Society

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Google Maps navigation now lets you report police sightings while driving. But should you do it?

Is it OK to nark on the cops? An argument with myself

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Despite making net-zero commitments, big banks have lent fossil fuel companies billions of dollars.

How banks can make climate pledges – then keep funding fossil fuels

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Shortsightedness in kids is skyrocketing overseas. Is New Zealand next?

Staring down the ‘silent epidemic’ of myopia in children

Tara Ward

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The dream of a winter Christmas is well and truly alive in some parts of New Zealand this summer.

Cruel summer: A whinge from those who didn’t get a sunny holiday

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Five years ago, we voted against legalising cannabis. But what if the referendum had gone the other way?

Here’s what Aotearoa might have looked like today if we legalised weed in 2020

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'I'm known to be pretty terrible at buying fun things just for me.'

The cost of being: A high-earning 30-something who avoids impulse spending

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Despite fewer machines, pokies are raking in more than $1bn a year. So are restrictions working?

Sinking lids and rising profits: The problem with pokies

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The tide is turning on Insta-therapy. Good riddance, but actual therapy is still good and worth doing. 

Don’t let the backlash to therapy culture stop you from doing therapy

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When is it too late to say ‘Happy New Year’? An official ruling

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For all the spectacle of WoW, Alex Casey couldn't tear her eyes off Christopher Luxon in the front row. 

I watched Christopher Luxon watch the World of Wearable Art

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An in-depth examination of the causes, implications and potential cures for homelessness across the country.

Inside the urgent race to solve homelessness in Aotearoa

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New Zealand used to be a country of vibrant synthetic striped polyprop. What happened?

Rainbow warmth and garish colours: When did stripy polyprop disappear?

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Because history isn't just about the big-ticket items.

‘All our rabbits are dead’: 10 moments of national insignificance from the NZ Archives

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Drinking wasn't just a pastime, it was my profession – and it got way out of control. 

The Sunday Essay: Lush and lost on Ponsonby Road

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Alex Casey spends the weekend in a new city without her trusty iPhone, and lives to tell the tale.

I survived in another country without a smartphone – this is my story

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A reverse honeymoon that ended with a secret wedding, and the best first wedding gift imaginable: an XXL bottle of Irn Bru.

My Greatest Trip: Eloping and Nessie hunting in Scotland

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The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.

Remembering my brother

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For those who lose a baby pre-birth or shortly after, grief is often unacknowledged. Those who know are trying to change things. 

The lonely grief of baby loss and infertility

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What does a forever relationship look like when you don't believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it?

Dreaming of my not-wedding day

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Some of the most passionate consumers of anti-ageing skincare are children. How did the beauty industry get under their skin? 

‘It’s insidious and dangerous’: The kids fighting wrinkles before their 10th birthday

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Review: Robbie Williams goes chimp crazy in Better Man 

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Local elections will decide the future of Māori seats on councils, with referendums testing New Zealand's commitment to equitable representation and Te Tiriti principles.

The fate of Māori seats on councils lies with those who vote

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David Seymour has welcomed the huge amount of public interest in his controversial proposed law.

Treaty bill submissions have closed. Now what?

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A parent shares their experience and fears as public submissions are sought on the use of puberty blockers for gender-affirming care.

‘She knew before she could read’: The reality of raising a trans child

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A symbol of Māori sovereignty, political agency, and the nation's early steps toward self-determination.

The first official flag of Aotearoa and what it represents

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With the considerable benefit of hindsight and creative licence, we present July 16, 1984, as it happened.

Live updates: 16/7/84, one of the wildest days in New Zealand politics

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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