Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily. Today on The Spinoff: The transport minister hates speed bumps. Auckland’s mayor hates road cones. But whose eternal flame of hate burns brightest? Plus: a new episode of Gone By Lunchtime, and how to walk through a door. But first: On the ground with the New Zealanders in Ukraine.
Tasha Black: “Jordan O’Brien, 31, is inside enemy territory. Sitting underneath a tree, shovels laid to one side, he is catching a moment of rest. His bushy ginger beard makes him look like a Viking. His face is creased with dirt, his eyes shiny and tired. He sends me a text message: ‘Just wanna say hi from Kursk!’ O’Brien is a Kiwi soldier in the Ukrainian army. Right now he is on the edge of danger: Kursk is inside Russia. O’Brien is one of thousands of troops taking part in Ukraine’s surprise incursion, which was initiated last month. Morale is good, he says. But the days are long and his body aches. He’d love a decent coffee. It’s late summer in Europe and life on the frontline is hot and sweaty. The smell of death and decay is pungent and ruthless. ‘It sticks to everything,’ says O’Brien. Bodies litter the streets. Sometimes you don’t see them – they are hidden under collapsed fighting positions made from wood and dirt – but you smell them.”
‘Undoing years of progress’: How the Treaty Principles Bill breaches te Tiriti Hate/Off: Simeon Brown vs Wayne Brown Gone By Lunchtime: The Kīngi and us
Tens of thousands have gathered at Tūrangawaewae Marae over recent days for the tangi of Kīngi Tuheitia, who died on Friday morning after 18 years on the throne. Fresh from a visit to Ngāruawāhia, Annabelle Lee-Mather joins Toby Manhire and Ben Thomas on Gone By Lunchtime to describe the mood on the ground, Tuheitia’s legacy, and the role of the Kīngitanga in New Zealand politics. Plus: infrastructure, meta-infrastructure and a rethink on the fast-track bill, and Shane Jones’ remarks about the judiciary, which have earned him a slapdown from Judith Collins, and from Winston Peters, but why not from the boss, Christopher Luxon? Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
‘I wanted the main characters to be lesbians!’ Anika Moa’s books confessional How two pōhutukawa ended up on Alcatraz The Spinoff guide to life: How to walk through a door
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On the ground with the New Zealanders in Ukraine
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