# māori (news sources) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover māori. Page: Feed: --- ## [A 26-year-old voter worried about the ‘diminishing rights of minority groups’](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/27-08-2026/a-26-year-old-voter-worried-about-the-diminishing-rights-of-minority-groups) _2026-08-27 · Characters of the Campaign Trail · The Spinoff_ Dunedin voter Tyler Proctor will be making two ticks for Labour this election. In the latest instalment of Characters of the Campaign trail, he explains why. Name: Tyler Proctor Age: 26 Occupation: Administrator Living situation: Renting an apartment Electorate: Dunedin Who will you vote for? Rachel Brooking (Labour) and party vote Labour. I’m a member of the Labour Party. What appeals to you… ## [The Spinoff hall of fame: New Zealand’s greatest sport mullets](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/27-08-2026/the-spinoff-hall-of-fame-new-zealands-greatest-sport-mullets) _2026-08-27 · Emma Gleason · The Spinoff_ The mullet may have gone mainstream in recent years, but Aotearoa’s athletes were true pioneers of this polarising hairstyle. Here are some of the greats. Our brave nation is in the midst of a mullet surge. The once-divisive, rebellious haircut is now commonplace, with mullets cropping up in classrooms, supermarkets and even Aesop stores. We think it’s time to honour some pioneers of the style,… ## [Which councils could meet government’s proposed rates cap?](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/27-08-2026/which-councils-could-meet-governments-proposed-rates-cap) _2026-08-27 · Susan Edmunds of RNZ · The Spinoff_ Few councils have been able to keep their rates rises below the proposed 4 percent a year cap in recent years. And commentators say something will have to give if they are expected to try to do so, writes Susan Edmunds. This story was originally published on RNZ The government said this week it was moving ahead with plans to cap the amount councils could increase rates to a maximum of 4 percent.… ## [Plea: Put Dame Lynda Topp on every television show right now](https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/27-08-2026/plea-put-dame-lynda-topp-on-every-television-show-right-now) _2026-08-27 · Alex Casey · The Spinoff_ Guy Mont Spelling Bee delivers a truly joyous episode, all thanks to one Dame Lynda Topp. Every now and then someone comes along and rips straight through the very fabric of even the loosest of comedy panel shows, opening up a portal to a whole new dimension of laughs and a previously unplumbed depth of absurdity. It happened when David Correos started rapping about drowning Matt Heath in his own… ## [What 40-plus years in fashion has taught NOM\*d’s Margi Robertson](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/26-08-2026/wealth-and-popularity-are-over-rated-what-40-plus-years-in-fashion-has-taught-nomds-margi-robertson) _2026-08-26 · Emma Gleason · The Spinoff_ Do you get older and wiser? Should you take on that debt? And what’s the best way to enjoy Campari? Dunedin fashion legend Margi Robertson shares some life advice and reflects on NOM\*d’s milestone anniversary. David Lange was prime minister, GST was kicking in and Ōtepoti was steeped in the Dunedin Sound when NOM\*d was born 40 years ago. Founded by designer Margi Robertson and her husband Chris,… ## [Help Me Hera: Should I burn my old love letters?](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/26-08-2026/help-me-hera-should-i-burn-my-old-love-letters) _2026-08-26 · Hera Lindsay Bird · The Spinoff_ Is it creepy to hang onto mementos from a past relationship? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz or fill out this form . Dear Hera, Having found myself again with a broken heart, I know that as I clean up all the pieces and put things back together, I will see that little box of love letters and keepsakes from the relationship, and wonder what to do with it. Previously,… ## [Te Pāti Māori’s tax plan: $30k tax-free, a new stamp duty, and a ‘kai credit’](https://thespinoff.co.nz/the-bulletin/26-08-2026/te-pati-maoris-tax-plan-30k-tax-free-a-new-stamp-duty-and-a-kai-credit) _2026-08-26 · Henry Oliver · The Spinoff_ Te Pāti Māori has unveiled an ambitious tax policy, claiming it would lower the income tax of 97% of New Zealanders , writes Henry Oliver in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here . At a press conference yesterday, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi laid out a nine-point plan they described as a “Kiwi tax plan” –… ## [What the election slogans say – and what they whisper](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/26-08-2026/theres-what-the-election-slogans-say-and-theres-what-they-whisper) _2026-08-26 · Toby Manhire · The Spinoff_ It is slogan season in election year – and the party choices are evocative, in more ways than one. B oiled to their bones, elections ask a simple question: more of the same or something else? The parties’ slogans – the big parties, at least – usually seek to translate that sentiment into just a few words. Change versus Carry on (aka don’t risk changing). In the leadup to the 1972 election, Labour… ## [Wayne Brown has given up on the government](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/26-08-2026/wayne-brown-has-given-up-on-the-government) _2026-08-26 · Hayden Donnell · The Spinoff_ ‘This is a slogan government. Roads of National party significance, city deals, localism. It’s all bollocks.’ The theologian Reinhold Niebuhr started inserting the serenity prayer into his sermons in the early 1930s. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference,” it goes. In the decades since, it’s… ## [One Candidate, One Pint: Labour’s Max Harris on his push to ‘reclaim’ Tāmaki](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/26-08-2026/one-candidate-one-pint-labours-max-harris-on-his-push-to-reclaim-tamaki) _2026-08-26 · Lyric Waiwiri-Smith · The Spinoff_ The Labour Party’s Tāmaki candidate on mortality, Radiohead and being Glen Innes hard. He wears the stress of the job in his hair, silver curls that are backlit by the sunset over Mission Bay. During an evening at Good George Brewing, everything glows – except for the dark pool of stout in his glass. Nearly a decade ago, his best-selling book, The New Zealand Project, made Max Harris one of New… ## [AI QA That Opens Fix PRs (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/6xIMQRK9NiPD) _2026-08-26 · **Sponsored**_ Runs browser QA, files issues with repro evidence, and opens fix PRs. ## [New Zealand’s hospital headaches, by the numbers](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/26-08-2026/new-zealands-hospital-headaches-by-the-numbers) _2026-08-26 · Emma Gleason · The Spinoff_ What symptoms of illness is our health system showing? The winter flu and respiratory illnesses are hitting late this winter and emergency departments are under pressure, nurses are at the end of their tether and some patients are being treated in corridors. It’s not just the winter viruses causing issues, but the viruses on top of long-standing problems, say healthcare workers. What symptoms of… ## [‘It’s everything I look for in a story’: Stephen Lovatt’s favourite book](https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/25-08-2026/its-everything-i-look-for-in-story-stephen-lovatts-favourite-book) _2026-08-25 · The Spinoff Review of Books · The Spinoff_ Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional , in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: actor, Stephen Lovatt. The book I wish I’d written Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Succinct. Elegiac. Exquisite. Redemptive. Love filled. Kind. Relentless. Humorous sometimes. It’s everything I look for in reading, theatre, story of all kinds. I struggle to explain what… ## [Algorithms are choosing who sees what political ads. NZ needs transparency](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-08-2026/algorithms-are-choosing-who-sees-what-political-ads-nz-urgently-needs-transparency) _2026-08-25 · Katherine Jensen · The Spinoff_ Only an election or two ago, digital advertising was relatively straightforward. But now the model has shifted. A recent RNZ analysis of political advertising on Facebook and Instagram revealed an intriguing pattern in who was seeing the ads. Of more than 500 ads National ran this year, 92 were seen only by men, attracting up to 3.9 million views and costing as much as $21,000. Only one was seen… ## [Cracks in the coalition? Election pressure tests government unity](https://thespinoff.co.nz/the-bulletin/25-08-2026/cracks-in-the-coalition-election-pressure-tests-government-unity) _2026-08-25 · Henry Oliver · The Spinoff_ From bed taxes to social media bans to a proposed MMP referendum, National’s coalition partners are increasingly willing to break ranks – and speak out, writes Henry Oliver in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here . Perhaps it was always going to happen. As the election approaches, coalition partners naturally begin to differentiate… ## [Health? Yes. Harmony? No. Politicians trade ideas on health and harm prevention](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-08-2026/health-yes-harmony-no-politicians-trade-ideas-on-health-and-harm-prevention) _2026-08-25 · Lyric Waiwiri-Smith · The Spinoff_ Sugar levies and smokefree policies were tossed around as parties agreed to disagree on what could improve our