Do no harm: Dr Shane Reti on leading National’s changed Covid-19 response

Shane Reti

Shane Reti has emerged in recent weeks as the opposition’s most capable communicator in the age of Covid-19. Justin Giovannetti speaks with ‘Dr Shane’ about the changes he’s brought to National and how he’d seek to improve New Zealand’s response to the coronavirus. The National Party’s path to effective opposition on Covid-19 has been anything … Read more

Confusion over what ‘alert level 2.5’ means for Auckland rest homes

Uncertainty over alert level rules in Auckland has seen a rest home open its doors to visitors for just one day, before shutting them again. As Stewart Sowman-Lund reports, care homes across the city are taking very different approaches to alert level two. All 14 Bupa care homes in Auckland shut their doors yesterday, keeping … 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

Amanda Palmer isn’t going anywhere

Love her or hate her, US musician Amanda Palmer has no plans to leave New Zealand anytime soon. She opens up to Stewart Sowman-Lund about her new life in Havelock North and the moment she was left alone in a foreign country during a pandemic. Amanda Palmer has been in the country since just before … Read more

Auckland retail stores can open today – but some are staying closed

The move to ‘level 2.5’ means retailers are allowed to reopen from today. Still, some have decided they’re not ready to return to normal trading. Michael Andrew reports. Despite the end of alert level three and the relaxing of restrictions, at least one Auckland retailer has decided to keep its physical store closed as an … Read more

The Bulletin: Is Auckland ready for level two?

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Auckland drops down to alert level two, poor government communications create huge queues for testing, and eyebrows raised at US ambassador dodging quarantine facilities. Ready or not, the country’s largest city is as of this morning at alert level two. It’s fair enough to ask whether … 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

Shame on Judge Sainsbury, shame on us all

Abstract illustration of hands holding prison bars, on blue background.

The two week jail sentence handed out to the woman who breached isolation with her grieving children is an abomination, writes Leonie Hayden. In a week where New Zealanders are celebrating the prison sentence of a monster who murdered 51 people, we all need to think hard about what we’re celebrating. I choose to leave … Read more

How supermarkets chopped product ranges after the Covid-19 lockdowns

New Zealand’s Covid-19 lockdowns triggered intense panic buying of flour, toilet paper and canned foods. In response, one of our largest grocery companies decided to cut its product range, writes Rebecca Stevenson for BusinessDesk. Foodstuffs’ store owners have narrowed the range of products sold as a result of the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. Foodstuffs North Island … 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

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the strange week ending August 28

The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1  The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle (Allen & Unwin, $33) “We are left, breathless, at the last, game-changing sentence.” … 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

The Bulletin: Christchurch mosque shooter sentencing, and what comes afterwards

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Christchurch mosque shooter sentenced to life without parole, hundreds of millions set aside for Covid-19 vaccine, and the diverging inequalities of the economic recovery. The Christchurch mosque shooter will never leave prison for the rest of his natural life. Yesterday afternoon, a sentence of life without … 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

What you need to know about New Zealand’s new face mask rules

Will I get fined? Can I use a scarf? And what about on the school bus? All your questions about face masks on public transport, answered here. When and where do I have to wear a mask exactly? From Monday, all New Zealanders will be required to wear a face mask on public transport for … 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

Collective impact: Shining the light on community post Covid-19

The pandemic exposed inequality in different communities, but it also revealed solutions. This is the first essay in a new series examining the effects of Covid-19 on New Zealand, in partnership with Te Pūnaha Matatini. By Anna Matheson, Krushil Watene, Grace Vujnovich, Turei Mackey. The kids sang and danced. Parents and supporters carried trays of … Read more

The Bulletin: Mixed messages on freshwater regulations

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Mixed messages on freshwater regulations, Christchurch gunman won’t address court, and an important story about what happens after a positive Covid-19 test. National leader Judith Collins has told a Facebook live chat that the government’s freshwater regulations will be “gone by lunchtime” if National wins. As Stuff’s Henry … 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

So you’ve tested positive for Covid. Here’s what happens next

If you’re worried about getting a Covid-19 test because of fears of going into quarantine, don’t be. Here’s what you need to know, to make one scary thing a little less scary. The government’s decision to move community cases of Covid-19 into quarantine facilities has raised fears among some New Zealanders that might stop them … Read more

Live updates, August 26: America’s Cup probe clears Team NZ; mosque gunman won’t address court

Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 26, 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 stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.15pm: The day in sum … Read more

After dark politics lockcast: The masked bawl

Join the the country’s most mellifluous political pod trio, the Alert Level Three, for another late-night lockdown edition of Gone By Lunchtime. Covid-19 continues to dominate the political agenda, with Jacinda Ardern and cabinet having extended level three for the Auckland region until the end of the weekend. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire … Read more

Covid-19 has made our cold, damp housing problem even more serious

Cold, damp and mouldy homes are devastating to human heath. But Covid-19 has illuminated the true danger of our national problem. Is there anything more quintessentially Kiwi than a cold, damp home? The black mould on the windowsills, the musty odour in the wardrobe, the sore throat in the morning: they’ve all become the common … Read more

Time is our only non-renewable resource. It feels more precious than ever now

Two weeks into Auckland’s second lockdown, Sam Brooks reflects on the strange distortion of time in alert level three. I remember exactly where I was when Lockdown: The Sequel was announced. Actually, no. I remember exactly where I was when it was announced that Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield were going to be making a … Read more