Living in the wake of Gabrielle
Will the cyclone shape the political cycle for the rest of 2023?
Kia ora and welcome to The Weekend, the newsletter where I export what I think is interesting and important via links to things that can be read on the internet. The weather in Te Ika-a-Māui this week has caused devastation, especially in Tairāwhiti and Te Matau-a-Māui; if you’ve been affected, I hope you and your whānau are doing okay. You can read all of our cyclone coverage here. Otherwise, borrow some energy from your future self with a cup of Coffee Supreme, and read on for the politics of Gabrielle, a spelling bee tv show, and the ultimate orange juice question.
-Shanti Mathias, staff writer
Gabrielle will define the year in New Zealand politics
After a disaster, politicians want to talk about repairing and rebuilding. But the scale of destruction this week’s cyclone has caused is immense; it’s going to impact every part of political life this year, including the election, says Toby Manhire. An inquiry into the response is likely; questions about developing resilient infrastructure that can withstand disasters that will be worsened by climate will be asked. Cyclone Gabrielle has made it clear that New Zealand politics needs to take a “proactive” position towards inevitable natural events which cause human devastation – even if the economic costs are high.
Here’s some ways to help people impacted by the cyclone
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Will the cyclone lead to climate action?
After the Auckland floods, polls showed that more than half of people still didn’t think that governments should do more on climate change. Will the reality of Cyclone Gabrielle disrupt the consistent desire, among politicians and the public, to hope that someone else will make the hard decisions about climate adaption and mitigation? Journalist and commentator Bernard Hickey looks at poll data from the last few years which shows that New Zealanders “think more magically than the rest of the world” – our population thinks more about climate change, but is also less likely to take individual action to make a difference. Clearly communicating the impact of effective climate policy, with politicians taking the lead, will be essential if these attitudes are going to change.
Have more people who are alive or dead drunk orange juice?
Have more people who are alive or dead drunk orange juice? Andrew Chen thinks that this would be a perfect question to see how someone reasons in a job interview. Arguments could go both ways, but here’s some evidence: orange juice has been popular for less than a century, and it was particularly popularised by American soldiers in World War II, who didn’t like the lemon supplements they had to take to avoid scurvy. The orange industry saw an opportunity for some sweet cash, and frozen orange juice concentrate has made the beverage available at all times of year. There’s no way to know the right answer, but the moral of the story, Chen decides, is that sometimes writing a slightly viral tweet will lead to an entertaining article on everyone’s favourite website, thespinoff.co.nz.
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Why Citizens Advice Bureau is worth protecting
A recent proposal in Auckland has suggested that the council will no longer fund Citizen’s Advice Bureau services. Legal scholar Bridgette Toy-Cronin says that could be terrible news for the many people who rely on the CAB to help them access services like food parcels or who want to resolve disputes. CAB services are completely facilitated by volunteers, and while online services are useful for many, people who aren’t confident reading in English or using computers or cellphones can find the advice from real people at CAB invaluable. Toy-Cronin notes that following the floods, people needing help with insurance claims or issues with their landlords will need the CAB especially.
The making of Guy Mont Spelling Bee
Need something to watch this weekend? In lockdown, comedian Guy Montgomery created a cult-favourite YouTube series where he got people to spell things over Zoom. Now, the show is a full production; the first episode aired on Thursday and can be found on ThreeNow. Why spelling? Montgomery tells Tara Ward that everyone has to spell words all the time, but not everyone is equally good at it. With some of the spirit of Taskmaster, on which Montgomery was a competitor, the show embraces silliness: contestants have to spell words dredged from ancient social media updates, and losers have to sit in the “Dunce’s Corner”.
More heartwarming television: The Dog House NZ makes a case for reality TV
Everything else
What the Women’s Premier League auction means for women’s sport
How do you talk about food in times of devastation? (from the Spinoff's food newsletter
)I watched Tár last week it was so weird and scary and funny and obviously I loved this Guardian interview with Cate Blanchett
Okay, another great celebrity interview: If you were told your only opportunity to interview Rihanna (Rihanna!) was at 3 am, would you say yes? (obviously Vogue did)
The controversial game Hogwarts Legacy tests the limits of childhood nostalgia
A secondary school teacher reflects on experiencing burnout
Been getting very mad about this: how the US manufactures “non-lethal” “crowd control” weapons and exports them to other countries. (Spoiler: sometimes rubber bullets and tear gas are lethal)
One to keep an eye on in the weeks and months to come: what gets said about Cyclone Gabrielle at Parliament?
Crucial cyclone communications: the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence page and iwi radio
Does the perfect mattress exist? And what do you do with an old one?
Is the Beehive bunker an actual bunker?
What is a state of emergency?
Always worth reading the new Patricia Lockwood in the LRB in case it turns out to be the start of her next book
Why Murdoch Stephens and Renters United are republishing Rat King Landlord in a tabloid edition
Books for hunkering down with
Kate Hawkesby and Mike Hosking find things that aren’t a big deal through the ages
Spiritual healers in South Africa are embracing videoconferencing
The UK public service uses lots of Big Four consultancies (and New Zealand does too). What’s up with that?
Droughts, then floods: the “wet-dry flip-flop” caused by climate change (from The Spinoff's climate change newsletter
)“To Elon Musk. Yours sincerely, MP Shane Reti.” Okay, sure?
A typically incisive column from Marc Daalder about the unwillingness to accept the consequences of climate disaster
Is the cellphone network in New Zealand resilient enough?
It’s completely possible to move house without a car
Loved this essay about loving insects amidst natural destruction
Around the motu, line mechanics are putting on their dielectric boots to restore power systems. Here’s how they do it.
The Modi government raiding BBC’s India offices is deeply concerning
Dance programmes are helping indigenous survivors in Peru
