Sam Brooks reviews our capital’s most iconic stretch: Courtenay Place. Every city in the country has that one place that after a certain age, a certain income bracket, or a certain night, that you just know to avoid. If you’re in Auckland, it’s the Viaduct. Dunedin? The Octagon. Christchurch? The Terrace, formerly The Strip. Hamilton? … Read more
It’s a grim time of year in Wellington, but not only the bleak weather is to blame, writes Danyl Mclauchlan. Then there was the bad weather. Wellington feels like it really only has two seasons, which stretch from solstice to solstice. For the first half of each year it is autumn, with maybe a few … Read more
Husband and wife Lin and Lian Thuam Cin are former refugees from Myanmar turned essential workers. This is their story of wanting to help a nation in need after having been helped themselves. It’s an April morning in Wellington, yet it’s surprisingly warm and unusually quiet, with almost no one on the streets. But for … Read more
The technology industry has been singled out for its significant growth potential in post-Covid New Zealand. Now, as the country returns to relative normalcy, we speak to students working towards careers in the sector. When the government made the decision to move the country into level four lockdown, every aspect of our collective lives was … Read more
With more than 151,000 members, Wellington’s Vic Deals is one of the largest community Facebook groups in New Zealand. But in the last few days, the group’s team of administrators have landed itself in hot water after being accused of censoring content related to racism, colonisation, and Black Lives Matter. How did this all start? … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Mixed views on freshwater rules, pay equity settlement for teacher aides, and concerns raised about new internet filtering proposal. The final form of a major package of freshwater reforms was announced yesterday, and it was notable how little anger came from certain quarters. Throughout this process, … Read more
A new ad campaign that claims “crowded public transport” is a danger to your bubble is stoking unfounded fears, argues Wellington regional councillor Thomas Nash. Update, 23 May: Wilson Parking New Zealand has issued a statement in response to this column which is published in full below. You might think it would be a brazen … Read more
With the government yet to announce its preferred contact tracing technology, the market is being flooded with private options. Alex Braae reports on an app developed for the local hospitality industry that has caught the eye of Wellington City Council. The Wellington City Council has officially adopted a contract tracing app of choice, with a … Read more
Eerie scenes from level four lockdown in the nation’s capital. With people instructed to stay at home, Wellington streets, schools and parks are near empty. We captured this strangely beautiful footage during the first weeks of lockdown, visiting familiar Wellington locations including the Wellington Urban Motorway, the waterfront, Kent Terrace and Oriental Bay. This video … Read more
In an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19, New Zealand has officially gone into lockdown. With people instructed to stay at home, streets, parks, playgrounds and roads have rarely been so empty. Here, we present a selection of the best images (Note: All photos were taken while practising physical distancing) For the must-know rules … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: How the new alert system will work, dozens of new cases announced over weekend, and a great idea from several Wellington hotels. How will day to day life change with the new alert system aimed at combating Covid-19? To put it bluntly, it will have to … Read more
Breastfeeding in public can still be stressful for a lot of mothers. Gemma Bowker Wright lists her favourite places to breastfeed without the added judgement or worry. It makes me mad when I hear stories of mums being told they can’t breastfeed in public places. This shouldn’t still be an issue – it’s 2020, not … Read more
Yes, the capital’s having a shithouse summer, but there are plenty of reasons to look on the bright side, says Emily Writes. The world-famous Routeburn Track will be closed for the “foreseeable future” and Milford Track is staying shut for at least a few more weeks after terrible storms hit the south. Mataura, Gore, Wyndham … Read more
My name is Eddie and I’m seven and my mum said I have to write about my school holidays and I just want to play Minecraft. I love swimming so these are the best places for swimming by me Eddie. Eddie: Kilbirnie pool is new now but the only thing that’s new are the water … Read more
