Over the weekend, New Zealand signed on to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade deal, also known as RCEP. What on earth is it, and what does it mean? What’s the top line on this? In the most basic terms, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP from here on out) is a trade agreement … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Family support looms as election policy battleground, warm winter heralds climate change fears, and warnings of insolvency cliff looming for government supported businesses. National has launched a policy package around support for new parents, reports Stuff. The headline announcement in it is a package of $3000 to … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Scandal for MP after leaking confidential Covid data, new bookings for return to country put on hold, and Islamic Women’s Council release evidence of being ignored. We now know exactly how the leak of private information of all active Covid-19 patients happened. National MP Hamish Walker, representative … Read more
Members of New Zealand’s Indian community rallied in Auckland on Sunday to raise awareness about threats to their homeland’s democracy from the rise of right-wing Hindu nationalism. As the world’s second-most populous nation grapples with a burgeoning pandemic and deepening political and social division, about 25 protesters gathered in Auckland’s Aotea Square on Sunday to … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Showdown today for the leadership of National, climate change commissioner lashes budget failings, and Fonterra picks up earnings amid uncertainty. It’s all going down in the National caucus today, and we’ll see later on who will emerge victorious. The party again suffered a very poor polling … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions over how environmentally friendly Covid-19 recovery will be, consistent daily updates of new cases, and repatriation flights from India organised. There has been an increasing amount of commentary about the state of the environment during and after the pandemic. Air quality in cities has improved dramatically, … Read more
India faces more challenges battling Covid-19 than any other country in the world. New Zealander Paula Simpson reports from her corner of the global lockdown. I’ve been living in India for more than three years now, and still I haven’t even begun to understand its rich, complex history and culture. This article is only from … Read more
The loss of a loved one can be difficult in the best of times. But it’s even more painful when the planes are grounded. Late on Saturday night, three days into New Zealand’s level four lockdown, Harish got a call from his sister in India telling him that his father had died. In bed and … Read more
Welcome to the Bulletin World Weekly, an email exclusively for The Spinoff Members. As a one-off, we’ve put today’s edition up for everyone to read. If you want to get this every week, sign up to The Spinoff Members here. In the last week, outbreaks of the Covid-19 coronavirus have shaken countries well beyond the … Read more
As a rising Hindu nationalism exerts itself in India, online Indian communities in New Zealand are also seeing a growth in Islamophobic sentiment. It was the scariest night of his life. Mohammad still remembers hiding in a shallow ditch with his family. He remembers covering his one-year-old brother’s mouth each time the toddler cried out … Read more
Histories of colonisation ought to be remembered, including the horrors and atrocities, but also the endurance and empowerment found in trenchant resistance and the fight for sovereignty, writes Radhika Reddy. India and Aotearoa are both grappling with decolonisation. In this ongoing struggle to wrest free from the legacies of colonialism, each society can learn from … Read more
And in the effort to decolonise, each can learn from the other, writes Gaurav Sharma, editor of the Multicultural Times. For nation-states that emerged from centuries of brutal colonial rule, decolonisation is needed, in all its forms. The coloniser left India in 1947, and still the country is struggling. In Aotearoa, the coloniser coexists with … Read more
As this colourful festival of giving thanks is marked across India, Renu Sikka calls on societies around the globe to stop undervaluing women and girls, and shares a Punjabi recipe for spinach curry and exquisite chapati. Makar Sankranti is four days of thanksgiving celebration to four great forces of protection: Indra (the giver of rain), … Read more
Crime week: Chris Cessford welcomes a sumptuous crime story starring a ‘rule-breaking badass in a sari’. Sujata Massey kicks off the decade with the first book in a fresh new crime series – the historical, award-winning whodunnit A Murder at Malabar Hill. She introduces Perveen Mistry, in 1921 Bombay’s only woman lawyer and an amateur … Read more
