Author Archive
Fun stuff
Written By: - Date published: 10:50 pm, December 23rd, 2009 - 15 comments
I must say I love the Christmas season. You spend a lot of time catching up with all sorts of interesting people, having a few too many drinks and sharing some gossip. How much of it is true is anyone’s guess but here’s a few things I’ve picked up around the traps. John Key’s office […]
Dear advertisers, ditch Paul Henry
Written By: - Date published: 1:17 pm, December 8th, 2009 - 133 comments
Rather than start facebook groups and make complaints to TVNZ or the BSA about Paul Henry, someone has decided to hit them where they really hurt: in their back pockets. Good. Expressions of outrage do nothing but generate media for this little sh*t and confirm to TVNZ that they’ve got a ratings winner. And higher […]
A world gone crazy
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, December 3rd, 2009 - 29 comments
It started with me agreeing wholeheartedly with Fran about youth unemployment. Now I can add Garth George and Bruce Sheppard to this strange confluence of opinions. For a start Garth George has provided one of the few decent media critiques of Brash’s batshit crazy proposal: The description of the report by Finance Minister Bill English […]
Shifting the centre
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, November 30th, 2009 - 51 comments
Well the productivity task force is reporting back today and some of their ideas have been forward released. As we expected they are a grab-bag of unpalatable, short-sighted and frankly mad measures from the loony right including putting interest back on student loans, flat tax and means testing free childcare. As the official announcement comes […]
970 words of hollow platitudes. How ambitious.
Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, November 19th, 2009 - 18 comments
Classic, I was just saying yesterday that Key is probably concerned about focus testing turning up ‘do-nothing’, ‘weak’ and ‘visionless’ memes and today he’s got a little puff piece in the Dominion Post that purports to lay out his “vision”. Of course like every other missive from the great leader this one says exactly nothing. […]
Fran’s got it right
Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, November 18th, 2009 - 8 comments
For the first time ever I wholeheartedly agree with Fran O’Sullivan’s column. In today’s Herald she writes about the government’s inaction over youth unemployment and what it will mean in terms of a lost generation. The percentage of young people who can’t find jobs snowballed after the global economic crisis hit New Zealand. But (so […]
ACC misdirection
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, November 18th, 2009 - 11 comments
It looks like the government’s sleight of hand on ACC is about to pay off. Having put up a clearly outrageous proposal to hike motorbike levies and thus made it the focus of anger over the ACC changes the government is now signaling they will back off. Thing is, they were never going to ramp […]
What stimulus spending?
Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, November 13th, 2009 - 7 comments
According to Stuff Bill English is planning to pull back the stimulus spending. The problem is there hasn’t been any significant stimulus spending. So my question is what exactly is the government going to cut back on? Will they cancel the cycleway? Or are they going to take all of the budget lines they crammed […]
We are New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, November 7th, 2009 - 10 comments
Hattip: tumeke
Key is weak
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, November 5th, 2009 - 100 comments
Let me start by saying I understand that Key is loved for his laid-back common touch, I don’t think it makes for good governance but I realise it makes for a good political product. However there’s a big difference between laid-back and weak and letting Rodney Hide spit on him in public only to claim […]
Where’s Paula?
Written By: - Date published: 12:39 pm, November 3rd, 2009 - 23 comments
The Herald’s creepy lovefest with the National Party continues today with Simon Collins’ profile of Paula Bennett, who is apparently “one of us”* Unlike Danyl over at the Dim Post who seems to have finally realised that *gasp* the Herald might be a little pro-National, I’ve not really been troubled by this “first year of […]
Restoring the right to a day in court
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, November 3rd, 2009 - 49 comments
I see that repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act is finally a foregone conclusion. There’s going to be some dithering about what to put in its place but there shouldn’t be. Instead the Act should be repealed, nothing should be put in place and Maori should get their day in court. I’m not alone […]
A thousand words
Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, October 26th, 2009 - 19 comments
On Midway Atoll thousands of albatross chicks die from ingesting plastic mistaken by their parents for food. More photos here.
