Society

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The rankers become the ranked: Hera Lindsay Bird tackles the most meta ranking of them all.

All 85 of The Spinoff’s rankings, ranked from worst to best

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Skimmed Alive, Earl Gravy or Peanut Safari, there's nothing like making someone a cup of tea exactly how they like it.

The Spinoff Essay: An ode to tea, the universal panacea

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'All of our mother tongues are beautiful. It’s the language of our parents. It’s the language of our hearts.'

Pacific profiles: Meet the teacher behind NZ’s longest-running Fijian language class

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Juicy photographs of vintage cosmetics reassert the existence of Palestine.

Made in Palestine, found in 1970s Hastings

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A proposal to change the speed limit on a Christchurch motorway could save up to 49 seconds of precious time. Use it wisely!<br />
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Forty-nine things Christchurch drivers could do with their extra 49 seconds

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Normally I would never ask someone out at their job. But I think she might be the most perfect person ever to exist. Help!

Help Me Hera: I want to ask out my cat’s vet. Is that wrong?

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A kava bar owner says cultural loss is greater than financial, after online store shut down in a possible mix-up with a deadly drug.

An illicit drug? Auckland kava lounge online store abruptly shut down

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At the final resting place of Kīngi Tuheitia, shades of healing can be found everywhere.

The shade in the shadow of Taupiri maunga

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A small part of New Zealand on a famous island 10,000 kilometres away.

How two pōhutukawa ended up on Alcatraz

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You can barge through like a barbarian, or you can take a more civil approach. Here’s how. 

The Spinoff guide to life: How to walk through a door

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New Zealanders are a small but dedicated part of the war effort in Ukraine. Tasha Black meets three of them, reporting from Lviv, Kyiv, and Dnipro.

Exclusive report: On the ground with the New Zealanders in Ukraine

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Shane Jones is now eligible for a SuperGold Card – here's how he should make the most of it.

Happy birthday, Shane Jones – enjoy your SuperGold Card

'I poured all of my savings into buying an apartment last year. Everything's going into the mortgage right now.'

The cost of being: A 35-year-old apartment owner with a ‘weakness for pastries’

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When Te Whatu Ora stopped giving toast to new mums, did it rob them of the greatest toast a human being can consume?

‘Give my midwife a Michelin star’: The best times and places to eat toast, ranked

The best times and places to eat toast, ranked

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Liquor stores will soon have to close at 9pm under a council policy that's faced legal challenges for almost a decade.

Everything you need to know about Auckland’s new alcohol rules

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On average, lesbians take years longer to come out than gay men. Emily Draper looks into the late-bloomer phenomenon. 

It’s never too late to be a lesbian

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A document intended to take a stance on the hormone treatment has been delayed multiple times, correspondence reveals.

What happened to the Ministry of Health’s ‘evidence brief’ on puberty blockers?

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When I got the call to say my dad was on his final breaths, the moment felt personal yet framed in a very specific genre.

Dad Astra: My father, the moon and me

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Sorry to bring the winter rain to your spring parade, but our seasons don't actually change on the first of the month.

Breaking news: It’s still winter

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Fifty years ago this weekend, prime minister Norman Kirk died unexpectedly. Anti-apartheid activist Trevor Richards considers his legacy.

The Spinoff Essay: Remembering Norman Kirk, New Zealand’s great internationalist

Remembering Norman Kirk, New Zealand’s great internationalist

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Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was.

The Weekend: Paralympics appreciation vs everyday apathy

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'Wherever I go, people say do you want to do The Blue Monkey? No, I do not want to do The Blue Monkey.'

‘I wish I’d never thought of it’: The Blue Monkey on Suzanne Paul’s back

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Seven of the best, most browsable secondhand bookshops Tāmaki Makaurau has to offer.

Auckland’s secondhand bookshops, ranked and reviewed

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Ten timeless songs to rock through the weekend with.

‘A bogan-fuelled track to remind us where we came from’: Blindspott’s perfect weekend playlist

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The government could live to regret its $1 billion plan to import natural gas, according to Saul Griffith, renewable energy advocate and former climate advisor to Joe Biden.

Podcast: Does the government have it wrong on gas?

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One builder’s quest to find a culture of sustainability in construction.

‘Put down the hammer and pick up the rammer’

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The Friday Poem: ‘Riding in Cars with (Mostly Straight) Boys’ by Josiah Morgan

Today we’re celebrating Rent Week with some cold hard facts and figures. Test your knowledge of the New Zealand rental market below.

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Having trouble viewing the quiz? Take it 

, a series about why the experience of renting a home in NZ is so terrible, and whether anything can be done to fix it. 

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Today we're celebrating Rent Week with some cold hard facts and figures.

The Spinoff

SocietyMarch 24, 2017

How many New Zealanders spend more than 40% of their income on rent?

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SocietyMarch 24, 2017

How many New Zealanders spend more than 40% of their income on rent?

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