The Bulletin: Collins outlines the plan forward for National

Good morning and welcome to the Bulletin. In today’s edition: Collins outlines the plan forward for National, no spread of Covid spotted yet in Northland, and students return for climate protest. In front of a Rotary Club at the Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, National leader Judith Collins yesterday set out her party’s priorities for the … Read more

The Bulletin: Wellington’s future being thrashed out

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Wellington’s future being thrashed out, second community case in Christchurch, and the US election is finally here. An issue that hasn’t been covered heavily in The Bulletin recently is the various issues coming to a boil in the capital city. The decisions made now have the … Read more

The Bulletin: Political divisions rage as election looms

Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Political divisions rage as election looms, economic forecasts considered too optimistic, and travel routes start to move again. They had all been doing so well at getting along, but that’s all over now. A cross-party consensus is emerging that it’s time to get back to the … Read more

The Bulletin: Tauranga rates and why painful proposed rise is needed

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Tauranga passes draft budget featuring massive rates rise, JLR makes further donation allegations, and more Covid-19 cases confirmed. We’ll start with a regional story today, because this is one that has implications for plenty of other places. Local body politics in Tauranga is getting absolutely steamed … Read more

The Wairarapa just wiped out a critter that’s been making farmers’ lives a misery

The dreaded pea weevil is no more in the Wairarapa, after a successful eradication effort. So why does this matter?  OK, what on earth is a pea weevil? It’s a type of leaf beetle, so not actually a weevil after all, but the name is the name. Basically it gets into pea plants while they’re … Read more

Chainsaw lessons with rates-slashing billboard idol Tina Nixon

Tina Nixon, Masterton mayoral candidate and chainsaw model, is leading one of the tightest campaigns rural NZ has seen. Josie Adams headed to the Wairarapa to learn about Nixon, chainsawing, and voting in rural NZ. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting … Read more

They’re not other passengers, they’re my train family

Nicky Elliott loves her daily commute from Wairarapa to Wellington. It’s the heart of her social life, and she’s already on to her second train husband. My train journeys started about nine years ago when my husband was offered a job in the Wairarapa. I didn’t even know where that was; I had married a … Read more

The Wairarapa photographer whose kuia portraits capture a community

It started out as a love for the Māori women that had been part of her childhood. Photographer Kiri Riwai-Couch spoke to Aaron Smale about her exhibition of kuia portraits. Kiri Riwai-Couch was asked how many people she expected turn out to the opening of her photo exhibition. Even a quick calculation told her the … Read more

Intrepid summer road trip: Wellington’s surf breaks, waterfront, and wildlife

In the second part of a four piece series exploring places around Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes reveals the capital’s hidden secrets, while Avi Duckor-Jones takes you to the very end of the North Island. Read part one, on the great Auckland summer road trip, here. Windswept hideaways and long drives, … Read more

Does literature exist on the other, emptier side of the Rimutakas?

In the latest of our occasional series of essays which investigate whether literature exists in the provinces, John Summers looks for clues in Greytown in the Wairarapa. I do most of my writing on the Wairarapa line, the WRL. Every morning, every evening, it rattles beneath the hills between Wellington and Greytown with me aboard, … Read more