Alice Neville

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alice Neville

This week, a dramatic dip in the number of victims of violent crime was revealed, a remarkable turnaround in just eight months that the government was quick to take credit for. But, as Alice Neville explains, crime data is far from clear-cut. In September last year, the government announced a concerning development: the number of violent crime victims in the 12 months to June 2024 had risen to 215,000. This put its reduced violent crime target – 165,000 victims by 2029 – officially “at risk”.

3 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alice Neville

The ferries will now be delivered in 2029, writes Alice Neville in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.

4 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alice Neville

Sentencing reform legislation has passed its final reading, writes Alice Neville in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Sentencing reform legislation passed its final readingThe government’s sentencing reform legislation passed its final reading in parliament yesterday, marking “a significant milestone in this government’s mission to restore law and order”, according to justice minister Paul Goldsmith.

1 month ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alice Neville

The highs, lows and silver linings of single-parenting a toddler. He lay there prone, unmoving, his dark eyes glassy and fixed on the ceiling above. My daughter looked at him, then at me. “Is that… Daddy?” I sighed. “No, darling, that’s not Daddy.” I grabbed the man to whom her question was directed and returned him to the kitchen where he belonged. No, he wasn’t Daddy. This bloke did, however, fit the paternal stereotype of being handy around the home – I’d just used him to open my beer, in fact.

1 month ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Alice Neville

We’ve crunched the numbers from the latest release of ministerial expenses to bring you this expert analysis of the most curious costs. The quarterly release of government ministers’ credit card expenses is, on the surface, rather dull – parking, taxis, mānuka honey, All Blacks jerseys (it’s diplomacy, baby), more parking, more taxis – yet also, somehow, fascinating. Glimpsing another person’s receipts, after all, has an irresistible frisson of fiscal voyeurism about it.