Among the hundreds of Extinction Rebellion activists who blockaded a street in Wellington today, there was a teenager who got temporarily kicked out of his school for protesting too much. Alex Braae reports. “My mother, when she first found out, was a little enraged that I was skipping classes to go and hang out with … Read more
Tomorrow Wellington will be the first city ‘disrupted’ in a series of protests by global environmental group Extinction Rebellion. Its spokesperson Dr Sea Rotmann explains why they’re choosing disorder. Last week School Strike 4 Climate organised 170,000 people – that’s over 3.5% of Aotearoa’s population – to take to the streets to demand action on … Read more
If you see a woman walking barefoot around Parliament, it’s probably Wellington policy advisor Amy Russell. She explains why she rarely wears shoes, and why the raised eyebrows don’t bother her, much. By and large, I don’t wear shoes. I mostly walk barefoot to and from work. I go barefoot in the office. I go … Read more
In this extract from a chapter called ‘Deep Time’ in Rebecca Priestley’s new memoir, Fifteen Million Years in Antarctica, Rebecca remembers her peculiar, legume-heavy, art-saturated childhood in Wellington. (And a note from the author: if anyone has a painting from Ruth Priestley’s Antarctic Dream series, Rebecca would love to hear from you.) I grew up in … Read more
Across the city, candidates are running for office on the promise of fixing the botched bus network. Good luck to them. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. In the space of just a year or so, a … Read more
Nancy Silverton is one of the world’s great chefs and for three nights in August, she took over a restaurant in Wellington. Simon Day was there. The first thing legendary Californian chef Nancy Silverton does after she greets the bright-eyed dining room that’s gathered at Wellington restaurant Shepherd to see her in the flesh and … Read more
Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we’re joined by one of Wellington’s finest sons, musician and food writer Samuel Flynn Scott. In our Wellington special, capital culinary evangelist Samuel Flynn Scott joins fellow displaced Wellingtonian Alice (plus … Read more
Most election meetings are by turns angry and boring. On Thursday, Alex Braae went along to a debate in the foothills of Wellington’s Mt Victoria and discovered that local democracy can be… nice? The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s … 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
The giant hand that captivated, delighted and disgusted the nation is now settling into its new Wellington home. For City Gallery Wellington’s blog, Spinoff arts editor Megan Dunn talked to Ronnie van Hout, the man who made Quasi. “Quasi is in the wrong place,” wrote art critic Warren Feeney in 2016, arguing it should be … Read more
Simon Day dined alone at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant Hiakai, and discovered it was the perfect way to appreciate the meaning of this special food. “Would you like a few more minutes with your phone?” the waitress at Hiakai asked sympathetically as I mashed a final goodbye text to my wife on the touchscreen. I’d … Read more
Extinction Rebellion takes a tour of downtown Wellington to point out the coal industry stalwarts and ask why they’re still there in the face of a climate emergency. “There are coal companies in Wellington??” That’s the incredulous response every single time we mention taking the public on a tour of the biggest coal industry companies … Read more
The new joint from the team behind one of Wellington’s favourite craft beer bars is dedicated to minimal-intervention, organic wine – and more exciting things are coming to the heritage building it’s housed in. Before the Cadbury factory opened in Dunedin in 1930, New Zealanders ate Cadbury chocolate made in England. After it was shipped … Read more
The best little art show about the environment is big on charm and low on preaching and you can find it at Robert Heald Gallery in Wellington for one more week. Megan Dunn reviews. Are we all screwed? Pastorale, the current show at Robert Heald Gallery in Wellington, suggests not yet, but we might be … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alice Neville critiques a curious culinary union. Fusion cuisine gets a bad rap, but some of the finest dishes on earth are culinary mash-ups. Would you really want to live in a world where there’s no bánh mì, where … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major new IPCC report released, Queenstown’s mayor puts a halt on airport expansion plans, and abortion bill passes first reading. The latest major, global climate change report has given a more complete picture of the damage being done to land itself. The IPCC report details how … Read more
Simon Day has eaten great food in iconic cities all over the world. Nothing beats Wellington’s food scene, even on a bad day. Wellington is my favourite food city in the world. I’ve eaten croissants in Paris, and pizza in Rome, and pickled herring in Copenhagen. I’ve tried modern Japanese in Melbourne, and eaten my … Read more
The Hurricanes’ and All Blacks’ talismanic No 10 is heading north to Auckland in the biggest Super Rugby shift for a long time. Hurricanes true believer and NZ’s leading rugby fraternity authority Jamie Wall does his best to hold it together to analyse the move. They say the first stage of grief is denial. That’s … Read more
It seems quite a claim to say Chocolate is choreographer Sacha Copland’s best work considering her immense talent but it’s true, says Emily Writes. I am not a fan of immersive theatre or interactive dance or whatever you want to call it. I don’t want to get involved. While my son will wildly volunteer for … Read more
Anna Knox spoke to the curator of a new exhibition of Guy Ngan’s work at the gallery in the heart of his home. Artist Guy Ngan and the art establishment never seemed to care much for each other. But a new exhibition raises questions about that mutual disregard. Ngan lived in Stokes Valley, Upper Hutt, … Read more
The gap between lectures and exams is often a crucial time for students to regroup and prepare for the oncoming exam storm. So it’s understandable that a proposal by Victoria University of Wellington to remove it is causing a stir. Faced with a condensed exam period and shorter break for students, Victoria University administrators have … Read more
About as far as you can get from Aotearoa’s rural heartland, a new breed of farmers are rethinking the way we grow. At the heart of that shitshow of an Auckland city confluence where Symonds St, New North Rd, Khyber Pass and Newton Rd come together, observant passers-by will notice an unlikely thing. Amid the … Read more
It is going to be a long journey to rebuild communities where people feel safe after the Christchurch terror attack. But if we commit to working together, it’s possible, former refugee Dennis Maang writes on World Refugee Day. Following the Christchurch terror attack, I’ve wondered how I will be able to regain the feeling of … Read more
On the Wellington waterfront, over several dark and stormy nights, a documentary is being filmed – and they need extras. Josie Adams, who had blood to spare, spent the night at Second Unit’s new, undead theatre experience. The only thing I knew about my night was I would enter something called the Cathedral of Despair. … Read more
Flamingo and the Uber-owned Jump launch in the capital today, with the city becoming New Zealand’s fifth to see shareable e-scooters Eight months after the invasion of the Limes scandalised the previously 100% safe streets of Auckland, Wellington is to get its first taste of electric scooters, with two rival providers having received permits from … Read more
The $800 per ticket, council-funded festival of ‘creative collisions’ has been cancelled and the company behind it has gone bust. Alex Casey reports. The first problem was that nobody knew how to say it. Without any discernible vowels, pronouncing WLG-X, the name of a five day festival of “creative collisions” planned for September of this … Read more
Women walk more, drive less, cycle less and use public transport more than men, on average – so why aren’t we designing urban spaces with that in mind, asks former Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown. We love to skite about New Zealand women getting the vote first without looking closely at the numbers that followed. We’ve … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Forum puts insurance costs into focus, two new polls show opinion turning against cannabis legalisation, and Makhlouf saga likely to be aired in parliament today. A major forum in Wellington has highlighted problems faced by the insurance industry and those wanting to buy their services. It’s a … Read more
Wellington’s music scene is diverse, vibrant, and full of community spirit – but it doesn’t come easy. Ben Lynch looks into the reality of being a music venue owner in the capital. Whether you subscribe to Wellington’s widely used moniker of ‘coolest little capital’ or not, there’s no denying that the city has a depth … Read more