Counties Manukau DHB, home to Middlemore Hospital, may have missed out on $300 million in funding over the last decade, according to documents released to The Spinoff. This article has been updated to include a response from Statistics New Zealand. “It’s like a resort, compared to Middlemore.” This isn’t a review on Trivago. Rather it’s a … Read more
The son of a Mongrel Mob president, former professional boxer Dave Letele is now helping South Aucklanders get jobs, get fit and get fed. Reiná Vaai meets the ‘Brown Buttabean’ at his Manukau HQ. “I should’ve been in prison or dead by now,” says Dave Letele, also known as Brown Buttabean. In his early 20s … Read more
Businesses and community organisations in South Auckland are already finding themselves stretched thin – and warn the worst is yet to come. Māngere businesswoman Toni Helleur employs up to nine people providing corporate massage services across Auckland. But since April, she’s only had one month of income, and following this latest resurgence, the future isn’t … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Changes rippling through architecture of local government, ‘yellow flag’ case causes concern about Auckland outbreak, and health select committee to reconvene. To lead us off today, a roundup of a few stories taking place at local government level. It keeps going while the rest of the … Read more
The region is known to lack many of the advantages of central and north Auckland suburbs, yet properties command rents as high as the likes of Mt Albert and Ōnehunga. So how do landlords get away with charging so much, Justin Latif asks. If you write the words “is South Auckland” into Google, the first … Read more
When writer Charlotte Muru-Lanning noticed her friend JP sharing conspiracy theories online, she challenged him on it. Here they continue that conversation. For Māori and Pasifika, using social media at the moment almost always means some type of interaction with conspiracy theories. The phenomenon has created widespread concern in our communities and we’ve seen an … Read more
The prime minister spoke to South Auckland and Pasifika media this afternoon. Justin Latif reports. Jacinda Ardern has paid tribute to the South Auckland family at the centre of the recent Covid-19 outbreak in Auckland, as well as the Pacific community for the way it has responded to the call to get tested. The prime … Read more
The upheaval of this latest level three lockdown has hit South Auckland hard, particularly its young people. However, as Justin Latif reports, a youth-focused social change initiative has been helping them get by, and empowering them to help their own communities. Fereni Peti began to feel sick a day after attending her Māngere East church … Read more
As racist and unfounded rumours swirl, how is the family at the centre of New Zealand’s newest Covid cluster and the wider South Auckland community responding? Justin Latif reports. A week after the announcement that members of a south Auckland household had tested positive for Covid-19, the family is getting the support it needs, according … Read more
Much has been made of digital divide, but as Justin Latif has observed in his role as a board of trustee member of Māngere Central School, schools in the area are making big strides to ensure students aren’t left behind. It’s hard to imagine what lockdown would be like without the limitless time-consuming options provided … Read more
With the extension of alert level three set to stretch many South Auckland families even further, Justin Latif reports on how organisations are preparing to help feed those most in need. Food banks across South Auckland are scrambling to get themselves ready for an expected surge in demand, following Friday’s announcement that the level three … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Collins calls for a delay in the election, an update on community transmission and testing, and businesses fearing the fallout of another lockdown. At this stage, the election is still scheduled to take place on September 19. But with the country’s largest city currently in level … Read more
Justin Latif takes the temperature of his community in South Auckland, ground zero for the latest Covid-19 outbreak. Following the prime minister’s announcement on Tuesday evening, my messenger app began pinging with pictures and videos of people at the supermarket. But it wasn’t panic buying that I was seeing, rather there was a sense of … Read more
After initial concerns about low testing rates in South Auckland, Counties Manukau DHB has the second-highest testing rate in the country. Ōtara Health chief executive Sosefina Paletaoga explains her organisation’s role in achieving this. Covid-19 has affected us all in different ways, and for us in Ōtara, it has highlighted existing issues, but also reinforced … Read more
