Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris: Covid-19 and the Swiss cheese system

The effort to defeat the coronavirus relies on many layers of defence. Or, let’s call them, slices of cheese. One thing that has really irked me during Covid-19 has been the labelling of any mistake in our systems or any unexpected transmission of the virus as a failure. Yes, I understand that the media and … Read more

Siouxsie Wiles: Don’t fall for the Covid contrarians

A small but vocal movement calling for the end of lockdown restrictions is gaining steam globally. Dr Siouxsie Wiles explains why such an approach would be a bad idea. As life in Aotearoa gets back to some kind of normal after our latest Covid-19 outbreak, cases in the northern hemisphere are on the rise again … Read more

Election 2020: The Covid-19 responses in two minutes

Voting is under way in the New Zealand general election. Explore the main parties’ pledges at Policy.nz; in the meantime here’s a whistlestop tour of what’s on offer when it comes to the Covid-19 response and the border. Read more two-minute policy wraps here This is the “Covid election” according to Labour leader Jacinda Ardern. Most … Read more

How the PCR test works and why it’s such a critical weapon against Covid-19

Misinformation about the effectiveness of the test is swirling, but in fact the PCR is both reliable and critical in taking on the virus, explains Siouxsie Wiles. I’ve been asked by several people in recent days whether there is any truth to a video about the Covid-19 PCR test that is currently doing the rounds … Read more

Five things we know about Covid-19 (and five we don’t)

Futurist and evolutionary biologist Robert Hickson (Science Media Centre) on the known and as-yet-unknown aspects of the virus. What we know 1. We know where the virus ultimately came from We know that the virus originally came from bats, and most probably a species of horseshoe bat in South East Asia. However, the spike protein … Read more

The border may be closed, but NZ ignores its place in the world at its peril

Our early success against Covid-19 was lauded the world over. If we want to continue to provide leadership, we need to reinvigorate our approach to foreign affairs, writes Nina Hall. With our borders largely closed, you could be forgiven for thinking that international affairs should take a back seat for a few months. But New … Read more

What it was like inside Siouxsie Wiles’ house in the days leading up to lockdown

Filmmaker Gwen Isaac was meant to be in Japan filming a documentary about a New Zealand MMA fighter. But when Covid-19 hit, she found herself embedded in the household of Dr Siouxsie Wiles, documenting a different type of fight. I had never heard of Siouxsie Wiles before March this year. Then, suddenly, she seemed to … Read more

When the great New Zealand immigration tap suddenly went dry

Covid-19 brought to an abrupt end to an extraordinary period of migration-fuelled population growth for New Zealand. Did we fully understand what was happening – and what comes next, asks Paul Spoonley. See also Duncan Grieve: The ‘staggering’ potential of New Zealand’s returning diaspora Toni Truslove: Returning New Zealanders deserve a softer landing – and … Read more

Election Live, September 7: Labour promises new Matariki public holiday – from 2022

Welcome to The Spinoff’s Election Live for September 7, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other New Zealand news. Find official Covid-19 information here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Explore the parties’ pledges at Policy. I’m on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7pm: The day … Read more

Counting and Countering the infodemic: a deep dive into Covid-19 disinformation

Together with colleagues on The Disinformation Project, Kate Hannah has been studying the vectors and volume of false stories that wrap around the Covid crisis in New Zealand. Here she explains what they’ve learned, and what we might do to tackle it.  As people, as communities, we connect to each other through story; it is … Read more

Live updates, September 6: Four new community Covid cases; Bad Boy v Blobby; Winston v James

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 6, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole country is now in alert level two, with extra restrictions in Auckland. Official information here.  5.30pm: The day in sum There were five new cases of Covid-19 reported, four of them in … Read more

Farewell, Papa Joe – beacon of calm and wise leadership

Dr Collin Tukuitonga pays tribute to his mentor, Dr Joe Williams, who passed away yesterday after a battle with Covid-19.  I have a lot for which to be thankful to Dr Joe Williams, or Papa Joe as we call him in the Pasifika Medical Association family. I was a refugee from the military coup in … Read more

Live updates, September 5: Three new cases, two in the community; potential case in Christchurch investigated

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 5, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole country is now in alert level two, with extra restrictions in Auckland. Official information here. Contact me at aliceneville@thespinoff.co.nz 6.40pm: The day in sum The Ministry of Health was investigating a potential … Read more

Live updates, September 4: Man in 50s with Covid-19 dies in Middlemore Hospital

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 4, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole country is now in alert level two, with extra restrictions in Auckland. Official information here. Contact me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 5.00pm: Man in 50s with Covid-19 dies in Middlemore Hospital A man in … Read more

