A thousand native trees were planted in Queenstown to create a National Welcome Forest – Te Waonui a Tāne – as a symbol of manaakitanga for new migrants. Former race relations commissioner, Joris de Bres, explains the origins of the initiative. The name Te Wāonui a Tāne (the Great Forest of Tāne) derives from the … Read more
The man responsible for the murder of 51 people in a Christchurch mosque has been sentenced to life with no possibility of parole – the first sentence of its kind in New Zealand. Tim Brown reports for RNZ. Warning: This story includes descriptions of the March 15 Christchurch mosque shootings. The man who carried out … Read more
The victims and families of those who died in the Christchurch mosque shootings tell their stories. Compiled by Tim Brown for RNZ. Warning: This story includes eye-witness accounts of the March 15 Christchurch mosque shootings. On March 15 2019, evil entered two mosques in Christchurch and in just 15 minutes, 51 people lay dead or dying. … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Battle over whether opening the borders is tenable, Christchurch mosque shooter interview concerns, and Paula Bennett leaves politics. The first thing to note about the opening of the borders is that it is unlikely to happen any time soon. The PM declared yesterday afternoon that the prospect was … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: List of infrastructure projects for fast-tracking announced, Labour releases list for election, and concerns raised about police firearms vetting process. Get your shovels out – 11 projects have been announced to start imminently after being included in an infrastructure fast-tracking bill. As Stuff reports, the inclusion is aimed … Read more
This morning the Christchurch shooter changed tack and entered a guilty plea to 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one under the Terrorism Suppression Act. We can now call him what he is: a terrorist. But there are questions that still need to be addressed, writes Anjum Rahman. I’ve just received the … Read more
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members … Read more
Some thought the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes would be the end of Christchurch – they weren’t. For all its unique challenges, we have it in us to get through Covid-19, too, writes earthquake scientist Ursula Cochran. We can do this. Darfield 2010, Christchurch 2011, Seddon 2013, Kaikōura 2016. We have already had our lives turned … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: March 15 memorial service to go ahead, more travel restrictions likely to be announced, and moves against migrant exploitation in spotlight. Unless there is a last minute cancellation, commemorations of the March 15 mosque attacks will be going ahead this weekend. Stuff reports that because of a … Read more
A proper reckoning with March 15 2019 demands that we take up a generations-long struggle to destroy all the exclusions that make up our society and produce the conditions we know as racism. An essay by Morgan Godfery. This work is made possible by Spinoff Members. 1 I was cleaning out the garage the other … Read more
She had a modest message about peace and solidarity to share, and then it was confiscated from her. Something perturbing happened to my friend at the cricket. It was, on the face of it, a minor act of censorship that went unnoticed by most. It might have been something and it might have been nothing. … Read more
As a rising Hindu nationalism exerts itself in India, online Indian communities in New Zealand are also seeing a growth in Islamophobic sentiment. It was the scariest night of his life. Mohammad still remembers hiding in a shallow ditch with his family. He remembers covering his one-year-old brother’s mouth each time the toddler cried out … Read more
On Friday 15 March, a terrorist attack in Christchurch took the lives of 50 people at prayer. Eighteen months into her first term as prime minister, Jacinda Ardern faced a formidable task: communicate what happened, embrace a ruptured community, and force through real reform. Madeleine Chapman reports. This was first published 22 March, 2019. The … Read more
The leadership shown by tangata whenua at every national disaster and tragedy should be recognised and honoured by all of us, writes Catherine Delahunty. I do appreciate having a prime minister who is capable of expressing decent, human emotions when tragedies descend on us. It’s a sadly low bar that she rises above. We live … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Law changes likely over prison mail system, sharp drops in Northland vaccinations, and PM still has no plans to visit Ihumātao. Law changes are looking likely over what mail prisoners can send and receive. One News has reported on the announcement made by PM Jacinda Ardern, which … Read more
