Catherine McGregor

Wellington

Freelance Travel Writer and Editor at Freelance

Freelance travel writer & editor. Other stuff: contributing writer @ The Spinoff & The Bulletin, columnist and TV reviewer. Formerly: @thespinofftv, @metromagnz

Articles

Press secretary case raises questions for police and officials

2 days ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

The disturbing allegations have sparked a review of vetting processes and questions about the adequacy of our laws, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.
NZ Post under scrutiny as ministers demand better returns from SOEs

3 days ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

The government is quietly laying the groundwork for a future conversation about selling state assets, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Government warns SOEs to lift performanceA suite of letters sent to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has brought simmering privatisation tensions to the fore, reports the Herald’s Jamie Ensor (paywalled).
Jacinda Ardern steps back into the global spotlight

5 days ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

As the former PM’s memoir hits shelves, Penguin is hoping her enduring star power can turn A Different Kind of Power into a bestseller, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A different kind of memoirJacinda Ardern’s long-anticipated autobiography, A Different Kind of Power, is officially released today.
Introducing David Seymour, deputy prime minister

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

As the Act leader officially steps into the deputy prime ministership this weekend, some political onlookers are bracing for fireworks, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ‘Disproportionate’ no moreDavid Seymour is finally getting a job title that matches the role he often seems to believe he’s already playing.
OCR cut promises a mild boost for still-stagnant property market

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

Economists saw it coming, banks moved early, and mortgage holders will feel the effects – but the OCR cut heralds only a housing bump at best, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Called itIn a move that surprised no one but still carried significant implications, the Reserve Bank yesterday cut the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 3.25% – exactly what economists had widely predicted.
Why messing with NZ Super remains political dynamite

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

Universal super at 65 is increasingly unsustainable, but any attempt to change it will attract fierce political blowback. What’s a government to do, wonders Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. No cuts to super – but everything else is on the tableLast week’s budget delivered a raft of cost-cutting measures, from halving the KiwiSaver member tax credit to tightening access to the Best Start payment.
Can parliamentary urgency and public accountability peacefully coexist?

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

The coalition has been setting records with the amount of bills passed under urgency. Now a ‘people’s select committee’ wants to hear from submitters shut out of the process, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Late-night bill passed under urgencyAfter a punishing budget week, the last place most MPs wanted to find themselves in the early hours of Saturday morning was still in the debating chamber.
Budget 2025: A fiscal ‘time bomb’ and a ‘disrespectful’ blue dress

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

As the post-budget sales pitch ramps up, Investment Boost is put under the microscopic – while one fashion headline sparks an unlikely political sideshow, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The politics of regional neglect?
10 key reads on Buget 2025

2 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

Nobody has time to read everything that’s been written on the budget, so Catherine McGregor has a round-up of some of the most interesting takes, in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The true blue, bitsy, no BS, growth budgetFor Jenée Tibshraeny at the Herald, it was both the “reality bites budget” and the “true blue budget”. For Lloyd Burr at Stuff, the “bitsy budget”.
Budget Day 2025 arrives with cuts, cookies and promises of ‘no BS’

2 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Catherine McGregor

With months of pre-budget announcements behind us, the real detail lands today – including where the axe will fall to fund the government’s plans, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A ‘no BS’ budget in a high-debt realityIt’s Budget Day, when finance minister Nicola Willis finally reveals what she’s calling the “no BS” budget – though its “formal, Christian” name is the “Growth Budget”.