Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily. Today on The Spinoff: New Zealand’s air pollution is deadly – and our regulations are unfit to deal with it. Plus: the shadowy conspiracy-aligned group targeting Wellington City Council, and a shot put investigation.
Duncan Greive: “It’s been a strange few weeks for our electricity market. First came news that retailer Electric Kiwi would be refusing to take on new customers, citing ballooning wholesale costs that meant they would be running at a loss with every new account opened. Last week, an even bigger bombshell – electricity prices also mean Winstone’s huge central North island pulp and timber mills are temporarily shutting, risking hundreds of jobs. This was followed days later by news a paper recycling plant in Penrose was also considering a temporary closure. Finally, the chair of New Zealand’s second-largest dairy collective talked about New Zealand as ‘sleepwalking into an energy crisis’. Open Country Dairy is in many ways a poster child for lower emissions agriculture, having converted its boilers to run on waste or wool pellets and set a target of 2025 to move on from coal – yet supply risks it described as essentially a certainty mean it will keep coal-fired boilers on stand-by well into the future. A business refusing new customers. Another pausing production, risking vital regional jobs. A third having to maintain costly and high emissions equipment. For a country in the economic doldrums, nearly 5% down on a per capita GDP basis, it shows that the cost and reliability of electricity is becoming a major issue.”
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Windbag: The shadowy conspiracy-aligned group targeting Wellington City Council New Zealand’s air pollution is deadly – and our regulations are unfit to deal with it How was Maddi Wesche’s final shot put throw not over 20m? A Spinoff investigation Riding with endurance athlete Lael Wilcox, the woman who just doesn’t stop
This is our place: Stuart Houghton and Kier Ibanez
Never mind the Olympics, Taskmaster NZ just gave us the sporting moment of the year Reviewers’ picks: The best value burgers at this year’s Burger Wellington New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week This is Kiwi: Kirsten Dodgen on dance battle disasters, donuts and solo travel
The Spinoff Essay: Following the Swiss wolf, who walked 2,000 kilometres for love Kathryn van Beek: “Before I went to Hungary, I met a man who told me about the wolf. ‘It migrated all the way from Switzerland to Hungary,’ he said. ‘And last week it was shot by a hunter. People want him to go to prison.’ One of six cubs, M237 was born in 2021 as tulips bloomed and boats cruised the Swiss Riviera. At around two weeks of age, his blue eyes opened and he gave his first high-pitched howl. Soon afterwards, he ventured from his den on stubby legs, round-eyed and fluffy as a Pomeranian. By March the following year, his legs were long, his eyes pale gold – and he was about to have his first encounter with humans. While skiers slid down the Swiss Alps, M237 was trapped and sedated by members of a Swiss wolf protection group. His blood was drawn, his teeth examined, and his body measured. And then he was fitted with the yellow GPS collar that helped make him a star.”
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Our electricity market is short-circuiting. Can it be fixed?
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