Inside Auckland’s building boom
A developer tells us why it's a tough time to be building townhouses in Auckland. Plus, the rest of the week's news (there's a lot of it!) wrapped up in a big bow...
Kia ora and welcome to a bumper issue of The Spinoff Weekend. We’re covering the fallout from a neanderthal CEO calling Nadia Lim “Eurasian fluff”, the massive demand for a website that tracks sea level rises around Aotearoa, and whether you should worry about new Covid variants. All that, plus we’re talking to developers about the Auckland construction boom, and wondering if Dancing With the Stars can recover from Eli Matthewson’s shock exit. Relax, find a spot in the sun and pour yourself a fresh cup of Coffee Supreme. You made it. Welcome to the weekend.
-Chris Schulz, senior writer
‘The next development could be the end of you’
How much risk do developers take when they turn single-section dwellings into homes with four or more townhouses on them? We’re on the tools in West Auckland to check out the handiwork of a developer who seems to be doing everything right with quality fittings and functional, liveable design. Yet, he’s still find it tough. “It’s a massive risk,” he says. A small downturn in the housing market, and a small increase in delays to construction supplies, could be all it takes. Still, it’s not stopping them from hammering on. “If it wasn’t that risky, everyone would be doing it … the next development could be the end of you.” Read our full story here.
Auckland is in a perpetual cycle of growth and change, and residents are demanding more variety in housing options. Ben Fahy asks: how will the city keep up?
The ‘Eurasian fluff’ CEO has already lost $60m
It’s been a bad week for Simon Henry, the CEO of chemical storage company DGL who found himself making headlines here and in Australia after calling Nadia Lim “Eurasian fluff”. The company’s share price dropped 10%, and Henry may have to step down. It could get worse. “All over New Zealand and Australia, people working in distribution and procurement … will be waking up and viewing their relationship with DGL in a whole new light,” writes Duncan Greive. “They’ll be wondering about their own exposure to Henry’s company and views, and whether their business relationship might now be viewed as implicit endorsement of his explicitly racist and misogynist perspectives.” You can read his thoughts in full here.
Here’s how the story began, with Madeleine Chapman’s brilliant surgical skewering of Henry’s “Eurasian fluff” comments about Nadia Lim.
From our friends at Coffee Supreme: It feels like we’re all spending more time at home at the moment. Naturally, this means keeping your mug topped up and rocking your slippers during those online meetings (yeah, we see you). Having your favourite oat milk, peanut butter or chocolate within reach can be a real day-maker. Not only do Supreme have your coffee needs taken care of, they’ve also made keeping your pantry shelves stocked super easy with their free shipping and next day delivery. Grab your favourite pantry bits here.
What we know about the BA.4 and BA.5 variants
New variants? No, this can not be allowed. Just as we all seem to be recovering from the last wave comes news of two new variants with the boring names BA.4 and BA.5. Should we be concerned? Siouxsie Wiles says yes. “Frankly, I’m worried about all versions of omicron around,” she writes. “All have the capacity to cause serious illness and death, in at least some people. And all have the capacity to cause lingering and debilitating symptoms, aka long Covid … and that’s before we even factor in what the long-term impact of the damage the virus can do to our various organs even after a mild infection.” Get yourself prepared with her great Q&A here.
As kids return to school, many without masks, Siouxsie Wiles and Jin Russell share the latest research on staying safe in the classroom.
A view from the sharp end of NZ sea level rise
Day-one traffic to a new climate change website showing the exact impact of sea level rises on NZ was apparently so high that it couldn’t cope. As The Bulletin reported, NZ SeaRise shows the rises are coming faster than you think, and could affect house prices and insurance rates, as well as the liveability of houses living close to coastlines. Ōwhiro Bay could be one of the worst-hit areas, but one resident remain stoic in the face of oncoming disaster. “As coastal people, our instinct isn’t to throw our hands in the air and run screaming for the hills,” says Eugene Doyle. “If the climate science is right … then out of a whole year we might have one really bad day. As long as we’ve got good warnings in place to deal with that, there’s a lot we can put in place to keep our communities safe.” Read a full interview with Eugene here.
As borders reopen, a growing number of people are questioning if their pre-pandemic travel habits are sustainable. Kerry Sunderland speaks to three of them.
A message from our creative director, Toby Morris: Here at The Spinoff we’re proud to be a bit different. In the way we approach our journalism, in our tone, in the things we’re thinking about, all the way through to our design and our videos and our podcasts, we’d like to think we’re doing things and trying things in a way that no other New Zealand media organisation would. And it’s our beloved members who let us do that – both through their financial support and the encouragement of their engagement: they’re readers who care like we care, who are also interested in seeing things done in a slightly different way. If you like what we’re doing and want to see more of it, have a think about joining up, and help The Spinoff be The Spinoff. Join today!
Dancing with the Stars is broken
When Eli Mathewson was eliminated from Dancing with the Stars, Sam Brooks decided the show was broken. He’d already seen Sonia Grey eliminated the previous week, and that meant two of the show’s better dancers had left in the early stages. “Dancing with the Stars is always like this,” he says. “There’s always a reason to get mad, there’s always people who go home at the wrong time.” But Sam says he’s not giving up on it just yet. “There are always moments that make it worth watching: Marama Fox’s Viennese waltz, Laura Daniel arriving as a full-on star in her final performance and yes, Eli Matthewson dancing with Jonny Williams on that first episode.” Read his piece in full here.
Eli Mathewson says goodbye to his dance partner, Jonny Williams, “the greatest teacher in the game”.
Everything else we loved this week…
Duncan Greive examines the curious case of The Pilgrim, a decade-old film script that is tearing New Zealand’s screen industry apart.
Too many New Zealanders are using ‘password’ as their password. Josie Adams is begging you to stop.
The Guardian has the best images from the food photography of the year awards, and they’re brilliant – especially the spaghetti one.
It’s paywalled, but the New York Times has three massive investigative stories on the worrying reasons behind the growing popularity of Tucker Carlson.
You should sign up for Charlotte Muru-Lanning’s excellent new foodie newsletter, The Boil Up. (I’m not just saying that: it’s really good!)
David Shanks spent five years as chief censor, watching some of the worst stuff you could possible imagine. He tells Toby Manhire it hasn’t done him lasting damage.
If you can stomach it, here’s the self-penned story of a woman who left her 14 year marriage for her “soulmate” – only to be rejected by her new partner.
Forget Netflix and Apple TV+ – is YouTube premium actually the best streaming service?
Ashley Young turns New Zealand’s best-ever tweet into absolute poetry.
Of all the terrible things happening in Ukraine, this (paywalled) New York Times story is probably the worst. Take care with this one.
This Alabama prison escape story, involving a prison official and a murder suspect, is already the stuff of legend. Expect podcasts and Netflix documentaries very soon.
Finally, nearly a year after it first screened in America, New Zealand is going to be able to see Hacks, the seriously smart and super funny Jean Smart comedy. Watch the trailer for that, then find out what else is debuting in May in our latest streaming guide.
