A global pandemic may still be raging, but those who must travel abroad to help suffering loved ones should be shown empathy and understanding, writes Rebecca Howard for BusinessDesk. We pat ourselves on the back for dodging the Covid-19 bullet. We are vaguely smug as we head to the beach, to restaurants, summer barbecues and … Read more
‘We do not agree with the opinions expressed,’ said the Ministry of Education of the Te Kūiti High School acting assistant principal, who wanted to spark debate with an email attachment that included false claims around the ‘controlavirus’ and Bill Gates. The acting assistant principal at Te Kūiti High School shared conspiracy material that dismissed … Read more
New research reveals dramatic increases in the assessment of government trustworthiness. Shaun Goldfinch of Curtin Universty, Robin Gauld of the University of Otago, and Ross Taplin of Curtin University explain the findings, and why they matter. It has become accepted wisdom that the Covid-19 pandemic has seen trust in government rise across countries. But by … Read more
Books editor Catherine Woulfe reviews Bethany Clift’s Last One at the Party. What lots of reviewers mean when they say “compelling” is, I think, something like, “Reading is my job now; thank god this one was actually quite good.” I’m going to say “compelling” about this one and I mean something closer to the dictionary … Read more
He quit politics to care for a wife who had suffered a brain haemorrhage. Today he holds leading roles at the apex of the two great challenges facing South Auckland: housing and health. Vui Mark Gosche tells Justin Latif why a change is coming. He is one of the most powerful people in South Auckland. … Read more
The social media mob that was so quick to condemn NZ Breaker Tom Abercrombie and his family need to understand the intense challenges faced by autistic people – especially children – in restricted environments like MIQ, writes Denise Carter-Bennett, an autistic mother of an autistic child. Last week, media reported that professional basketball player Tom … Read more
Bigger, better, faster responses are needed to meet future bio-threats: no more acting like ‘stunned mullets’, is the message from independent review leader Helen Clark, writes Nick Wilson. The world must decide what needs to change to prevent events like the Covid-19 pandemic happening again, according to the former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark. … Read more
A surprisingly large number of people could be getting a Covid jab within the next few weeks – but don’t go marking it in your diary just yet. There’s light at the end of the tunnel as New Zealand’s medical regulator gave the thumbs up to a Covid-19 vaccine yesterday. With the jab from Pfizer … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Australia has tough week with lockdowns and bushfires, controlled Covid case detected in community, and lead levels in Otago towns much higher than previously thought. Our cousins over the ditch are having a tough time of it at the moment, with Covid-19 lockdowns coinciding with … Read more
Intensive care nurse Edith Scott came to London two years ago to experience life in an exciting, diverse global city. Now she’s part of the desperate fight against Covid-19. She tells George Fenwick about the realities of life in an East End Covid ward. Last week, the UK hit a sobering milestone in the Covid-19 … Read more
Grounded in the UK, Scarlett Cayford is nostalgic for a very specific reading experience. In order to qualify as an “airport book” a novel must meet a very specific set of requirements. The first, unsurprisingly, is that it must be purchased at an airport. But this is far from being the only defining characteristic of … Read more
The chorus of online judgement that appears each time we have a community case could have grave implications for New Zealand’s Covid-19 response, writes Ayesha Verrall, an infectious diseases doctor and associate minister of health. It’s never easy telling someone they have HIV. But having done it dozens of times, I have grown more comfortable … Read more
Wondering why the Covid-19 vaccines were able to be developed so quickly? Fair enough, too. Let me explain, writes Joel Rindelaub. Under the headline “Why I wouldn’t give son vaccine yet”, the NZ Herald yesterday published a story questioning the safety of the latest Covid-19 vaccines. It was irresponsible reporting, and they have rightly removed … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for February 1. Contact us at info@spinoff.co.nz. Keep The Spinoff ticking by donating here. 5.45pm: NZ ‘deeply concerned’ about Myanmar coup The minister of foreign affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, has issued a statement in response to events in Myanmar (see 1.45pm). Here it is, in full: “Aotearoa New Zealand is … Read more
At times, the knowledge that a return to NZ won’t be likely for an unknowable amount of time can bring an achy sort of feeling, writes Emma Gilkison. In Berlin, we are in the middle of a long, dreary Covid winter. We’ve been back in lockdown since mid December, after the “lockdown-lite” of November. The … Read more
Filimone Vuna’s heartwarming story is a good reminder that older people may not fully understand NZ Covid Tracer app technology, writes Vaimoana Tapaleao for the NZ Herald. Sola Vuna did not think anything of it when his father called his daughter Praize over to help fix his cellphone which had started to run out of … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 29, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz Our members make The Spinoff happen! Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us from as little as … Read more
Is it plausible that the new cases contracted in the Pullman hotel in Auckland were transmitted via pipes? Here’s what the science tells us. As the investigation to determine how three people became infected with Covid-19 during their stay in New Zealand’s managed isolation and quarantine system gets away, it is worth considering a few … Read more
An open letter to prime minister Jacinda Ardern, minister of foreign affairs Nanaia Mahuta and trade minister Damien O’Connor on supporting a People’s Vaccine Dear Prime Minister Ardern and Ministers Mahuta and O’Connor, The world has watched Aotearoa New Zealand’s remarkable response to Covid-19. Our leaders struck a different path from many other countries, one … Read more
As dozens of unions, advocacy groups and NGOs sign an open letter to the NZ government, Phoebe Carr and Edward Miller make the case for replicating the values of our domestic Covid response on a global scale. The world watched stunned as New Zealand eliminated Covid-19 from our islands. We did it by listening to … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Nervous wait for Northland and Auckland, trade minister annoys Aussies with China comments, and long-awaited clean car standards finally on the way. At the moment it looks like the top of the country might have got away with a very lucky escape, in the latest … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 28, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz Our members make The Spinoff happen! Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us from as little as … Read more
Having a hard time remembering to scan in on the NZ Covid Tracer app when you’re out and about? Get this song stuck in your head and you’ll never forget again. Learn the lyrics: Aotearoa, it’s time to get scanning! I mean if you think about it, it never really wasn’t time we just kind … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Tourism suffers in the shadow of Covid-19, two new positive cases in Auckland confirmed, and National will contest the Māori electorates. The front page of the January 4 Greymouth Star carried grim tidings for several of the glacier towns on the West Coast. The reporting has … Read more
Ignoring those QR codes when you drop into the supermarket? Can’t be bothered when you grab a coffee? The people serving you notice, and you’re freaking them out. So far, New Zealanders’ use of the Covid-19 Tracer app has been notably woeful. Food industry workers who’ve watched streams of customers walk straight past their workplace’s … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 27, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz Our members make The Spinoff happen! Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us from as little as … Read more
He has the perfect moustache, an exceptional mullet, and he uses terms like ‘face hole’ on national TV. Who or what is Dr Joel Rindelaub? I was drawn in by the moustache, but it was the mullet that really kept me there. Watching TVNZ’s Breakfast yesterday morning I was fixated. Often, if I’m honest, the … Read more
Good morning and welcome to the Bulletin. In today’s edition: Collins outlines the plan forward for National, no spread of Covid spotted yet in Northland, and students return for climate protest. In front of a Rotary Club at the Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, National leader Judith Collins yesterday set out her party’s priorities for the … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 26, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz Our Members make The Spinoff happen! Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us from as little as … Read more