The Spinoff Weekend: The suburb that's being razed and rebuilt
Here's the week that was, wrapped up in a nice big bow for you...
Kia ora and welcome to The Spinoff Weekend, your weekly catch-up on everything you might have missed across what’s been another busy week. Today, we’ve got reports on an Auckland suburb undergoing massive changes, and what it’s like having a relative in a rest home during an omicron surge. We’ve also got updates on the supermarket duopoly, a heartbreaking account from a Russian-Ukrainian, and a look at National’s shock poll result. And if you are one of the many, many people who have been affected by Covid, we’ve got plenty of information to help you deal with that situation too. So, kick back, relax, grab a freshly brewed cup of Coffee Supreme, and enjoy. You made it. Welcome to the weekend.
-Chris Schulz, senior writer
‘The noise is next level, all day, six days a week’
In a West Auckland suburb 10 minutes from the city centre, change is happening — and fast. Developers have targeted Te Atatū Peninsula and they’re rapidly making over the gentrified suburb to accommodate multiple two- and three-storey townhouses. This intensification is everywhere, with almost every street affected. (Full disclosure: It’s my home suburb, and I can hear diggers and power tools while I write this). While some see the benefits of a rising population, like more cafes, others say the construction noise, parking issues and population growth is too much for them. “I’ve left everything. I’ve left my entire business. I don’t have a job anymore. I’ve gone from a bloody good income to nothing,” says one resident who moved her entire family to Christchurch earlier this year and couldn’t be happier. Read our full report, The suburb that’s being razed and rebuilt.
What went right for National?
Thursday night’s shock political poll placed National ahead of Labour for the first time in years. Some have described it as a “seismic” shift. But is it? Ben Thomas thinks the signs were there all along, arguing both the omicron surge and inflation have taken their toll on Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party. “It’s hardly a surprise to see (their) fortunes dip with over 20,000 new cases of the virus in the community each day, and a skyrocketing cost of living,” Ben writes. He points out that National’s new leader Christopher Luxon is riding a similar wave of popularity as Ardern did when she became leader 2017. What does it mean for the current government? “The prime minister won’t be calling the poll a crisis. But that won’t change the nature of the challenge ahead.” Read Ben’s full report on the poll that has everyone talking here.
Yes, avoiding omicron still makes sense
As omicron continues to spread through the community, it can be easy to feel like giving up. What’s the point of trying to avoid it if you’re going to get it anyway? David Welch and Nigel French argue there are many reasons not to cave in and accept this attitude. “There are still many vulnerable people in the community we can protect by limiting the spread of the virus and ensuring they are less likely to encounter it,” they say. “An infection avoided or delayed is always a win as we move closer to even more effective vaccines and improved medical treatments for Covid.” In other omicron news, Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris explain why you feel like you might be positive but your RAT test is negative, and we explain why it’s so important to complete your Covid tracing form if you test positive. Finally, Karlo Mila’s diary on what it’s like isolating solo with three children is a rollercoaster.
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Supermarket duopoly lives to profit another day
Tuesday’s Commerce Commission report into the state of our supermarkets wasn’t as hard-hitting as everyone thought it might be. It shied away from recommending that Foodstuffs and Woolworths be sliced into wholesale and retail arms, or the government help a new entrant into the market. Instead, it recommended that a grocery regulator be set up to police a mandatory code of conduct for the industry, along with industry practices on deals with suppliers, promotional pricing and loyalty schemes. It also wants to try tweaking planning and fair trading laws to encourage private competitors to enter the market, possibly with the help of one or more of the duopolies voluntarily offering to sell them goods on transparent wholesale terms. Bernard Hickey breaks down what it might mean for shoppers at the till.
‘This war has broken my heart’
If you’re confused by Russia and Vladimir Putin’s war playing out in Ukraine right now, you’re not the only one. “Until the very last moment, I was 100% sure that this was not going to happen. I would never have believed that Putin would start a war with Ukraine,” writes Igor, who shares nationalities between Russia and Ukraine. He’s watching, listening, studying the situation from New Zealand, and is horrified by what he’s hearing. “One of my cousins and his family (five adults and two kids) now live in one tiny room provided by their friends in Chernivtsi, and their life is full of struggles. They live in fear,” Igor writes. “Many cities are devastated – not only military facilities but also residential complexes, hospitals and schools. Civilians are dying under destroyed buildings without water, electricity, internet connectivity or food … It is shocking and very, very sad.” You can read Igor’s piece in full here.
For whānau in rest homes, Covid means more isolation
Before the omicron surge, Charlotte Muru-Lanning visited her grandmother at her rest home every weekend. “On our dates we giggle at the conversations between strangers and neighbours that echo down the corridor and I give her a roundup of my cat’s escapades from that week,” she writes. “Sometimes we taste-test Korean sodas and often, the two of us concoct schemes for her to ‘escape this place’. Most importantly, while we chat, I paint her nails. I swipe off last week’s nail polish remnants with remover and we replace it with a new look for the week.” Sadly, Charlotte hasn’t been able to see her grandmother for the past month, thanks to rest home lockdown rules to keep omicron infections at bay. She doesn’t know how her grandmother’s coping, or what condition her nails are in. You can read her tender, beautiful portrait here.
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Hobsonville Point’s missing ham mystery
If you only read one story in today’s newsletter, make it this one. When Alex Casey heard about a discarded Hobsonville Point ham, she embarked on a caper that took her all the way to Spain, and Whangārei. The $2399 leg of Cinco Jotas ham was found just lying on the footpath, untouched, and unclaimed. Who owned it? Why was it discarded? Was it still safe to eat? These are all questions Alex endeavoures to answer in her story, The enduring mystery of the Hobsonville Point ham. The finder’s theory? “I’d like to believe that someone had the absurd idea of buying a $3,000 piece of ham and not consulting their partner on it, the partner wasn’t impressed, they got into a fight and it was one of those situations where you throw everything out from the second storey onto the street.” Alex says she has no firm leads on who the ham belongs to, but her DMs are open. She also sent this photo of Sudo the golden retriever enjoying a slice of the very expensive ham. That is the face of one lucky dog.
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Everything else we loved reading this week…
Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance couldn’t live up to its name and sank, in icy Antarctic waters, in 1915. The New York Times reports (in a paywalled story) explorers have just discovered its preserved remains. The photos are incredible.
Sam Brooks ran Round the Bays in his tiny apartment by sprinting between his kitchen and his front door over and over again. Why would anyone do this?
Candadian alt-pop star Grimes had a secret baby with Tesla’s Elon Musk. That’s just one revelation of her juicy Vanity Fair cover story.
Stuff’s interactive story, The Collapse of Camp Freedom, is an impressive multimedia group effort about the end of the parliamentary protests.
Alex Casey takes the Hello Disc menstrual product for a spin and finds some problems that need addressing.
What’s it like to be chosen to open for the Foo Fighters? “Freaking out … like I’m going to spew,” according to local underground punk act Dick Move.
Petrol was running out at some stations as queues formed to fill up ahead of potential price rises last night, Stuff.co.nz reports.
TVNZ and RNZ are merging. Duncan Greive unpacks what it all means here.
For three seasons of his podcast Dead Eyes, the actor Connor Ratliff has been trying to find out why Tom Hanks fired him from a small roll on the set of Band of Brothers. This week, he finally got his answer.
Finally, here’s the tune we’ve been listening to at The Spinoff all week: it’s Aldous Harding’s ‘Fever’ from Warm Chris, her fourth album due in two weeks.
Great Saturday morning reading - thanks
You’re doing a great job with this Chris. Cheers