Few hobbies have captured the mainstream imagination in 2020 quite like roller skating. Jihee Junn explores the many reasons why. Just down the road from Auckland’s Glenfield mall is the ActivZone Indoor Sports Arena, an inconspicuous-looking building which, many years ago, used to be a Chipmunks play centre. These days though, it’s the self-proclaimed “home … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Auditor general to investigate PPE supply, NZ man dies in Peru reportedly after testing positive for Covid-19, and government criticised over lack of small business analysis. The auditor-general will investigate the health ministry’s handling and distribution of personal protective equipment, after weeks of health worker concerns … Read more
Eden Park has been home to Kiwi sports fans for 120 years, but now it’s launched a new effort: to be a leading NZ venue for big music events. The battle between the managers of Eden Park and residents of the leafy streets surrounding the stadium is about to resume, with a resource consent application … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: 300 pages worth of health system review delivered, exportable green hydrogen examined, and small hospitality businesses pushed to the brink by Uber Eats. A massive doorstopper of a review has been delivered, into a sector that has been a massive headache for successive governments. The NZ Herald reports … 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
Jamie Wall reviews Jonah, the two-part Three telefeature that follows the life of our most famous All Black, and finds it an effective but mixed retelling of the legend. Honestly, it’s a wee bit disappointing that the only notable on-screen dramatisation of the All Blacks in recent years was centred on replacement first five Stephen Donald. … Read more
Fresh shadows are descending on Australian rugby – and it goes further than the Israel Folau saga, writes Trevor McKewen. Folau’s dismissal from his $A4m four-year playing contract was as predictable as the inevitable legal appeal that will follow – and probably swallow up his salary, savings and more. There have been missteps all over the … Read more
Cricketer James Faulkner ‘came out’ on social media this week, except it all turned out to be a joke. Jack Cottrel responds. It must have been a surreal experience. One dumb in-joke and the next morning, you’ve come out as gay. Or not. Australian cricketer James Faulkner yesterday trotted out what, in context, is some … Read more
Every day in the lead-up to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: José Barbosa on how one thing could change the sporting world forever. First up, a declaration. The last sports match I watched was a … Read more
This win at all costs culture isn’t new in secondary schools rugby isn’t new – schools have been recruiting talent in return for “opportunity” and “a better education” for over a decade. But do the students really benefit, or is it just the schools? ICYMI, St. Kentigern’s College has recently been banned from competing at … Read more
Some people simply love to compete. Madeleine Chapman writes in defence of competitiveness. “Oh my god you’re so competitive.” Said by my friend in primary school after a particularly intense game of lunchtime rugby. Said by multiple girls at different college athletics days after I actually tried hard to throw the javelin properly. Said by … Read more
In a dramatic moment on the radio airwaves, a sports talkback host put the theory of giving nothing to racism into practice. It has long been clear that rugby has a problem with racial classification of players. It’s a well worn trope that white players get described as intelligent and knowledgeable, while brown players are … Read more
Last year Auckland won just three games in the National Provincial Championship, recording their worst finish in the history of the National Provincial Championship. Twelve months on, the famous blue and white hoops are on the cusp of winning the title. It has been a dramatic turnaround for a provincial side that has put respect … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: High profile resignation at yet another sports organisation, primary teachers vote for rolling strikes in November, and Colin Craig could have another crack at politics. Former champion triathlete Hamish Carter has offered up his resignation from High Performance Sport NZ, after leaking confidential athlete information. Newshub reports that … Read more
Nearly a quarter of players at the last Rugby World Cup were of Pacific Island descent. But, 23 years since the game turned professional, players born in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga still have to leave home to make a living from the sport. For Insight, RNZ Pacific’s Sports Editor Vinnie Wylie asks whether a Pacific Super Rugby … Read more
