Joel MacManus

1 week ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Joel MacManus

They’re both young, female, progressive leaders whose career trajectories are intertwined with Andrew Little. But their strengths, weaknesses, governing style and political legacies couldn’t be more different. Windbag is The Spinoff’s Wellington issues column, written by Wellington editor Joel MacManus. Subscribe to the Windbag newsletter to receive columns early. It was July 2017, less than two months out from the general election, and Labour was heading to an almost certain defeat.

2 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Joel MacManus

After the high court backed Wellington City Council’s decision to reduce the city’s character areas, Joel MacManus looks back at the five decades that shaped the restrictive housing policy. The motorway came and tore the community in two. A great big gash of concrete. Eight lanes of destruction and separation. Thorndon is New Zealand’s oldest residential neighbourhood; the place where the British occupation of Wellington city began. Then, Wellington Urban Motorway cut right through its heart.

2 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Joel MacManus

April 27 is Moehanga Day, the anniversary of the day in 1806 when Ngāpuhi warrior Moehanga became the first Māori to visit England. This is his story. The wooden ship sailed down the River Thames, past smoke stacks and brick factories, until it reached a wharf in industrial south London. The air was heavy with the fishy, faecal smell of rendered whale oil. Moehanga, a young Ngāpuhi warrior, stepped on shore.

3 weeks ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Joel MacManus

The former Labour leader’s entry into the race makes life more difficult for Tory Whanau, but there are silver linings for her campaign. Andrew Little launched his campaign, a new political party insisted it wasn’t a political party, and the Greens found a new star candidate. It’s been a big week of local political news in Wellington, so let’s break down what it means for the October election.

1 month ago | thespinoff.co.nz | Joel MacManus

The political supergroup’s event about Wellington’s art scene involved lots of CEOs and very few artists. Windbag is The Spinoff’s Wellington issues column, written by Wellington editor Joel MacManus. Subscribe to the Windbag newsletter to receive columns early. I’ve been pretty sceptical about Vision for Wellington, the supergroup of wealthy and powerful Wellingtonians, ever since it launched with a glowing front page in The Post.