In her first years of adulthood, Jai Breitnauer found herself living in a bold and hopeful nation. More than two decades on, she laments on how the Britain we know now came to be. Apparently, fish off the coast of the United Kingdom are happier because they’re British. This is what leader of the House … Read more
Good morning and welcome to the final Bulletin of 2020. In today’s edition: A wrap of some of the issues that will matter in 2021, and a reflection on coming out of this tough year with hope. For the final Bulletin of the year, we’ll once again look ahead to the next one: Some people might … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Why it matters Wairoa lost their dentist service, commercial rent relief won’t be revisited by government, and four year term referendum looking likely. It can be hard enough for key workers to live in the big cities, with the high cost of living. But for many … Read more
Having started the pandemic storyline, God, or perhaps the scriptwriters working on the world’s stories, have lost the plot. By Linda Burgess. Even my internal monologue is boring. Even reliving old fights with my sister, old crushes, old ideas for stories, is like trudging along a street where all the houses are meanly built and … Read more
After the Spinoff recounted Leave.EU heads telling Britain’s Daily Telegraph they had ‘dispatched’ a team to Auckland to work with NZ First, the party leader issued a deeply curious statement. The day began with news that the “bad boys of Brexit” were back and they were coming to New Zealand. The Daily Telegraph, newspaper of … Read more
After previously stonewalling inquiries on the matter, Leave.EU ‘bad boy’ Arron Banks has told a UK newspaper he is sending a team to New Zealand to work on Winston Peters’ NZ First campaign. Justin Giovannetti reports. New Zealand First has hired a crew of political operators from one of the most aggressive groups in the … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New benefits and new taxes in effect from today, questions raised over whether a leading Brexiteer is getting into NZ politics, and contrasting polls on cannabis legalisation. Today is a big day for New Zealand, with a whole lot of previously announced policies coming into … Read more
The bankroller of Nigel Farage’s Brexit campaign has spent most of 2020 in New Zealand, where he became an ardent supporter of Winston Peters and the NZ First Party – and the feeling appears to be mutual. Justin Giovannetti on the puzzle of a polarising British political figure and a small party in a small … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Repeated blunders shake faith in quarantine system, report finds ministry was unprepared on PPE, and trade negotiations with Britain begin. New measures will be taken around the border quarantine system after a series of idiotic failings. Our live blog has the details, including the news that the health … Read more
It’s called ‘CANZUK’, and it’s a bad idea. New Zealand should not be suckered in by dreams of Empire 2.0, writes Lewis Holden. The clock struck 11 on January 31, 2020 and it was all over. Britain was out of the European Union after 47 years. Under the much-maligned Brexit deal there’s still another 11 … Read more
UK-based New Zealand journalist Nicola Kean on Boris Johnson’s big victory, and the conundrum of voting under a FPP system. Politics is a brutal business. My clearest memory in the sleep-deprived aftermath of New Zealand’s 2017 campaign was Te Ururoa Flavell weeping in the Mediaworks carpark after stepping down as Māori Party leader live on … Read more
Once again, Britain is going to the polls in an attempt to dig themselves out of the utter mess they’re in around Brexit. Will this one finally sort it all out? What’s all this then? A dream outcome for those who want nothing more than the chance to see big, dramatic elections: The home of … Read more
Even the most ardent Remainers are hoping that a deal will at least bring closure to the interminable wrangling over Brexit. That’s wishful thinking, writes UK political scientist Helen Parr. Brexit seems deadlocked after the UK House of Commons voted in favour of Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement, but against the timetable to push the legislation … Read more
Britain and the EU have agreed new terms for divorce. But with the Conservatives’ Northern Irish support party unimpressed, can the British prime minister at last put an end to the interminable shitstorm? At last, a deal! A palpable deal! A path out of the endless brain-melt! “Where there is a will, there is a … Read more
Britain’s supreme court has unanimously slapped down Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s suspension of parliament. It’s just the latest in the disaster zone that is UK politics, and Tony Burton reckons New Zealanders have good cause to feel smug. Just when you thought Brexit could not get more weird, it did. It is hard to exaggerate … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: How electorate boundaries could change, plans to bring agriculture into the ETS stall, and another scandal hits state care abuse Royal Commission. Electorate boundary changes look set to make a few of Labour’s South Island strongholds a little less safe, reports Elena McPhee of the ODT. Both … Read more
The prime minister of Britain neatly fits the description of a ‘sneaky fucker’, writes Tony Burton Boris Johnson is a sneaky fucker. I mean that in the technical sense. The term is attributed to evolutionary biologist John Maynard Smith to describe the male deer who trick their way into the dominant male’s harem rather than … Read more
Absolute scenes are unfolding in UK right now, with PM Boris Johnson getting an agreement from the Queen to suspend parliament. As you might imagine, it’s all about getting Brexit over the line. Alex Braae has a cheat sheet explaining all. Wait, he can do that? Yes, PM Boris Johnson does have the right to … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Environment minister blocks Waitaha River power scheme, Britain shaken by parliament suspension plan, and measles outbreak spikes in South Auckland. The government has made an important decision to not allow a West Coast hydro power scheme to go ahead. Stuff reports environment minister David Parker declined the … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: What PM Boris Johnson could mean for NZ, Uyghur refugee in NZ fears long arm of Chinese law, and govt sets out on path towards RMA reform. There was a huge amount of interest yesterday in Boris Johnson becoming PM of Britain, so today we’ll … Read more
Funny, charismatic, erudite – what could possibly go wrong? First published in July 2019 The votes are in and the people have decided – correction: the Conservative Party membership has decided – that the new prime minister of the United Kingdom shall be Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. The former journalist, former mayor of London … Read more
It’s final time. The Offspin team are joined by actor, Lotto host and passionate cricket fan Sonia Gray – do we dare to believe in a Black Caps World Cup victory? It’s still hard to fathom, but we’re in the final again. And it’s against the English, who overcame the sandpaper canaries. Ahead of that … 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
‘Milkshaking’ is on the rise in Brexit-divided Britain. But is throwing milky treats the best form of political protest? Hayden Donnell investigates. With just hours to go until polls opened in the European elections, Nigel Farage cowered in his campaign’s Brexit bus, surrounded on all sides by gangs of milkshake-throwing youths. Just weeks earlier, his … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Remembrance service in Christchurch to be broadcast nationwide, skepticism about social media extremism crackdown, and warnings made before bridge collapsed. All eyes will turn to Christchurch today once more. A National Remembrance Service will be held to mark two weeks since the mosque attack, which took 50 … 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
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Brexit No Deal threat looms for Kiwi exporters, students to go on climate strike today, and families of disabled people fear support cuts by stealth. New Zealand businesses are being told they need to prepare now for the possibility of an imminent no-deal Brexit. The UK is … Read more
As the United Kingdom wakes in yet another pool of fevered Brexit sweat, here are the essential things to know – and a glossary for bluffing your way through a conversation about it all Just when you thought the USA was running away with the title of most abjectly humiliating end-of-empire flameout, Britain has surged … Read more
Lunch at Downing Street, pottery retreats with Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi… New Zealand’s best-known chef has built quite a life for himself in London, but, now more than ever, he yearns for Aotearoa. This content was created in partnership with The Collective He’s been a top chef in London for three decades, with a … Read more