With the local election voting period open, a new poll by Curia for the Auckland Ratepayers Alliance puts the centre-right candidate Wayne Brown a whisker ahead of Efeso Collins.

When respondents were asked simply whom they would vote for, Brown received 17% and Collins 15%, with Beck on 5% and Craig Lord 4%. When prompted to give a response and provided a list of candidates, those numbers were, respectively, 19%, 18%, 7% and 5%. Among decided voters, with the unsure number taken out of the equation, the margin remains roughly the same: Brown 28%, Collins 26%, Beck 10% and Lord 8%, with others accounting for a collective 28%.

Introducing the poll ahead of this evening's Ratepayers Alliance debate, Curia's David Farrar observed that the election was likely to hinge on which of the two leading candidate was best able to turn out their voters. He said roughly half the survey was completed while Viv Beck was still in the contest and the second half after her withdrawal. Beck, who was endorsed by the C&R group, remains on ballots in the Auckland election, which is conducted under the first past the post system.

Te Mana Whaakatu – Classification Office has won an international award for its three-part research project into young people’s experience and views about pornography.

Receiving gold at the 2022 global ESOMAR Research Effectiveness Awards in Toronto this morning, chief censor Caroline Flora said the award recognises the efficacy of the research series, which “resulted in tangible changes that mean young people now get better education and support around what they might see”.

The project consisted of three parts: NZ Youth and Porn (2018), a nationwide survey of 14 to 17-year-olds; Breaking Down Porn (2019), content analysis of the 200 most watched videos on Pornhub, and Growing up with Porn (2020) 52 interviews with 14-17 year-olds.

Findings included the statistic that a third of all pornography watched in New Zealand depicted non-consensual acts and that a quarter of New Zealanders had seen pornography before the age of 12. “Many of them are watching it in order to obtain an understanding of what sex is,” then Chief Censor David Shanks told RNZ in 2019. “Anyone will tell you that is a terrible outcome because pornography is an awful educator.”

The research informed the Keep it Real Online viral porn advert commissioned by the Department of Internal Affairs, which featured two actors playing fake porn stars who turn up to an unsuspecting teenage boy’s house.

Our image of the day comes from the local election campaign trail.

One problem with local body elections is that there are too many human candidates and not enough animal, inanimate objects or monsters running. The Spinoff’s editor-at-large Toby Manhire is reporting from Ōtepoti Dunedin and sent us this behind the scenes shot of an interview with Otago Regional Council candidate “Slime the Nitrate Monster” on the banks of Otago Harbour.

Look out for the story on the site in the next few days – no spoilers, but if you love polluted waterways you’ll love Slime.

The dropping of Covid-19 restrictions last week hasn’t yet had an impact to our case totals.

Health officials today gave a Covid-19 briefing in Auckland, where they reported a “sustained decline” across the country in new infections. However, they suggested the downward trajectory may be headed for a plateau.

“We all hope we won’t have the same sorts of devastation seen in 2020/21, but it’s certainly not over,” said deputy director general of health and head of the Public Health Agency Andrew Old.

Watch the press conference below

It’s been confirmed thousands of ineligible New Zealanders received the first cost of living payment, including an “unknown number” based overseas.

Documents released to National’s finance spokesperson Nicola Willis have revealed more than 49,300 people received the payment despite not being a wage or salary earner. Additionally, 6,629 people with overseas mailing addresses received the payment and an unknown number of New Zealanders living abroad also pocketed the $116.

Willis called the payment’s design and delivery “sloppy” and said the government should work out how exactly how much money was wasted. “Labour rushed this payment through, ignored the warnings from their officials, and now potentially millions of dollars have been wasted, on people who should never have received the payment, including French backpackers and London lawyers,” she said.

Festivals are back! Laneway has announced a stacked line-up for its first summer festival since before the pandemic.

Set for Auckland’s Albert Park on January 30, the line-up includes indie superstars like Haim and Phoebe Bridgers, along with local acts including The Beths and Fazerdaze. Other headliners include Joji, Finneas (who just wrapped three Spark Arena dates with his sister Billie Eilish), and 100 Gecs.

As is on brand for Laneway, there are many people I’ve never heard of but I imagine a lot of you out there will have.

“It’s an absolute dream to return with this line-up in 2023 after nearly three years,” said Julian Carswell, the executive producer of Laneway Auckland. “Some of the world’s most exciting artists today will grace the Laneway stages next summer, with many making their debut visit to Aotearoa.”

Pre-sales start next Tuesday and you can register now to gain early access and discounted prices.

National’s Christopher Luxon still has no plans to release even a redacted version of the investigation into his MP Sam Uffindell. But, he maintains that the investigation was independent.

Speaking to RNZ, Luxon said he was now confident that Uffindell was a “reformed and changed” individual. “Maria Dew’s investigation concluded that Sam didn’t engage in the serious behaviour that was alleged,” he said.

Of the decision not to release the report, even in part, Luxon said the statements given to media on Monday were all approved by Dew. He called the KC a “qualified investigator” and said she was an “impartial expert… the best in the country”.

Asked what the burden of proof used by Dew was for determining her conclusions, Luxon said he would not say. However, he added that he would not call Uffindell’s former flatmate, who came forward to the media with complaints about the MP, a liar. “I have huge respect for the flatmate coming forward,” said Luxon.

No one else came forward that considered themselves a victim of Uffindell since the King’s College incident, Luxon said.

The former flat mate in question confirmed to RNZ they would be happy for the report to be made public.

Stats NZ released crime statistics yesterday for the 2021/2022 financial year. They show a record low number of charges laid and a decrease in convictions for both adults and young people.

Justice minister Kiritapu Allan wants to dig into the numbers saying they don’t paint the whole picture and that lockdowns impacted the numbers. Lockdowns and other Covid restrictions have caused almost 150,000 court appearances to be delayed during the pandemic. Allan admitted certain communities around the country don’t feel as safe as the stats may perhaps illustrate.

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Legislation establishing a one-off public holiday next Monday has passed under urgency in parliament.

All MPs from Labour, the Greens and National supported the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Day holiday on September 26. However, all 10 Act MPs and both Te Pāti Māori MPs voted against the bill.

Workplace relations minister Michael Wood said the public holiday would allow New Zealanders to reflect on the Queen’s legacy. “We anticipate many people will want the opportunity to pay their respects and this public holiday offers communities across the country the ability to come together and pay tribute at their own local events also,” he said.

“Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day will also coincide with the state memorial service, to be held in Wellington Cathedral. This will be televised and live-streamed. The decision to hold a one-off public holiday in the Queen’s honour is also in line with similar holidays in the UK and Australia.”

But Act leader David Seymour questioned whether it was possible to both believe that the Queen was “an outstanding leader” and be “opposed to what amounts to a political stunt”.

He added: “I would say that it’s totally possible to honour the Queen and oppose this holiday.” He said a one-off holiday for the death of a monarch was “unprecedented” and that it was too costly for New Zealand businesses.

In agreement was Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, though for different reasons. “We must acknowledge the brutal genocidal and ongoing impact of colonialism, of the imperial project that was overseen by the house of Windsor and its forebears, here in Aotearoa and around the world,” he said. “We cannot support this holiday. This holiday is a torturous and an insulting reminder for us.”

Long time readers of The Spinoff will remember the Bashford Antiques saga.

The multi-part investigation by reporter David Farrier focused, at least initially, on the unfair car clamping practices outside a Ponsonby antiques store. The story soon ballooned into something more – and now Farrier’s taking the story to the big screen.

Mister Organ will open this week at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. It will premiere in New Zealand in November and you can check the trailer out below.

Read the story that started it all here