Society

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Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs in a system it thinks is evil.

Is it time for anti-capitalists to embrace shopping? An argument with myself

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'My husband puts 10% into KiwiSaver and I put 8%. We also save about $500/$600 a month.'

The cost of being: A frugal charity director with two teens and two houses

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Why Restore Passenger Rail has set its sights on stopping cruise ships

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Trust me, I know: I’ve been living in a damp, violent hotel in central Auckland for six months and counting.

There’s no need to make emergency housing harder. It’s hard enough already

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And no, I will not accept the miniature puddle-covered excuses for ice rinks that towns pull out of the cupboard every winter.

Hear me out: It’s embarrassing that Wellington doesn’t have an ice rink 

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Our laws are leaving many veterans who served after 1974 out in the cold. I know, because I'm one of them.

Lest we forget? The shame of our two-tier veteran’s system

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

All 29 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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Review: Scotney's solo show is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see.

Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko reveals the frightening talent of Ana Scotney

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Is Olivia Rodrigo about to announce a New Zealand show? An investigation

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TrueBliss react to their most iconic Y2K Popstars looks

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The associate justice minister Nicole McKee says changes to the regime will make it more workable.

Government chalks up ‘tough on crime’ point with resurrected three strikes law

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Rising membership has been cited as rationale for a crackdown, but this is what we actually know about gang numbers.

Have gang numbers really ‘skyrocketed’ in recent years?

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A weepy Paul Mescal movie, an inspiring new series about food waste and a whole lot of 80s rock'n'roll mullets.

New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

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Crown lawyers will try to convince a judge today that Karen Chhour shouldn't have to answer the tribunal's questions.

Why the Waitangi Tribunal has summonsed a minister – and why the Crown is fighting it

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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Spinoff cartoonist Toby Morris travels to Waitomo to see first hand the impact of Covid-19 on one of New Zealand's oldest tourist destinations. 

The Spinoff

SocietyJune 8, 2020

The Side Eye: The tunnel, the lights

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SocietyJune 8, 2020

The Side Eye: The tunnel, the lights

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