Just ‘cos it’s Labour day
Written By: - Date published: 12:01 am, October 26th, 2009 - 3 comments
Credit where it’s due.
Take a stand Phil
Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, October 20th, 2009 - 32 comments
John Dalley makes a good point in the comments section of our last ACC post: About now would be a good time for Labour to state publicly that they will do away with private insurers when next in government. I say absolutely right. It would throw a spanner in any plans to privatise the ACC […]
Crimestoppers!
Written By: - Date published: 5:09 pm, October 16th, 2009 - 25 comments
I’ve been meaning to post on the emergence of Crimestoppers in New Zealand for a few days now. While some might say it’s a nasty and divisive idea funded by a dodgy Tory and likely to encourage a fascistic culture of mistrust if anyone ever takes it seriously, I certainly wouldn’t. In fact I welcome […]
Fiasco after fiasco
Written By: - Date published: 4:23 pm, October 15th, 2009 - 33 comments
It seems National has a problem with numbers. First they fudge the numbers for ACC so they can claim a “blow out” and now they can’t even get the numbers to pass their legislation. You heard correctly. After all of that hoopla about how ACC is in crisis and how they need to strip entitlements […]
So what was phase one?
Written By: - Date published: 2:50 pm, October 15th, 2009 - 14 comments
Funny thing, I woke up this morning and thought to myself “what happened to the cycleway?” I was even going to put a “quick question” post up later today to see if anyone out there knew. Then just a few minutes ago a media release from Tourism New Zealand turned up in my inbox to […]
A quick question
Written By: - Date published: 8:14 pm, October 12th, 2009 - 26 comments
Do any health insurance companies fully fund long-term claims in the way ACC is being asked to?
Some advice for the Greens
Written By: - Date published: 1:25 pm, October 11th, 2009 - 66 comments
The Greens are continuing their idiotic policy of “neither left nor right” today with a calculated smear of Sue Bradford in the Sunday Star Times. As far as I can see the story has been fed out by someone high in the party as a way of distancing the Greens from Bradford and her Left […]
“Blow out” more like Blowup
Written By: - Date published: 1:29 pm, October 10th, 2009 - 11 comments
Readers of a certain age will remember an Antonioni film called Blowup. The title conceit involves a photographer who finds what appears to be a dead body in one of his photographs but when he blows the photo up to find out more all that happens is the resolution degrades. The more closely he looks […]
A fighting Left
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, October 2nd, 2009 - 32 comments
This live performance on CNN by Congressman Alan Grayson gives me some hope for the American Left. Unlike nearly every other Democrat I have ever seen Grayson doesn’t back down and when the Republicans try to attack him for lowering the standard of debate (ironic considering their “death panel” smears) he just slaps them right […]
Pulling together
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 pm, September 30th, 2009 - 1 comment
I think I can safely speak on behalf of all of the Standard when I offer my condolences to those who have lost family and friends in today’s tsunami. We forget sometimes that we are a pacific island nation but the grief that is being felt throughout New Zealand tonight reminds us exactly how much […]
The miracle of the fishes
Written By: - Date published: 2:07 pm, September 29th, 2009 - 11 comments
First they increase the number of endangered Hooker Sea Lions that can be killed as bycatch, then they voted down legislation to protect Hector’s and Maui Dolphins by extending the ban on set nets and now National are increasing the Hoki quota despite the minister for fisheries himself stating he is: still unsure about the […]
A sad day for the parliamentary Left
Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, September 25th, 2009 - 40 comments
Stuff has announced the resignation of Sue Bradford from parliament. Over the years Sue has championed more pro-worker legislation than just about any MP I can think of and has in the last few years been a backroom powerhouse for the Greens through her ability to deal with people with a warmth and sincerity that […]
I don’t know if it hurts my eyes or my heart more
Written By: - Date published: 5:06 pm, September 16th, 2009 - 55 comments
WTF is this? I mean look at it. It’s got to be the worst website I have ever seen and I’ve been around since well before the web existed. More to the point, how did this get up? What kind of process could possibly have let this through? Who signed off on it? I wouldn’t […]
Note to DPF: stop playing victim and take some responsibility for your blog
Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, August 31st, 2009 - 61 comments
It seems I’ve hit a sore spot with David Farrar over the business of death threats to Sue Bradford. He’s now claiming I’ve dived for the gutter. At the risk of starting a flame war I’d like to point out that if I was aiming for the gutter I’d turn up in the comments section […]
Stopping the thugs
Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, August 30th, 2009 - 112 comments
