Category Archives: New Zealand

Sexual assault has been an epidemic in New Zealand high schools for years. Maybe now adults are listening | Catherine McFedries

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My old high school in Christchurch has had the guts to listen to the reality that too many of us have girlhood stories of being groped, objectified or worse

I was at Christchurch girls’ high in the 90s. I still remember arriving in chemistry class at the start of a new year, and news getting round about a summer rape. No one would probe, but everyone knew, and there was a silent acknowledgement amongst my peers that it could have been any of us.

In the years since, it seems like little has changed. It was unsurprising when a survey released this week found 20 young women at the school alleging they had been raped, and more than half saying they had been sexually harassed, many multiple times. For almost all of them, these violations happen before they turn 17.

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New Zealand to ban most single-use plastics by 2025

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Ban on plastics including cotton buds, packaging, cutlery, straws and fruit labels to be phased in from next year

New Zealanders will be farewelling their plastics – bags, ear buds, spoons and straws – as the government attempts to match the country’s reality to its “clean green” reputation.

Currently one of the top 10 per-capita producers of landfill waste in the world, New Zealand has announced it will ban a swathe of single-use plastics, including cotton buds, bags, cutlery, plates and bowls, straws and fruit labels.

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Jacinda Ardern’s global news presence was a powerful weapon – until it wasn’t | Danyl Mclauchlan

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The international media’s adulation of the New Zealand prime minister has complicated her challenges at home

Jacinda Ardern rarely repeats her mistakes. When she rose to power in 2017 New Zealand’s newly elected prime minister became a subject of fascination for progressives around the world; they regarded her as a kind of avatar of anti-Trumpism; a symbol of resistance to rightwing populism. This fascination intensified when she announced her pregnancy in early 2018. It grew again in the wake of the 15 March terror attack in 2019. She was praised as a beacon of hope; her image projected on to the side of the Burj Khalifa. The flattering media profiles multiplied.

Initially, Ardern leaned into this. New Zealand is small and remote – publishers of international maps forget we’re down here. So we’re often flattered when distance looks our way. Someone noticed we exist! Ardern’s international coverage was picked up by local media, delivering coverage the prime minister’s competitors couldn’t possibly match. Her global news presence was a deliberate strategy and a powerful weapon.

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Australia politics live update: new Sydney Covid restrictions and WA closes border to NSW after 16 cases; Victoria to ease rules

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NSW urgently investigating four mystery cases overnight as premier Gladys Berejiklian announces Sydney restrictions. Follow all the latest updates, live

Question time ends.

There is one more of those before the winter break.

‘I’m sure there are blokes that dislike me’ - Barnaby Joyce’s response to the concerns of Nationals women.

The serious concerns these women have about Joyce’s return to a leadership position are worthy of a serious response - not one that deliberately minimises them.

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Jacinda Ardern puppet like ‘something from Game of Thrones’, says New Zealand PM

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Prime minister has been elevated from a DJ in 2018 to ‘some kind of celestial being’ this year in traditional puppet event

A New Zealand pub, known for its lifesize puppets of New Zealand politicians, has unveiled one of Jacinda Ardern, who called it “a cross between some kind of celestial being and something from Game of Thrones”.

The Backbencher pub, opposite the parliament house in Wellington, has been creating politician puppets for 30 years, and on Tuesday night unveiled its second puppet of the prime minister.

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Wellington placed under level 2 Covid restrictions after visit by infected Australian tourist

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Healths officials are racing to trace the movements and close contacts of visitor who toured New Zealand capital last weekend

New restrictions on gatherings have been introduced in Wellington after a Covid-infected Australian travelled to the New Zealand capital and visited a range of popular tourist locations.

“This is not a lockdown,” Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said, but indicated one could come if unconnected cases emerged in the community.

