Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 14, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ level two. More details here. Official information here. Get me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz. 6.30pm: Super Rugby Aotearoa finale cancelled The … Read more
A Wellington restaurateur was told by health officials that one of his venues had been visited by a Covid-positive person. So why did the health minister and director general of health not know anything? Stewart Sowman-Lund reports. You’d think the possibility that Covid-19 was in capital would be big news. Big enough, perhaps, that the … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 13, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ level two. More details here. Official information here. Get me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz. 8.50pm: Case at Glamorgan Primary in Torbay, … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 12, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Auckland is now in alert level three and the rest of NZ level two. More details here. Official information here. Get me on Stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.30pm: The day in sum Four probable … Read more
The latest headlines as community transmission returns to New Zealand. 11.35pm: ‘Bugger’ – David Seymour “Tonight’s news is not what anyone hoped for,” said Act Party leader David Seymour in a post on Facebook. “There will be time enough to ask why this has happened, but right now the goal is to get on top … Read more
An Auckland psychic healer yesterday announced she would be running for parliament. Less than 24 hours later, she wasn’t. So what happened? And why is she accusing Jacinda Ardern of treason? Stewart Sowman-Lund investigates. It’s been a big year for Jeanette Wilson. In June, as the Covid-19 crisis was continuing to spiral around the world, … Read more
Welcome to Election Live for August 10, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Policy launches soon. Get me on Stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 6.45pm: The … Read more
Welcome to Election Live for August 9, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. 6.15pm: The day in sum New Zealand hit a … Read more
Welcome to Election Live for August 8, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Policy launching soon. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz or … Read more
Welcome to Election Live for August 7, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Policy launching soon. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.30pm: The day in … Read more
Welcome to Election Live for August 6, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Policy launching soon. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 3.00pm: Parliament adjourns; Ardern, … Read more
Parliament has just passed a new law that will leave renters with a sense of relief. But many landlords aren’t too pleased. What’s all this then? The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill passed under urgency this evening. It amends existing law around renting to increase rights for tenants. According to associate housing minister Kris Faafoi, who’s … Read more
In the wake of National’s leadership woes, The Spinoff sat down with the party’s most popular face in recent history to talk Covid-19, Judith Collins – and why he thinks our border should be more ‘flexible’. John Key is confident about our country’s future. In part, that’s because he tunes in each morning to Newstalk … Read more
Judith Collins today unlocked the secret of her political comedic code. ‘When my eyebrow goes up, it’s a joke,’ she told reporters. Enlightened, we’ve gone back through her first speech as National leader, to excavate the punchlines. On a trip to the comedy capital of Palmerston North yesterday, Judith Collins announced that no one had … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 27. The latest on New Zealand news, politics and the Covid-19 crisis, updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7pm: The day in sum The international education sector received a $51.6m funding boost from the government to help protect jobs and stabilise the industry. Judith … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 26. The latest on New Zealand news, politics and the Covid-19 crisis, updated throughout the day. 7.30pm: The day in sum National recorded a terrible result in a new Reid poll for Newshub, with Labour passing 60%. Judith Collins rejected it as a rogue poll. A new, … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 25. The latest on New Zealand news, politics and the Covid-19 crisis, updated throughout the day. 6.30pm: The day in sum After a major police search, a 17-year-old boy who absconded from a managed isolation facility in Hamilton was apprehended by police in Auckland this morning. He … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 24. The latest on New Zealand news, politics and the Covid-19 crisis, updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 10.50pm: ‘Incredibly irresponsible’ – Woods on latest absconders Megan Woods, the minister in charge of the border facilities, condemned the escapees in a statement tonight. “This … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 23. The latest on New Zealand news, politics and the Covid-19 crisis, updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.10pm: The day in sum Police confirmed a new investigation has been launched into disgraced former MP Andrew Falloon. David Seymour labelled Winston Peters ‘nasty’ and … Read more
The crowd’s cheering, the lights are flashing. Two figures walk into the ring. It’s … the deputy prime minister and the leader of Act? If it weren’t for Andrew Falloon and Iain Lees-Galloway, this week would’ve belonged to Winston Peters and David Seymour. The leaders of the two lowest polling parties currently in parliament have … Read more
Hello, and welcome to The Spinoff’s Live Updates for July 17. If you want to get in touch about anything, flick me an email at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 5.30pm: The day in sum Simon Bridges revealed he wanted Mark Mitchell to lead National. Judith Collins unveiled a $31 billion transport plan, including rail to Auckland Airport. The blogger … Read more
Hello, and welcome to The Spinoff’s Live Updates for July 16. If you want to get in touch about anything, flick me an email at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.15pm: The day in sum National MPs Nikki Kaye and Amy Adams both announced they were quitting politics. Simon Bridges and Todd Muller are back on the National front bench, … Read more
In every discussion about who could lead the National Party since John Key resigned in 2016, one name has always figured high in speculation: Judith Collins. The controversial yet popular MP for Papakura has put her name forward twice – losing to Bill English and Simon Bridges. Since then, Collins has pledged loyalty to the … Read more
Toby Manhire gazes back at the last almost-10 years in New Zealand politics, leadership and tragedy. When I returned to New Zealand after 11 years away in 2010, John Key had been prime minister for a couple of years and it felt like he’d been prime minister forever. He was a fixture of familiarity and … Read more
A saddle sore, a teal bridesmaid’s dress and the Ngāruawāhia High School hall: how Marilyn Waring became the National candidate for Raglan. An extract from her new memoir The Political Years. In 1974, it was my habit to go to the library at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand’s capital, to read each morning’s newspaper. On … Read more