For most of us, the commute to and from work is an unavoidably tedious part of our daily routine. But for a lucky few, it’s an opportunity to experience some of Aotearoa’s most stunning landscapes. There are few things in life more polarising than the daily commute. From gridlocked nudges along motorways listening to talk … Read more
Houses might be the most popular and inflated purchases in New Zealand, but there are plenty of other products that are seeing soaring demand and prices over the past few months. Here’s a list of what New Zealanders are spending their money on with international travel out of the picture. Used cars (including vans) In … Read more
He thought he’d moved on, but the news the Holden brand was being killed off hit Trevor McKewen harder than he expected. Here he reminisces about a youthful infatuation that never quite burned out. A part of me died this week and I didn’t see it coming. Holden has shut up shop permanently. American parent … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Govt rejects idea to ban petrol car imports in 2035, firefighters say they’re facing a workforce crisis, and Tamihere pledges rate freeze. A strange sort of stoush erupted at the end of last week around petrol and diesel car sales. On Friday, Newsroom reported that the ministry of … Read more
Auckland is going through a period of rapid change. Hayden Donnell talks to an urban design advisor about whether it’s possible to transform the city without riling everyone up. With local body elections less than three months away, Auckland is divided in two. On one side are people who want to continue reshaping the city … Read more
You may have seen the picture, but do you know the people and the policies behind it? Hayden Donnell takes a trip inside Auckland’s newest lobby group, OpenTheBooks. Read Clive Matthew-Wilson’s response to this article here Have you ever looked at Auckland’s sclerotic roads, its traffic jams stretching to the horizon, and thought: “You know … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Zero carbon bill finally unveiled to mixed response, OCR cut to record lows, and Auckland councillor alleges poorer suburbs are subsidising wealthier areas. Last year, climate change minister James Shaw told Newshub Nation that he’d be happy if everyone else was “equally unhappy” with the final shape of the … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Electric vehicle incentives now well overdue, mental health inquiry accused of suppressing Māori voices, and tensions erupt at Auckland Uni anti-racism hui. The incentive package to entice people to buy electric vehicles is well overdue and still nowhere to be seen. Lobby group Drive Electric told Stuff that the target … Read more
Lots of people can’t drive, including Haimona Gray. He talks to a few famous people who are similarly impaired, and gets behind the wheel in the only way he knows how: video games. My first memory of driving a car involves the 1994 Sega arcade classic, Daytona USA. As of writing, it remains the closest … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Hayden Donnell reviews all New Zealand roads after driving 2500km in four days. The route over Takaka Hill is less a road than a rickety goat track hewn into the side of a mountain. It’s afflicted by slips and … 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 Parkable co-founder Brody Nelson whose business is using technology to shake up traditional parking. ONE: How did Parkable start and what was the inspiration behind it? Parkable started in 2015 when its … Read more
How could it be Commute Week without an ode to New Zealand’s favourite mode of transport? Public transport is definitely on the rise but for many Kiwis the car is king for a couple of vital reasons: it runs to your schedule and you don’t have to share it with anyone else. Oh, and it … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, it’s all about the government’s compulsory recall of Takata airbags. This article was published in April 2018 Remind me, what’s being recalled again? Airbags. More specifically, airbags manufactured by the Japanese company Takata. A fault was discovered in … Read more
You plug in your phone at night, why not the car as well? Gareth Shute describes the joys (and dramas) of being an EV owner. We were just coming down the hill to Piha when I realised our car wouldn’t have enough power to get back to the city. There’d been 100-kilometres on the clock … Read more
$760 for half an hour of illicit car parking? Seems steep. Rebecca Stevenson investigates how the clamping industry operates. They are back at it again. Bashford Antiques, the clamping company hiding in plain sight as a second hand shop, audaciously claimed $760 from a punter who parked in its Ponsonby car park. It seems like a lot … Read more
Consider this: while you’re at work, slaving away, putting in hours for The Man, your car is sitting at home doing a whole lot of nothing. Like some apathetic teenager it sulks in the garage, taking up space and contributing basically nothing to the household finances. No more! With Yourdrive, a peer-to-peer car rental service, … Read more
Is Cars 3 a stealth feminist smash hit? Mum of three Angela Cuming gives her verdict on a franchise that has never been very good in the past. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Pixar films. As in I’ve hated how much people have loved them because to me they’ve always been a testimony … Read more
Plans for post-quake Christchurch promised a focus on transport alternatives and a compact, pedestrian-friendly core. But media generated hysteria over car parking – and the meddling of Gerry Brownlee – is threatening to send the city back to the 60s, writes James Dann. Since his appointment as the head of CERA, Gerry Brownlee has often been called the … Read more
Last week we invited you to lob your questions regarding autonomous cars at AUT professor Reinhard Klette, New Zealand’s foremost expert on the subject. Today he responds to a selection of the many questions he received, and explains why driverless cars might not be as close as you think. Professor Reinhard Klette, former professor at … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Of all the streets I regularly drive on, Patteson Ave is the worst. Not for its condition or quality, but for the danger it puts you in by combining off-street parking, a hill, poor visibility and double yellow lines. I … Read more
Chris Ingam is not the only parent who has the shits with Pixar after seeing the trailer for Cars 3. The graphic car crash that comprises the trailer suggests hero to many children Lightening McQueen has carked it. Chris asks the hard questions – can cars die and why the Hell do they need to … Read more