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1 week ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
The finance minister has more important things to discuss than her dress, but it’s also twee to pretend that fashion and politics aren’t intertwined. Yesterday morning, I lay in bed and thought about what I would wear to work. I do this most mornings. Some days, I give it a lot of thought. I am interested in fashion and want to be comfortable, but I also enjoy the art and act of constructing myself and silently communicating that each day.
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2 weeks ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
Anna Rawhiti-Connell recalls a ‘very short, late-bloomers OE’. In August and September of 2016, I went to Europe to see and travel with my brother. By the time the trip came around, me and Troy, the man I ended up marrying, had been seeing each other for a few months. He’d just been made redundant, so he threw caution to the wind and joined me for 11 days.
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3 weeks ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
It’s angry, powerful and shocking, but any reaction to its use is steeped in gender politics. Earlier this year, education minister Erica Stanford allegedly called Labour’s Jan Tinetti a “stupid bitch” in parliament. She apologised, but for a few days after, chat among many women I know focused on why “stupid bitch” has such a nasty sting to it and whether that sting is sharper when it’s a woman saying it about another woman.
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3 weeks ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
The audacious art of Kalisolaite ‘Uhila’s Mohe. When was the last time you watched someone sleep? I peeked into my niece’s room to check if she was breathing while babysitting last weekend, but I didn’t stay or look at her for long. Occasionally, I stare at my husband sleeping, hoping the intensity will wake him up. He is so unnerved by the green eyes staring at him when he does wake that I reserve this practice for boredom emergencies only.
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1 month ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
The conclave explained, a cinematic knowledge shortcut and very scientific musings about a possible curse. Gather round atheists, agnostics, apathetes, anyone who hasn’t seen Conclave and all who have successfully rinsed their religious education from their memories. Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America, the first from the Jesuit order and the first of his papal name, died on Easter Monday. There are numerous reasons for letting this event pass you by.
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1 month ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
One of the year’s most anticipated shows returns with a dash of brain splatter, a dollop of human heart, and a focus on the toll of terrible decisions. The first season of The Last of Us ended with Ellie (Bella Ramsay) asking Joel (Pedro Pascal) to swear that everything he has told her about the Fireflies is true. Driven by protectionist instincts, Joel lies. He didn’t shoot up a hospital or his former comrades and steal Ellie away to let correct moral instinct jeopardise it all.
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1 month ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
Luxon has an opportunity to emerge as a stabiliser without the diplomatic risk of poking the bear in the White House. Last month, pundits from across the political spectrum were begging Christopher Luxon to add a modicum of clarity to the way he communicates after a disastrous interview with Mike Hosking following Andrew Bayly’s resignation. There was a flurry of speculation about his leadership amid poor polling for the coalition government and Luxon personally.
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2 months ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
Nicola Willis strongly signals she’s willing to get serious about supermarket duopoly, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Nicola Willis seeking information how to attract a third player to marketNew Zealanders could be forgiven for being wary of announcements about tackling the supermarket duopoly.
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2 months ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
The Children’s Commissioner describes the current situation as “untenable, inequitable and inadequate”, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ‘Untenable, inequitable and inadequate’Earlier this week, RNZ’s Anusha Bradley reported that the country’s only publicly funded paediatric palliative care specialist is on extended leave.
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2 months ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
It’s a response that has nothing to do with children and everything to do with adults. On Sunday, my family had a picnic. We went to Grey Lynn Park, lazed around in the autumn sun, and appreciated the corny, wholesome vibe of being together. My siblings and I are all aged between 39 and 45 years old, and my parents are in their 70s. For the most part, we have moved past aggravating each other and settled into the stage of life where being alive, well, and together is not taken for granted.
