Policy Local: 10 things we learned from surveying thousands of local election candidates

Boomers versus zoomers, the great uncontested swathes, and what makes Greymouth special. Policy Local was made possible thanks to Google News Initiative, Meredith Connell, Spinoff Members and Jenny Sutton.  With the votes now counted for the local elections, the team behind the candidate comparison super-tool, Policy Local, looks back on some of the more interesting … Read more

Politics podcast: Peter Jackson is not the new mayor of Wellington

But he did play a crucial role in helping journeyman Andy Foster knock over Justin Lester. Team Gone By Lunchtime size up the local elections, gaze plaintively at the dramas in the NZ First Party, and ask how bad the new poll is for Jacinda Ardern. Annabelle Lee-Mather, Ben Thomas and Toby Manhire discuss the … Read more

All the interesting, funny, weird, and bad things we didn’t cover these local elections

Sorry about not covering everything that happened these local elections. To make it up to you, we’ve compiled all the stories we missed into an ultimate election-ending list. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click here. When people think … Read more

Politics podcast special: Livin’ la vida local

Area man Hayden Donnell joins Toby Manhire for a bonus edition of Gone By Lunchtime, leading a whistlestop tour of the local elections. Fresh from an assignment in the Far North, the mayor of the Spinoff’s local elections pop-up section, Hayden Donnell, takes us on a journey from Kaikohe to Dunedin, stopping along the way … Read more

Penny Hulse signs off

Penny Hulse is retiring after a 27-year council career. She talked to Hayden Donnell about the reasons she stood down, the councillors she can’t stand, the Tamihere vs Goff battle, and her secret to staying sane during even the worst council meetings. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For … Read more

What are DHB elections and can we get rid of them? A Spinoff explainer

If you’ve ever voted in a local election, you’ll know the heady mix of confusion, boredom, and anger that comes from trying to fill out the DHB section of your ballot. Thankfully Julienne Molineaux is here with an explainer, and a plea for change. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff … Read more

Penny Hulse wraps up her council career with a plea to end petty politics

Penny Hulse made a call for collaboration and unity in the final meeting of her 27-year council career today. Will her plea be granted? Hayden Donnell delivers a grim assessment. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click here. Penny … Read more

The true impact of New Zealand’s wildly uneven voting statistics

It’s Spinoff youth voting week, where youth votes count double*. In recognition of the occasion, Tim Muller and Logan Penniket studied how dire youth voting statistics distort our local democracies. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. Local … Read more

The civics project trying to turn around our godawful youth voting statistics

It’s Spinoff Youth Voting Week, where old people aren’t allowed to vote*. To celebrate, Tamsyn Matchett has written on a civics education programme giving teenagers a first sweet taste of local democracy before they’re legally permitted to vote for real. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about … Read more

Pay-for-play accusation as Māori TV offers mayoral candidates $500 interview

An Auckland mayoral candidate has reacted furiously to an advertising approach from Māori Television, which he says was a pay-for-play offer of coverage. Alex Braae reports.  UPDATE: Māori Television has responded with an official statement, which can be read in full below. Craig Lord, a long-shot candidate for the Auckland mayoralty, has described an advertising offer … Read more

These are the climate angels and deniers standing in our local elections

Josie Adams, Hayden Donnell, and Alice Webb-Liddall read thousands of policy statements to find the people who are most committed to tackling climate change. The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. One of the problems with local elections is that voters … Read more

All the scorecards being put out by our emerging election watchdogs

Voting papers are being sent out today, and lots of people say they won’t fill them out because they don’t know anything about the candidates. Respected website ‘The Spinoff’ is trying to fix that through its Policy Local tool. But it’s not the only one. Catherine Jeffcoat talks to the rest of the watchdogs. The … Read more

Scandal: Councils spending too little on staff Christmas parties

Yesterday Newshub revealed something shocking and disheartening about the spending practices of our local councils. Hayden Donnell registers his disappointment. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. Councils often get a raw deal in New Zealand. Every … Read more