Two deeply religious men are standing for Labour in South Auckland. But Justin Latif reports that their views on the abortion law reforms are very different. On a bitterly cold Friday morning, the Māngere electorate candidates’ debate heated up when the topic of abortion was raised. Following a question related to whether candidates supported the recent … Read more
There are no incumbents in the south Auckland seat of Takanini, for this is a completely new electorate. Justin Latif goes to meet some of the voters, and the fascinating bunch desperate for their support. The name of New Zealand’s newest electorate can be traced back to a prominent Te Ākitai Waiohua chief of the … Read more
South Auckland’s five local boards all face similar challenges when it comes to supporting its local residents with jobs, transport and providing places to have fun. So what are their draft plans proposing? Justin Latif finds out – and hands out some awards. Is there anything more soporific than an Auckland Council consultation document? They … Read more
Finding yourself homeless is terrible at any age – but it’s even worse for those under 18, who are routinely turned away by emergency housing providers, writes Aaron Hendry. “Our response to Covid, on the face of it, had a very simple premise: stay home, save lives. That simple requirement forced all of us as … Read more
Today marks one year since police evicted mana whenua and members of the Protect Ihumātao campaign from land at Ihumātao, South Auckland. Justin Latif looks back at the standoff, the eviction, and what’s happened since. Has it really been a year?! Yes it really has. On July 23 2019, police descended on Ihumātao in South … Read more
Combatting climate change as a healthcare organisation involves more than simply reducing its carbon footprint, writes David Galler. It means seeing climate change and wellbeing as intertwined – and that what’s good for the environment is always good for health. This pandemic, as overwhelming as it is, will eventually pass. But before too long there … Read more
South Auckland’s multimillion-dollar bike paths set a new gold standard, but getting locals on track with council’s grand plan has proved an uphill battle. A scene from the 1962 film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner often plays through my mind as I ride along the relatively new multimillion-dollar award-winning cycleways around Māngere. The … Read more
Petra Molloy was born in the Netherlands and moved to Aotearoa with her family in 1952; she lives in Auckland. Her novel Chosen Boys is about child abuse in the Catholic Church. It’s set in dawn-raids South Auckland – and is written largely from the point of view of a Samoan mother. We asked Molloy … Read more
Himali McInnes has been torn between identities and countries her entire life. Here, she tells her story: of Sri Lanka and civil war, of the UK and normality, and of New Zealand and its unspoken past. “I stick it like I’m cinnamon ..I live it like a citizen” – Luka Lesson, ‘Please Resist Me’ The … Read more
One thing that has set the fight for Ihumātao apart is the confidence with which multi-media digital communication has been deployed to spread the message far and wide. Peter McKenzie looks at the new tools of the revolution. The message was sparse. “Tomorrow, midday, Wellington Cenotaph, there is a rally against the confiscation of land … Read more
With everything in politics moving so fast these days, it can be hard to remember characters from earlier seasons who get brought back for yet another run. So with John Banks considering another Auckland mayoralty run, what are some things you might have forgotten? Once upon a time, he was utterly ubiquitous. John Banks was … Read more
Earlier this month Vunilagi Vou opened in Ōtāhuhu, the first art gallery the south Auckland suburb has ever had. Its director, curator Ema Tavola, is passionate about centring South Auckland communities and art makers in conversations around contemporary New Zealand art. Ōtāhuhu is home to a large migrant population, more than half are from Pacific … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. This week, he talks to Manawa Udy from co-working space Te Haa o … Read more
Ten years ago, Smashproof released ‘Brother’, the song that swiftly became the longest running number one by a New Zealand act. Jogai Bhatt talks to the band about the impact of the song then, and what it means to them today. I remember it like it was only ten years ago. I’d recently made the … Read more
For decades she stood up for urban Māori and provided services to a community that was often overlooked. Close friends and family celebrate the life of Dame Temuranga “June” Batley-Jackson. A lot is made of understanding the Treaty of Waitangi as a living document. The Waitangi Tribunal explains the concept by outlining how Te Tiriti … Read more