It’s the perfect time to write your own locked-room murder mystery – easy, right? Read more from the lockdown letters here. How do I feel? Sick of vacuuming that’s for sure. Sick of ignoring the voice that says, “you can’t see the dust anyway so why bother?” Since I went into self-isolation I’ve been teaching my … Read more
At the beginning of the level four lockdown Emily Writes spoke to children across the country about how they were feeling and what advice they might have for grown-ups. Almost four weeks on, she checked in to see how they were doing. The day we went into lockdown I decided to have a chat to … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Health worker representatives outline string of problems, millions more going to food banks, and mayoral pay in the spotlight. If you were watching the Epidemic Response Committee yesterday, one thing would have become very clear, very quickly. The health sector is in serious trouble, viewed from … Read more
Some criticisms of the National Party leader have been way over the top, but there’s no doubt he badly misjudged the nation’s mood on Monday, writes Ben Thomas. Among the many distant memories of life before lockdown is the belief that the National Party’s superior social media game would sink the government in 2020. Designed … Read more
A lot of people are very reasonably concerned about the implications of schools and early childhood education reopening. Siouxsie Wiles explains what the latest studies can tell us about the risks. When Aotearoa New Zealand heads to alert level three, schools and early child education centres will be opening again. They will only be available … Read more
The latest in our series of charts, graphics and data visualisations by Chris McDowall. David Garcia helped create today’s charts. This work is made possible thanks to donations from The Spinoff Members, with support from the Science Media Centre. These posts collate the most recent statistics and present them as charts and maps. The Ministry … Read more
Business after Covid: In the first of a series featuring business leaders assessing the world which will rise after Covid-19, Rachel Taulelei of food and beverage business Kono looks forward to a renewed commitment to kaitiakitanga. Mate atu he tētēkura, ka whakaeke mai he tētēkura As one frond perishes another grows in its place. Having … Read more
Answering hundreds of calls a day from anxious KiwiSaver investors, Kiwi Wealth’s head of customer services Matt Beach paints a picture of how some New Zealanders are handling the Covid-19 downturn. For essential services everywhere, from supermarkets to gas stations to toilet paper manufacturers, the overriding message of the lockdown has always been the same: … Read more
Morgan Godfery reveals some straightforward reflections while completing domestic chores, such as, well, socialism or barbarism? Read more from the lockdown letters here. I spent the last four weeks taking my darkest, densest books off the shelf, skirting around their edges, reading and re-reading their back covers. Should I open it from the front? Do I … Read more
Cook Islands-based New Zealander Shaun Bamber is currently in Auckland quarantine, counting down the days until he can be reunited with his family. It’ll be even longer before he can return home to Rarotonga, currently the epicentre of one of the strictest border control regimes on earth. Last week I left what might just be … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Auditor general to investigate PPE supply, NZ man dies in Peru reportedly after testing positive for Covid-19, and government criticised over lack of small business analysis. The auditor-general will investigate the health ministry’s handling and distribution of personal protective equipment, after weeks of health worker concerns … Read more
I can’t deny that it’s lovely to be able to go almost wherever I want. But would I want my grandmother to be here? My mum and dad? Sarah Habershon on life in a country pursuing a herd-immunity strategy. I live on the first floor of a converted water tower atop the tallest hill in … 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 … Read more
Without the sounds of the day-to-day competing for attention, Scotty Stevenson has taken some time over the past four weeks to listen. I heard my father talking tonight. He’s been dead seven years. His voice was deep, filled with an understated enthusiasm, imbued with eternal encouragement, just as I remembered it. I heard it while … Read more
The latest in our series of Covid-19 charts, graphics and data visualisations. David Garcia created today’s charts. This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff Members These posts collate the most recent statistics and present them as charts and maps. The Ministry of Health typically publishes data updates in the early afternoon, … Read more
When we look at the numbers, our brains can play tricks on us, writes Siouxsie Wiles. Did you hear about the testing of the general population in Iceland for Covid-19 that found that half of the people who tested positive didn’t have any symptoms? When I heard that, the first thing I thought was: shit, … Read more
Midwife and lecturer Billie Bradford explains the impact stress can have on pregnant women and why support for low-income families is so important right now. The Covid-19 pandemic has turned our society upside down. It’s a stressful time for everyone, and this stress and change is likely to impact pregnant women in New Zealand in … Read more
As New Zealand prepares to move out of the strictest lockdown status, we need to ask a wider question: What kind of economy to we want to build? Iain White writes. Like you, I want things to go back to the way they were. I crave normality. I miss my morning coffee from my local … Read more
Our lives have been shaken over the past month, and not just in the obvious ways. Here are some of the smaller, stranger things that lockdown has brought up. When everyone withdrew into their bubbles almost four weeks ago, it was clear certain things would be different: our levels of social interaction, our incomes, and … 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 here. 7.10pm: … Read more
In the second in our new video series 60 Seconds with Siouxsie, Dr Wiles has a message for anyone who has tested negative for the coronavirus: you’re not off the hook yet. In this video, made possible by the support of Spinoff members, Siouxsie Wiles explains why testing negative for Covid-19 doesn’t make you immune … Read more
This afternoon the prime minister announced plans for the country to move out of alert level four at midnight next Monday. This is what she said. Tēnā koutou katoa. Over the past few weeks I have often used my time at this podium to acknowledge the people on the frontline. Today I want to remember … Read more
On Tuesday April 28, New Zealand moves out of alert level four and to level three, giving the green light for many workplaces to reopen. What does a business have to do to open? The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has released its guidance around workplace activities and obligations under the various levels. MBIE … Read more
The prime minister has announced the lockdown status will come to an end in a week, with alert level three to remain in force for at least two weeks. Read Jacinda Ardern’s speech in full here New Zealand will exit alert level four in a week, at 11.59pm on Monday April 27, Jacinda Ardern has … 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 here. On … Read more
The latest in our series of charts, graphics and data visualisations by Chris McDowall. David Garcia helped create today’s charts. This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff Members These posts collate the most recent statistics and present them as charts and maps. The Ministry of Health typically publishes data updates in … Read more
The risks to mental health during times of soaring unemployment is a crisis within a crisis, writes clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire. But there are steps you can take to come out the other side of unemployment in good mental shape. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted every facet of our lives, including rising unemployment rates both … Read more
The decision, to be announced late afternoon, will be based on public health advice. But it is and should be a call made by elected representatives. Toby Manhire assesses the stakes. Cabinet meets at 10.30 this morning: an early start. They will log on, most of them from their homes around the country, to make … Read more
The greatest leaders from history have made sacrifices in times of need. A look at who, now, is doing that for us. Read more from the lockdown letters here. I’ve been talking to my sister. We don’t ring or email often. She lives in Victoria, in the country with half a dozen superannuated horses, a … Read more