Society

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I'm on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help!

Help Me Hera: Do I even want the public sector job I might be about to lose?

Sunday Essay Hope McConnell Feature Image

For all its virtues, Anzac Day – unlike its cousin Armistice Day – is a commemoration of war, not peace.

Seize the day

waikato-war

Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or RSA.

The first, forgotten Anzacs, more than 50 years before Gallipoli

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How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? 

The voices that vanish in a decimated newsroom 

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Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs in a system it thinks is evil.

Is it time for anti-capitalists to embrace shopping? An argument with myself

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'My husband puts 10% into KiwiSaver and I put 8%. We also save about $500/$600 a month.'

The cost of being: A frugal charity director with two teens and two houses

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Why Restore Passenger Rail has set its sights on stopping cruise ships

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Trust me, I know: I’ve been living in a damp, violent hotel in central Auckland for six months and counting.

There’s no need to make emergency housing harder. It’s hard enough already

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And no, I will not accept the miniature puddle-covered excuses for ice rinks that towns pull out of the cupboard every winter.

Hear me out: It’s embarrassing that Wellington doesn’t have an ice rink 

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Our laws are leaving many veterans who served after 1974 out in the cold. I know, because I'm one of them.

Lest we forget? The shame of our two-tier veteran’s system

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An essential guide to all the holes you can drive through in this country.

All 29 road tunnels in New Zealand ranked from worst to best

trans rights

The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience.

What access to puberty blockers means for trans young people and their whānau

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Yes, they're better for the environment. No, that's not a good enough reason for me to use them. 

Hear me out: You can shove your reusable period products

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Student advocates are calling for 'drastic measures' to force the university to take their concerns seriously.

Auckland uni students threaten rent strike over rising accommodation fees

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They pressured me to have children, and I had two. Now they won't lift a finger. 

Help Me Hera: My parents won’t help out with my kids

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A big lipped, dark eyed, slimy limp fish. A juicy, elongated orb with 16 little legs, four bouncing from its topside and a mouth pouting with stubby tentacles. A pale, ghost-like squid with maroon markings. Many new friends for you.

Introducing some of our 100 new sea friends

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This common respiratory virus hospitalises hundreds of New Zealand babies a year, but preventative drugs used overseas aren't funded here.

Why aren’t vulnerable babies being protected from RSV in Aotearoa?

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My most expensive clothing purchase in the last year? A $22 pack of Kmart undies.

The cost of being: A skint student waiting anxiously to start a new job

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Uncovering the strange and knotty past – and inadequate present – of a grassy hill that sits above Wellington CBD.

A flagpole, a failed space, and a confused history of white fragility

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Remakes are never as good as the originals, and that goes for plates too.

Briscoes’ new ‘retro’ collection looks awfully familiar

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Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.

Remembering the great TrueBliss vs Bardot national anthem sing-off

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Poem for Anzac Day: ‘Hoki Mai’ by Tayi Tibble

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A poem from Bill Manhire's 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.

Poem for Anzac Day: ‘My World War I Poem’ by Bill Manhire

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The best-selling American writer on the ideal conditions for reading, the true meaning of utopia and more.

‘Emily Dickinson made me into a writer’: Lauren Groff on the power of reading

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An early and strong contender for book of the year. 

Page-turning rural gothic: Ash by Louise Wallace, reviewed

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'I just remember seeing them live for the first time and thinking to myself: This is it. This is the reason. This is what life is all about.'

‘It was my Eras tour’: Meet the world’s biggest TrueBliss fans

In this special edition podcast, the On the Rag team do a roadie to the Spark festival in Hamilton to talk creativity and struggles. 

strong

Arriving on a sugar high courtesy of Duck Island ice-cream and good vibes, Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden and Michele A’Court hit the couches at 

 to chew over what they wish they had known before they delved into their creative careers.

What three books changed 18 year-old Michele’s life? How has Leonie learned to cope with criticism? What sage writing advice did Alex wish she had followed? We share our thoughts over a glass of wine and somehow decide that 

 is the only unproblematic film from yesteryear that’s worth revisiting.

Pour yourself a glass of strong something and get involved with the official hashtag 

 or stream using the player below. You can 

The Spinoff

SocietyAugust 23, 2017

On the Rag: A special edition live podcast from the city of the future

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SocietyAugust 23, 2017

On the Rag: A special edition live podcast from the city of the future

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