Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Long forecast recession finally arrives, NZ First releases list for election, and scramble to come up with gathering guidelines for Auckland tertiary institutes. It almost doesn’t make sense to call this news, but the country has officially tipped over into recession. The reason it’s entirely unsurprising is … Read more
Listen to all four episodes of the series in which Scotty Stevenson and a panel of rugby insiders discuss the state of the sport in New Zealand, and what needs to be done to ensure it has a strong future. This content has been made possible by the support of The Spinoff Members. If you … Read more
In the third part of a full and frank discussion about the state of rugby in New Zealand, Scotty Stevenson and a panel of insiders discuss how best to grow and promote the game. This content has been made possible by the support of The Spinoff Members. If you can, please consider donating here. Find … Read more
A squad of New Zealand’s big sporting bodies just announced they were ‘taking a stand’, to ‘create a positive experience for all young people playing sport’. If they’re serious about achieving both a healthier national culture and a slew of world-class athletes, the model should be Norway, writes Trevor McKewen. “It’s time to change our … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Mayors launch bids to return in Auckland and Wellington, Hamilton’s skyline could change significantly, and support for cannabis legalisation plummets in poll. Two incumbent mayors have launched their re-election campaigns over the weekend, with a bigger fight on their hands than they may have expected. In … Read more
Brothers Fred and Kawhena both wore the black jersey 40-odd years ago, and now their achievements have been outdone in some style by the next Woodman generation, writes Jamie Wall in this extract from his new book. “All I heard growing up was: oh, is your dad Kawhena or Fred? Ohhhh, I played alongside your … Read more
Twelve years since she last watched a Netball World Cup, Alice Webb-Liddall revisits her childhood passion to preview the 2019 competition before the Silver Ferns’ first game tonight. New Zealand has been in a bit of a slump when it comes to netball. What used to be a staple school sport is being closed in … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Doubt cast on full rollout of fees free tertiary education policy, Vodafone NZ sale analysed, and Tamihere proposes partial port privatisation. The fees free policy for tertiary students may not get fully rolled out. Currently, the first year of study is free, and funding for the next … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. A brief note to start today’s edition: The aftermath of the Christchurch mosque attacks will always be an important set of stories to tell. Further down in today’s edition are the most important developments on that from the weekend. However, many other stories from last week need to be caught … Read more
Commentator and former Black Fern Melodie Robinson has become the first New Zealander to be given the Barbie treatment. Melodie Robinson used to imagine she was a superhero and her power was the ability to turn her eyes blue. Not so that she could see in the dark or shoot lasers, but to look more … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Climate change report says it’s now or never for action, legislation aimed at anti-competitive markets prioritised, and Chorus contractors under scrutiny. The latest report from the intergovernmental panel on climate change has been released, and it’s a brutally stark warning. Radio NZ reports that it calls for “unprecedented … Read more
It’s literally impossible to buy Black Ferns merchandise. Madeleine Chapman still tried, and got very angry in the process. You can learn a lot about me by looking in my wardrobe. The first thing you’ll learn is that I dress poorly and it’s a real issue. The second thing you’ll learn is who I support. … Read more
Prove your patriotism and test your knowledge of New Zealand’s rugby heroes, by seeing how many recipes from the NZ Rugby Stars Cookbook you can match to the correct culinary code-head. What do you reckon All Blacks eat? McDonald’s in a stranger’s flat? The flesh of their vanquished enemies? Bunless burgers? Fruit cake? The answer is all … Read more
Advertising a double header rugby event means you have to treat all four teams equally, which Rugby Australia failed to do, says Madeleine Chapman. On Saturday afternoon, before playing an international test match at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, the World Champion Black Ferns warmed up on a small patch of astroturf by the road. Warming up … Read more
The Black Ferns recognition as the World Rugby Team of the Year is a big deal for women athletes around the world. Let’s just say it out loud for those in the back of the room: World Rugby, the body charged with running the game of rugby union around the globe, just handed its Team … Read more
With New Zealand’s rugby-playing women cleaning up at today’s World Rugby Awards, the head of New Zealand’s largest sports management agency outlines why pay parity is a red herring and the Black Ferns are the steak knives of our generation. 2017 might just be remembered as a breakout year for women’s sport. A capacity of … Read more
The next women’s Rugby World Cup should be defended by a team named the All Blacks, argues Jamie Wall. The Black Ferns won the World Cup on Sunday, beating England 42-31 in a highly entertaining advertisement for women’s rugby. Not only did it spark celebrations for an unprecedented fifth Rugby World Cup title, it also … Read more
Following a stellar campaign, the Black Ferns play England in the Rugby World Cup final tomorrow. Former Black Fern Melodie Robinson urges the New Zealand Rugby Union to properly back the only major growth area in the sport in NZ. The future of the Black Ferns will be determined following Sunday morning’s Rugby World Cup … Read more
Traversing through the seven circles of hell that is social media has been made a journey of redemption this week, thanks to a beautiful, beautiful try at the Rugby World Cup. Madeleine Chapman breaks it down frame by frame. Is there anyone on this godforsaken planet who doesn’t enjoy a highlights video? It doesn’t matter … Read more
At least one person will have a bob each way when the Black Ferns take on England in the final of the women’s World Cup on Sunday morning, writes Scotty Stevenson. Rob Jones just can’t help it. He has women hanging off him wherever he goes. He’s surrounded by them. Hell, he lives with five … Read more
As the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour draws to a close, opinion will be divided on whether rugby’s last traditional travelling circus has a future in professional rugby’s congested schedule. The proposed trip to South Africa in 2021 will see the Lions play just eight matches instead of ten. But, as Scotty Stevenson ponders, … Read more
The weather at North Harbour Stadium on Wednesday afternoon was almost as bleak as the Wallaroos’ first performance against the Black Ferns at Eden Park – a 67-3 hammering that would have sent a lesser team packing. But a four-day break makes a massive difference it seems, and the home side were made to work … Read more