The Bulletin

Labour leader Chris Hipkins, photographed on February 23 2026.(Photo: Michael Craig/New Zealand Herald via Getty Images)

Should Chris Hipkins’ private life be the public’s business?

The Hipkins-Paul story has put media principles under the spotlight – and made the rest of us question how much we're comfortable about knowing.

By Catherine McGregor | 19th March, 2026

Contributing writer

Finance minister Nicola Willis during her 1pm Iran economic response update in her Beehive office, March 16, 2026. (Photo: Mark Mitchell /New Zealand Herald via Getty Images)

Deja vu at the Beehive: How the fuel crisis might transform the government’s fortunes

Jacinda Ardern's handling of a crisis led to a landslide win for Labour. Could a little of that magic wear off on Nicola Willis?

By Catherine McGregor | 18th March, 2026

Contributing writer

Prime minister Christopher Luxon inspects a guard of honour in Apia on March 16, 2026. (Photo: Ben STRANG / AFP via Getty Images)

‘Superhighway for drugs’: what Luxon’s Pacific trip is really about

The Pacific's increasingly aggressive billion-dollar drug cartels are at the centre of the PM's Samoa and Tonga visit.

By Catherine McGregor | 17th March, 2026

Contributing writer

Wattie’s frozen peas are set to disappear from supermarket shelves. (Photo: Getty Images)

What finally broke Wattie’s – and what it means for the supermarket shelves

Who is to blame for the Heinz Wattie's closures – and is this another nail in the coffin of NZ manufacturing?

By Catherine McGregor | 16th March, 2026

Contributing writer

Former Chatham Islands Council chief executive Paul Eagle, with the unofficial Chathams flag in the background.

Excessive, misleading, unacceptable: the auditor-general’s verdict on Paul Eagle

An inquiry into the former MP's tenure as Chatham Islands Council chief executive reveals how one man’s poor decisions collided with a council ill-equipped to catch them.

By Catherine McGregor | 13th March, 2026

Contributing writer

Social media ban for under-16s moves one step closer

By Joel MacManus | 6th March, 2026

The rate at which emergency food grant applications are being declined has risen by 60% in two years

Are welfare reforms leaving vulnerable New Zealanders with nowhere to turn?

New data reveals that emergency assistance is getting harder to access – and that benefit sanctions aren't reducing the number of people on the dole.

By Catherine McGregor | 5th March, 2026

Contributing writer

While NZ growth is set to rise from 2.8% this year and 3.1% next, Australia will languish at just 1.6% growth for the next two years, according to the countries’ reserve banks.

The lucky country’s luck might be running out

For the first time in years, Australia's growth is set to fall behind New Zealand's. How the heck did that happen?

By Catherine McGregor | 4th March, 2026

Contributing writer

KiwiSaver investors, particularly those in growth funds, ‘might see a bit of red ink’ as the stock market reacts. (Photo: Getty Images)

NZ braces for higher petrol prices – and lower market returns – as Iran conflict bites

Fuel prices, airfares and stock market returns are all at risk amid the Middle East upheaval, threatening New Zealand’s fragile economic recovery.

By Catherine McGregor | 3rd March, 2026

Contributing writer

In Tehran, people look the skies amid reports of widespread attacks on Iran by the US and Israel, February 28, 2026. (Photo: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

With hundreds dead and the Gulf ablaze, is a muted NZ response enough?

The attack on Iran has prompted fierce debate about its legality – and whether New Zealand’s response goes too lightly on Donald Trump.

By Catherine McGregor | 2nd March, 2026

Contributing writer

David Seymour says New Zealanders pay twice for Air New Zealand – ‘once as a taxpayer and once as a passenger’. (Photo: Getty Images)

Is it time for the government to sell its stake in Air New Zealand?

As the national carrier posts a big loss and regional fares continue to soar, politicians are sparring over whether majority public ownership still makes sense.

By Catherine McGregor | 27th February, 2026

Contributing writer

With Auckland and Christchurch ‘awash’ with new townhouses, some listings are remaining unsold for so long that they stop qualifying as new builds. (Photo: Getty Images)

The great townhouse slowdown

How a 'truckload' of new townhouses – especially in Christchurch and Auckland – is reshaping the housing market.

By Catherine McGregor | 26th February, 2026

Contributing writer

NZ First leader Winston Peters has been pushing to make English an official language for years (Image: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images/The Spinoff)

Does New Zealand need to make English official?

Winston Peters says it's about 'common sense'. Critics call it a distraction from real issues – and a solution in search of a problem.

By Catherine McGregor | 25th February, 2026

Contributing writer

Education minister Erica Stanford described the findings of two reports on Teaching Council processes as ‘some of the most serious that I have seen’. (Photo: Getty Images)

How two damning reports brought down the head of the Teaching Council

Multiple cases of sexual offenders getting jobs in schools have added to concerns about the body responsible for registering and vetting teachers.

By Catherine McGregor | 24th February, 2026

Contributing writer

Police will get powers to move on people sleeping rough, begging or displaying ‘disorderly, disruptive, threatening or intimidating behaviour in town centres across the country. (Photo: Getty Images)

Police move-on orders ignite row over safety and compassion

Ministers say new powers are needed to tackle disorder in CBDs. But is out of sight, out of mind a real solution?

By Catherine McGregor | 23rd February, 2026

Contributing writer

Photo: Getty Images

Auckland’s density dial turned down as election-year politics intrudes

A scaled-back housing target for Auckland has exposed the political nerves beneath the city’s intensification debate.

By Catherine McGregor | 20th February, 2026

Contributing writer