Covid-19

Next gen Covid apps could be used to spy on us if we don't get privacy controls right

New Zealand is Covid-19 free, but the government still wants us tracking where we go and what we do on the NZ Covid Tracer app. In…

Covid-19 Live Updates: First day at level 1

Check in here for the key, verified facts on how New Zealand is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.  

1:00pm Tuesday 9 June - day one at alert…

People with obsessive compulsive disorder say lockdown allowed their condition to thrive.

Sam is a typical 23-year-old who works nine to five in an office job. At 14, he was diagnosed with contamination obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and has…

New Zealand’s made it to zero Covid cases, but our contact tracing apps had little to do with it

New Zealand is now Covid-19 free. 

To keep us here the government has asked us to put our trust in an out-of-sight solution. An app that’s still…

Photo gallery: the first night out in town in post-lockdown Christchurch

Last weekend New Zealanders were finally allowed to gather in groups of more than ten people. Arwen Sommer headed out to town on Friday night in…

Meet the 25-year-old behind New Zealand's Covid fight

Tara Swadi is only 25 but she's the chief advisor for the Ministry of Health's Covid-19 response. The last two months have been... busy. She's looking…

The 'Bob Ross' of Māori carving has become an overnight streaming sensation

Twitch streamer Broxh loves his culture and his art form, and he wants to share it with the world. During lockdown, he started streaming his whakairo…

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…

Sound Check: HIGH HØØPS on how NZ music can emerge stronger from Covid

The music industry is suffering, but it might emerge from this pandemic stronger than before.

Sound Check: Randa rejects the productivity myth

And they talk gender identity, and dealing with OCD before and during Covid.

Some unis are bumping up grades because of Covid and students say it’s unfair

Otago and Auckland University are automatically bumping up grades across the board in response to Covid-19. But most other New Zealand universities have ruled a grade…

Covid-19 Live Updates: Sunday 24 May

Check in here for the key, verified facts on how New Zealand is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.1:00pm Sunday 24 May - day 11 at alert…

Disruptors 4: The quiet persistence of theatre life in lockdown

In this special fourth episode of Disruptors, recorded in the depths of lockdown, four theatre practitioners reflect on what happens when the disruption in their work…

I don't understand the Budget so I got an economist to explain it to me

Last week the Government announced a $50 billion dollar budget, or as Finance Minister Grant Robertson likes to call it, “The most significant commitment by a…

New Zealanders seem to hate beneficiaries. Is there hope that Covid will change that?

Covid has meant nearly 40,000 people have accessed the jobseeker benefit, nearly half of them for the first time. One million New Zealanders have been given…

Live music's fight to survive Covid-19

It's estimated the NZ live music industry has lost $68 million due to Covid-19. Musicians, venue owners and all those who love music are rallying us…

Māori and the City: stuck inside my whare with only my dumb brain for company

When Kylie Jenner said 2016 was the year of “realising things” she had no idea 2020 was about to pull up in a facemask. Ever since…

Sound Check: Indie-pop duo Imugi 이무기

Yery and Carl tell us how they're looking after themselves as the music industry slows down.

How to rebuild a more sustainable New Zealand after Covid-19

Lockdown has shown we can take bold action that would have previously been unthinkable.

Melodownz turned self-affirmations into a catchy hook

During a rough time in his life, Melodownz repeated positive affirmations to himself in the mirror. Then he realised the mantras made a pretty sweet hook.…

Students with disabilities are hoping online learning wasn't just a Covid phase

University classes start back in-person this week, and students will once again have to drag themselves out of bed to get to class. But those with…

New Zealand lifts its lockdown after seven weeks

Here are some scenes about town as we emerge from our cocoons. We visit a cafe and hair salon to see how they're switching up how…

Beautiful post-lockdown reunions to make you cry

Take two minutes to soak up the love and joy in these level 2 reunion moments. Then give your loved ones some bone-crushing hugs!

Sound Check: Merk carries on

We check in with artists who were on the verge of breakthroughs - before a global pandemic happened.

How Zoë Bell got 37 of the world's most famous women to fight

You might've seen the BOSS BITCH FIGHT CHALLENGE on your social feeds. Zoë Bell tells us how she got a bunch of impressive stuntwomen and celebs…

Offenders released during the Covid-19 lockdown say they felt safer in prison

Prisoner support network PARS says housing New Zealand’s most vulnerable was difficult before a pandemic. But now, people are being released into a world that’s even…

Snapshots of athletes in isolation around the world

With many of the world’s best sports people stuck at home in lockdown, we’ve selected some of the best snapshots from New Zealand and overseas showing…

Ramadan in lockdown has been 'very different'

With the country in lockdown, this is the first time New Zealand’s Muslim community is observing Ramadan without access to a mosque. 

“This year, Ramadan has been…

Covid-19 Live Updates: Day 13 of level 3

Check in here for the key, verified facts on how New Zealand is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.1:00pm Sunday 10 May - day 13 at alert…

Midwives say we're going to have a baby boom because of lockdown

Midwives predict we'll be looking at a baby boom around Christmas time. Looks like all that time holed up in our homes has been quite productive.

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