Society

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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.

The Sunday Essay: Remembering my brother

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Imagine Aaron Smith yelling at forwards and that's how our dog of the month would sound chasing a ball.

Dog of the month: Babushka, who is notorious in Newtown

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Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here?

How Tāmaki Makaurau became home to the world’s only lesbian museum

Cost of dying 2024 (Image: Tina Tiller)

Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot. Why?

Revisiting the cost of dying

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Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years – so what's the hold up here? 

‘It’s a no-brainer’: Why Aotearoa needs to ride the wave of water cremation 

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What the numbers reveal about when and how we die, assisted dying applications, the cost of being buried, suicide rates, and more.

Eight graphs that show how we die in NZ

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It’ll probably be the longest and most difficult read of your life, but that’s all the more reason to do it.

Is it harrowing? Absolutely. But here’s why you should read the abuse in care report

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The story of how natural burials started in Aotearoa, and what they involve. 

‘Death is sad, it’s not bad’: Inside the natural burial movement in New Zealand

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Maybe I'm being petty, but I really, really don't want them to come. 

Help Me Hera: Can I block a certain someone from attending my funeral?

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Despite the many, many recommendations in today's final inquiry report, there are still some glaring omissions.

‘I’m even more concerned’: A survivor’s response to the final abuse in care report

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A chorus of voices respond to the report and its recommendations.

‘It’s a national disgrace’: Responses to the abuse in care inquiry’s final report

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If the government chooses to accept them, these recommendations could have far-reaching consequences for Aotearoa.

Righting the wrongs of the past: The abuse in care inquiry’s key recommendations

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Frontline ambulance officers at 'breaking point' are stepping up strike action, but their employer says everything's fine.

What the hell’s going on with St John?

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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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Sir Robert Martin was a survivor of abuse in care who was integral in fighting for an inquiry. He passed away while waiting for redress and an apology.

Sir Robert Martin and the way we view disabled people

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It's Death Week on The Spinoff, so we're switching up our usual Cost of Being format.

The cost of dying: Breaking down the expenses of two recent funerals

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Wellington has to do a lot of work redesigning its streets to be more people-friendly. But this particular design went too far.

Windbag: The pedestrian crossing problem on Thorndon Quay

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When was the last time you thought about death? We're here to have the talk.

The return of Death Week on The Spinoff

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Aotearoa’s organ donation system is under pressure. The Spinoff investigates the problem – and how we might fix it.

‘Everything I do in life, I do it for my donor’: Inside Aotearoa’s struggling organ donation system

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From the bloodlands to the Polish Children’s Camp in Pahiatua, I went looking for Grandma Stefania.

The Sunday Essay: Are you there, Grandma?

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Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation.

The Weekend: If in doubt, go to the funeral

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The funeral director and star of The Traitors NZ discusses her two favourite topics: death and reality television. 

‘What a privilege’:  Whitney from The Traitors NZ on life as a funeral director

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There's not a single dud in this dazzling collection of essays, which touches on everything from weaving to seagulls to Meccano enthusiasts.

Rich and rare: Bad Archive by Flora Feltham, reviewed

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'Mainly I just love the musical frisbees he throws out into the world, and this is one of those.'

‘Possibly the best live gig I have been to’: TRiPS’ perfect weekend playlist

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If you haven’t started watching yet, we beg you to reconsider.

Why this season of The Traitors is the best reality TV NZ has ever made

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The Friday Poem: ‘The clothes of the dead’ by Fiona Kidman

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A spicy new romance series heats up the charts. 

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending July 26

‘s ‘Two New Zealands’ series looks at the K-shaped recovery, and how New Zealand’s post-Covid economy has benefited some while hurting others.

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The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read the rest of the series 

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Toby Morris looks at the idea of a K shaped recovery, and how the post-Covid economy has benefited some while hurting others.

The Spinoff

SocietyDecember 29, 2021

The Side Eye’s Two New Zealands: The K Shape

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