Summer journeys: In the fourth of a special travel writing series, Anjum Rahman recounts a return to her place of birth at the age of 12, and reflects on how the history of Muslims in India is being rewritten. The Spinoff Summer Journey series is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming … Read more
Shane Jones’ inflammatory comments last week failed to understand the complexity of arranged marriage, serving only to repeat deeply entrenched racist colonial stereotypes, writes Josephine Varghese. Last night I, an Indian immigrant, was having dinner at a small Vietnamese BYO in Christchurch (run by Vietnamese immigrants), happily savouring the lemongrass flavour in my favourite dish. … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Massive day of trade developments for NZ’s relationship with Asia, Bill Cashmore retains top Auckland jobs, and trial of man accused of killing Grace Millane begins. The government has secured a breakthrough on trade with China, but not everyone will be entirely happy with it. Interest reports … Read more
Symbolising the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, Diwali – or Deepavali, as it’s known in the south of India – will always hold a special place in Renu Sikka’s heart. Deepavali is one of those festive occasions when you feel the warm, enclosing presence of your elders – it’s like your … Read more
In today’s episode of The Offspin podcast, Simon Day and Alex Braae go absolutely berserk over the semi-final win that put the Black Caps into the Cricket World Cup final. It took 29 hours and two nights, but the Black Caps have somehow managed to beat the mighty India to advance to the Cricket World … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government releases proposals around medicinal cannabis, oxycontin takes hold in NZ despite US epidemic, and vaping pushed at Māori women. Just quickly, apologies if today’s Bulletin has a few errors, I haven’t slept because of the cricket. The Black Caps are heading to the World Cup … Read more
Incredibly, the Black Caps have made the Cricket World Cup final. In a sleep-deprived daze, Alex Braae reflects on the mountain of pain that went into seeing them get there. We don’t watch cricket because we want to. We watch it because we must. Cricket is a sport with pain built into it. Not the … Read more
In the latest episode of The Offspin, cricketer, commentator, activist and aspiring local board rep Peter McGlashan joins the show to mix sport and politics. The game was utterly frustrating. It was slow, things went wrong at key moments, it made people at home angry and now requires confusing calculations to figure out who will … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: More revealed about aftermath of Hit and Run raid, police delete social posts glorifying tactics to catch kids, and regional airports may be bailed out. Politicians were shown edited footage of the Hit and Run raid which throws into question the NZDF version of events, reports … Read more
Radio NZ journalist Ravinder Hunia has a dilemma over who to support at the Cricket World Cup tonight. Will it be the birthplace of her father in Punjab, or the birthplace of her mother in Te Puke? My father Surjit Singh was born in an Indian village, Daroli Khurd, in Punjab 60 years ago while … Read more
Many moons ago, when the Cricket World Cup was just about to start, one of our resident cricket fanatics made a series of predictions. Have any of them come to pass? It took five weeks, more than 40 completed matches, and what seems like a thousand takes about who should open the batting for the … Read more
The young Indian man assaulted on the streets of Sandringham earlier this month migrated to New Zealand believing it was a peaceful, tolerant place. Our history suggests otherwise, writes Scott Hamilton. Content warning: contains racist language and descriptions of violence. The man had been enjoying the June winter sunshine, walking the deserted midday streets of … Read more
In episode seven of The Offspin, with more bad weather in England and not a lot of cricket being played, we took the opportunity to reminisce on our personal journeys in the sport. And spend some quality time dissing Australian cricketers. We are joined in the studio by a passionate cricketer who had little choice … Read more
Renu Sikka reminisces about discovering the delicious Ramadan foods of her Muslim friends while growing up in India, and shares a traditional recipe. “The holy month of Ramadan is a time for generosity, prayer, fasting, self-restraint, and peace. It’s a time to reflect on our lives and to take a moment to think about other … Read more
Growing up in the south of the South Island, Paula Simpson’s world was quiet, conservative and very white. And then she moved to India… Here she speaks to fellow Pākehā New Zealanders about prejudice and preconceptions. Content warning: racist language It’s hard to know you’re racist when you’re surrounded by people like yourself. I’m a … Read more