Politics

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The Spinoff Members

Gene technology

With submissions now closed on the proposed law, here are some of the key points made on both sides of the debate. 

The main arguments for and against the Gene Technology Bill

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'If you’re locked in a burning house, of course you’re going to try to put out the fire,' Eru Kapa-Kingi told the Justice Committee.

Treaty principles bill hearings, day seven: Another ex-PM submits, and tears are shed

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'The numbers are increasing, and we need to do something urgently.'

Claim of ‘no movement’ in child poverty stats misleading, advocates say

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Let’s all just keep this on the downlow.

Urgent memo to everyone: Please don’t tell Winston Peters about this MP

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With the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act looking set to go ahead, with some key changes, here's what we can learn from North America.

Can Canada and the US guide the way on Indigenous child protection?

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Wasn't it just last week that Winston Peters was complaining about immigrants? Oh yeah, it was.

Echo Chamber: Beware! The immigrant Marxists have invaded parliament!

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Gone By Lunchtime: David Seymour and his Prince Hal epoch

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'The gate was left open' for improper use of personal data thanks to 'systemic failure' at Stats NZ.

‘A massive wake-up call’: The key findings of the data misuse inquiries

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Backbench MPs reached new levels of patsy questions in an extraordinarily dull question time.

Echo Chamber: Can someone please teach these MPs to use Google?

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The self-appointed apostle says he could be to Christopher Luxon what Elon Musk is to Donald Trump, and his track record speaks for itself.

Brian Tamaki, disruptive force and super-genius

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The same councillors who decry excessive spending on pet projects just voted to pump millions of dollars on a greenhouse for flowers.

Windbag: Begonia House and the hypocrisy of ‘nice-to-haves’

Joel MacManus

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Everything you missed from day six of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard seven hours of submissions.

Treaty principles bill hearings, day six: ‘A travesty, a tragedy, a call to action’

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Meekly responding to violence rooted in moral panic isn't the stuff of courageous leadership.

When protest isn’t peaceful, you don’t have to be a church mouse about condemning it

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Hear him out, he’s a civil engineer.  <br />


Exclusive: We found Act MP Simon Court’s full menstrual cup sales pitch

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While legal recognition of the maunga is vital in the short term, true environmental justice will require more work.

Legal personhood for Taranaki: transformative or tokenistic?

Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings.

Treaty principles bill hearings, day five: ‘Nice to be here – not really’

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Avoidant, secure, anxious or disorganised? What attachment styles can tell us about the three-way coalition.

Analysing the attachment styles of the coalition throuple

Former prime minister Geoffrey Palmer said the bill has 'damaged the collective fabric of our nation'.

Treaty principles bill hearings, day four: Former PM, former minister say scrap it

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'Some members here can't take it when somebody hits back at them,' reckoned the deputy PM.

Echo Chamber: Winston Peters v the ‘most constrained’ parliament in the world

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The fisheries minister says he wants to avoid trial by TikTok.

Shane Jones doesn’t want you to see footage from fishing boats

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Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was.

The Weekend: This week felt like 2017

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'This is what it’s all about – having fun and being judged by an adult woman.'

‘How do I stop this child talking?’: Rose Matafeo on running Junior Taskmaster

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The Spinoff Essay: Little bud

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Amazing jellyfish, a scab called Pepper, and the bestselling children’s books of summer.

The Unity Books children’s book review roundup for summer

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'I used to think that I had to achieve a certain goal, like making the New Zealand team, to achieve happiness. But I’ve learnt to enjoy the process.'<br />
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Pacific profiles: Meet Samoan sprinter and sports journalist Symone Tafuna’i

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The Friday Poem: ‘Not Waving But Dying’ by Kim Cope Tait

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A stunning new poetry collection, the lives of Palestinians, and Booker Prize winners past and present.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending February 21

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Welcome back to the only show on TV that'll have you captivated watching grass grow.

Country Calendar is back and as great as ever

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This 2001 documentary captures Aotearoa at its best – empathetic, warm, welcoming, and wickedly funny.

A trip back to Wairarapa in the 1990s, when a trans woman was elected mayor

All the news from Waitangi as it happens.

The Spinoff

PoliticsFebruary 5, 2025

Live updates from Waitangi: Day of political tension ends

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