Society

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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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Calculating the true cost of public transport with half-price fares ending this month.

Will tax cuts make up for the end of cheap public transport?

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I watch the surface of the Hauraki Gulf swarm with signs of life, but a struggle for survival is taking place underneath.

The Sunday Essay: Piercing the living waters

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Do yoga. Call your friend. Put turmeric in your food. Do not get sucked into a jet engine. 

How to cure depression 

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The government has announced plans to encourage international products into the New Zealand construction industry. An optimistically cautious approach is recommended.

We can’t afford another leaky homes crisis

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What landlords are owed is equivalent to about 0.061% of the rent they're being paid.

Landlords ‘out of pocket $1.3m in unpaid rent’ – but they’re still pocketing $2bn

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A 23-year-old dreams up a hopeful, sustainable future for the city he calls home.

Auckland 2074: a daydream of a future city

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I can't make up my mind and it's killing me. 

Help Me Hera: Should I make theatre in France for the worst people in the world?

Alex Casey

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From the Jono and Ellie bombshell to the return of Collins, we look at back at two incredible nights of television.

The best moments from the outrageous final episodes of MAFS AU

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'Seeing these children, and their little bright shiny faces, really hit home how young they were.'

How The Lost Boys of Dilworth brought a ‘horrendous nightmare’ to life

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In the final months of Pukekohe Park Raceway raceway, the father and daughter duo running it want to give everyone one last chance to go fast.

The last days of motorsport at Pukekohe Park Raceway

Watch: The last days of motorsport at Pukekohe Park Raceway

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The pet bonds policy is just one proposal in a suite of many that overwhelmingly favour landlords’ rights.

Will pet bonds really be a win-win? I’m not holding my breath

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Mega tunnel idea prompts anger and satire but finds a couple of champions

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You want to build a giant underground tunnel? Dream a little bigger.

A series of alternative, equally ambitious, transport options for Wellington

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Cost: Would be extremely complex and expensive. Benefit: Would provide a vital boost for the consulting industry. 

Revealed: A cost-benefit analysis for Wellington’s long tunnel

Summer reissue: Squaaawk! Toby Morris meets the community trapping groups changing Wellington’s sky.

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Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – 

 to learn more about how you can support us from as little as $1.

The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read the rest of the series 

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Summer reissue: Squaaawk! Toby Morris meets the community trapping groups changing Wellington's sky.

The Spinoff

SocietyJanuary 3, 2021

The Side Eye: The Trap Life

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SocietyJanuary 3, 2021

The Side Eye: The Trap Life

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