Promoters say The Game has pulled out of his upcoming appearance at two legs of a new New Zealand hip-hop festival, continuing the Compton rapper’s sketchy attendance record in Aotearoa.

In an announcement made on Facebook today, promoters Room Service say The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, has “last-minute commitments” that won’t allow him to perform on a bill that includes Ice Cube, Cypress Hill and a Major Flavours showcase led by DJ Sir-Vere at two dates in Auckland and Christchurch in March and April.

Fans didn’t seem surprised by the news, with one quipping, “Called that before I bought tickets,” and another saying, “He gets his name cause his pull out game is strong.”

His cancellation means the unGoogleable rapper has now made just two of seven scheduled appearances in Aotearoa, a record detailed by The Spinoff in this story published last November. Previous excuses include venues not being booked, promoters refusing to cover $3 million in costs to film a documentary on his trip down under, and, when he went AWOL in 2016, apparently confusing New Zealand for Australia.

His record hasn’t put promoters off trying to reschedule The Game for future events. “We look forward to bringing him back as soon as possible,” they said. The tour, sans The Game, hits Christchurch’s Hagley Park on March 31 and Auckland’s Trusts Arena on April 1.

Counter-protests are planned for this weekend as a controversial anti-trans campaigner speaks in two New Zealand cities.

Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into the country after Immigration NZ said the threshold to stop her had not been reached.

In a tweet, Rainbow Greens, the group that released an open letter criticising Keen-Minshull’s visit, said they backed counter-protests.

“The Rainbow Greens condemn the approval of Posie Parker’s entry into Aotearoa. The safety of our Trans, non-binary, and irawhiti whānau matter,” the tweet read.

“We support safe and peaceful protests in Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Whanganui-a-Tara this weekend.”

Green MP Ricardo Menendez-March similarly criticised the decision by Immigration officials to allow Keen-Minshull into New Zealand. “The violent rhetoric and rallies in Australia pose a direct physical safety risk to many communities here,” he tweeted.

Immigration NZ has today confirmed that the controversial anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into New Zealand for her speaking events this week.

You can read our report here – and the full statement from Immigration NZ’s Richard Owen to the media is below:

“I can confirm that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has now finished reviewing the case involving Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull.

“After reviewing all publicly known information about Ms Keen-Minshull and seeking advice from other agencies we have concluded that there is no reason to believe that she is, or is likely to be, a threat or risk to the public order or public interest.

“As a result we have determined that Ms Keen-Minshull does not meet the high threshold to be considered an excluded person under Section 16 of the Immigration Act 2009. We note there is nothing specified in the Immigration Act or immigration instructions which could be used to prevent a person travelling to New Zealand on a temporary basis based on their previous expression of opinion and ideas. We appreciate that some people will not agree with this assessment, but it is critical that INZ applies the law in all such cases, regardless of the views the individual holds.

“The assessment means that Ms Keen-Minshull can use her visa waiver status as a British citizen and travel to New Zealand on the basis of holding a New Zealand electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA).”

Meanwhile, the immigration minister Michael Wood has also released a statement, saying that while he personally finds Keen-Minshull’s comments “repugnant”, the decision to allow her into New Zealand was ultimately in line with the law.

Read more: What you need to know about the anti-trans campaigner heading to New Zealand

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown’s plans to cut back on spending could see the council quit Local Government NZ, the group that represents councils across the country.

Stuff’s Todd Niall has reported that $400,000 would be saved by the move, with mayor Brown reportedly wanting to direct that money into other council services.

“Auckland Council is large enough to continue without using the resources and services provided by LGNZ – [but also] there may be reasons for maintaining membership which are not quantifiable,” officials said.

But Local Government NZ thinks the council would actually save money by keeping its membership, especially as the mayor needs to trim millions to fill a budget hole.

“A decision to leave LGNZ will actually cost residents of Auckland more money. We also believe local government is stronger together, especially as we face a raft of reforms,” president Stuart Crosbysaid said.

Back on the Board is a brand new one-off documentary for The Spinoff taking audiences inside the life of skateboarder Amber Clyde. A lifelong advocate for women in the sport, Clyde founded Girls Skate NZ after being bullied as the only girl in the skate park in Birkenhead. Now a single mother of two who is juggling raising her young children with a packed teaching schedule, Clyde struggles to find time for herself to rebuild her own confidence in the sport.

In this intimate observational documentary, Clyde explores the realities of being both a solo mother and a skater, and the mental and physical challenges that come with getting back on the board. 

Back on the Board is made with the support of NZ On Air.

New Zealand distance runner Zane Robertson has been banned from all sport for eight years due to doping.