Crime week: In 1931, 17 year-old Phyllis Avis Symons was buried alive by her partner in the fill from construction of Mount Victoria Tunnel. The man who killed her was hanged. The case was a sensation, and is the focus of Andi C. Buchanan’s new novel, extracted here. You know how the story will go, … Read more
Summer reissue: The $800 per ticket, council-funded festival of ‘creative collisions’ has been cancelled and the company behind it has gone bust. Alex Casey reports. This story was first published on 17 June, 2019. The first problem was that nobody knew how to say it. Without any discernible vowels, pronouncing WLG-X, the name of a … Read more
Catherine McGregor revisits some classic cafes and discovers some newcomers on a nostalgic weekend of culture and bread in Wellington. When I moved back to New Zealand from London in 2008, it took a while to feel at home. I had moved into a converted boatshed overlooking Pauatahanui inlet, a half hour north of Wellington, … Read more
Right now the country’s booksellers are gasping, frantic, knackered – and still dealing politely with the rest of us at our worst. We at the Spinoff thank them for their service and invite booksellers and book-buyers alike to please enjoy this nostalgic hug of an essay by Catherine Robertson. From late 1985 to early 1987, … Read more
We may be called fuckwits. We may be called idiots. But the optimism keeps on, writes Chris Cessford. As spring lurches into summer, Wellington wakes up to another day of a crazy-making gusty northerly gale. Or, as we cyclists in the southern suburbs call it, a head wind. I fasten my helmet tightly and grit … Read more
The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read the rest of the series here.
Emily Writes and her son pay a visit to the brand new ‘playground’ on the Parliament lawn. I heard there was a new park at Parliament only when I was asked to review it. Somehow it slipped under the radar despite the fact that I care deeply about new playgrounds. As a mum of two … Read more
What’s the once staunchly metal hacker convention Kiwicon doing swapping skulls for stuffed toys, and what’s the deal with the new con on the block? Alex Stronach reports. It starts with hackers, pyrotechnics, and an alpaca in a party hat. No, wait, let’s rewind. It’s June 2019, and every Kiwi pundit is grappling with a … Read more
He Kākano Ahau is a podcast by writer and activist Kahu Kutia (Ngāi Tūhoe) that explores stories of Māori in the city, and weaves together strands of connection. In this episode: Whakawāhine Māori talk about being accepted and finding space to explore identity. I’m sitting by the window in a flat in Te Aro, Wellington. … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Wellington’s new mayor faces difficult three years, Zero Carbon bill select committee report comes back, and extremist preacher barred from NZ Partly because it was a widely unexpected result, the opening days of Wellington mayor Andy Foster’s tenure have been gripping. He has inherited a Council … Read more
Some people go for a run to let off steam after work, while others try their hand at ballroom dancing or hit up a pub quiz. And some, as Greta Yeoman discovers, throw sharp objects at walls. She gives it a go. An uncoordinated, anxious journalist with terrible aim is probably not the best candidate … Read more
The Wellington suburb’s successful opposition to a proposed Bottle-O shows how the system is biased towards communities with the organisation, capacity and resources to protest effectively, argues Jenesa Jeram. For those unfamiliar with Wellington geography, Khandallah is a Very Nice place to live (Aucklanders: think Remuera). So when it was reported that an application to … Read more
In one of the biggest surprises of the local elections, Andy Foster has seized the Wellington mayoralty from Justin Lester. In this cheat sheet, we answer some of the big questions about Andy Foster, such as ‘who is Andy Foster?’ The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Changes coming at NZTA over road safety failures, half a billion to be paid out to health workers, and Blue Belt proposal revived in Wellington. An independent report into the NZTA has concluded that it failed in its duty to keep people safe on New … Read more
Yesterday’s Extinction Rebellion protests may have caught the media’s attention – including The Spinoff’s – but do such small-scale disruptive events actually do more harm than good? There’s something beautiful in the air. People are striking and protesting in numbers unheard of for a generation or longer. Issues like inequality and climate change have reached … Read more