In a rarity for the international franchise, the first season of Married at First Sight NZ saw contestants legally wed to a stranger. Seven years later, Alex Casey talks to one groom who only just finalised his divorce. The man behind the counter at the courthouse was combing through the divorce document, line by line, when he started to frown. There’s a section where applicants fill out the date they first met, followed by the date they got married. “He looked at me and was like ‘I think you’ve done this incorrectly, both of these are the same day’,” says Ben Blackwell. The former Married at ..read more

The finance minister says Whaikaha is in line for a funding boost, but disabled people won’t be holding their breath, writes Robyn Hunt. The mother of all budgets in 1991 was the last time I remember feeling pessimistic, or anything much, about a budget announcement. Disabled people are used to a small piece of the national pie. That budget was presented by the first woman minister of finance, Ruth Richardson. Nicola Willis is the second. I hope history won’t repeat.  This budget is being released in a climate of uncertainty and confusion on several counts. Firstly, there is the critical ..read more

We ended on good terms last year, but I saw them recently and, well, turns out I’m furious. How do I deal with my rage? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera, Last year I ended my first and only long-term relationship after a good few years together. It was a mutual decision made on good terms, though we are no longer in touch. Since then I’ve moved on, helped by therapy and some other really lovely relationships.  The problem: I saw my ex while out and about the other day, which didn’t seem noteworthy at the time. But now! I can only de ..read more

The agency was found to be underperforming and ‘not financially viable’, explains Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Well that didn’t take long. On Tuesday night, Newshub’s Jenna Lynch reported that the government was poised to scrap the first home grant scheme in next week’s budget. By yesterday morning, other outlets including The Post and RNZ had received the same tip. And at 1pm yesterday afternoon, an advisory informed media that a pre-budget announcement would be made by housing minister Chris ..read more

There’s a reason why National prefers the phrase to the more standard – and accurate – ‘tax cuts’, writes Max Rashbrooke. The American pollster and strategist Frank Luntz is famous – or infamous, depending on your point of view – for coining the phrase “death tax” to describe estate duties. He also promoted the use of “climate change” rather than “global warming”, the former being less likely to frighten people into action; later, he tried to frame attempts to widen healthcare coverage as “a government takeover” or “coup”. Luntz is not, evidently, on the side of the angels. But he understands ..read more

Review: Goth 2 A Flame, the new musical comedy act by Jemaine Clement and Jonny Brugh, shares the same magic that made Flight of the Conchords world famous. But their debut performance fell well short.  Twenty-eight years ago, Jemaine Clement first performed at Wellington’s BATS Theatre alongside Bret McKenzie in the comedy troupe So You’re a Man. The two would go on to form the band Flight of the Conchords, arguably New Zealand’s greatest comedy export. There was an excited flurry among Wellington comedy fans over the news that Clement would be returning to BATS theatre during the New Z ..read more

What happens when contaminated food accidentally makes it onto consumers’ shelves? Shanti Mathias explains the process of food recalls. A small sign at the supermarket announcing a problem with a product you’ve never heard of in your life might be all you ever hear of a food recall. Or maybe, if it’s bad, the recall will make it to the media, as lead contamination of Chelsea Sugar did a few years ago. But how serious does food contamination have to get before a recall notice is issued? Here’s a quick explainer. Who’s responsible for food safety in New Zealand?  The Ministry for Primary I ..read more

Social media stars are being targeted by a campaign aimed at drawing attention to the bombing of Palestinian civilians. Gabi Lardies looks at what the ‘blockout’ hopes to achieve, and the alternative way to boycott. On May 6, celebrities flocked to the Met Gala wearing tulle, crystals, lace and lamé. On the same day, the Israeli military told residents in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians have fled bombing further north, to “evacuate immediately”, raising fears a long-threatened invasion of the city was about to happen. Social media denizens did not miss the juxtaposition. Red carpet i ..read more

New Zealand police have a lot of guns, and every year one or two are briefly misplaced. Oscar Francis reports on an official investigation into a singularly striking case, that of a helicopter-borne constable who dropped their pistol into an illegal cannabis plantation. You know how sometimes you find yourself down a YouTube rabbit hole and all of a sudden it’s 3am and you’re thinking way too much about UFOs? Well, that’s me with PDFs that are hundreds of pages long and filled with banal descriptions of government operations. On first glance, the report appeared like so many others I’d come a ..read more

Barring an unplanned byelection, the July 20 council election will be our only major election of the year, explains Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The only (planned) election in NZ this year You may have read over the weekend that Olympic rower Mahe Drysdale has thrown his hat in the ring to be the next mayor of Tauranga. Not long before, singer Ria Hall did the same. Why? Because Tauranga will have the chance to elect a new mayor and a new council later this year, 12 months before every o ..read more