At times, the knowledge that a return to NZ won’t be likely for an unknowable amount of time can bring an achy sort of feeling, writes Emma Gilkison. In Berlin, we are in the middle of a long, dreary Covid winter. We’ve been back in lockdown since mid December, after the “lockdown-lite” of November. The … Read more
Many people were disappointed about the government’s abandonment of the capital gains tax plan. But is there an alternative that could still open up the property market to those currently priced out? I’m just going to put my cards on the table – I am a supporter of a capital gains tax (CGT). I’m an … Read more
The Rainbow Arcade is an exhibition of LGBTQI* representation is video games currently taking place at the Schwules Museum in Berlin. New Zealander in Berlin Joel Thomas went along. There’s a perpetual greyness to the Berlin winter; everything’s desaturated and everyone’s a bit on edge. I’m walking through the rain in Berlin’s famously queer district … Read more
Leah Hamilton moved to Berlin with her whānau from New Zealand. She explains what it’s like raising children in a haven for kids. When my husband got a job offer in Berlin, my mind immediately jumped to how cool the city is. I had visited six years ago by myself, and had spent most of my … Read more
Berlin-based Tongan-New Zealand musician Noah Slee talks to Martyn Pepperell ahead of his appearance at Laneway Festival next week. “It’s great when people pick up on certain lines in my songs,” says Noah Slee. The singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and electronic music producer is telling me how the relationship between his audience and his music has intensified … Read more
The Opportunities Party wants to bring German-style renter protection laws to New Zealand – and that’s great, says Berlin-based New Zealander Maddie Holden. But how exactly does that policy fit with Gareth Morgan’s devotion to neoliberal economics? Gareth Morgan’s The Opportunities Party (TOP) unveiled an interesting new policy about rental housing this week, proposing to … Read more