City Kickboxing’s Eugene Bareman talks to Michelle Langstone about what drew him to the sport, training his fighters during the Covid-19 lockdown, and helping build his beloved gym from the ground up. Portraits by Edith Amituanai. The air inside Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym is heavy with a fug of sweat so thick it feels as … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: One referendum looks set for easy win while the other flounders, Labour still enjoys huge polling lead, and farming exporters warned on animal welfare and environment. A new poll has set the scene for the likely outcomes of upcoming referendums on social issues. The One News Colmar … Read more
Israel Adesanya has fought his way to the top of his sport, and into the hearts and minds of New Zealanders – whether they want him there or not. What’s at stake when he fights this weekend in Abu Dhabi? Just two years into his UFC career, mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya is a bonafide … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions over testing of border workers, decision on delaying election to be made today, and concerns for educational progress with new lockdown. The first point to note about managed isolation facilities – we don’t necessarily know that was where this latest outbreak came from. Alternative theories … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Predator Free 2050 strategy launched, govt to roll out economic response to Covid-19, and Armed Response Teams in the spotlight. The strategy outlining how New Zealand will become predator-free by 2050 is being launched today. The idea, a vision of the late Sir Paul Callaghan and … Read more
At the highest gathering place of New Zealand sport, UFC champion and sportsman of the year Israel Adesanya delivered the message he has long been destined to give, writes Scotty Stevenson. I met Don Rowe in a Hamilton toilet. At the time I was editing a sports magazine and he was a pending graduate of … Read more
Our pop culture superfans at The Real Pod look back at the local celebrities who defined the last decade in Aotearoa. If there’s any group of people we can turn to in these uncertain times, it’s celebrities. And lucky for us, New Zealand suddenly seems to have heaps of them. The definition of celebrity has … Read more
After rising up the ranks of the UFC, Nigerian-New Zealander Israel Adesanya became the undisputed middleweight champion on Sunday. Rapper and producer Unchained XL explains what Adesanya’s win means for his first generation Afro-Kiwi community. The African community in New Zealand is still fairly small and relatively young. The first few of us trickled in … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: How a racist policy ended up being overturned, new report paints grim picture of ‘locked-in’ youth facilities, and Porirua mayor under further spending pressure. This happened on Friday, but it was a long time coming so is worth covering properly. The government has announced that an … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Carbon emissions continue to move wrong way, size and scope of police database revealed, and Ngāti Kurī propose massive new protected reserve. Yep, they’re going up. New Zealand’s carbon emissions continue to increase, with transport a leading cause, reports Stuff. Over 2017 they were up 2.2% on the … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Strange political stoush over Pharmac, spy bosses concerned about political interference from overseas, and DOC investing heavily in 1080 alternatives. This story happened earlier in the week, but it’s worth going back to, to cover in depth. Government MPs have blocked a Select Committee inquiry into Pharmac, … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Pride events take place over weekend in Auckland, analysis of why the Air NZ flight was turned back from China, and working groups abound on mental health. In the end, it wasn’t the disaster that many had predicted. The Auckland Pride march still went ahead, heading from … Read more
New Zealand goes three for three at UFC Melbourne, culminating in Israel Adesanya’s win over Anderson Silva. Israel Adesanya’s victory over Anderson Silva in Melbourne was a masterclass in creativity and a coming-out party for New Zealand MMA. Facing down a near mirror-image of himself, Adesanya fought fluid and confident, switching his stance, here fighting … Read more
New Zealand martial artist Israel Adesanya will cross the threshold into legitimate worldwide superstardom this weekend when he fights the most dominant mixed martial artist in history. Israel Adesanya is near untouchable. With just two losses across more than 100 fights from Brazil to the Far East, Adesanya has captured the nation’s attention like nobody … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Labour revels in rare display of party unity at annual conference, we’re buying massive numbers of the wrong cars, and Phil Goff’s mayoralty in focus. For nine of the last ten years, the Labour Party conference has been notorious for factional fights and a general sense of gloom. This year, … Read more
An overly faithful reproduction of the tacky aesthetics of modern mixed martial arts holds back what is easily the best UFC game yet, writes Don Rowe. Few sports change as much year-on-year as mixed martial arts, and thus the release schedule of the bi-annual EA UFC video game reflects the current state of the sport … Read more
After almost a decade of combat sports experience, New Zealand’s Israel Adesanya made a highly anticipated and violent entrance to the UFC on Sunday afternoon. Don Rowe reports. When Australian wrestler Rob Wilkinson crumpled to the floor at Sunday’s UFC event in Perth, his nose plastered across his face and bleeding profusely from cuts around … Read more
As the most notorious figures in boxing and mixed martial arts collided in The Money Fight this weekend, Don Rowe sat down for a few beers with Israel Adesanya, a multi-sport veteran of almost 100 fights, to talk about fame, defeat and the realities of a sport centred around dishing out brain damage. Supported by Garage … Read more
Former world champion kickboxer ‘Lightning’ Mike Angove will be in the best seat in the house tomorrow night when he calls Parker vs Takam. Here he provides an exclusive preview and breakdown of the richest fight in New Zealand history. Kiwi heavyweight hope Joseph Parker has skipped a year in his boxing education in an attempt at graduating … Read more