The Sunday Star Times reports that Sue Bradford’s security has been stepped up following a series of death threats being made against her via blogs, email and twitter. I’m not surprised. Just about every poster at the Standard has had threats made against them by the thuggish elements of the right. Generally we don’t pay […]
NDU catches govt lying
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 pm, August 26th, 2009 - 15 comments
This morning the National Distribution Union put out a statement saying the Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkinson, had refused to attend an executive meeting on the absurd grounds that Telecom lines engineers belonging to a different union, the EPMU, had recently been on strike. In Question Time today Sue Bradford asked whether the Minister’s refusal […]
Let the bashing begin
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, August 17th, 2009 - 61 comments
I see Paula Bennett has been busy dog-whistling on beneficiaries, firstly by releasing figures showing 307 beneficiaries receive more than $1000 a week and then by claiming she “suspects” special needs grants are being abused. Given the hatefest her potentially unlawful release of Natasha Fuller and Jennifer Johnson’s income details caused last time there’s no […]
- The rebuilding of Fazerdaze
Following the release of her sophomore album Soft Power, Amelia Murray (Fazerdaze) tells Alex Casey about heading south and rediscovering herself. Fazerdaze is back in Morningside, but everything has changed. “It’s so strange to be back, ” she says softly, gesturing out of The Spinoff’s office window at the drizzly ...1 week ago - Where does kai come from? Learning in the māra
Lucinda Bennet reflects on appreciating vegetables and learning through doing. This is an excerpt from our food newsletter, The Boil Up. When you pull a carrot from the ground, there’s a certain sound it makes, a kind of “pop” as the tip detaches from the root cap. It’s something you can ...1 week ago
- The cost of being: A lawyer with two kids, a mortgage and a love of good meat
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 42-year-old lawyer shares how he and his family approach their finances. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Male. Age: 42. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: Lawyer with two ...1 week ago
- Watch live: New Zealand vs Australia in the Trans-Tasman Scrabble Challenge
In an Antipodean first, the Bledisloe Cup of Scrabble is streaming live on YouTube all weekend. Here’s how to watch and everything else you need to know. What’s all this then? It’s Scrabble as you’ve never seen it before! Unless you already watch Scrabble online, in which case it’s Scrabble ...1 week ago
- Treaty Principles Bill will greatly damage National’s relationship with Māori – former minister
This article first appeared at rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.There is no doubt the Treaty Principles Bill will greatly damage National’s relationship with Māori, former Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson says.The legislation passed its first reading on Wednesday afternoon, but not before extraordinary scenes of opposition that led to the Speaker suspending ...1 week ago - How the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill played out
And why one former MP, explains Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin, says John Key would never have allowed this to happen. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...1 week ago
- Carol Hirschfeld could be in line for top TVNZ role
The big-cost out strategy at TVNZ could see former news presenter Carol Hirschfeld emerge as a front runner to head both the news and programming departments The post Carol Hirschfeld could be in line for top TVNZ role appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- When home is where the work is, city design should fall in line
Opinion: The pandemic-induced WFH shift is altering the fabric of our built environments, offering unique opportunities to change how we work and live The post When home is where the work is, city design should fall in line appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- All 14 malls in Christchurch ranked from worst to best
To celebrate Christchuch Anniversary Day, Joseph Harper ranks every mall in the ‘garden city’. This is the first in the Malls of New Zealand series, where we rank the malls in major centres. Next week: Auckland. When I was growing up in pre-quake Ōtautahi, people used to say that the ...1 week ago
- The climate and human rights crises are indelibly intertwined
At the Cop29 climate conference, the host country’s president called oil a ‘gift of god’. But for many people all over the world, it is in fact a curse. Maria Armoudian, a senior lecturer in politics and international relations, explains. In the first week of the United Nations international climate ...1 week ago
- This week’s bestselling books – November 15
FICTION1 The Songbirds of Florence by Olivia Spooner (Hachette, $37.99)A free copy of the author’s latest historical novel – set in 1942, in Egypt, where Kiwi women are sent to provide respite to weary soldiers returning from the front line – was up for grabs in last week’s giveaway contest. Readers were asked to say ...1 week ago
