The Spinoff Weekend: Is Great Barrier the next Waiheke Island?
Here's every story we loved reading this week.
Kia ora and welcome to The Spinoff Weekend, our Saturday news wrap that’s the perfect way to catch up on all the week’s news and kick-start your long weekend. Today, we’re looking at why Great Barrier Island has become a holiday hotspot, why your Kiwisaver account’s looking a little light, Neil Young vs Spotify, and what it’s like being blocked online (and what to do when it happens). Plus, a list of our favourite long reads and deep dives from everywhere else. Wherever you are in Aotearoa, I hope you have a luxurious three days lined up, along with supplies of Coffee Supreme to help fuel it. Enjoy!
-Chris Schulz, features editor
‘It’s not a well-kept secret anymore’
Anyone who’s used social media this summer will have seen the same thing popping up on their feed: beautiful beaches, panoramic scenery and stunning sunsets. Much of that is coming from holidaymakers to just one place, the isolated, disconnected community of Great Barrier Island. It’s boom times on Auckland’s Aotea, with flights and ferries packed full of visitors, and major news stories being written about its celebrity fans. Across a recent five-night stay, I asked locals how they were feeling about the island’s explosion in popularity. The answers were mixed. Business owners, especially those running hotels and eateries, are loving it. Others are less impressed. “It’s not a well-kept secret any more” huffed one regular after a dip in Kaitoke’s thermal pools. Another complained about “those bloody Stuff reporters” who keep writing about the place. It’s definitely a holiday destination that’s changing quickly, so if you’re planning a visit, you might want to read this story first.
Maybe don’t check your Kiwisaver right now
If you’ve been logging on to your Kiwisaver app and noticed it looking a little light lately, don’t panic. What’s causing all this volatility? “There are a few things at play here, most prominently the looming threat of increased interest rates in the US,” writes Felix Walton. “This means that, for the next several weeks, volatility is to be expected. But that doesn’t mean things are falling apart.” His advice is to hold tight, ride out the wave, and stop checking your account. “The stock market is ultimately determined by people trying to predict the future. They’re a superstitious lot, and easily spooked,” he says. “As the year continues, expect many of these losses to stabilise.” For now, if you must sneak a peek, Felix suggests to “have a drink first”. Read his full breakdown of the current stockmarket climate here.
You, your boss, and omicron
It wouldn’t be the weekend without a gentle omicron update, so here’s your reminder that booster shots are now available for those who had their second jab over three months ago. While you’re out and about this weekend, think about popping into a vaccination clinic to get that sorted (you’re way safer with one than without). You should also learn your workplace rights if you’re unfortunate enough to catch omicron. Elsewhere, we’ve farewelled MIQ with this early obituary, looked at the rise of pandemic homeschooling, investigated the lagging vaccine rates among Māori children, and published Jacinda Ardern’s explanation on how we’ll be reopening our borders to the rest of the world. On a lighter note, we spent a very funny 20 minutes with aerosols expert Joel Rindelaub to ask him how sneezes work, and whether they’re OK in the age of omicron. “You’re expelling hundreds of thousands of particles at one time,” he told us. “They can go 150 kilometres out of your face … it’s absurd.”
Blocking people is good, actually
When Josie Adams began asking Spinoff staff if they’d been blocked by celebrities or public figures, everyone knew she was up to something. She was. Josie, who works as part of The Spinoff’s IRL team, says she’d become weary of those boasting of being blocked by former National Party leader Judith Collins. “I wanted them to know they are not special or important,” she says. Yes, Josie’s been blocked by Collins too. “They are in the same league as me.” In her story, Josie breaks down why you shouldn’t hesitate to block people, and also shouldn’t be concerned if you’re blocked yourself. “It’s not a personal attack,” she argues. “It’s just cleaning up.” Sadly, her goal of the story — being unblocked by Collins — was not achieved. (But her DMS are open.)
The problem with Neil Young’s Spotify fight
If you’re a podcast listener, music lover, or pop culture fanatic, this week has been fascinating. The fallout from Neil Young pulling all of his music from streaming service Spotify over Joe Rogan’s alleged Covid-19 misinformation continues, with other artists and podcasters exiting, and Spotify attempting to rectify the situation by creating a Covid-19 hub. Duncan Greive points out there’s a bigger picture at play, one everyone seems to be missing. “The idea of a veteran protest singer using what remains of their influence to call attention to vaccine misinformation hosted by a multi-billion dollar tech company is deeply attractive, which is why this has become such a flashpoint of a story,” Greive writes. The problem? “I find myself irked by the logical inconsistency of Young’s stance. That’s because he remains on Facebook, a far greater and more efficient distributor of anti-vaccine information than Spotify could ever dream of being.” You can read Duncan’s compelling argument in full here.
Everything else we loved reading this week…
Looking for a bar to invest in? NZ Herald reports Leo Molloy is selling Headquarters on TradeMe to focus on his mayoral campaign run.
If you’re looking for a scammy rabbit hole to fall down, author Joe Dunthorne’s (soft paywalled) story about tracking a persistent Instagram impersonator of his, and why they’re doing it, is well worth your time.
A New Zealander has finally made it onto The Graham Norton Show (the actual show, not the silly red chair segment). That would be the amazing Rose Matefeo. Stewart Sowman-Lund breaks down her appearance.
Remember ‘Informer’, that inescapable No. 1 smash from Snow that still gets played on the radio constantly? This Stereogum deep-dive finds some astonishing details about how the hit song was made (for starters, the hook, “Licky boom-boom dem,” is actually a serious threat to kill someone).
If you’re heading to the beach this weekend, especially with kids in tow, you might want to watch out for this kind of activity, reports NZ Herald.
Who won the first week of the 7pm current affairs TV wars? Find out here.
Sela Jane Hopgood has traced the surprising origins of the super-catchy Auckland mayoral campaign jingle ‘Vote Efeso Collins’. It’s a ride!
Finally, if you’re looking for some bingeable options over this long weekend, the podcast Chameleon: Wild Boys is a wild ride, and Netflix’s The Tinder Swindler is a great investigative documentary about a high-rolling con artist. For more options, it might pay to have a look through our February TV streaming guide.