Live updates, September 3: Ardern back on the campaign trail in Auckland

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 3, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole country is now in alert level two, with extra restrictions in Auckland. Official information here. Contact me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.00pm: The day in sum There were two new cases of Covid-19 in … Read more

Jacinda Ardern voted second on list of world’s top thinkers

The global trophy cabinet swells for the NZ prime minister with a silver in the UK magazine Prospect’s ranking. While you might not guess it by listening to, say, Mike Hosking, the star of Jacinda Ardern continues to shine bright in the international firmament. Not only has the Nobel winning economist Joe Stiglitz judged the … Read more

Live updates, September 2: PM responds to Peters’ Covid dig as parliament adjourns

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 2, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole country is now in alert level two, with extra restrictions in Auckland. Official information here. Contact me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 6.15pm: The day in sum There are another five cases of Covid-19 today, … Read more

Live updates, September 1: Roy Morgan poll released; five new community Covid cases

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 1, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole country is now in alert level two, with extra restrictions in Auckland. Official information here. Contact me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.10pm: The day in sum There were 14 new cases of Covid-19, with … Read more

How Covid is upending time-honoured traditions for Māori and Pasifika families

Covid-19 has changed how all families grieve, but for Pasifika and Māori whānau, it’s disrupted centuries-old traditions, as well as affecting how these families affirm their cultural identity. When a Samoan dies, the home of the deceased will become the focal point for their community for a two- to three-week period.  It’s not uncommon for … Read more

Live updates, August 31: Nine more cases of Covid-19, five in community

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 31, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole country is now in alert level two, with extra restrictions in Auckland. Official information here. Contact me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7pm: The day in sum Auckland has moved to join the rest of … Read more

Live updates, August 30: Ardern ‘incredibly angry’ over mistaken call for South and West Auckland testing

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 30, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ is in level two. More details here. Official information here. Contact me at catherine@thespinoff.co.nz 7.15pm: The day in sum … Read more

Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris: What is the Covid-19 ‘triangle’?

With over 24 million confirmed cases and more than 820,000 people dead, Covid-19 is playing out differently in various parts of the world. To understand this a little better, Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris walk you through the Covid-19 ‘triangle’.  Since this pandemic started, I’ve been getting lots of messages from people and hearing an … Read more

Live updates, August 29: 13 new cases of Covid-19 announced

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 21, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ is in level two. More details here. Official information here. Contact me at jihee@thespinoff.co.nz 7pm: The day in sum There are … Read more

South Aucklanders on the incoming economic crisis: ‘We’re on the shore staring at the tsunami’

Businesses and community organisations in South Auckland are already finding themselves stretched thin – and warn the worst is yet to come.  Māngere businesswoman Toni Helleur employs up to nine people providing corporate massage services across Auckland. But since April, she’s only had one month of income, and following this latest resurgence, the future isn’t … Read more

Live updates, August 28: 12 new Covid-19 cases, five linked to community

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 28, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the return of Covid-19. Auckland is in alert level three until 11.59pm on Sunday. The rest of NZ remains in level two. More details here. Official information here. Contact me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 3.45pm: Police remind Aucklanders to stay … Read more

Covid-19 and pregnancy: Here’s what you need to know

Dr Michelle Wise, an obstetrics and gynaecology specialist, answers some of the most frequently asked questions from pregnant women right now. Are pregnant women more vulnerable than non-pregnant women in getting Covid-19? The short answer is no. The research from around the world shows that pregnant women are not more likely than non-pregnant adults to … Read more

Six months on from NZ’s first case, it’s time for a rethink on our Covid response

New Zealand’s response to the pandemic has won global plaudits – but there is still much room for improvement, write a trio of University of Otago public health experts. This week marks six months since New Zealand’s first Covid-19 case was identified on February 26. So far New Zealand has been largely in reactive mode, … Read more

Live updates, August 27: Christchurch mosque shooter sentenced to life without parole

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 27, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and the return of Covid-19. Auckland is in alert level three until 11.59pm on Sunday. The rest of NZ remains in level two. More details here. Official information here. Contact me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.00pm: The day in sum The … Read more

New poll: How many New Zealanders have seen Covid conspiracies online?

As Auckland faced the resurgence of coronavirus, misinformation proliferated, and a lot of people encountered it, according to the latest Stickybeak poll for The Spinoff. Plus: What is Facebook’s impact on NZ society? With a third of New Zealand under alert level three lockdown, recent weeks have seen false claims around the source of the … Read more