Demand for its e-scooters has been rabid since opening its first New Zealand store two weeks ago. But it turns out, Chinese electronics retailer Mi sells a whole lot more than just tiny modes of transport. For just $679, you could own your very own Lime. Well, not a Lime exactly, but an e-scooter of … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Open letter on China aimed at government, no new taxes if Simon Bridges is elected to government, and three issues could be on the ballot in 2020. The government has been called on to protect academic freedom, and the personal safety of academic Anne-Marie Brady, reports the NZ … Read more
Washington and Beijing won’t be fooled by the bridge and broker rhetoric. They know that should push come to shove New Zealand will have to make a choice writes security consultant Paul Buchanan The Labour-led government in New Zealand has settled on a new mantra when it comes to addressing the US-China rivalry. It claims … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: NZ tries to avoid picking a side in heavyweight trade war, Hamilton bus strikes escalate on both sides, and outspoken academic’s car sabotaged. The week of summits has shown the NZ government to be determined to avoid having to pick a side as the dispute between … Read more
The prime minister must swiftly condemn China on its mass detention of minority groups if her UN speech talking up the virtues of kindness and justice is to hold credibility, writes Newshub’s Rebecca Watson Latest estimates say China has put as many as one million ethnic Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minority groups from the … Read more
From Monday almost 100 NZ exporters are taking part in the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. The forum heralds a more prosperous and integrated China, but it takes place against the background of a debilitating trade war, writes Stephen Jacobi of the NZ International Business Forum Competing economic visions will need to find a … Read more
If there’s one takeaway from the donations controversy that sparked the National Party Meltdown, it’s that we ought to start taking such influence campaigns seriously, writes Branko Marcetic To read the Chinese Embassy response, scroll to end. It’s a story about intraparty conflict and political ambition. It’s a story about potential electoral finance lawbreaking. It’s … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Ross saga flies off in half a dozen different directions, Wellington bus drivers vote on indefinite length strike, and a tragedy for DOC. It’s not really clear what you’d call this story any more, because it’s now about half a dozen different stories. That follows another wild … Read more
We must never be afraid to stand up against undue influence, writes Anne-Marie Brady, the NZ academic whose publications about China led, she believes, to break-ins at her home and office Earlier this week America’s public radio NPR published a major feature which identified New Zealand and Australia as “Ground Zero For Chinese Influence”. The … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Health minister plans crackdown on synthetic drugs, new research and development tax credits announced, and Taxpayers Union rumbled for using fake names. Health minister David Clark has announced that he will push for synthetic drugs to be reclassified as Class A, reports Newshub. That would put them on … Read more
If NZ wants to continue to build the relationship with China, we need to get serious about the initiative that defines the country’s view of its place in the world, writes Stephen Jacobi of the NZ China Council Five years ago when he announced his grand vision for investment-led development along ancient trade routes linking … Read more
‘We call ourselves slow-fast fashion’. Ellen Falconer meets the young label working across hemispheres and subverting the traditional Fashion Week model. On a yacht moored in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour last Wednesday, a crowd of 50 fashionistas sipped gin cocktails and slipped their feet into towelling slides with the words ‘oh hej’ stitched across the top. … Read more
China is home to more than half a billion gamers – and Auckland game developer Allan Xia wants to help New Zealand’s gaming industry tap into the opportunities the market offers. China has 575 million game users, is home to the world’s largest gaming company, and has a gaming market that has doubled in revenue … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: No resolution to teacher pay dispute despite strike, Fonterra gets a new boss for now, and some interesting bits from the NBR Rich List. Tens of thousands of teachers went on strike yesterday, and it doesn’t appear to be the end of the matter. Rallies were … Read more
A lily-livered foreigner braves the fiery cauldron that is Chóngqìng’s specialty. You know your food’s going to be fucking hot when the restaurant has installed a sprinkler system to spray you with a cooling mist while you eat. Recovering in the comfort of my hostel 24 hours after my first Chóngqìng hotpot (huǒ guō), I … Read more
From the alleyways of Běijīng to the Tibetan highlands, independent brewing is on the rise in the world’s most populous nation. When we think of China, chances are we don’t think of craft beer. You might put that down to the legacy of popular beers like Tsingtao, Harbin or Snow. Tsingtao, of the seaside city … Read more
Monday’s announcement that the government would be spending billions on surveillance planes was in stark contrast to the nurses’ placards, writes Guyon Espiner for RNZ. It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber’ – so goes the … Read more
The angst of a Wellington winter melts away amid the tongue-tingling tastes of the Middle Kingdom. You’re in the break room guarding the microwave as your soup-berg slowly circles. Your toast’s just gone down. Pete comes in. You eyeball him: lay down that Vogel’s bro, this needs at least another minute. The weather’s shit. Work … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Nurses strike set to take place tomorrow, China responds to Defence paper that names their country, and Auckland Council is being taken to court over two extremist speakers. In what is arguably the most important story of the year so far, the nurses strike is back … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Defence Force outlines what they say are complex and emerging threats, cochlear implant funding effectively cut, and there’s a public service strike today. The Defence Force is warning about increasingly complex threats, including from Russia and China, in their strategic policy statement released on Friday. Newshub reports that both those … Read more
Ron Mark on Friday revealed the most important foreign policy statement we have seen yet from the new government, including an unmistakable shift in NZ’s position on China, writes David Capie The government’s Strategic Defence Policy Statement, launched on Friday by defence minister Ron Mark, signals a new view of New Zealand’s security challenges. It … Read more
Fonterra rejects claims by Chinese media that formula maker Beingmate reportedly failed to check additives came from licensed suppliers. Chinese media have reported that Fonterra’s troubled investment Beingmate failed to check additives in its infant formula came from licensed suppliers, and the additives were certified for use. On Friday 15 June, Chinese authorities announced the … Read more
We sell great mass-produced milk products – the best, even. But it’s sumptuous leathergoods, made from farmed deer nappa specifically, that’s getting a new generation of made in New Zealand brands into the hands of Chinese consumers. When The Spinoff’s Jihee Jun visited Alibaba in Hangzhou, she discovered that our biggest sellers on ‘the Chinese Amazon’ were … Read more
In less than 20 years, e-commerce giant Alibaba has revolutionised how people buy, pay, sell and market products in the world’s most populous nation. Jihee Junn travelled to its headquarters in China to see Alibaba’s complex ecosystem in action and find out how New Zealand companies are using it to leverage their entry into the … Read more
Last night North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in met for the first time, pledging a new era of friendship between the two countries. In today’s Cheat Sheet: is peace finally about to come for the people of Korea? What’s all this about then? The leaders of North and … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: A huge sack of cash for Auckland’s transport, a damning new child poverty report, and jailhouse snitches in the spotlight. The government and council will put $28 billion dollars towards a major plan to fix Auckland’s transport woes. Here’s a handy key facts story from Stuff, because there … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Don Rowe asks a space scientist if we’re all dead courtesy of a Chinese space station set to hit Earth this month. What’s all this then? An out of control Chinese space station is expected to smash into … Read more
China is the biggest beer market in the world and craft beer is a fast-rising category. Sam Gaskin looks at how China could become a multi-million dollar venture for local craft brewers in New Zealand. On a dark section of Shanghai’s Fahuazhen Road, a violently bright sign tells you when you’ve arrived at The Beer Lady. … Read more
The fiery rhetoric of campaigns gone by has been replaced by a more pro-China stance in a recent speech. Despite expectations in some quarters that Winston Peters might take a harder line on China during his tenure as the new NZ Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, he firmly put that idea to bed last … Read more