Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: How the budget has been received, Auckland light rail on hold, and more media merger shenanigans. So that’s what it looks like when Grant Robertson decides to open the purse strings. The relatively cautious spending of his previous budgets has been replaced by an absolute … Read more
Some people are just untidy. Madeleine Chapman is one of them, and this year she’s decided to embrace the mess. “I was going to clean that up,” I said, feeling a distinct shame I’d never felt before. The cleaner just shrugged. “It’s not that messy, we get this all the time.” I was panicking. I … Read more
Summer reissue: Your house might be tidy but now you’re surrounded by garbage bags full of all of your KonMari’d shit. What do you do? Emily Writes looks for answers. First published on 10 January, 2019. My house was as messy as my life is – which is to say very messy. But then I … Read more
For nearly six years, Laura Giddey has been a permanent house sitter in Auckland. Here, she explains why she does it and how it’s changed her life for the better. It all began in December 2013. I had a friend whose husband was in the navy and was going away for months on a boat. … Read more
In honour of International Women’s Day, Tara Ward rounds up the best BFFs you can hang out with through the screen. Not only are women taking over an entire day in the calendar, they’re taking over the bloody television too. Better living everyone, because TV keeps giving us brilliant and amazing women inspire us, make … Read more
If burnout is a problem and the promise of self-transformation and self-care aren’t working, then what now? Dr Katie Bruce, chief executive of Volunteering New Zealand, offers an alternative. This New Year, along with everyone else, I found myself watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo while fawning over Bullet Journaling on Instagram and ordering a ton … Read more
Should you have to take yourself apart and give yourself away, just to find out who you are? Western society has long been obsessed with hoarding, with clutter. Marie Kondo, with her combination of minimalist style and impeccable manners, is currently taking the world by storm, but she is just another in a long line … Read more
The decluttering phenomenon has revealed some dark truths about people’s need to fill the void with things. Do you ever have moments when you suddenly see something that’s been sitting in front of you your whole life in a completely different way? That unsettling, swooshy mixed up feeling of thinking, “hang on a dang second. What?” … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the last few weeks in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. We’re back for 2019! Well, Jane and Alex are. Join us for a sprawling chat about this summer in celebrity news, sightings and scandals. Sam and Tayler’s MAFS journey has come to an … Read more
Your house might be tidy but now you’re surrounded by garbage bags full of all of your KonMarie’d shit. What do you do? Emily Writes looks for answers. My house was as messy as my life is – which is to say very messy. But then I discovered Marie Kondo. I am now a convert, … Read more
Can a person be both a lifelong hoarder and a Marie Kondo fan? Alex Casey tries, and cries. You can’t know what sparks joy until you’ve known what sparks abject misery. For me, it was when I saw that my partner no longer wanted his enormous orange puffer jacket. Akin to the suit that Maggie … Read more
The easiest way to declutter? Not buying useless crap in the first place, writes Hannah McGowan. The popularity of TV shows like Tidying Up with Marie Kondo makes me gloriously happy. Reducing clutter is in, “sparking joy” and “thanking” items for the service they provided before you biff them is becoming everyday lingo. There is … Read more