Society

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An essential guide to all the holes you can drive through in this country.

All 28 road tunnels in New Zealand ranked from worst to best

trans rights

The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience.

What access to puberty blockers means for trans young people and their whānau

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Yes, they're better for the environment. No, that's not a good enough reason for me to use them. 

Hear me out: You can shove your reusable period products

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Student advocates are calling for 'drastic measures' to force the university to take their concerns seriously.

Auckland uni students threaten rent strike over rising accommodation fees

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They pressured me to have children, and I had two. Now they won't lift a finger. 

Help Me Hera: My parents won’t help out with my kids

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A big lipped, dark eyed, slimy limp fish. A juicy, elongated orb with 16 little legs, four bouncing from its topside and a mouth pouting with stubby tentacles. A pale, ghost-like squid with maroon markings. Many new friends for you.

Introducing some of our 100 new sea friends

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This common respiratory virus hospitalises hundreds of New Zealand babies a year, but preventative drugs used overseas aren't funded here.

Why aren’t vulnerable babies being protected from RSV in Aotearoa?

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My most expensive clothing purchase in the last year? A $22 pack of Kmart undies.

The cost of being: A skint student waiting anxiously to start a new job

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Uncovering the strange and knotty past – and inadequate present – of a grassy hill that sits above Wellington CBD.

A flagpole, a failed space, and a confused history of white fragility

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Remakes are never as good as the originals, and that goes for plates too.

Briscoes’ new ‘retro’ collection looks awfully familiar

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Shortsightedness in kids is skyrocketing overseas. Is New Zealand next?

Staring down the ‘silent epidemic’ of myopia in children

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The legal and moral debate around New Zealand's best unofficial road rule.

Flashing your lights to warn other drivers of a speed camera – is it legal?

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For some people, I sound too Malaysian. For others, not Malaysian enough. 

The Sunday Essay: On code switching and finding my voice

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A commentator recently suggested laid-off public servants should move into frontline work. My response: I can't.

No, I can’t just get a frontline job

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Their relationship strikes me as unhealthy and it's making me angry. What should I do?

Help Me Hera: I set up two of my closest friends and bitterly regret it

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People in Gaza have been reusing single-use pads and using scraps of tent fabric as period products. Soon, 5,000 will receive a pack of period undies, a washing bag and drying bag.

A shipment of 20,000 period undies is heading to Gaza thanks to NZ enterprise

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Eyebrow wigs, oil spills, or Facebook Marketplace: where your cut hair ends up is anyone's guess. 

Do you know where your hair goes after it’s cut?

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Last week, Gymnastics New Zealand announced an overhaul of their competition attire rules. Now, let's make shorts the universal uniform.

Let everyone wear shorts for sports

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'I feel tight with everything at the moment, every dollar feels scrutinised. So boring.'

The cost of being: A single parent with dreams of building generational wealth

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It's been 50 years since ACC was founded, and thousands of disabled people are still waiting for the coverage they were promised.

Happy birthday, ACC. Now can we all join the party?

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Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what's in a name.

All about Emma: Three writers talk about the name they share in common

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'I looked over and saw Dai Henwood just shaking his head.'

‘The room went dead quiet’: Josh Thomson on his worst 7 Days moment

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The Friday Poem: ‘Mitochondrial Problem’ by Evangeline Riddiford Graham

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The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending April 18

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Barcelona's city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? And why can't we do it here?

How superblocks can help reimagine city life

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The government's plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start.

20,000 more on jobseeker benefits than this time last year

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We bring you the very latest in answer to the question "what is the New Zealand flag?"

The Spinoff

SocietyMarch 24, 2016

What is the New Zealand flag?

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SocietyMarch 24, 2016

What is the New Zealand flag?

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