Robertson, who is the holder of six national distance running records and a Commonwealth Games bronze medal, was tested at the UK’s Great Manchester Run in May last year. His sample returned a positive result for Erythropoietin (EPO), a performance enhancing drug.

An additional charge of tampering with doping control was added when documents submitted by Robertson in his defence were found to be fraudulent.

EPO increases performance by boosting red blood cells. It features on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.

Drug Free Sport New Zealand’s chief executive Nick Paterson said that doping removes the equal playing field for clean athletes. “Mr Robertson’s actions are not just deeply disappointing, but undermine the high levels of sporting integrity we see and expect from athletes who represent our country,” he said.

Robertson competed for New Zealand at the last two Olympic Games.

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Find out how ANZ can help with managing your home loan.

Sponsored live update from ANZ & The Spinoff

The National Party will announce the first part of its new education policy tomorrow in the prime minister’s own stomping ground of the Hutt.

Leader Christopher Luxon said the “Teaching the Basics Brilliantly” policy will see the curriculum totally overhauled, with a direct focus on reading, writing, maths and science.

“Education is critical for unlocking a better future for all New Zealanders and equipping the next generation with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed,” Luxon said.

“A world-class education system is essential for driving social mobility, helping break cycles of poverty, and giving every child the chance to live the life they want.”

Speaking to RNZ this morning, Luxon said it was a problem that the average 15-year-old in New Zealand was a year and a half behind where they would have been 20 years ago based on their knowledge of maths.

“When they are three-quarters of a year behind on reading and writing from our own students 20 years ago that were 15, that’s a problem. When we’ve dropped out of all the top 10 countries on maths, reading, and science, and writing, that’s a big problem for New Zealand,” he said.

Knowledge of the Treaty and mātauranga Māori would remain important, said Luxon, but was not the priority.

New reports out from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) this morning show that in the year to June 2022, 113,400 people came off a benefit, the highest number since electronic records began in 1996. From early 2020, at the start of the pandemic, there was a large increase in the number of people accessing benefits, many of them with no prior history of doing so before.

The change in numbers is largely a result of a reduction in those on the job seeker benefit. The report also found that younger people currently receiving a benefit were estimated to receive one for longer in the future compared to the wider youth population. In line with Treasury forecasts, the report notes changing economic conditions and expects the number of those on the benefit to rise from mid-2023.

Anti-poverty campaigners have criticised the government for being “woefully slow” after promising to reform the welfare system five years ago. Not one of the 42 “urgent” recommendations it received from the Welfare Expert Advisory Group has been fully implemented. Social development minister Carmel Sepuloni says it is not a “box-tick exercise” and the government has implemented most recommendations in part.

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Grammy-winning pop star Lizzo will return to New Zealand in July for her first solo show on our shores.

The singer, rapper and flautist (yes) will play Spark Arena on July 26 as part of her Special Tour. The last time she was in New Zealand, Lizzo was a festival headliner – meaning this year will be the first time fans on our shores get to see a full-length Lizzo show.

It’s been a massive 12 months for Lizzo. Not only did she release her hugely successful album Special – the follow-up to 2019’s Cuz I Love You – but she went on to win a Grammy for the album’s lead single, About Damn Time. She also moved into television and picked up an Emmy for her reality show Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.

Presales for Lizzo’s Auckland show start on Friday with general tickets on-sale next Wednesday.

The new police minister has defended the government’s approach to dealing with crime, as new figures show just 32% of charges laid against young people last year actually resulted in a sentence.

Ginny Andersen was promoted into the police portfolio on Monday after Stuart Nash was sent falling to the bottom of the cabinet rankings over a phone call to the commissioner back in 2021.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB, Andersen said there will be 1,800 more officers out on the frontline by June – and that was a good start.

“There’s a whole range of things that happen in that space with young people and the police are doing a very good job with those top end, repeat offenders,” said the minister. “Some of those issues are pretty complex involving family violence, drugs, addiction and a range of other factors.”

Asked what she made of the 32% figure, Andersen said she wouldn’t say if it was a good number. However: “I wouldn’t want to see people who are young unnecessarily locked up, they need to be given the right support to make sure we are keeping the community safe but also giving those young people an opportunity to get back on track.”

It cost $100,000 a year to put someone in prison and Andersen said that wasn’t a good use of taxpayer money. Instead, she’d like to see ongoing targeted support at the “early end”. That included targeting people from households involving family violence, with Andersen citing an example from within her own Lower Hutt electorate.

“What we’ve seen, particularly since the time I started working in police a good 15 years ago, was that it [crime stats] was tracking up because people were reporting crime,” said Andersen. “In the past, domestic violence… nobody called the police. It was a private issue.”

The minister backed the abolition of three strikes, unsurprising given this was the policy of the Labour government.