Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily. Today on The Spinoff: What did the Māori chiefs say before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840? Plus: everything you missed from the return of Breakfast, and an afternoon with New Zealand’s 84-year-old kite influencer.
“Chris Luxon’s State of the Nation speech celebrated the government getting inflation down to Czech Republic levels and interest rates almost as low as those of Kuwait. It touched on its record investment in health and changing approach to literacy education. Most of all though, it was devoted to his seething hatred of a two-letter word. No, said Luxon, is holding this country back. Our habit of saying yes to no is blocking port expansion, job growth, and Post Malone concerts at Eden Park. ‘There’s always a reason to say no, but if we keep saying no, we’ll keep going nowhere,’ said the PM. ‘The bottom line is we need a lot less no and a lot more yes.’ Luxon’s deputy Nicola Willis echoed the sentiment on X, admonishing people on the radio who raised concerns about changes to digital nomad Visa rules. ‘The naysayers have won for too long — we are switching to a culture of yes, a culture of ideas, a culture of solutions,’ she said. They have a point. Our government agencies often abandon building things to devote more time to their true passion: finding reasons why we can’t build things. Auckland Light Rail recently managed to produce $228 million worth of reports over six years without laying down a single metre of light rail. We’ve been arguing about how to cross the Waitematā Harbour for so long that some people are willing to accept any solution, no matter how stupid. Our business case to actual project ratio is approaching 362 to 1. Organisations regularly commission business cases which go on for 200 to 300 pages before concluding that more business cases are needed. The planners and consultants have a lot to answer for. But they still have nothing on the politicians they serve. Take National leader Chris Luxon, for instance. When developer Quarterdeck tried to turn a derelict garage near a school into 54 houses in 2020, he posted a video to Facebook arguing Howick should ‘always stay a single-dwelling zone’. In what could be interpreted as a slight departure from the sentiments of his State of the Nation speech, he said residents protesting the development deserved a medal for their commitment to saying no.”
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What did the Māori chiefs say before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840? Ten things you might not know about Waitangi ‘We have listened’: Simeon Brown confirms the south will get a New Dunedin Hospital Come on down to Queenstown – just don’t use the loo
Meet New Zealand’s 84-year-old kite influencer Jim Nicholls and his kites are a regular fixture at New Brighton beach. But to appreciate the full scale of his collection, you need to see his YouTube.
The Spinoff Essay: Bus bloke Father figures: the erotically charged Babygirl/Nosferatu double feature, reviewed ‘We live in hope’: Everything you missed from the return of Breakfast New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week
Join us live in 2025We have four fantastic live events coming up in 2025. Join us in Auckland and Wellington for The Spinoff Live. Auckland at Q Theatre: Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club Party, February 13 and Gone by Lunchtime Live, April 9. Wellington at the Hannah Playhouse: The Fold Live, February 20 and The Spinoff Book Club, March 13.
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Chris Luxon is right about our culture of no
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