Media bias, collective guilt for Nazi atrocities and being on the wrong side of history: It was a pretty heavy Sunday night on Radio Sport. “Look, a lot of us want to say that we would’ve been definitely anti-Nazi during Nazi Germany, but statistics will tell you that 90% of us would’ve gone along with … Read more
In a case of terrible timing, one set of The Boys are playing at the same time as the other set of The Boys on Saturday night. Which to watch? Alex Braae assesses the options. 7.30pm. Saturday 8 September. The room looks on as you hold the TV remote in an iron grip, visibly sweating … Read more
The NRL’s International Rugby League proposals are a sign that they’re finally waking up to the potential of giving Pacific Island nations something serious to play for. On the face of it, it seems obvious. An Oceania Cup between New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji and an international Nines tournament in 2019. A Four Nations … Read more
Hurricanes winger Ben Lam has been a revelation this season, but looks unlikely to be in the All Black’s thinking for June. Scotty Stevenson discusses the reasons why, and what it says about how tough it is to make the team. In Wellington, at least, they love him. Ben Lam, the big winger on the end of a … Read more
It might seem like New Zealand didn’t top the medal table at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, but actually, we were the real winners. Alex Braae explains how. It is tough being the small player on the world stage. New Zealand, by any measure, is tiny. Some would argue that it’s bred a cultural desire for … Read more
Christchurch’s new sports hub Ngā Puna Wai is set to open in stages over 2018–19, with track and field facilities due first in May this year, followed by hockey in July. Big-ticket metropolitan projects like Ngā Puna Wai of course stand out, but meanwhile there’s also a quiet sports-hub revolution going on in the suburbs, … Read more
With Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum among its founders, CricHQ capitalised on global interest in both cricket and cloud-based internet startups. It attracted a star-studded lineup of investors and seemed hugely successful, at one point boasting that it could bring in as much as US $10 billion. Then, in October, it went into receivership. Rebecca … Read more
What do you see when you look at the Canterbury logo? If you’re one of the estimated 50% of New Zealanders who are oblivious to its true meaning, sit down, take a deep breath, and prepare to have your world turned upside down. Hayden Donnell reports. You’ve probably looked at the Canterbury logo thousands of … Read more
The Press Council has upheld a complaint about the comment relating to Miles Davis and homophobia contained in this article. The full decision is available here or at www.presscouncil.org.nz Somewhere in a darkened studio a few weeks ago, two men unleashed the world’s most powerful tsunami of terrible radio. Hayden Donnell dug up the recording. … Read more
Our Olympic uniforms have rightly been savaged from all angles. But research by The Spinoff’s crack intern team suggests that rather than a design disaster, they were in fact a successful online bargain hunt. The New Zealand Olympic uniforms were revealed on Wednesday. Athletes said they were “comfortable” and “practical”, while others said they were an … Read more
Why does golf still exist, but Cricket Max doesn’t? How does Strip Date make the primetime schedule at TV2 when we can’t even get a half-hour slot for Clash of the Codes? Sam Parsons goes on a quest to restore justice to the world. Cricket Max The short-lived game was basically one day cricket on steroids and a … Read more
Madeleine Chapman attends the Chinese Easter Tournament every year and firmly believes it is the greatest sporting event on the calendar. Growing up, I would spend my Easter weekends hunting for and eating too many chocolate eggs. For the past six years I have spent my Easter weekends playing sport with and against hundreds of Chinese people. … Read more
The Black Caps have rolled India and squeezed Australia, but now it’s time to take on Pakistan – a team that almost always find a way to break our hearts. Few things make Kiwi cricket fans tremble more than squaring off with Pakistan in the midst of a world tournament. Just mention 1992 (the Inzamam … Read more
James Dann scales his personal Everest, power ranking all 45 Warriors jerseys from transcendent best to horrible worst. The Warriors head into their 21st season tonight after a number of ups and downs. Probably more downs, to be honest. Since 1995, the Warriors have been known for their unpredictability, their thrilling highs and depressingly common lows. The same mercurial nature … Read more