The Bulletin: Nervous wait for Northland and Auckland

A man taking a Covid test in Auckland

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Nervous wait for Northland and Auckland, trade minister annoys Aussies with China comments, and long-awaited clean car standards finally on the way. At the moment it looks like the top of the country might have got away with a very lucky escape, in the latest … Read more

Where to now for Winston Peters and New Zealand First?

With only 2.7% of the vote, NZ First will not be returning to parliament this time. But as Winston Peters’ former researcher Josh Van Veen writes, the party’s legacy is too enduring for NZ First to be gone for good. Ambition and ideals are at the heart of politics. More often than not they conflict. … Read more

A former Oranga Tamariki employee on why change must start at the top

A Children’s Commission report released this week shows that entrenched attitudes at Oranga Tamariki are still endangering whānau Māori. This is what colonisation looks like, writes former Oranga Tamariki employee Luke Fitzmaurice. Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft yesterday released the first of two reports into the removal of Māori babies by the Ministry for Children … Read more

Every moment that mattered in the year’s first real election debate

We’ve just had a taste of how the election campaign is going to go this year, with a raw and rowdy debate at the University of Auckland. Alex Braae recaps it. Unfortunately for voters, one of the most exciting versions of these big, multi-party free for alls has now already been and gone. Every year, … Read more

The Bulletin: Registering guns along with owners announced

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Second round of gun law changes announced, hundreds with conditions like Down syndrome get early Kiwisaver, and a major refusal to participate in March 15 inquiry. The second major phase of gun law reform has been announced by the government. Interest reports a gun register will be … Read more

What is the sex self-identification law, and how did the debate grow so toxic?

Internal affairs minister Tracey Martin has announced that legislation that would allow transgender people to more easily change their sex on birth certificates will be deferred following concerns around changes made by the select committee which, said Martin, ‘occurred without adequate public consultation’, creating ‘a fundamental legal issue’. The decision, widely deplored by the trans … Read more

The Bulletin: Door opened to GE Free debate

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Door opened to debate on GE Free policy, dollar figure put on the health cost of poor housing, and self-ID bill deferred by minister Tracey Martin. It has been one of the cornerstone policies of New Zealand environmentalism for the past two decades. New Zealand’s GE Free … Read more

The Bulletin: Fishing proposals land boatload of controversy

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fishing proposals hook controversy from those outside industry, provincial growth fund slow to create jobs, and Waitangi Dildo Thrower hit with trespass notice. A major overhaul of the way New Zealand’s fishing industry works has been proposed in a discussion paper put out by the government. Minister … Read more

The Bulletin: Nothing to see here, says Haumaha inquiry report

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Wally Haumaha appointment inquiry report comes back clean, primary and secondary teachers to mull united front, and how will Rocket Lab make money? The long awaited report from the inquiry into the appointment of Wally Haumaha as deputy police commissioner has come back. It clears police and … Read more

Do teenagers even use Pornhub, and other questions about children and porn

We’ve largely moved beyond moral panics about teens’ consumption of books, television and movies, but worries about the effects of online pornography remain. But are we concerned about the wrong things? Throughout history, the regulation of children’s access to violent and sexualised media has been a startlingly consistent social concern. Over the course of the … Read more

The Bulletin: Hits keep coming in Wally Haumaha saga

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Hits keep coming in Wally Haumaha story, firefighting foam contaminates Taranaki streams, and nurses release voting numbers. The Wally Haumaha appointment inquiry story isn’t going away any time soon, with a raft of new developments. First of all, let’s recap, because it has been a long and … Read more

The Bulletin: In this economy?

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Slight rise in unemployment sparks concern, leading construction firm collapses amid building boom, and calls for more serious kauri measures.  Both unemployment and underutilisation have ticked up slightly in the latest Stats NZ quarterly survey. The seasonally adjusted rise is marginal in both categories, but the unemployment rate remains … Read more