I find watching TV shows quite difficult and non-relaxing (you can’t control the length of the episodes, compared to reading when you can stop wherever) so I thought I’d do a round-up of what might be good to read this weekend instead.

If you don’t want to stray too far from TV, I’m nearly through the frothy, delightful Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, about a fictional SNL writer dating a famous musician (YMMV depending on how much you think “being insecure” is an interesting personality trait). If you’re interested in global health justice, I read Phantom Plague by Vidya Krishnan earlier this year and was compelled by her depiction of the past, present and future of tuberculosis as an issue that concerns everyone. If you like things that are short and snappy, maybe go for the weird but very funny short stories in episodic novel 2000 ft Above Worry Level by Eamonn Marra.

If what you really like is the reading what everyone else is reading, then peruse the Unity Books bestsellers for the week. The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey and Lioness by Emily Perkins are two local novels beloved of The Spinoff Review of Books. And it seems like everyone wants to know more about creativity, Steven Joyce and fungi.

And shameless plug: if you’re interested in reading articles instead of books (they’re shorter) you should sign up to the newsletter I write, which has the best things to read from The Spinoff and around the internet.

It’s winter at the moment, which means that sea ice should be forming in Antarctica. Some still is, but ice remains at record low levels following July, the hottest month in human history. This is unfortunate for humans, because cold temperatures and ice cover in Antarctica are connected with climate patterns in the rest of the world.

More directly, a lack of sea ice in Antarctica is devastating for all the wildlife that lives on the frozen continent. New research has shown how the iconic emperor penguin species are experiencing a “catastrophic breeding failure” as sea ice breaks up. The research, which used satellite imagery to count numbers at breeding colonies, found that sea ice breaking up in summer 2022 caused thousands of chicks to die. Chicks need constant care as they grow their waterproof feathers. As the ice melted in the sea, the fluffy chicks drowned or froze in the chilly water. Emperor penguins rely on sea ice to breed, which makes their future uncertain as the waters warm.

Former US president Donald Trump has landed in Georgia to hand himself in to the county jail in the ongoing election interference case. Many global news outlets seem to be live-blogging the events, so if you’re interested you’re probably already following those.

Arguing that Trump and collaborators sought to overturn the 2020 election result in the American state, it’s the fourth charge brought against Trump since March this year. The trial is currently scheduled to begin in October.

If you’re interested in a more in-depth understanding of the trial, the Economist’s Checks and Balances podcast covered how indictments work and when they matter a few weeks ago. It’s my go-to for absorbing a little bit of American politics (doesn’t do to overdose) without having to care too much and appreciating the puns in each episode title.

Today, a bill that guarantees royalties for New Zealand’s visual artists unanimously passed its third reading in Parliament.

The Resale Right for Visual Artists Bill guarantees that visual artists continue to make an income when their work is sold on the secondary market. The Bill enables the collection of a 5% royalty each time an eligible artist’s work is sold (although only works sold for over $1000 are eligible).

“Artists have been waiting for a resale royalty scheme for years and have watched other countries around the world establish and implement equivalent schemes,” said Carmel Sepuloni, minister for arts, culture and heritage.

“Aotearoa New Zealand is finally going to join these countries and ensure artists are properly recognised for their contribution to New Zealand’s economy and culture. These changes will help the sustainability of New Zealand’s world-class arts and culture.”

The new regulations include the appointment of a collection agency (yet to be decided) to administer the scheme, who will also acknowledge and respect the role of Māori as tangata whenua and provide culturally appropriate support to Māori artists. This agency will also establish and operate a fund that will support the career sustainability of the wider artistic community and engage meaningfully with participants on the operation, structure and purpose of the scheme and cultural fund.

The scheme will be operational by the end of 2024.

In 2013, former prime minister Jenny Shipley was the chairperson of the Mainzeal board of directors when the construction company went into liquidation, owing creditors $110m. After years of legal proceedings and appeals, the case has concluded; Shipley and the other directors have to pay $39.8m for damages.

The Supreme Court found that Mainzeal breached the Companies Act by continuing to work while insolvent, with the full knowledge of the directors. The law says that if a company is running out of money, they have to prioritise repaying their creditors, rather than continuing operations.

“The directors were aware of the precariousness of Mainzeal’s position,” the judgment says. Shipley and two other board members, Peter Gromm and Clive Tilby, are liable for $6.6m plus interest each. Former Mainzeal managing director Richard Yan, now based in China, will have to make up the rest of the $39.8m.

Mainzeal was one of the country’s biggest construction firms. It built major public works across the country, including the Supreme Court building where the judgment was handed down.

We’ve only mentioned potholes once this week on The Spinoff and it was in a metaphorical sense, so it’s time to remedy that: what’s the latest with the roads?

The government is currently consulting on its new land transport policy in draft form, which sets out the agenda for cycling, public transport and (everyone’s favourite) roads over the next ten years. The current proposal includes a number of new motorway projects; about 75 kilometres of state highway around the country. State highways are maintained by the government while all other roads are handled by local councils – the land transport policy is intended to direct councils as well as the government.

An analysis from Newsroom shows that these new roads would generate thousands of tonnes of extra carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to burning coal at the Huntly Power Station for three and a half weeks. The government knows about this: in a Cabinet paper, minister of transport David Parker says that the emissions impact would have to be assessed when the final version of the policy goes to cabinet, and weighed against the country’s emission targets.

Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter criticised this, saying that building new highways would make it “impossible” to also meet emissions targets. “Either we’re investing in infrastructure that’s going to enable people to move around while reducing emissions or we’re not,” she said.

As reported in The Bulletin this morning, two grocery suppliers have claimed the cut taken by supermarkets on shelf prices has more than doubled since the 1990s. Newshub’s Janika ter Ellen reports that suppliers say what was a 12 to 15% cut three decades ago has grown to between 35 and 41%, in a stark illustration of what’s known in the trade as “margin creep”.

Other suppliers agree that margins are out of control and that retailers hold all the cards. Their quotes say it all: “It is not even a negotiation. You’re either coming in at their terms, or you’re not coming in,” one supplier said. “It’s limitless, their power is limitless,” another said. “It’s disappointing, it’s degrading, you know. It makes you wonder why you even bother,” a third said. Since shelf prices need to remain within a certain band, both suppliers and consumers are harmed by huge retailer mark-ups.

Approached for comment, both Woolworths and Foodstuffs said they were not able to respond to the limited information provided.

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National MP Tim van der Molen was stripped of all his portfolios yesterday as party leader Chris Luxon punished him for being found in contempt of parliament. After a dormant five years, last used to investigate Winston Peters’ undeclared donations, the privileges committee has had a busy 2023.

Charged with maintaining standards that allow the members of Parliament to do their jobs, the committee has handled complaints against van der Molen, Michael Wood, Jan Tinetti (about education data) and Act MP Simon Court for sharing information from select committee.

The actions of the privileges committee may seem relevant only to political diehards, but understanding how Parliament functions can have a direct impact on what gets done in Parliament – and what most people end up hearing about. For example, yesterday the House passed the third reading of a piece of legislation intended to allow more community participation in where alcohol can be sold. That’s a question that matters to lots of New Zealanders, and if MPs are being threatened in select committees or not declaring the trust that holds relevant shares to their portfolio, it’s harder to make that legislation happen. For a more in-depth exploration of how the privileges committee is used here and overseas, head to The Bulletin this morning.