health prevention. Healthcare and hospitals might be the second most pressing concern for voters, according to the Ipsos Issues Monitor , but if you hoped political parties could agree on exactly what should be done to address those concerns, you need to see a doctor. That was clear at a… ## [National should just admit it wants to turn councils into the Department of Parks and Pipes](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-08-2026/national-should-just-admit-it-wants-to-turn-councils-into-the-department-of-parks-and-pipes) _2026-08-25 · Joel MacManus · The Spinoff_ Rates caps are the latest in a series of anti-democratic local government policies from a party that once claimed to support localism and devolution, argues Joel MacManus. On Tuesday, the minister for local government Simon Watts confirmed council rate rises would be capped, requiring increases between 2 and 4% per year. The legislation for this change has not yet been written and Watts says it… ## [Dating Files: A Wellingtonian who keeps meeting people ‘about to leave the country’](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/25-08-2026/dating-files-a-wellingtonian-who-keeps-meeting-people-about-to-leave-the-country) _2026-08-25 · Dating Files · The Spinoff_ ‘ I hate that I twirl my hair and giggle a little more when they insist on paying.’ Want to be part of Dating Files? Fill out the questionnaire here . Age: 27 Gender: Female Sexuality: Bisexual Ethnicity: Pākehā Religion: Non-religious Occupation: Public Servant My living location is: Wellington The apps I’m on: Tinder, Hinge I’m looking for: Ultimately I am looking for a long term partner.… ## [Reb Fountain is voting for love this year](https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/25-08-2026/reb-fountain-is-voting-for-love-this-year) _2026-08-25 · Life Advice · The Spinoff_ The singer songwriter on finding joy in the despair and honing her radar for detecting assholes. In an era of perfection, polish and scarily smooth AI slop, Reb Fountain is doing something different. Making her seventh album Water for Gasoline in her garage studio at home in Tāmaki Makaurau, the singer-songwriter harnessed the chaos of creativity by recording the album live. With most songs… ## [Where political parties stand on Te Tiriti o Waitangi](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/24-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi) _2026-08-24 · Liam Rātana · The Spinoff_ From entrenching te tiriti to curbing its role in law and government, different parties are offering voters starkly different visions for its future. New Zealand has no single written constitution. Instead, the rules for how the country is governed come from a mix of important laws, foundation documents, court judgments and unwritten traditions called conventions. Beyond acts of parliament, like… ## [Love, actually, at 29: ‘Consistently receiving love for the first time ever’](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/22-08-2026/love-actually-at-29-consistently-receiving-love-for-the-first-time-ever) _2026-08-22 · Love actually · The Spinoff_ ‘What I most resent in my relationship is my own fear of betrayal inherited from past relationships.’ Want to be part of Love, actually? Fill out the questionnaire here . Age: 29 Gender: Female Sexuality: Bisexual Ethnicity: Pākehā Religion: Atheist Occupation: Teacher Length of relationship: Three and a bit years Children: 0 (in this economy??) How we met: A modern day love story: A few weeks… ## [CLI-first decentralized GPU compute (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/JnsmTZPLoxUb) _2026-08-22 · **Sponsored**_ Pay workers or run your GPU for FFmpeg transcode and AI inference. ## [The R18 online quirk that feels like a relic of the old internet](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/22-08-2026/the-r18-online-quirk-that-feels-like-a-relic-of-the-old-internet) _2026-08-22 · Alex Casey · The Spinoff_ Alex Casey explores a gentle form of internet trolling that has emerged in the most surprising of places. When The Spinoff’s own memberships lead and occasional contributor Ben Fagan was perusing various pub and brewery sites for some potential top secret Spinoff events later in the year, he couldn’t have known he was about to be trolled to high heaven. But on the Garage Project site , after… ## [There was only one thing about Bürgen that was German and it was not the bread](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/22-08-2026/the-most-german-thing-about-burgen-was-the-punctuation) _2026-08-22 · Oliver Hartwich · The Spinoff_ Two dots above a vowel and a loaf of bread becomes continental. New Zealand is about to lose a German bread that was never German, and as the only German in sight, I have been invited to grieve. I will pass. Bürgen was invented in Auckland in 1987 by a master baker called Doug Leighton. Australia took it five years later, and an Australian company, George Weston Foods, has owned it ever since.