Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for December 9. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.00pm: The day in sum A ceremony was held in Whakatāne to mark one year since the Whakaari eruption that claimed 22 lives. Parliament adjourned for the year. There were three new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation facilities. A police … Read more
The fate of Māngere’s much-maligned cycle path network has become something of an obsession for Justin Latif. Now, he writes, solutions are being proposed – but not all are being welcomed by the community. I have the strange honour of having written several thousands of words about Māngere’s Te Ara Mua Future Streets cycleways for … Read more
In the latest episode of On the Rag, we look at the intersection of gender and design, including this list of women who invented incredible things and then were promptly forgotten about. Women everywhere know the acute frustration that comes when a man steals your suggestion in a meeting and then presents it to a … Read more
It’s time to shop for Christmas! But what to get for your creepy uncle and judgemental aunt? Emily Writes has some suggestions. Christmas shopping for people you love is fun. But obligatory Christmas shopping for awful people? Not fun at all. But you can at least make it satisfying, by giving gifts that also help … Read more
‘I know you don’t need me any more and I’m happy with that. It’s the way it should be.’ Before you were born, I took a photo of the beach where we lived – this is a long time ago, more than a lifetime for you of course, and buying a first home near the … Read more
An update to the NZ Covid Tracer app today adds bluetooth functionality, allowing your phone to automatically track other app users you’re near to. New Zealand’s Covid tracer app is getting a significant new feature tomorrow with the incorporation of bluetooth tracking. The additional tool on the app doesn’t replace your daily practice of scanning … Read more
Google has released its list of top trending searches New Zealanders made in 2020, and surprisingly, they’re not all about Covid. In this hellscape year, New Zealanders have turned to many vices to help us through. From Tiger King to TikTok, there’s never been a better time to waste time online. While the world’s population … Read more
A year ago today, the volcano on Whakaari/White Island erupted, leading to the death of 22 people and the injury of 25 more, many of whom suffered severe burns. Dr David Galler, a member of the team of intensive care and burns specialists at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital, writes about that day and its aftermath. As … Read more
Aotearoa’s challenges are clear, but it is incumbent, too, on the Australian government to launch an inquiry of its own – the society that shaped the terrorist and the failure of its own intelligence services, writes Anjum Rahman. My first impression on reading the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attacks … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for December 8. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.00pm: The day in sum The Royal Commission report into the Christchurch terrorist attacks was released, including recommendations to bolster support for ethnic minorities and expand the security state. Jacinda Ardern apologised on behalf of the government for failings prior to … Read more
The Royal Commission into the Christchurch attack has made 44 recommendations, including a sweeping overhaul and expansion of New Zealand’s national security state. Justin Giovannetti reports from parliament. New Zealand’s security services knew almost nothing about the the terrorist’s intentions before the Christchurch attack and could have done very little to stop him, the long-awaited … Read more
The final in this season of Frame documentaries introduces 11-year-old Inez. Her story is one that will resonate with a lot of families, writes mum Sonia Gray. Inez is part of Frame, a series of short documentaries produced by Wrestler for The Spinoff. This film is about my daughter Inez. She’s 11 years old and is … Read more
In part four of Coming Home, hosts Duncan Greive and Jane Yee find out what returning to New Zealand this year was like – and why it didn’t always go as smoothly as anticipated. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you usually listen to podcasts. Everyone we spoke to for this episode had a … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for December 7. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.00pm: The day in sum The Human Rights Commission is investigating the pay gap and lack of equal employment opportunities experienced by Pacific communities in New Zealand. The Whakaari alert level for the volcanic island has been lowered to 1 (Green) … Read more
Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden as On the Rag looks at how the world around us has been built by men, for men. It can be hard to feel welcome in a world where the phones are slightly too big, your pockets are welded shut and the floors below you are so … Read more
We need to follow a public health approach and prevent people from harm. That means disarming both the public and the police, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira. Last week, a petition was delivered to parliament calling for harsher and more punitive approaches to individuals convicted of killing a police officer. The petition was initiated by Diane … Read more
In a new regular feature, we survey a group of 100 people via Stickybeak and ask them 10 questions. Today, what do Wellingtonians think about perceptions of their city? And what do they think of Aucklanders? Can’t beat Wellington on a good day? Andrea Vance can. Wellington based Stuff columnist beat the city to a … Read more
Despite legalisation’s failure, in recent years the number and diversity of New Zealanders willing to break our drug laws has radically increased – and that should give advocates for change hope. Over a family dinner my little sister decided to bring up cannabis. The legalisation referendum was weeks away and the topic had been bouncing … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for December 5. Get in touch at info@thespinoff.co.nz 2.00pm: Cases continue to surge in hotspots The sunny news of zero new cases in New Zealand finds its tragic contrast in ongoing reports around the world. In Brazil, for example, the latest officially reported tally recorded 43,209 new cases and … Read more
Michelle Langstone runs away to the Marlborough region to find some peace in the quiet. There are things you can learn from the wild. If you go farther away, the messages get clearer, delivered uninterrupted down the wires of birdsong and through the swift-running currents of rivers. Where I stay, there is no light pollution … Read more
After discovering he’s been living a Sagittarian lie, Eli Matthewson learns to embrace life under his strange new sign. Sagittarius season and for me, a once proud Sagi, it started badly. I was pointed to the direction of an announcement from Nasa – yes, that Nasa – which described how incremental changes in the Earth’s … Read more
Today’s official unveiling of the tunnel boring machine (TBM), named after one of New Zealand’s most iconic civil rights leaders, wasn’t just for ceremonial purposes, but a sign of the genuine relationship City Rail Link (CRL) wants to forge with Māori. It would be easy to become bogged down by the plethora of “boring” puns … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for December 4. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 3.10pm: Pakistan cricket team’s MIQ training hopes dashed Ashley Bloomfield has chosen not to grant an exemption to the Pakistan cricket team that would allow them to leave their hotel to train in groups, while in managed isolation. “I have very … Read more
The gathering at the Grey Lynn Library Hall promises to take on a ‘corrupted election’, 5G, Covid-19 and ‘Satanic ritual abuse’. A new online group has formed to combat conspiracy and disinformation, and their first project is challenging an event scheduled for a council-run venue in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn tomorrow. Hosted by … Read more
Boris Johnson has announced that the Pfizer vaccine will be distributed from next week. How did that happen, and are they cutting corners? Siouxsie Wiles explains. The UK has become the first country in the world to approve a Covid-19 vaccine. It’s an emergency approval but means they’re likely to start vaccinating people in a … Read more
A new series of videos uses comedy to debunk misinformation that’s proved to be particularly visible in South Auckland. Justin Latif spoke with local community leaders about why these theories find South Auckland such fertile ground, and what can be done to curtail their spread. “I have family who believes in all sorts of conspiracies … Read more
Do your childhood memories include being randomly attacked by your classmates? Josie Adams and Duncan Greive look back at the strangely violent schoolyard culture of dead arms, noogies, tabletops and more. Illustrated by Toby Morris. They say your school years are the best of your life. Remember being nine, playing marbles, and swapping your fruit … Read more
Half a million New Zealanders are predicted to return home in the wake of Covid-19, but our family won’t be on that list until New Zealand sorts out its approach to special needs and disability education. In August 2019 we left our beloved New Zealand, the country my husband and kids are natural citizens of, … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for December 3. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.00pm: The day in sum There were nine new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation, four active and five historical. The UK became the first Western nation to authorise a Covid-19 vaccine, with the rollout set to begin next week. The … Read more