covid-19

Live updates, October 30: Referendum results: Euthanasia to be legalised, cannabis set to stay illegal

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Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 30. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 2.00pm: Euthanasia to be legalised, cannabis set to stay illegal Updated Preliminary results from the two referendums have just been released, showing New Zealanders voted overwhelmingly in support of legalising euthanasia – … Read more

When will we know the results of the US presidential election?

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It could be days or even weeks before we know the full outcome of the US presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and it’s likely to be complicated. Here’s when we might start getting answers. When is the US presidential election? Officially, the election date is November 3, which is a Tuesday in … Read more

Live updates, October 29: Labour-Green deal coming Sunday; six new imported Covid-19 cases

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Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 29. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.30pm: The day in sum There were six new imported Covid-19 cases. A group of top epidemiologists suggested New Zealand’s MIQ system could become more flexible, with arrivals from lower-risk countries allowed … Read more

The Bulletin: Idiots abroad infuriated by NZ’s Covid response

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Assessing some of the bizarre recent international interventions on NZ’s Covid policy, documents reveal what ministers knew about border staff testing, and Gerry Brownlee under pressure for deputy spot. Apologies in advance, because I don’t normally make a habit of using the Bulletin to magnify … Read more

Live updates, October 28: Two imported Covid-19 cases, no new community cases

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Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 28. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 6.45pm: The day in sum The Electoral Commission confirmed preliminary results of the two referendums will be released at 2pm on October 30. Labour and the Greens spent another 90 minutes negotiating … Read more

Covid-19 has changed New Zealand forever. The experts explain how: part two

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Some of the smartest people in the country examine the effects of the pandemic on Aotearoa’s future in 400 words or fewer. Read part one here.  Beyond the horrific global death toll and the economic shutdowns, there is hope that Covid-19 will allow us to build a better society in the future. While much of … Read more

Live updates, October 27: One new imported Covid-19 case; weekend testing numbers ‘pleasing’

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Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 27. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach us at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.20pm: The day in sum There was one new case of Covid-19, and again no cases in the community Police reminded people not to spread unverified information on social media about an … Read more

How to be brave in the face of, you know, everything

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What does it mean to find courage in the face of a global pandemic, race protests, border strife and climate anxiety?  Books editor Catherine Woulfe writes: Christchurch’s Word spring festival opens tomorrow. In real life! A highlight will be the Brave Worlds gala on Friday night, at which luminaries (Becky Manawatu, Witi Ihimaera, Elizabeth Knox, … Read more

How the lockdown changed our diets, affected our sleep, and left us lonely

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In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic prompted New Zealand and much of the world to undertake something few of us had ever contemplated: a near-total lockdown of society. In this Lockdown legacies series, James Dann explores the impacts of those extraordinary measures, intended and otherwise. Today: the lifestyle changes it brought on. This project was made … Read more

The Bulletin: Unaffordable dental care in the spotlight

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Unaffordable dental care in the spotlight, update on the two crops of Covid cases, and Billy TK quits Advance NZ alliance. One of the weeping sores of the health system is the high cost of dental care, and the health effects that flow from that. It’s … Read more

How to Covid-proof a country

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The pandemic has only exposed the systemic healthcare inequities that already existed, write two NZ health professionals working on the Covid response at opposite ends of the world. Far from being some “great leveller”, the Covid-19 pandemic has proven to be more like water in a New Zealand rental home: seeping into all of the … Read more

The lockdown stamped out a deadly virus. Its health impact did not stop there

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In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic prompted New Zealand and much of the world to undertake something few of us had ever contemplated: a near-total lockdown of society. In this Lockdown legacies series, James Dann explores the impacts of those extraordinary measures, intended and otherwise. Today: From traffic accidents and seasonal flu to heart disease, the … Read more

Live updates, October 24-26: No new community cases; five new cases in managed isolation

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Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 24-26. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz 1.00pm: No new community cases; five cases in managed isolation The Ministry of Health has just emailed through today’s Covid-19 case number update. This is how it reads: There are again no … Read more

