Baz Macdonald
What you need to know about the Climate Commission report
Here are the major points from the Climate Commission report.
New Zealanders massively hoarded booze the night before lockdown
Newly released data shows Kiwis bought 195% more alcohol at liquor stores right before the March 2020 lockdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was a huge spike in alcohol…
There are fewer houses available to buy in NZ than ever
The number of houses available to buy in New Zealand hit a new record low in December.
Here’s the things we Googled this year
In 2020 - stuck at home, glued to our monitors and desperate for information - what did New Zealand Google? Below are the terms from New…
Why people are taking the 'date rape' drug
With rising hospitalisations from liquid ecstasy experts say drug checking at festivals is needed.
A visual history of Wellington’s anarchist house
On the evening of Tuesday August 25, Wellington watched as a local icon burnt down - the anarchist house at 128 Abel Smith Street.
Located right beside…
For six months, cops in NZ had guns - campaigners say it can't continue
For six months, cops in New Zealand had guns. Campaigners say we can’t allow it to continue.
New Zealanders tell us why they marched with the Black Lives Matter movement
On June 1, New Zealanders marched in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Here's why.
Covid proved having no access to internet is dangerous in NZ
The internet is what made eight weeks in lockdown bearable for most of us. But for the estimated 20% of Kiwis who experience digital exclusion, not…
Release of the Week: Kita takes us into 89 lockdown houses around the globe in their latest video
There are fewer phrases more appropriate to this moment than “try to find a way”.
When Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant , Ed Zuccollo and Rick Cranson of Wellington…
Job losses hit Weta game division after layoffs from AR company Magic Leap
Update: Weta Workshop has confirmed all of the layoffs on Monday 4 May were Magic Leap employees - which they say is less than half of…
Restaurants are begging us not to order through delivery companies
Delivery companies can take such a high cut that it's not worth it to open at all.
What bread says about our food security
Flour is finally back on the shelves after nearly a month of lockdown. While New Zealand is self-sufficient with milk, meat, fruit and vegetables, it turns…
Students are fuming at the government's Covid-19 tertiary support package
Yesterday the government announced a Covid-19 tertiary support package, but the allowances can’t be spent on essentials like rent and food. Students say the government is…
Vulnerable families are struggling to eat during lockdown
The level four lockdown has been disruptive for every single New Zealander, and we’ve all had to make changes to how we would normally eat and…
A sex therapist’s advice on the importance of touch during isolation
Over the past few months, the world has become intimately aware of the impact of our touch. We have started to see our own hands as…
How to handle your sexual health in lockdown
Many sexual health services aren’t open during lockdown. What do you do if you need to get a refill of the pill, an IUD removal, and…
Five tips to shop normally at this abnormal time
It can be hard not to over-buy at the supermarket at the moment. Lines to get in the door can be half an hour long, and…
Here's a list of books to help you escape from this Covid-19 nightmare
We all have a lot of time on our hands now that we’re in lockdown. Some of you might want to read dystopian fiction or watch…
What it’s like to travel across the country hours before lockdown
Over the weekend Re: journalist Baz Macdonald needed to travel home to Invercargill for his grandma’s funeral. Back in the distant past of three days ago,…
5 ways to keep your social life going from a distance
The Ministry of Health’s Director General Dr Ashley Bloomfield said he’s no longer using the term “social distancing” and instead using “physical distancing”. That’s because in…
Nadia Reid’s new album brings Otago to the world
Folk is a genre with a deep sense of place - music that breathes life to the nature and communities rooted within it. For Nadia Reid,…
Fighting the inequity of our racist health system
In October 2018, the Waitangi Tribunal began the Wai 2575 inquiry into health services and outcomes for Māori.
The resultant report is a stark and disturbing reminder…
Restoring the Imbalance of Māori Perspectives in Aotearoa’s History
Arini Loader drops an armful of books on the table in front of us with a thud. Their spines are coloured in deep blacks and rich…
Should Kiwis feel guilty for wanting to fly?
Do you want to explore the world but worry what it will do to your carbon footprint? Same.
I recently booked flights to travel to South Korea…
How fireworks are helping decolonise Wellington
This past Sunday, Wellington held its second annual Matariki Sky Show – a fireworks display that is just one event in the dozens organised as part…
Wasted
Our student culture of getting wasted and transitioning into professionals.Seven years ago. 1am on a freezing Dunedin morning.
Everybody around me had their pants off – as…
The retreat of NZ white nationalists
There is a new wave of white nationalism with a very different approach and culture. They present in the world as clean-cut men and women who…