Fears are growing about the seemingly unstoppable descent into alt-right radicalisation many young men are falling into. A visiting expert says it doesn’t have to be like that, reports Sophie Bateman. Since the Christchurch mosque attacks, a number of urgent changes have been made in New Zealand: semi-automatic weapons have been banned, media guidelines for … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Second round of gun law changes announced, hundreds with conditions like Down syndrome get early Kiwisaver, and a major refusal to participate in March 15 inquiry. The second major phase of gun law reform has been announced by the government. Interest reports a gun register will be … Read more
The government’s reluctance to front up about support for mentally traumatised mosque shooting survivors has shone a spotlight on the limitations of ACC, writes RNZ’s Veronica Schmidt. The difficulty with being held up as a symbol of empathy and compassion is trying to live up to the image forever after. In the days after the … Read more
It will always be hard to keep Muslim and migrant perspectives in the foreground as long as material support is wanting, write Mohan Dutta and Murdoch Stephens After the mosque attacks in Christchurch, there was a strong call from media to centre Muslim responses. For a few short weeks, the voices from the attacked communities … Read more
The young Indian man assaulted on the streets of Sandringham earlier this month migrated to New Zealand believing it was a peaceful, tolerant place. Our history suggests otherwise, writes Scott Hamilton. Content warning: contains racist language and descriptions of violence. The man had been enjoying the June winter sunshine, walking the deserted midday streets of … Read more
We’ve heard a great deal about the Kiwi response to the Christchurch terror attack but less from inside the event. Historian Ann Beaglehole considers how we support victims to ensure the history is written from their perspectives. When outside forces attack, there is a risk of victims focusing inwards and becoming alienated. Following the Christchurch … Read more
It is going to be a long journey to rebuild communities where people feel safe after the Christchurch terror attack. But if we commit to working together, it’s possible, former refugee Dennis Maang writes on World Refugee Day. Following the Christchurch terror attack, I’ve wondered how I will be able to regain the feeling of … Read more
Wahida Zahedi’s love for Christchurch began with a postcard of the Port Hills, sent from almost 14,700km away. This World Refugee Day, she shares her journey from Afghanistan to her new home. Christchurch. How can I describe this magical city? The place I now call home. A city full of dreams, happiness, hope, laughter and … Read more
Cantabrians have shown great compassion and generosity to Muslim and migrant communities following the terrorist attacks. But properly healing the wounds of March 15 also requires facing up to the city’s racist history, writes Dr Rawiri Taonui Content warning: this post includes offensive images and descriptions of violence and racist language. Following the terrorist attacks … Read more
A new poem by acclaimed poet and performer Tusiata Avia. Massacre Thursday 14 March When I arrive in Auckland and Hine learns that I have moved back to Christchurch she asks me if I know it is a bad place it is built on a swamp many bad things have been done … Read more
A trans-Tasman conference is being held this Friday to discuss the cultures that breed racism and extremism in Australasia. Tayyaba Khan, founder of Khadija Leadership Network, and Farida Sultana, founder of Shakti New Zealand and Australia spoke to The Spinoff about why it’s so important to continue the discussion. There was not much else on … Read more
Christchurch resident Sara Green* reflects on what it was like growing up Jewish in New Zealand, and what it means to be an ethnic minority today. My initial intent with this essay was to give a personal perspective of how it felt to belong to an ethnic minority in New Zealand. Then the world as … Read more
The addition of terrorism to the litany of charges facing the Christchurch gunman will make no difference to the severity of his sentence. It still matters, writes criminologist Keiran Hardy. On Tuesday, the gunman in the Christchurch mosque shootings was charged with committing a terrorist act. The new charge came more than two months after … Read more
The Royal Commission investigating the March 15 attacks will look to determine if the event could (and should) have been prevented. AUT law professor Kris Gledhill explains what the Commission needs to do to stay on the right track. The Christchurch mosque attacks raise both narrow and wider issue. The narrow issue, in the hands of … Read more