How the Covid lockdown changed our air, our water, and the sounds around us

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In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic prompted New Zealand and much of the world to undertake something few of us had ever contemplated: a near-total lockdown of society. In this Lockdown legacies series, James Dann explores the impacts of those extraordinary measures, intended and otherwise. Today: part two, environmental impacts. This project was made possible thanks … Read more

When it all stopped: measuring the impacts of the great lockdown experiment

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In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic prompted New Zealand and much of the world to undertake something few of us had ever contemplated: a near-total lockdown of society. In this Lockdown legacies series, James Dann explores the impacts of those extraordinary measures, intended and otherwise. Today, part one: the lockdown halt. This project was made possible … Read more

Live updates, October 23: Nine new cases of Covid-19; Shane Jones deletes his Facebook

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Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 23. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz The day in sum Nine new cases of Covid-19 were announced: eight in managed isolation and one linked to the “marine employee cluster”. The Malt pub in Greenhithe closed its doors for … Read more

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in NZ and he needs to meet Joe Biden the Island Bay octopus

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American actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has revealed he’s living and working in New Zealand. What brought him here, and what can he expect from his visit? Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in Netflix’s new movie The Trial of the Chicago 7, but he could also be appearing in a suburb near you. Last week the Emmy Award-winning actor … Read more

The Bulletin: Covid’s back in the community – but has it spread any further?

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: What we know – and what we don’t – about the Covid-19 community cases; an America’s Cup spat threatens how Aucklanders can watch; and late election donations are revealed. It’s now been five days since we learnt that Covid-19 was back in the community, and the missing … Read more

My life as a human guinea pig on the Oxford Covid vaccine trial

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At the forefront of the race for a coronavirus vaccine are researchers at Oxford University, who are working ‘with great care and due haste’. Six months ago, several hundred volunteers began participation in a clinical trial of the vaccine. Among them was UK-based NZ journalist Richard Adams. I can’t talk now, I told the caller, because … Read more

Live updates, October 22: ‘Dust off those masks’ – Bloomfield advocates for level ‘one-plus’

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Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 22. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.30pm: The day in sum There were two new cases of Covid-19 at the border. Meanwhile, two members of crew on the Sofrana Surville tested positive while at anchor off the coast … Read more

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

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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

Live updates, October 21: Covid case visited Auckland pub, patrons told to self-isolate

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Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 21. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.15pm: Covid case visited Auckland pub, patrons asked to self-isolate People who were at The Malt pub in Greenhithe on the North Shore of Auckland on Friday night are being asked to … Read more

The online support club that helps the newly redundant through a scary time

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Covid-19 has shoved New Zealand’s economy into recession, prompting a whole lot of businesses to downsize and slash their workforce. That’s why a support club has been formed to help the newly unemployed to get back on their feet. Redundancy can hit like a ton of bricks. The shock, uncertainty, the loss of income, that … Read more

The Bulletin: Climate change already happening, says new report

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New report shows climate change already affecting New Zealand, new crop of managed isolation Covid cases, and National leader and ousted electorate MPs all staying on. As promised, today’s Bulletin will cover the government’s new climate change report, called Our Atmosphere and Climate. It was released … Read more

Covid-19 has changed New Zealand forever. The experts explain how

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Some of the smartest people in the country examine the effects of the pandemic on Aotearoa’s future in 400 words or fewer.  There are few corners of society that Covid-19 has not touched. From healthcare to the economy, education to professional sport, the pandemic has changed the way we interact with each other and the … Read more

Live updates, October 20: ‘Major’ Covid-19 outbreak at Christchurch isolation facility

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Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 20. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.45pm: The day in sum The official Ministry of Health 1pm media release announced one new case of Covid-19 at the border. A few hours later, media reported that at least 11 … Read more

The Bulletin: System springs into action on Port Covid case

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: System springs into action on Port Covid case, Labour opens up initial talks with Greens, and New Zealand travellers creating headaches for Aussie states. A clarification on the new case of Covid-19 announced on Sunday – it was not in fact a case of community … Read more