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

Hospitals to be rebuilt in four stages under new $20b plan

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

Hospitals nationwide are set for upgrades – though at a more sedate pace than some might have hoped, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A blueprint for rebuildingAfter years of warnings and stocktakes, the government has finally published New Zealand’s first national health infrastructure plan – and the bill is as daunting as expected, RNZ reports.
Behind the Luxon-Peters bust-up over free trade

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

As the US ramps up tariffs, the PM and his deputy are clashing – not just over strategy, but over who gets to define New Zealand’s foreign policy tone, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.
New Zealanders still heading stateside as American arrivals break records

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

Despite border fears and a cooling global economy, the NZ–US travel corridor remains surprisingly robust, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Migration lifts as golden visa interest surgesAfter more than a year of anaemic immigration figures, February saw the highest number of long-term arrivals for any month since September 2023, Interest’s Greg Ninness reports.
Luxon holds the line as Trump triggers tariff whiplash

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

With Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs rattling global markets, the PM is vowing to fight for free trade – and not everyone’s happy about it, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Tech spared from worst of tariffs – for now A whiplash week in the world of tariffs ended with one more flip-flop over the weekend.
PM skips historic debate as Treaty principles bill voted down

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

With protests in the gallery, a projectile thrown and an MP ejected, the second reading of the controversial bill ended in a resounding defeat, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.
Are New Zealanders losing confidence in the system?

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

New data suggests that trust in government, media and each other is slipping – and it’s happening faster than many realise, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A drop in trust – but is it permanent? Just a few years ago, trust in New Zealand’s government was at a generational high.
Andrew Little eyes Wellington mayoralty bid

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

With the former Labour leader ‘80%’ certain to throw his hat in the ring for the capital’s top job, Tory Whanau’s life just got a lot harder, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A political heavyweight returns? It’s not every day a former party leader comes knocking on the doors of local government – but that’s exactly what looks set to happen in Wellington.
‘A big step up’: government unveils multi-billion-dollar defence plan

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

It’s been delayed, debated and revised. Now the defence capability plan is here, and it’s huge, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Big risks, big shiftWith the world hurtling toward a new era of geopolitical volatility – encouraged along by Trump’s collapsing of the global economic order – the government has finally delivered its long-awaited defence capability plan.
Treaty Principles Bill enters its death throes

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

A record-breaking consultation process ends with the select committee recommending the Treaty Principles Bill be scrapped – and Act claiming victory anyway, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Recommended for the binIt was always going to be a bumpy ride, but few expected the Treaty Principles Bill to detonate quite so spectacularly.
NZ counts the cost of Trump tariffs

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

We may have got off comparatively lightly, but the global blast radius will impact NZ exporters and investors alike, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.