… ## [The Unity Books children’s book review roundup for winter](https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/21-08-2026/the-unity-books-childrens-book-review-roundup-for-winter-3) _2026-08-21 · The Spinoff Review of Books · The Spinoff_ The booksellers of Unity Books Auckland and Wellington review a handful of children’s books sure to delight and inspire readers of all ages. AUCKLAND Reviews by Daniel Deveney , Elka Aitchison and Roger Christensen , booksellers at Unity Books Auckland Ahab and the White Whale by Manuel Marsol, translated by Chloe Garcia Roberts (Age 5+) The illustrations alone are worth the price of this… ## [Where to eat in Avondale, Auckland – an insider’s guide](https://thespinoff.co.nz/kai/21-08-2026/where-to-eat-in-avondale-auckland-an-insiders-guide) _2026-08-21 · Charlotte Muru-Lanning · The Spinoff_ Where to find Avondale’s finest filter coffee, fish tacos, fresh vegetables and more according to restaurateur Kaz Suzuki. Avondale is a suburb in a state of flux. There are various modern developments underway, its cherished spider mascot, Dale, disappeared from its main street in 2024 after two decades, and the future of its famous markets remains uncertain. Amid all this change, restaurateur… ## [Where did all the acne go?](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/21-08-2026/where-did-all-the-acne-go) _2026-08-21 · Rose Hirst · The Spinoff_ Cystic acne and its scarring seem to be disappearing from New Zealand faces. Here’s why. A bright green star adorned the freckled face of the teenager manning the supermarket check-out. Groups of schoolgirls sauntered past, clutching Stanley cups, cheeks dotted with neon stickers. At first, I wondered if they were a fashion accessory, but no, they had a purpose. They’re pimple patches, a way to… ## [Greatsouth on making music and what it really means to be a good Kiwi](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/21-08-2026/greatsouth-on-making-music-and-what-it-really-means-to-be-a-good-kiwi) _2026-08-21 · Liam Rātana · The Spinoff_ With his new album, Hellhole of the Pacific, Greatsouth turns Māori history, taonga pūoro and alt rock into a challenge to New Zealand to reconsider the stories we tell ourselves. The Mitsubishi Galant with faded red paint about to peel off like bad sunburn confirms I’m in the right place. You don’t see a lot of cars like this in the gentrified Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn. A thick, brown curtain… ## [Why own anything any more? The rise and rise of rental culture](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/21-08-2026/why-own-anything-any-more-the-rise-and-rise-of-rental-culture) _2026-08-21 · Isabella Root · The Spinoff_ From luggage to toys, cameras to watches, baby gear to hiking gear, you name it, you can probably rent it. For many, ownership isn’t as appealing – or attainable – as it once was. What’s behind the growing trend? Luxury used to be tied to permanence. You bought the designer bag, financed the car, signed the mortgage. Wealth sat in your driveway and hung in your wardrobe. But somewhere along the… ## [What has Chris Penk been up to since getting sacked?](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/21-08-2026/what-has-chris-penk-been-up-to-since-getting-sacked) _2026-08-21 · Toby Manhire · The Spinoff_ The man who took on Christopher Luxon speaks on The Spinoff politics podcast, Gone By Lunchtime. Nine days ago, Chris Penk was identified as the single rogue element, the solo-coup-mounter within the National Party caucus. Christopher Luxon announced that, having called a confidence vote in the leader at that emergency meeting, Penk the insurrectionist had been sacked as a minister. Within hours,… ## [Echo Chamber: Attack of the taxes!](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/21-08-2026/echo-chamber-attack-of-the-taxes) _2026-08-21 · Lyric Waiwiri-Smith · The Spinoff_ What’s scarier: having 11 new taxes, having 11 portfolios, or having to remove a member’s bill at the 11th hour? The troops may be tired and the headlines may be hostile, but the fight to win election 2026 is not yet lost. As the National caucus returned to parliament’s battleground this week, they had a new beat to march too, piped in directly from Simeon Brown’s office, level 6, the Beehive:… ## [The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending August 21](https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/21-08-2026/the-unity-books-bestseller-chart-for-the-week-ending-august-21) _2026-08-21 · The Spinoff Review of Books · The Spinoff_ The top 10 sales lists recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Be Brave: Life of a Pacific Correspondent by Barbara Dreaver (Awa Press, $45) Dreaver’s career story reads like a thriller. Read just one snippet of it on The Spinoff, here . 