A bad week for bullying in politics
Labour and National both have issues with MPs in their party
Kia ora and welcome to The Weekend, your Saturday morning guide to great writing on The Spinoff and around the internet. Following politics is already stressful, but it reached a new level this week with allegations of bullying dogging both major parties. The character of a National MP was called into question by people who allege he harassed them in the past, while a Labour MP said he himself has been bullied while in parliament. It’s heavy stuff, and we go into it here, but we also have a profile of iconic K’ Rd bar Caluzzi and a tribute to the importance of libraries. If you need caffeine to fuel your article consumption, you may want to brew some Coffee Supreme.
-Shanti Mathias, staff writer
Sam Uffindell: does the cream really rise to the top?
On Monday, political commentator Liam Hehir wrote on The Spinoff that after a tumultuous few years National would be relieved to have had a quiet party conference last weekend. The calm didn’t last long: that same day brilliant Stuff journalist Kirsty Johnston published an article detailing how the caucus’s newest MP, Sam Uffindell, had been expelled (or “asked to leave”) a prestigious Auckland boarding school after being involved in a brutal assault of a fellow student. The incident had been declared to National’s selection committee, but not to party leaders. More allegations followed, including that Uffindell had bullied and harrassed his flatmate at university. It became harder for party leader Chris Luxon to stand by Uffindell, who was suspended from the caucus pending an investigation. The cherry on top was Labour MP Gaurav Sharma’s allegations that bullying is widespread at parliament (which the prime minister denies). It took the spotlight off National somewhat, but raises new questions about systemic bullying in NZ culture.
At private schools, the expectation of success is a powerful determiner of future advancement — even if it shouldn’t be, says Madeleine Chapman.
Libraries are an essential service
When David Hill was growing up, libraries had a sacred and hushed silence. That’s no longer the case, he writes, in a tribute to the librarians of the nation. “Our public libraries now are places of talk, music, play. A lot have cafes, or let you eat and drink on the premises. They host book launches, JP desks, Scrabble clubs, Lego builds for small kids, migrant women meetings, movie and gaming nights for teens. They offer free wifi and computers. They’re also de facto day shelters for numbers of homeless and otherwise challenged people.” Libraries offer kinds of support that many people don’t find elsewhere, and they’re often beloved by the community. The piece is a great reminder to be grateful for – and take advantage of – your local library.
Caluzzi deserves to be an institution
Caluzzi is a K’ Rd institution – if you’ve walked along the street on a Friday night, you’ve seen punters having the night of their life inside. For his story on the life and times of this beloved part of Auckland’s nightlife scene, staff writer Sam Brooks talked to some of the star players from its earliest beginnings to its fully-booked present, including Drag Race alum Anita Wigl’it and the chef behind what Sam says is a “shockingly good” menu. After returning from a night out there, he says “please read the piece but if you don’t, take one piece of advice from me: go have the best night you won’t remember at Caluzzi.”
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Number of the week: 10 lessons for the Silver Ferns
My colleague Reweti Kohere’s enthusiasm for netball is contagious, even if (like me) your main experience of the sport is the fear of the sporty students in year 10 PE. But our national team, the Silver Ferns, did surprisingly well at the Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal. Reweti recaps how the Ferns performed and looks at their strategy and key players — what can they learn from this competition? Missing some key players due to injury and maternity leave definitely had an impact on performance, he says, but there are lots of newer players who have the potential to be excellent.
Weekend watch: Hair now
Our new documentary series is about migrant women in Aotearoa’s prickly relationships with their body hair and how it shapes their identity. Beauty therapist Jessica shapes her eyebrows to fit her mood; Kenzi is getting more comfortable with her unshaved legs; Roxie navigates the worlds of film and fashion as she grows out her monobrow; Yasmine accepts a gift of laser therapy; Serena goes to a hairdresser who can manage curls; and Genevieve visits a barber to get her undercut just like she likes it. In the first episode, available to watch now, Palestinian New Zealander Yasmine navigates complex cultural ideas about what hair should be covered and what hair should be seen. The following five episodes will be released over the next month.
Everything else
Vice New Zealand closed in 2019. This year, it got “shoulder tapped” by MSD to make editorial programming. What on earth is going on?
Unpacking the “consumer spending” statistic (in partnership with Kiwibank)
What happens when you get rid of all the pests from an island? Visiting Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean 10 years after the last rabbit was killed.
Let’s all join a train club
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is an extremely great movie (hopefully it gets a widespread release outside of the film festival so more people can see it)
A very thoughtful podcast from the Ezra Klein show about how gender is strange for everyone
This week, iconic actress and singer Olivia Newton-John passed away. I loved this article about why she had such a big impact.
Extremely great story ideation here — a Dunedin crime writer investigates the cheese roll burger
Ten percent of New Zealanders are left-handed. A Christchurch entrepreneur has just opened an online shop for tools and equipment designed for lefties.
This is from a few months ago, but still relevant — an article from Metro Magazine about why Auckland arts institutions are so often led by people from overseas
Another Auckland story: the city is growing fast — how can it continue to prioritise people? (In partnership with Auckland Council)
Sandman, a show based on the Neil Gaiman classic, is now out on Netflix. Sam Brooks reviews it, and David Marchese of the New York Times (soft paywall) interviews Gaiman
Stuff has had a really interesting series about access to ACC care this week. These two stories about differences in disability care and receiving support for the physical impact of sexual assault are particularly powerful.
House prices mean that New Zealand has more middle-class millionaires than ever before. If that made you annoyed, laugh/cry it off with this list of “affordable” homes listed on Trade Me.
And finally, I hardly ever watch reality TV, but I read Tara Ward’s articles assiduously. Her introduction to the contestants looking for love (and/or money) on upcoming show Heartbreak Island is hilarious, as is nearly everything she writes.