- Havana’s clean sweep in memory of dad
As Havana Hopman walked off the gymnastics floor, her ribbon trailing behind her, she turned her tear-filled eyes to the roof and whispered: ‘Thank you’.It was the final day of the national gymnastics championships in Palmerston North, and for Hopman – New Zealand’s top rhythmic gymnast for the past four ...1 week ago
- Pacific staring down ‘twin storms’ of debt and climate disaster
A ‘vicious cycle’ sees Pacific nations take on debt to recover from disasters, underinvest in resilience and suffer more damage as a result The post Pacific staring down ‘twin storms’ of debt and climate disaster appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 15 November
The post Daily crossword, Friday 15 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- Rocketlab’s Māhia launches linked to Israeli military intelligence
Space Minister Judith Collins is urged to revoke or decline Rocketlab applications with possible links to the war in Gaza The post Rocketlab’s Māhia launches linked to Israeli military intelligence appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- Peru combats crime as world leaders arrive
While world leaders prepare to talk about lofty trade issues, Peruvians are more concerned about crime The post Peru combats crime as world leaders arrive appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- Changes are on the way for NZ Post, and posties aren’t happy
Fewer deliveries every week, a reduced number of postal outlets, and no longer having mail deliveries to letterboxes at front gates are just some of the proposed changes for New Zealand Post.This would mean posties could eventually stop delivering mail to individual letterboxes and instead leave mail in cluster or ...1 week ago
- A House divided, a leader nowhere in sight
Analysis: When David Seymour started talking about the democratisation of Te Tiriti he seemed sure the conversation wouldn’t divide the nation.“I wouldn’t underestimate people’s ability to engage in a high-quality conversation,” Seymour told Newsroom back in August.On Thursday, during the first reading of his Treaty Principles Bill, the division was ...1 week ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 15 November
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-title { font-size: 1.2em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .entry-meta { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; margin-top: 0.5em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-meta { font-size: 0.8em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .avatar { height: 25px; width: ...1 week ago
- NZ to restart oil and gas exploration one month after COP
While New Zealand diplomats at the COP29 climate summit are pushing for a global phase-out of fossil fuels, legislators at home plan to repeal the 2018 ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling within a month of the conference’s end.A spokesperson for Resources Minister Shane Jones confirmed the legislation, ...1 week ago
- Uniformed Defence Force Should Not Be Used As Strike Breakers
“In a modern liberal democracy, any deployment of the armed forces in employment relations is a drastic step, and should be avoided at all costs,” said Wagstaff. ...1 week ago - House suspended as haka interrupts first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill
Speaker Gerry Brownlee has suspended the House of Representatives after a haka, led by Te Paati Māori and performed by members in the public gallery, interrupted the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill. As thousands continue to protest and hīkoi around Aotearoa, the first reading of the Treaty Principles ...1 week ago
- Review: Crowded House gets Ōtautahi breaking the rules
Last night at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch, Crowded House did the unthinkable – they got a polite New Zealand concert crowd to break the rules. Here’s something I’ve observed about concert attendance in the north vs the south. Where most Aucklanders will bustle in just as the main act takes ...1 week ago
- The case for reading books about animals wearing clothes
In light of Gloriavale’s reluctant acceptance of Winnie-the-Pooh, Claire Mabey argues in favour of the wider canon of anthropomorphic animal literature. There is nothing more bleak than the banning of books and the curtailment of reading. Control what people read and you control what they think, and how they behave. ...1 week ago
- Coldplay and 57,000 babies at Eden Park
Review: Everything happens all at once at Coldplay’s sold-out show. About 15 minutes into Music of the Spheres, I realised that we were all just big babies. When Coldplay emerged for their first song, our compostable plastic wristbands lit up around Eden Park, delighting us all. Minutes later, Chris Martin ...1 week ago
- Dear Donald, here’s why you should cut NZ a break in the tariff torrent
Ten irrefutable reasons for the incoming president to exempt plucky little New Zealand from import tax hikes. The former and future president, Donald J Trump, has been re-elected on a platform pledging new and universal import tariffs of 10%-20%. The challenge for New Zealand politicians and officials is to somehow ...1 week ago
- Help Me Hera: Why do I only befriend people nobody else can stand?