2 Eyes of Kings (Flash & False Gods #3) by Chloe Gong (Hodder Press, $38) Gong is an NY Times… ## [Daily plans, scheduled by AI (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/dVdbr4jT1qrd) _2026-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ AI-made daily plans that schedule tasks and protect focus time. ## [20 takeaways from NZ Fashion Week 2026](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/20-08-2026/20-takeaways-from-nz-fashion-week-2026) _2026-08-20 · Emma Gleason · The Spinoff_ Including, yes, people still wear sunglasses inside, shorts and ruffles are having a moment, and much more. Emma Gleason reports from Shed 10 in Auckland. 1. New Zealand fashion appears to be alive and well. If you’re doing a pulse check on the local industry you could start with the gobsmacking number of designers involved in this year’s fashion week. By my estimates more than 180, most of them… ## [Meet 25 young people changing Aotearoa and the world](https://thespinoff.co.nz/partner/20-08-2026/meet-25-young-people-changing-aotearoa-and-the-world-2) _2026-08-20 · The Spinoff · The Spinoff_ From actors to activists, scientists to storytellers, this year’s YWCA Y25 list celebrates some of Aotearoa’s most inspirational young people. Illustrations by Te Atarua Davis (Waikato-Tainui). Across Aotearoa, young women and gender-diverse people are doing extraordinary things. They’re leading climate action, championing Māori and Pacific communities, advocating for mental health and hauora, and… ## [The Nelson Tenths are coming home – now comes the hard part](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/20-08-2026/the-nelson-tenths-are-coming-home-now-comes-the-hard-part) _2026-08-20 · Hēmi Sundgren · The Spinoff_ The return of 7,500 acres and hundreds of millions of dollars is not the end of the Nelson Tenths story. Te Here-ā-Nuku trustee Hēmi Sundgren argues the real test is what happens next. There are moments in our history that feel like endings: signatures are placed, agreements reached, numbers settled. But every so often, those moments are not endings at all – they are thresholds. The resolution of… ## [Election update: parties look to define themselves, their coalitions and their opponents](https://thespinoff.co.nz/the-bulletin/20-08-2026/election-update-parties-look-to-define-themselves-their-coalitions-and-their-opponents) _2026-08-20 · Henry Oliver · The Spinoff_ With the election approaching, parties are scrambling to signal who they are and who they might work with – often by ruling things out rather than ruling them in , writes Henry Oliver in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here . Labour tries (and fails) to keep its head down Labour spent much of the week trying to define itself – and distance… ## [How AI is coming for second-hand books](https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/20-08-2026/how-ai-is-coming-for-second-hand-books) _2026-08-20 · Claire Mabey · The Spinoff_ Second-hand book sales are booming… but who’s buying the books and what in the hell are they doing with them? What have book sales got to do with AI? Media outlets across the world are reporting that business for second-hand booksellers is booming… but not because of the cost of living or a collective surge of interest in acquiring lovely old books for personal libraries. It seems more sinister… ## [New Zealand’s most frenzied supermarket promotions, ranked and reviewed](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/20-08-2026/new-zealands-most-frenzied-supermarket-promotions-ranked-and-reviewed) _2026-08-20 · Alex Casey · The Spinoff_ Alex Casey takes a look back at our proud history of going apeshit over supermarket promotions. My household is delighted to announce the safe arrival of our brand new Smeg wooden cutting board, weighing a hearty 1.2kg and costing us – checks notes – 50 New World stamps. In some ways, it cost us $1,000 in groceries. In other ways, it was absolutely free, because we would have definitely been… ## [Review: Election Meltdown is the joy we need in the end times](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/20-08-2026/review-election-meltdown-is-the-joy-we-need-in-the-end-times) _2026-08-20 · Lyric Waiwiri-Smith · The Spinoff_ Circa Theatre’s latest production is the best warm-up to the worst time of the year. Is there anything more Wellington-coded than a sold-out political satire at