Hope, change, and a sprinkling of bigotry at Hamilton’s big mayoral debate

Hamilton councillors have drawn headlines this year for being anti-science and insensitive to terror victims. At a mayoral debate on Wednesday, there were signs a campaign for change is gathering force. The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. It was the … Read more

Toi Iti: Someone painted a cock and balls on my hoarding and I love it

Toi Kai Rākau Iti, who is running in the Eastern Bay of Plenty Kohi Māori constituency, encounters an unlikely channel of youth engagement. In te ao Māori you’re always looking for tohu, or symbols. They guide you through uncertain territory and help you make sense of the world. The arrival of Matariki? He tohu! A … Read more

Race briefing: Great Barrier Island, home to the highest voter turnout in Auckland

In our latest local elections 2019 race briefing (read the rest here), Josie Adams looks at the battle to wrest control of the beautiful offshore outpost, Great Barrier Island/Aotea. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. Where? … Read more

Your place, your vote: welcome to Policy Local on The Spinoff

The candidate comparison super-tool is now live, making it easy to find out who is offering what in local elections from the top to the bottom of New Zealand. Here it is. Last time round, it was called “the stand-out success of the 2017 election”. Today Policy returns to The Spinoff, sharper, shinier, and a … Read more

Convicted of indecent assault. Kicked off council. Now he’s seeking re-election

The judgment on whether David Scott, who is currently campaigning on the Kāpiti Coast, is fit for public office should lie with the voters, rather than the law-makers, writes Andrew Geddis. I hope it is safe to assume that virtually all of you reading this think that a man recently kicked off your local District … Read more

Should John Tamihere be allowed to shrug off past homophobic comments?

John Tamihere opposed gay marriage and once called homosexual sex ‘unhealthy and violating’. Now he wants us to ‘move on’. Hayden Donnell follows him to a Rainbow Auckland debate. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. The afternoon … Read more

Race briefing: The fierce pit fight for control of Hamilton City Council

In our latest local elections 2019 race briefing (read the rest here), Hayden Donnell dips his toe into the extraordinary battle for the Tron. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. Where? Hamilton! You know the one: … Read more

Democracy saved: We debated one of NZ’s top unopposed local election candidates

More than 75 candidates across the country have already succeeded in their local election races, taking office unopposed. Thankfully The Spinoff is committed to saving our democracy. We challenged high-profile default winner, Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall, to fight for his job in a political debate against local elections editor Hayden Donnell. The Spinoff local election … Read more

Whose job is it anyway? Inside our inadequate, uncoordinated efforts to up voter turnout

Turnout in our local elections has long been in decline, particularly among the young. Alex Braae looks at what’s being done to improve those stats, and find a lack of centralised funding and strategy. Our local elections coverage is fully funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. This … Read more

The one, stupidly obvious change that would vastly improve our local elections

Some people say it’s confusing. Others think it’s boring. But running all its elections under an STV system could be the single most effective way for local government to fix its lack of diversity and woeful voting turnout, argues Hayden Donnell. The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about … Read more

Can we find a single councillor who supports John Tamihere’s rates freeze?

John Tamihere’s rates freeze proposal was criticised from all sides yesterday, but does it have any political support? We contacted Auckland’s councillors to find out.  On the bright side for John Tamihere, his latest announcement wasn’t boring. The mayoral contender’s promise to freeze rates for three years drew dozens of headlines, as journalists and commentators … Read more

Revealed: The John-Tamihere-for-mayor campaign brainstorm

Phil Goff’s rival has already pledged an 0800-Jacinda homeless hotline and an 18-lane harbour bridge. What’s next?  The two most important people in the 2019 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty faced each other down on Wednesday night across the desk in the NZME debate: Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson. Correction: it was of course mayor … Read more

Race briefing: The Otago Regional Council

Over the course of the local elections period, The Spinoff will be publishing primers on some of the most interesting races around the country. Today, Alex Braae casts his eyes over the Otago Regional Council contest. The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s … Read more