The man who led the All Blacks to victory in the first World Cup went on to become a Rhodes scholar, political operator and business leader. Today he’s worried about tribalism and the Trumpian tendency to vilification. He sits down with Spinoff business editor Maria Slade in Sydney. Rugby legend, Rhodes scholar, business leader and … Read more
It is hard to remember a year in which New Zealand was so repeatedly in global headlines, writes Kamahl Santamaria, a Kiwi journalist based in Doha. Time zones are a strange thing. You go to sleep, and then for eight hours or so, you miss out on everything happening on the other side of the … Read more
By reference to history and science, we predict which way tonight’s crunch game in the Rugby World Cup is likely to go. 1 The semifinal falls two days after the New Zealand release of JoJo Rabbit, the new movie by acclaimed filmmaker and Hurricanes talisman Taika Waititi. The last time an England versus All Blacks … Read more
What’s really stood out for me being back in Tokyo is Japan’s spectators, writes Richard Light, professor of sport coaching at the University of Canterbury. I first noticed the unique qualities of the Japanese crowds when I was a rugby coach here in the 1990s. Later, with the admission of the Japanese team, the Sunwolves, … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Port study comes back saying Auckland operations should go north, EV sales finally ticking up, and NZ First loses party president for “moral reasons.” A study into the structure of the upper North Island port system has come back recommending many aspects of Auckland’s port … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Shane Jones says the quiet bit out loud to forestry industry, massive marches take place against climate inaction, and pharmacists fear Chemist Warehouse wipeout. Cabinet minister and NZ First MP Shane Jones has allegedly been caught saying the quiet bit out loud again. The NZ Herald’s David Fisher … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Indonesia to send contaminated recycling back to NZ, LAWA report shows water quality dropping at more sites than not, and Spark Sport suffers harsh weekend. Shipping containers full of contaminated recycling could be shipped back to New Zealand, Anna Whyte from One News reported near the end of … Read more
In this episode of our new tarot reading show Wild Card, The Spinoff’s resident psychic divines the outcome of the All Blacks’ opening match against the Springboks on Saturday. In the first and potentially only episode of Wild Card, we have a focus on sport. The Spinoff’s psychic-in-residence, Jo Sees, specialises in divining breakups and … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: GDP growth slows in the latest quarter, questions raised over utter NZDF incompetence, and NZTA sends money intended for light rail elsewhere. The numbers are in, and GDP growth has slowed down for the second quarter of the year. Radio NZ reports it is the slowest level … Read more
With only a few more sleeps until the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Tara Ward looks at the variety of ways you can watch the tournament from the comfort of your own home. Set your clocks, sound the alarms and gird your scrum-loving loins for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which kicks off this Friday in … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: NZDF under inquiry scrutiny, competing statements on Labour investigation released through lawyers, and a thorough look at Air NZ’s carbon offsets. Ever since the book Hit and Run was published, the Defence Force have been under various degrees of pressure over whether Afghan civilians were killed … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Range of reaction to Kiwibuild reset, Peter Ellis dies before Supreme Court appeal can be heard, and calls for apology for te reo suppression. Hang on, it is still called Kiwibuild right? The government’s flagship policy, which has by most metrics been a disaster, has been … Read more
A squad of New Zealand’s big sporting bodies just announced they were ‘taking a stand’, to ‘create a positive experience for all young people playing sport’. If they’re serious about achieving both a healthier national culture and a slew of world-class athletes, the model should be Norway, writes Trevor McKewen. “It’s time to change our … Read more
At Eden Park on Saturday night, the Wallabies were on the receiving end of a ruthless players’ revenge, writes Scotty Stevenson The rain came. It always seems to at Eden Park, just as the Wallabies warm up on the pitch, dreaming of ending a drought. It came from the west, the only threatening thing that … Read more