a waterfront theatre? Six election cycles in, and it seems the hype around Public Service Announcements’ triennial election satire is only building. You’d think more exposure to the Nact-First government would be the last thing any… ## [One Candidate, One Pint: Why winning Māngere is the ‘worst-case scenario’ for the Greens’ Michel Mulipola](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/19-08-2026/one-candidate-one-pint-why-winning-mangere-is-the-worst-case-scenario-for-the-greens-michel-mulipola) _2026-08-19 · Lyric Waiwiri-Smith · The Spinoff_ He’s an electorate-only candidate in the safest of safe Labour seats, but the outspoken artist/wrestler isn’t campaigning to get himself into parliament – it’s all about the party. It’s an early afternoon in South Auckland, and Herbs’ ‘Dragons and Demons’ is vibrating through the stereos inside the Wanderers Club in Māngere. It’s been said that this pub was once a favourite watering hole of former… ## [The stories behind four of Wellington’s most meaningful dishes](https://thespinoff.co.nz/partner/19-08-2026/the-stories-behind-four-of-wellingtons-most-meaningful-dishes) _2026-08-19 · Nick Iles · The Spinoff_ From a grandmother’s celebration potatoes to recipes smuggled out of a city at war – Nick Iles on the memories that underpin some of the capital’s favourite foods. Nobody makes anything of any significance in isolation. We are all informed by the things we have consumed – quietly organising and storing information away for when we choose to create. This is as true in food and hospitality as… ## [Help Me Hera: My late-in-life queer awakening is stressing me out](https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/19-08-2026/help-me-hera-my-late-in-life-queer-awakening-is-stressing-me-out) _2026-08-19 · Hera Lindsay Bird · The Spinoff_ How do I find my way to pride? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz or fill out this form . Dear Hera, After being asleep for decades, I find myself inside the middle-aged crisis that is my gay awakening. It’s not cathartic or joyous, and mostly I am afraid. For years now I’ve experienced the slow creeping horror, I think not of my queerness, but of discovering that I am… ## [New fast-track fights: ‘Growth paying for growth’ v local backlash](https://thespinoff.co.nz/the-bulletin/19-08-2026/new-fast-track-fights-growth-paying-for-growth-v-local-backlash) _2026-08-19 · Henry Oliver · The Spinoff_ A growing revolt from mayors and communities is putting pressure on the government’s fast-track regime , writes Henry Oliver in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here . The government’s fast-track legislation was designed to remove “unnecessary red tape” and “fix New Zealand’s economy” . But as fast-tracked developments spring up around the… ## [Left, right or centre? How voters view the Opportunity Party](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/19-08-2026/left-right-or-centre-how-voters-view-the-opportunity-party) _2026-08-19 · Toby Manhire · The Spinoff_ This is what people are telling pollsters. What might be the impact of New Zealand politics’ new kids on the blocs? Less than a month ago, the question was whether or not the Opportunity Party could tip over the critical 5% mark . Since then, three polls appear to have put that to rest, with the teal-decked outfit scoring 6.1% in a Curia poll for the Taxpayers’ Union, 5.2% in a Talbot Mills poll… ## [I lived: A true story of surviving the cycle lanes of Molesworth Street](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/19-08-2026/i-lived-a-true-story-of-surviving-the-cycle-lanes-of-molesworth-street) _2026-08-19 · Lyric Waiwiri-Smith · The Spinoff_ This week, Christopher Luxon drew attention to a little-known parliamentary peril: crossing the road. One woman dared to give it a go. This is her harrowing account. There comes a time in every person’s life when they are forced to confront their biggest fears. For some, it’s getting rid of the rat that keeps squeaking under your floorboards. For the Hayden Donnells of the world, it’s being… ## [There are more Māori on the Māori roll than ever. Will they turn out to vote?](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/19-08-2026/there-are-more-maori-on-the-maori-roll-than-ever-will-they-turn-out-to-vote) _2026-08-19 · Liam Rātana · The Spinoff_ The Māori roll is growing, stoked both by new enrolments and voters switching from the general roll. Ātea editor Liam Rātana explores what’s behind the increase and how it could impact the election. There are now almost 310,000 Māori on the Māori roll, 54,000 more than on the general roll. The 10% difference – 55% to 45% – is the largest discrepancy between the two rolls since 2013, at a time when…