Budget 2020: What does this year’s budget mean for one of the hardest-hit sectors post-lockdown? Those in the industry give their initial reactions. As the country braces for the inevitable Covid-19 economic slump, today the government announced its “once in a generation” $50 billion budget. From that $50bn, $3.2bn has been set aside to extend … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: level two is coming but some of the rules have changed, Work and Income could be facing class action suit, and China issues strong warning to NZ over Taiwan. So we got the announcement yesterday – we will be moving to alert level two this … Read more
Restaurants were already teetering on the edge. If they’re to survive this, the industry must come together and take one crucial step, writes Sophie Gilmour. We’ve heard about “the good old days” in hospitality – apparently, people wanted to work in the industry because they could make a decent living. Working conditions were great, people … Read more
In the near decade since Sawmill Brewery’s new owners came on board, they’ve made some of the best beers in the country, won awards and watched their brewery burn down. And their former landlords at the Leigh Sawmill Cafe accuse them of acting unethically. Alice Neville reports from Matakana. Every Monday, when the Sawmill Brewery’s … Read more
House on Hood, which was criticised for promoting a deal on Corona beer with reference to the coronavirus, has discontinued the promotion after being contacted by Lion, which distributes Corona in New Zealand. A Hamilton bar’s social media promotion offering a deal on Corona beers as long as the deadly coronavirus continued to spread has … Read more
The new joint from the team behind one of Wellington’s favourite craft beer bars is dedicated to minimal-intervention, organic wine – and more exciting things are coming to the heritage building it’s housed in. Before the Cadbury factory opened in Dunedin in 1930, New Zealanders ate Cadbury chocolate made in England. After it was shipped … Read more
Auckland is great – but, argues Catherine McGregor, Melbourne’s restaurants, cafes and bars still have the edge. Long before ‘cool’ even existed, Melbourne was cooler than wherever you lived. Take it from me: if you’d stopped a 19th century dandy flaneur-ing his way along Karangahape Road to ask what he thought of Melbourne, the reply … Read more
Hospitality is a legitimate career, and a hard one at that, and it’s about time it’s treated like one. I recently stopped working in a beer bar in Edinburgh. I worked there full-time for 20 months and loved it. But there are two questions I was consistently asked by my customers that irked me. The … Read more
Alice Neville drank a lot of cocktails at New Zealand’s first dedicated cocktail festival in Wellington last weekend… here are a few standouts. Wellington’s always been a good booze town. These days it’s all about the craft beer and natural wine, of course, but years before hazy IPAs and pét-nats were de rigueur, there were … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Wellington-born Jonny McKenzie and Canadian-born Amy Alexander, founders of luxury pre-bottled cocktail company J.M.R. Cocktail & Co. ONE: How did J.M.R. Cocktails start and what was the inspiration behind it? Amy Alexander (AA): … Read more
Chloe Ann-King wants to set up a digital union providing hospo workers with tools such as a ‘Rate My Boss’ scheme and an online pay checker. In Chloe Ann-King’s 14 years of working in the country’s bars and restaurants she has seen staff underpaid, harassed by members of the public, and exploited by employers. This … Read more
Part cellar door, part bottle shop and soon-to-be urban winery, Dorset Street Cellar Door has a big future ahead of it. Just off Victoria Street in Christchurch’s faded golden mile is an unassuming building with a sawtooth roof. Even with a fresh lick of paint, you can still make out the lettering of the former … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Casey goes to the opening of Instagram’s most hotly anticipated mini golf bar. I don’t really know why I’m even bothering to write a review of Holey Moley when a fellow mini golf enthusiast summed up the entire … Read more
The West Auckland Licensing Trusts Action Group (WALTAG) needs 28,000 signatures to force a vote over The Trusts’ monopoly on the sale of alcohol in its region. The Trusts’ chief executive Simon Wickham makes the case against change, arguing that West Aucklanders should think twice about hitting ‘delete’ on a system which delivers $2 million a … Read more
The West Auckland Licensing Trusts Action Group (WALTAG) needs 28,000 signatures to force a vote over The Trusts’ monopoly on the sale of alcohol in its region. WALTAG member Nick Smale makes the case for change, arguing that West Auckland suffers from the consequences of a blunt, out-dated approach to alcohol control. Read more: The case … Read more
In the best drinking cities in the world, sharing a punch bowl with your mates at a bar makes for a splendid evening. To have a similar experience here, you’ll have to stay home. “Red fruit, Raro.” “Very drunk 21-year-old Christians.” “Red wine, Sprite Zero, half-sugar Just Juice, vodka.” “Berocca, white wine, vodka, pineapple juice … Read more
Gambling and booze, booze and gambling. Those legal – but potentially devastating – vices. Rebecca Stevenson investigates how a handful of people, including sitting councillors, hold a tight grip on West Auckland nightlife. A piece published last week on the Spinoff, arguing that licensing trusts are holding back West Auckland, triggered a national conversation about the arcane governance that … Read more
It traces its origins to Rhythm and Vines, and has taken a chunk of the festival payments industry across the Tasman too. Russell Brown discovers the company behind summer fun is getting serious to find new customers. Have you ever looked, I mean, really looked at that chip on your wrist? If you’ve attended Rhythm … Read more
Ever wondered why the bars in West Auckland are so lame? Or why you can’t buy alcohol at the supermarket? It’s because of a monopoly called The Trusts, and Sam Learmonth says it’s time to talk about why it exists. This opinion piece was first published in April 2018. Unless you live in Invercargill or … Read more
The Golden Dawn, the Ponsonby pop-up bar that accidentally lasted seven and a half years, closed on Sunday morning. Simon Day and Emily Raftery were there, cameras in hand. Read our interview with The Golden Dawn’s Matthew Crawley and Nick Harrison here. The Spinoff’s music content is brought to you by our friends at Spark. Listen to … Read more
Auckland bar/venue/restaurant The Golden Dawn is closing for good on Saturday. Four days before its final party, Henry Oliver talked to entertainment manager Matthew Crawley and general manager Nick Harrison about the birth, death and music of the weirdest bar on Ponsonby Road. For the last seven and a half years, The Golden Dawn has … Read more