, laughter and … Read more
Waiheke Island’s favourite four-legged activist may soon be taking a road trip to protest the plans for a floating marina at Kennedy Point. Alice Burton reports. Sue Pawley and her sheep Multi have been an unstoppable force ever since the battle over the proposed marina at Kennedy Point started a few years ago. Together they’ve … Read more
Women are told that their artistic life ends when motherhood starts. But Anna Knox knows that isn’t the case. I was living in Saudi, trying to finish a novel I had started on the UEA (University of East Anglia) Creative Writing programme when I first learned I was pregnant. My partner and I had been … Read more