New Zealand is now as it was – but nothing is the sameThe Spinoff Daily, Friday September 16
Ahiahi mārie. Today on The Spinoff, Toby Manhire on Auckland’s Hunger Games mayoral race as another contender drops out, Te Kuru Dewes on 50 years since the first Māori Language Week and his hopes for the next half-century and Dylan Cleaver on last night’s bizarre Bledisloe Cup match. But first: New Zealand is now as it was – but nothing is the same.
Duncan Greive: “I wanted to write this essay because it felt to me like a really momentous day, but one that seemed to pass without us really acknowledging how significant it was, largely because of the noise of the Queen’s passing and us all getting a bit excited about a random public holiday. In the process of thinking about it I came to think that the pandemic has left these lasting scars, but also that we should, as a nation, feel a sense of pride in what it was we collectively accomplished. There’s been so much of it that has felt intensely political, and rightly so, but when you really zoom out and consider us in a global context (which I plan on doing in the coming days), Aotearoa did about as good as it possibly could in the face of such a pernicious virus. And that’s something we should not forget.”
Live Updates: Viv Beck quits Auckland mayoral race Dear Auckland, there is an alternative to choosing your mayor via Hunger Games ‘The golden goose is cooked’: Mayoral hopefuls debate the future of Queenstown Te Kuru Dewes: My wish for te reo Māori in the next 50 years Use of te reo Māori in New Zealand media continues to grow
The great battle for walkable cities that prioritise cyclists and pedestrians over cars has only just begun, and Waka Kotahi is a key player in deciding how it plays out. On this week’s When the Facts Change, Bernard Hickey asks Waka Kotahi’s urban mobile manager Kathryn King how a mode shift might happen. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.
September is birthday month for The Spinoff. We’ve come a long way since 2014 and that is in no small part thanks to our members. Their generous support underpins all our work and has meant we are able to cover more areas of life in Aotearoa, to tackle more stories about our people and issues impacting our communities. From our ongoing coverage of inequality and the cost-of-living crisis, to political reporting and our focus on te ao Māori, it’s important mahi and we can’t do it without you. Let’s keep a good thing going – tautoko mai, donate today.
Six unanswerable questions from last night’s Bledisloe Cup match “This was a Bledisloe Cup test that defied explanation. Beyond the first frantic minutes, it had little shape and form. It was a random collection of rugby protons and electrons buzzing brilliantly, hopelessly but mostly haphazardly around Marvel Stadium. And yet it was the neutron – referee Mathieu Raynal – that ultimately had the biggest say, dispensing what my almost certainly inebriated English neighbour described as “Napoleonic justice” at the end to hand the All Blacks back the ball in prime attacking position for this drama’s final act. Yes, those two paragraphs are all over the place. No, you’re none the wiser as to what actually happened after reading. Good, the match deserves no less.” Is this sport’s ‘Big Tobacco = lung cancer’ moment? All 129 tasks from Taskmaster NZ, ranked from worst to best The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending 16 September The Friday Poem: ‘Hong Kong’ by Hannah Patterson 
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New Zealand is now as it was – but nothing is the same
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