New Sky CEO Martin Stewart has had a huge first month in the job, burning down the house of his famed predecessor John Fellet, writes Trevor McKewen. Less than a month into his new job as the CEO of one of New Zealand’s most disliked brands (and that really is a feat when you’re in … Read more
The swoop by Spark to secure rights to screen the rugby world cup in Japan means a decision to make about the combo in the commentary box. So who are the runners and riders to call Beaudy’s World Cup winning drop goal, asks Jamie Wall While it probably won’t be remembered as a particularly memorable match, … Read more
In what could be World Rugby’s most game-changing play since the introduction of the Rugby World Cup in 1987, plans for an annual ‘League of Nations’ tournament show the governing body’s intent to keep the international game on top, writes Scotty Stevenson. According the reports out of France, the days of the Southern Hemisphere’s annual … Read more
From an erratic flailing of limbs to the psychological powerhouse we know today, little is known about how haka developed into a steadfast tradition in New Zealand sport. Leonie Hayden talks to post-grad student Nikki Timu about how it all started and how Māori can shape its future. Kapa haka has always been important to Nikki … Read more
The telco and TVNZ have outbid the satellite giant for the right to broadcast the 2019 men’s Rugby World Cup – and it marks a watershed moment for our media and audiences What’s all this then? “Spark New Zealand announced today it has secured the rights to bring to New Zealanders the Rugby World Cup … Read more
Can Sky TV survive if they lose the 2019 Rugby World Cup broadcast rights? Radio New Zealand‘s Gyles Beckford analyses their position. Has fortress Sky Television suffered the first major breach in its defences? If not, then the news that it’s not the preferred bidder for the New Zealand broadcasting rights to next year’s Rugby World … Read more
Inspired by Jonah Lomu and the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Churchill High School in Harare, Zimbabwe, has adopted and adapted ‘Ka Mate’, the haka made famous by the New Zealand All Blacks. Photojournalist Cornell Tukiri travelled to Harare see for himself and to ask: is this OK? Words and images by Cornell Tukiri. When a … Read more
Following a stellar campaign, the Black Ferns play England in the Rugby World Cup final tomorrow. Former Black Fern Melodie Robinson urges the New Zealand Rugby Union to properly back the only major growth area in the sport in NZ. The future of the Black Ferns will be determined following Sunday morning’s Rugby World Cup … Read more
Gareth Shute delved into the history of All Blacks songs, found them wanting, so wrote his own. New Zealand is a rugby-mad nation but, despite many attempts, there has yet to be a song written for our national team that’s had any staying power. But how hard could it be to write a song about … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: Calum Henderson reviews an old pack of rugby cards. These days Oamaru is known as the steampunk capital of New Zealand, but back in the late 1980s and early 1990s it had a much better claim to fame. For … Read more
“Chris, all we can hope really is that you die in a car accident or in some other similar way. Regards, Dave Smith.” This is an email that arrived in the inbox of New Zealand Herald sports critic Chris Rattue a few days ago. Dave’s oddly polite “regards” aside, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. … Read more
It’s EURO 2016 eve, the most beautiful time of the football year: a carnival of early morning starts, low-key sports betting addiction and extremely niche memes is nearly upon us. Get match-fit with James Beavis’ essential group-by-group breakdown. Group A (aka The One Where France Maybe Won’t Succumb To Infighting This Time) Teams: Albania, France, … Read more
The corruption allegations levelled at French club Racing 92 could be a sign of things to come in world rugby, says professional player-turned-journalist John Daniell. In 2012 I was tipped off about a story at Racing Metro, a French rugby club I used to play for, now renamed Racing 92 and home to half a … Read more
One of the true legends of Rugby died today in Auckland. Scotty Stevenson reflects on the passing of the one and only Jonah Lomu. The most unstoppable man in the history of rugby was finally stopped today. He was just 40. Jonah Tali Lomu died unexpectedly in Auckland this morning after returning from the Rugby … Read more
Hundreds of handwritten signs were hoisted high and proud around Victoria Park at lunchtime to praise, thank, and welcome home the world’s best men’s rugby team, Richie & The Boys. Most were direct and to the point. “Go the All Blacks,” “Well done boys,” “I LOVE THE ALL BLACKS.” Others seemed a little needy – … Read more