We’re about a week away now from finally learning what Avatar: The Way of Water is all about. It’s been 13 years since the groundbreaking original was released – though some Spinoff writers don’t remember a lot about it (you’ll be able to read more about that on the site very soon).

According to early reactions out of the US, the film is worth the wait. And the most consistent comment seemed to be that you can never discount director James Cameron.

“Imagine being dumb enough to bet against James Cameron,” wrote Indiewire’s David Ehrlich. “Light years better than the first.”

Fellow critic Erik Davis concurred – and called the film phenomenal. “Moviemaking and storytelling at its absolute finest.”

Check out more reactions from the premiere screening here.

It’s been a long time between drinks vaccines for most of us. But that could be set to change in 2023.

The new director general of health Diana Sarfati suggested it would be useful for New Zealanders to be able to access a vaccine against specific strains of the omicron variant, like BA.4 and BA.5. Sarfati said Medsafe was still looking at the data, but “all the evidence” pointed to it being a good idea. Stuff has a good write up on Sarfati’s comments to the health select committee which you can read here.

“The key thing that we’re considering is the timing of that, and what we’re most concerned about is going to be winter next year,” she told the committee. “We are looking at a potential shift to having a bivalent vaccine into 2023, and we are working through the steps to allow that to happen.”

“It’s time for Jacinda Ardern to show some leadership, hold [Nanaia] Mahuta accountable, and sack her.”

That’s according to National Party leader Christopher Luxon, who has issued a scathing statement this afternoon in the wake of revelations by Newshub that Mahuta, the local government minister, was responsible for allowing the controversial 60% entrenchment provision to pass.

It’s carried over into today’s question time, with Luxon asking the prime minister whether she still had confidence in all of her ministers – and then proceeded to ask about Mahuta’s conduct.

Ardern responded: “The most important thing is that we’ve said it was a mistake and as a team we have fixed it.”

It appears that Mahuta’s job is safe – at least for now – with Ardern accusing Luxon of “misrepresenting” the minister’s behaviour. “The minister has not defied cabinet, the minister has not broken the cabinet paper,” said Ardern.

Auckland’s mayor has taken aim at the city’s art gallery, labelling it the most uneconomic building and suggesting it sell off some of its collection.

As Stuff reports, Brown said the gallery’s visitor numbers of about 9,500 between July and September were far too low. “9,500 wouldn’t run a dairy in terms of turnover,” said Brown. ”How do we get to have 122 people looking after a few paintings in a building that nobody goes to?”

The comments were made as the council’s culture and economic agency presented its quarterly update.

When the gallery’s $300 million collection of stored artworks was raised, Brown remarked: “We’ve got billions of dollars of value in the cellar that no one is looking at – do we have to own all that? They are not New Zealand pictures.”

Jacinda Ardern has accepted some blame for confusion over major proposed government reforms like three waters – but she’s also suggested the opposition should take some responsibility as well.

The government’s had a tough few weeks with ongoing debate and confusion over major policies like three waters and the merger of TVNZ and RNZ.

In an interview with Newsroom’s Jo Moir, Ardern said elements of the proposed reforms had been misrepresented. “It’s probably in part the complexity of the reforms, and in part it’s been easy to turn it into something very different,” she said. Moir points out that feels like a “not-so-subtle dig” at National and Act, both vocal opponents to the government’s plans.

Ardern added: “There’s been a number of elements where it’s been easy, I think, for the issue to be muddied. We have to accept where that may have been [and] where our role is.”

Read the full interview here

It’s Wednesday morning and we’re still talking about the disastrous Willie Jackson interview on Sunday’s Q+A. That’s the impact of an interview, good or bad. You can read Duncan Greive writing about the TVNZ-RNZ merger, and Willie Jackson, on The Spinoff today.

Meanwhile, National’s leader Christopher Luxon joined RNZ this morning for his regular slot and reiterated his plans to de-merge the merger if he becomes prime minister next year. It’s not the first time Luxon and National have announced they would undo the merger – which, if completed, is likely to be in place just a couple of months before the election – but it’s the first time I can remember him being so explicit about it.

And that’s interesting considering the grand cost, not to mention the admin, associated with the merger. Pulling it apart after it’s in place seems like a lot of work.

Asked what National would do if the two broadcasters had already been merged by the time of the election, Luxon said: “We’d actually stop it and de-merge it.”

He added: “The reason is very simple. Over the next 30 years the New Zealand taxpayer is having to front up with $6 billion and so any de-merging costs are a good return on that investment.”

Luxon said the new entity wouldn’t be either “popular or successful” and there’s no “rationale” for doing it.

Ukraine ppresident Volodymyr Zelensky will address New Zealand parliament next Wednesday morning – via video link, of course. He’ll speak to MPs at 8am.

He becomes only the second world leader to address our parliament, after Australia’s Julia Gillard back in 2011.

Jacinda Ardern, in a statement, reiterated New Zealand’s condemnation of the Ukraine war.

“New Zealand is unequivocal in its condemnation of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine, its people, and its sovereignty,” Ardern said.

“This address is a valuable opportunity to reiterate our support for Ukraine directly to President Zelensky and hear from him what the international community can do to continue to support its people, and its sovereignty.”

The Herald’s George Block has a detailed report from yesterday’s court proceedings in the guardianship case involving a baby whose parents have refused the use of vaccinated blood in a life-saving operation the child needs to have. The parent’s lawyer and anti-vaccination campaigner Sue Grey opposed the application for guardianship from health authorities and sought an order for the NZ Blood Service to provide a “direct donor service” to provide unvaccinated blood for the family.

Adam Ross KC, acting for the Blood Service, said the order was exceptional, without precedent and would jeopardise the integrity of the donor service. The judge reserved his decision and is expected to deliver it today.

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