ICYMI: After ‘Flatten the Curve’, we must now ‘Stop the Spread’
9 March - 16 March
Mirrors and monsters. “Change there has been, and a lot of it positive,” writes Anjum Rahman on the anniversary of the March 15 terror attacks, citing the government’s swift move to ban certain types of firearms, increased funding for intelligence agencies, and anti-racism campaigns from non-for-profit groups. But the darker side of New Zealand still makes its presence felt. “One year on from the attacks, I’m not sure that we are ready to face the complexity of the changes that are needed. Our resolve is faltering in so many ways. Turning the mirror on ourselves, to face our own part in the creation of this beast is still a little difficult. Too many of us still see it as something removed from ourselves.”
How you can honour my husband, one year on. Due to concerns around the spread of Covid-19, Christchurch’s remembrance service for the victims of March 15 was cancelled at the last minute. Scheduled to speak at the event was Dr Hamimah Tuyan, the widow of Zekeriya Tuyan who was one of the victims of the attack. Here’s what she was planning to say: “To my young brothers and sisters, wear your hijab and your beard with pride. We are not compelled to cover in the name of faith and we should not be compelled to take it off in the name of assimilation. Lift your heads and be honoured ambassadors of Islam, and show that that fear will not extinguish faith and that your identity does not make you less of a Kiwi.”
After ‘Flatten the Curve’, we must now ‘Stop the Spread’. Here’s what that means. Most of you will know by now that the key to managing a pandemic like Covid-19 is to ‘Flatten the curve’, a concept that’s been brilliantly conveyed by Dr Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris’s excellent graphic that’s now gone viral. An alternative to #FlattenTheCurve, however, is to #StopTheSpread, an approach we’ve seen in countries like Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea. In New Zealand, all cases have been related to travel overseas, but at the first sign of community transmission, we should be prepared to act quickly with no half measures in order to #StopTheSpread.
The world is on fire: my message to New Zealanders on Covid-19. Siouxsie’s ongoing coverage of coronavirus on The Spinoff has been exceptional. As a microbiologist with 20 years of experience studying infectious microbes, she’s more than qualified to speak on the topic. Here, she explains why the government is right to have all arrivals to New Zealand self-isolate for two weeks. “Jacinda Ardern has seen the number of fires starting to blaze overseas,” she writes. “She has listened to the experts telling her that those fires are turning into infernos and that fire extinguishers just aren’t going to cut it any longer. So, she’s deploying the firebreaks. In other words, she’s dramatically reducing the chances New Zealand and our Pacific neighbours will end up on fire.”
“I love The Spinoff’s variety – pithy punchy pieces alongside reflective descriptions of what it's like to be in Aotearoa today. I joined the Spinoff Members as a deliberate act of support for the kind of journalism I love, and do not expect to get for free.” Beth Bowden, Spinoff Member.”
- Beth Bowden, Spinoff Member
The rot may be so deep we need a wholly new generation of political leaders. The donations scandal looks very different if we see ourselves not as Labour supporters or National voters, but as citizens of a country whose politicians are selling us all out, argues Danyl Mclauchlan in the conclusion to our series on electoral funding, Money Talks. “With four separate Serious Fraud Office investigations implicating some of our most high-profile parties and politicians in donations scandals, this is new territory for New Zealand voters. And it feels like the scale hasn’t quite sunk in. Maybe we’re all too busy reading coronavirus conspiracies and panic shopping for toilet paper to absorb it. But four in a month is unprecedented. What is going on?”
Once I was fluent in te reo. Now I’m trying to recover what I lost. Thirteen years ago, Te Aniwa Hurihanganui was fluent in te reo Māori and now she’s not. So why did she lose her language? “Trying to understand exactly why has been confronting, but by sharing my journey hopefully people like me, who were lucky enough to grow up with te reo but unable to hold onto it, can know they are not alone.”
What is the objectively correct number of tabs to have open? “How many tabs you have open at any given point is one of those strange insights that’s more interesting as idle conversation than genuine psychological analysis,” writes Sam Brooks. “It’s akin to ‘do you wipe your body down after a shower?’ or ‘do you eat the best thing on the plate first or save it for last?’. It affects nobody other than yourself, and actually attempting to change your tab habits is probably more bother than it’s worth.”
Ch-ch-change range: Finding the best bang for your buck in New Zealand. If you’re looking for a no-fuss bargain at one of your friendly neighbourhood food giants, which fast-food chain should you opt for? Burger King, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald’s, or Domino’s? Madeleine Chapman tries them all and gives her verdict on New Zealand’s best and worst change range deals.