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Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will be first trans athlete to compete at Olympics

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  • Hubbard has been included in New Zealand’s weightlifting team
  • ‘I am grateful and humbled,’ says 43-year-old in statement

The New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is set to make history and headlines, plus an enormous amount of controversy, after being confirmed as the first transgender athlete to ever compete at the Olympic Games.

The 43-year-old will be a live medal contender when she competes in the
women’s super heavyweight category on 2 August. But Hubbard’s inclusion
will also frustrate those who believe she has an unfair advantage
over her rivals, having gone through male puberty before transitioning in
2012.

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One person killed after suspected tornado hits Auckland

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The storm struck the suburb of Papatoetoe, causing extensive damage to homes

One person has died and two people have been injured after a suspected tornado hit a shipping container site in the New Zealand city of Auckland on Saturday morning.

Fire crews were also attending about 100 calls after the tornado ripped through the suburb of Papatoetoe, bringing down trees, tearing off roofs and smashing windows, Stuff reported.

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Kiwi wars: the golden fruit fuelling a feud between New Zealand and China

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One firm’s attempt to regain control of illegal cultivation shows Wellington’s lack of leverage over its largest trade partner

It is the story of a global superpower, a smuggling operation, pestilence and a small hairy fruit.

Ubiquitous on supermarket shelves and in lunchboxes, the humble kiwi is New Zealand’s most valuable horticultural export. Recent battles for control of the fruit, however, have shone a light on tensions in New Zealand’s relationship with China.

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‘Even more attractive’: New Zealand capital Wellington to ban cars from ‘Golden Mile’

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Of 2,000 public submissions, a decisive majority were in favour of the plan to get rid of cars from major streets

The main thoroughfare in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, is set to become car-free by 2023, after local authorities opted for the most ambitious reform option available to them.

Pavements in Wellington’s “Golden Mile” will grow in size by up to 75%, cyclists and pedestrians will be prioritised and two bus lanes – one in each direction – will allow continued public transport. It is expected to cost between NZ$52m and NZ$79m.

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Jacinda Ardern criticises new biography, saying author misled her

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New Zealand prime minister says she agreed to interviews on basis that it was about a group of female leaders and ‘not specific to me’

Jacinda Ardern has distanced herself from a recently released biography documenting her leadership style, less than a week after joining widespread criticism of a film that focuses on her role leading New Zealand during the Christchurch terror attacks.

The new book – Jacinda Ardern: Leading with Empathy – was written by activist and journalist Supriya Vani, and writer Carl A. Harte, based on “Vani’s exclusive interviews with Ardern”, according to its seller, Simon & Schuster.

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New Zealand’s campaign finance laws are broken. That can have enormous consequences | Pete McKenzie

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An increased appetite for political donations strengthens the political influence of the wealthiest New Zealanders

The spokesperson for Aotearoa New Zealand’s Green party was genuinely surprised. She had called after I informed them that a major donor to their 2020 election campaign had subsequently pleaded guilty to animal neglect. The spokesperson said the Greens had not known about the neglect when they took her money.

They nevertheless refused to donate it onwards. They argued the Incorporated Societies Act required them to hold on to it. As I later found out, that’s not quite true: returning the donation, or donating it to an organisation like the SPCA, seems to be possible according to their party’s charter.

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Hello possum: the New Zealanders keeping invasive marsupials as pets

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The animals have a bad reputation in Aotearoa, where they are regarded as pests – but some say they are scapegoated for human failures

Maurice likes to stay up all night. When he finally settles down at 5am, he makes sure everyone knows he’s there – then he curls up and sleeps all day.

“When he’s ready to go to bed, he gives us a good face wash to say ‘hi,’” Jo Little* says, laughing. “He’s got really, really cold feet, and he puts them all over your head. He licks every area of your face!”

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Lorde’s comeback single is a lesson in letting pop stars take their time

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Solar Power delivers a statement of loose-limbed maturity from a mercurial star who is much imitated but utterly unique

Lorde has said she was “waiting for the right moment” to release her comeback single, Solar Power, and opted for 11 June to coincide with the year’s only solar eclipse (although leaks may have forced her hand). Her chosen date resonates beyond the obvious thematic associations of her hazy, sun-worshipping comeback single and its cheeky cover art.

