Right now, our most fiery national debate is over whether New Zealanders were nice to the singer Amanda Palmer in a cafe. Desperate to restore peace in our nation, Hayden Donnell went in search of the truth. Joe Biden had barely finished calling for unity when Amanda Palmer posted a tweet that split New Zealand … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s US presidential inauguration live blog: inauguration news, analysis and reaction, updated through Wednesday and Thursday. The inauguration ceremony begins at 5.15am Thursday, NZ time, and Joe Biden takes the oath of office around 6am. 3.10pm: New Radicals reform to perform one of the greatest pop singles ever Forgive the editorialising, but … Read more
Good morning and welcome to the final Bulletin of 2020. In today’s edition: A wrap of some of the issues that will matter in 2021, and a reflection on coming out of this tough year with hope. For the final Bulletin of the year, we’ll once again look ahead to the next one: Some people might … Read more
Shipping delays mean bookstores are placing massive one-off orders rather than sitting back to see what sells. They’ve gone huge on Barack Obama’s memoir A Promised Land – there are probably enough copies in the country to dam Cook Strait. Luckily, Danyl Mclauchlan writes, it is in fact good. I somehow forgot that Obama could … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 13, covering all the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 3.20pm: The full list – Ministry updates Covid-19 ‘locations of interest’ The Ministry of Health has updated its Covid-19 locations of interest, and is asking anyone who was at the Auckland … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 12, covering all the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.40pm: All Auckland University exams tomorrow to be online Auckland University has announced that following the community Covid case reported today, all exams scheduled for tomorrow, Friday November 13, on central … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 11, covering all the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.00pm: The day in sum The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced a new funding for lending programme will be rolled out next month. The impacts of Covid-19 on Auckland Council … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 10, covering all the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.30pm: The day in sum There was one new case of Covid-19 in managed isolation. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced a breakthrough on a Covid-19 vaccine, with early trials suggesting it protects … Read more
From re-engaging with the Paris Agreement to reducing tensions with China, there are a number of things New Zealand will be hoping to see from the US under a President Joe Biden, writes Stephen Jacobi. The American people have spoken. America’s “better angels” have prevailed. We all hope for better times ahead, but, while there … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 9, covering all the latest from the US election along with New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. See the latest results on an interactive US map here. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7pm: The day in sum Four new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation were announced. … Read more
Yesterday’s celebrations over Donald Trump’s election loss were a rare moment of unalloyed joy in what has been a miserable year. But the happiness was tempered with fear for a bitterly divided nation, writes New York-based New Zealander Tess McClure. It is 11.31am when Harlem erupts. Down the street, I hear a woman scream. A … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Tough week looms for National, PM congratulates president-elect Joe Biden, and community case acts as another reminder to use the Covid app. Not an awful lot of attention has been paid to them since the election defeat, but National is about to be back in … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 7-8, covering all the latest from the US election along with New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. See the latest results on an interactive US map here. Reach me on jihee@thespinoff.co.nz 8pm: The day in sum Joe Biden was declared the next president of the United … Read more
Joe Biden’s victory presents an opportunity to reset the White House agenda and put it on a different course. Three scholars discuss what a Biden presidency may have in store in three key areas: race, the Supreme Court and foreign policy. Racism, policing and Black Lives Matter protests Brian Purnell, Bowdoin College The next four … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 6, covering all the latest from the US election along with New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. See the latest results on an interactive US map here. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.10pm: Auckland quarantine worker tests positive for Covid-19 A worker at the Auckland quarantine facility … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Protests and legal challenges as US election counting continues, Ardern sets out government’s economic plans, and special votes released today could swing seats. If you’re hoping for a decisive update to the US election count overnight, bad news – it’s still on a knife edge. At … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 5, covering all the latest from the US election along with New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. See the latest results on an interactive US map here. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 6.30pm: The day in sum The US election remained on a knife-edge, with Joe Biden’s … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Trump claims fraud with Biden holding slight edge, unemployment rate rise not as bad as feared, and Kim Dotcom extradition case to drag on further. If you switched the US election off early last night, you’ll probably have missed one of the most remarkable moments … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s US election live blog: election news, analysis and reaction, updated throughout the day. See the latest results on an interactive US map here. Reach me on catherine@thespinoff.co.nz. 9.45pm: And that’s a wrap, for now With most of the United States fast asleep and much of the vote counting halted for the … Read more
Most New Zealanders have a view on whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden should win the election this week. But why should we care, exactly? Former United States ambassador to New Zealand David Huebner has a few ideas. While talking with attendees after a Marine Band concert in Porirua in 2012, I was approached by … Read more
If the Democrat challenger were to overcome Donald Trump this week, it would have important implications for the world and Aotearoa, writes Nina Hall. Positive international views of the United States have declined dramatically under President Trump. In a recently released Pew survey, Trump was found to be the least trusted leader to “do the … Read more
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
With calamitous US politics stoking fear and division in an already fraught nation, the New Zealand election makes for a calm and refreshing change. The front page of the New York Times today reads: “A Regulatory Rush by Federal Agencies to Secure Trump’s Legacy,” referring to the mad rush to pass Trumpian legislation before the … Read more
Toby Manhire watched the second leaders’ debate among a crowd of undecided voters at Q Theatre. Maybe the afternoon meal of pulled teeth and gravel soup in the presidential debate emphasised it but, shit, that was a good debate. Whether it was a motivational speech or a few Red Bulls, Jacinda Ardern had a different … Read more
It was all awful, but these were the most awful bits. Well, that was … something. All those who made it through the first Donald Trump/Joe Biden debate are now bonded by the horror of the experience, one which veteran commentators are variously calling “a disgrace”, “a train wreck” and “the worst debate I have … Read more
In a few hours polls will begin closing in states participating in Super Tuesday, the mega-primary when 14 states vote on the Democrat nominee to meet President Trump in the general election this November. Korey Te Hira explains why Super Tuesday matters, and breaks down the complicated rules that govern which candidate emerges a winner. … Read more
With the impeachment process essentially shut down by the Senate, attention turns today to the state of Iowa, where it’s finally time for voting in the race to challenge Donald Trump for the presidency. So what are the Iowa Caucuses, why do they get such attention, and which Democrats are best placed to make it … Read more
Summer reissue: The candidates to tackle Donald Trump are very keen on the New Zealand prime minister. This post was first published 12 November, 2019. It could be because Vogue called her “the anti-Trump”. It could be the desperate shortage of tolerable left-leaning leaders in the Anglosphere. Or it could be because everyone knows it’s … Read more
The candidates to tackle Donald Trump are very keen on the New Zealand prime minister. It could be because Vogue called her “the anti-Trump”. It could be the desperate shortage of tolerable left-leaning leaders in the Anglosphere. Or it could be because everyone knows it’s illegal to be mean about people from New Zealand. Whatever … Read more