How do I end this cycle of misery, once and for all? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera How do I break a lifelong pattern of forming close friendships with people that nobody else can stand? Ever since I was about 12, I have had a succession of very ...1 week ago
- One NZ learns the hard way, don’t rely on Elon Musk
The Commerce Commission files criminal charges against the telco for over-promising, after SpaceX failed to deliver its much-vaunted direct-to-cell satellite service on schedule The post One NZ learns the hard way, don’t rely on Elon Musk appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- First the Ferraris, then the mansion – tech leader takes record property hit
Multi-million dollar houses in exclusive private estates have been the biggest winners, and the biggest losers, in the three-year property downturn The post First the Ferraris, then the mansion – tech leader takes record property hit appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- On the frontlines of Hīkoi mō te Tiriti
Thousands converged on Auckland, the day before the first reading of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...1 week ago
- You’re gonna miss the post office when it’s gone
Despite it dwindling locations and reduced service, NZ Post remains a pillar in every community, writes Hera Lindsay Bird. Every Saturday morning I arrive at 7.30am, and enter the post office box lobby. Behind the narrow corridor of identical red letterboxes, there is a locked room, full of ancient Christmas ...1 week ago
- ‘Whaka round, find out’: When the hīkoi came to Auckland
The Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi reached Auckland on Wednesday, seeing thousands cross the Harbour Bridge and walk around the coast to Bastion Point. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith joined them. Atop Bastion Point, a crowd of red, black and white gathered at the end of what we’ve been told is a history-making moment. ...1 week ago
- When women hit the grass ceiling of coaching
There’s a subject Alice Soper wants to stop writing about.It’s the sidelining of women when it comes to rugby coaching.But she can’t, as long as the problem still exists.“So often we get caught up in the good news,” she says.“There’s like a toxic positivity that’s attached to a lot of ...1 week ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 14 November
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- Labour needs to learn the art of the deal
Opinion: Unless the Democrats and Labour trim their policy sails accordingly, they will lose elections that matter The post Labour needs to learn the art of the deal appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- Trump II and the coming ‘golden age’ of tyranny in the Middle East
In his rambling victory speech on November 5, Donald Trump, having stoked the fears of Americans throughout his campaign, and sporting extra fake tan for the occasion, spoke of a new ‘golden age’.In terms of Middle East foreign policy, with whom will Trump look to build this ‘golden age’?In May ...1 week ago
- Book of the Week: Day of the lizard
When I first spotted the new illustrated book Geckos & Skinks: The remarkable lizards of Aotearoa in the window of a Wellington bookstore in October (I was visiting with my wife Fi who was going to WOW with her cousins and niece. I wasn’t. I went once in 2002 and ...1 week ago
- Daily crossword, Thursday 14 November
The post Daily crossword, Thursday 14 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 week ago
- Government Will Not Say If Gang Members To Be Excluded From Abuse In Care Compensation
The government is refusing to say whether gang members could be excluded from compensation for abuse they suffered while in state care. ...1 week ago
- Fair News Bargaining Bill In Limbo As Minister Says It Is Not Ready
It was supposed to have its second reading on Wednesday, but on the final order paper appeared at 13th, meaning it was effectively postponed for the week. ...1 week ago
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