Pop stars, especially young women, are expected to be available, relatable, always on. Lorde has defied this with an old-school release rate (just three albums in nine years) and such a low-key public presence that a recent update of her Instagram account on which she reviews onions rings generated headlines. (She benefits, too, from New Zealand’s minimal paparazzi culture.) The rare arrival of new music from the 24-year-old, last heard from in 2017, has come to feel like its own celestial event.

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Christchurch massacre: move to make film all about Ardern triggers anger

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Critics say focus on the prime minister glosses over the experience of the Muslims still struggling with aftermath of mosque shootings

Plans for a Hollywood film focusing on prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s response to the Christchurch mosque terror attacks have prompted frustration and disgust in New Zealand, with accusations that Muslim victims have been sidelined.

The film is set to star Australian actor Rose Byrne as Ardern, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and is called They Are Us – a line derived from one of Ardern’s speeches at the time. It is to be directed by New Zealand film-maker Andrew Niccol, and produced by FilmNation.

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Ardern says climate crisis is ‘life or death’ as New Zealand landmark report calls for sweeping changes

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Climate Commission recommends shift to electric cars, large-scale agricultural reform and an end to reliance on gas in homes

New Zealand has been handed a new vision for dramatic reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions – including reduced animal numbers on farms, no new household gas connections by 2025, and a dramatic shift to electric cars in the next decade.

The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said the climate crisis was a matter of “life or death” as she spoke at the release of a new roadmap for the government’s response to global heating.

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World’s most liveable city: Auckland wins as Covid shakes up rankings

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Previous first-place holder Vienna fell out of the top 10 as cities in New Zealand, Australia and Japan fared best in rankings

The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken up the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual ranking of most liveable cities, propelling Auckland to top spot in place of Vienna, which crashed out of the top 10 altogether as the island nations of New Zealand, Australia and Japan fared best.

The Austrian capital had led the list since 2018 and for years ran neck and neck with Melbourne at the top of the survey of 140 urban centres. New Zealand’s elimination of Covid-19 within its borders, through lockdown measures helped by its geographic isolation, gave its cities a big boost.

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The island with no water: how foreign mining destroyed Banaba

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The Kiribati island survived droughts due to sacred caves that captured rainfall but rampant phosphate extraction ruined this precious resource

  • Read more of our Pacific Plunder series here

The last decent rain on Banaba was more than a year ago.

Without rain, people on the isolated central Pacific island, which is part of the country of Kiribati, have been forced to rely on a desalination plant for all their water for drinking, bathing and growing crops.

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Public opinion supports action on inequality. Jacinda Ardern has no more excuses | Max Rashbrooke and Peter Skilling

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New Zealanders increasingly believe you need money and connections to get ahead in life

Jacinda Ardern can take heart: in the last decade, public attitudes have swung sharply against New Zealand’s persistently high levels of economic inequality. Space has opened up for her to pursue the egalitarian agenda she cherishes – although, conversely, her excuses for not acting have sharply diminished.

Public opinion surveys from the two decades after 1990 showed a consistent trend: decreasing concern over economic inequality, and decreasing support for government action to tackle it, especially through taxes. The pro-market ideas of New Zealand’s 1980s reforms seemed invulnerable.

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New Zealand’s prison penpals: ‘I had to look at the good things I see in him’

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Experts say writing to people on the outside can help prisoners build purpose – but it goes both ways in what can be a difficult relationship

For the first time since 82-year-old Jan Skilling was a young girl, she has time to spare.

Widowed at 40 and responsible for a nest of kids, grandkids, and now “more great-grandkids than I care to count”, Skilling has spent any spare hour since she can remember looking after everyone but herself. So, in 2017, with retirement from her teaching career looming, she knew it was time for a change.

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