-
4 days 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.
-
4 days 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.
-
3 weeks 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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
1 month 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.
-
1 month 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.
-
1 month 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.
-
2 months ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
Float, dance or run to see this spectacular show at the Auckland Arts Festival, but whatever you do, don’t miss it. A realisation of the very best of this country’s creative ambitionIt’s easy to forget the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre at the Aotea Centre, with its three tiers of seating and large capacity, has the potential to be an immersive cocoon. The revamp, completed in 2012, saw the installation of sizeable warm-wood panelling, vastly improving the acoustics.
-
2 months ago | 
thespinoff.co.nz | Anna Rawhiti-Connell
Marmite should be basking in the same warm prime ministerial glow as Weet-Bix right now, but the finance minister had other plans. In case you’ve been buried under a pile of melted plastic for the last two months, school lunches have become something of a political norovirus. An endless spray of stories featuring pictures of “food” that, in some cases, looks the same as it would when coming back up, has been haunting the government’s hunt for cost efficiencies and David Seymour’s dreams.
