On Our Cover

You Can’t Say That!

Or Can You?

It’s time for a grown-up conversation about tough issues

By Yvonne van Dongen

View October issue

Features

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The Case for the Insanity Defence

New Zealand desperately needs a change in criminal law to allow the partial defence of diminished responsibility, in line with other countries. Sherry Zhang argues the case.

The Queerest Capital

From 1964 to 1980, the visibility of transgendered women in Wellington was extraordinary. Many would operate their own businesses, one would stand for the city’s mayoralty, while the high profiles of the others tested the limits of legal and social discrimination. David Herkt discovers the secret history of Aotearoa New…

Reading Wars

Greater use of structured literacy in primary schools is aimed at improving worsening reading statistics, but critics fear what could be lost in a straitjacketed lurch back to basics.

Art history in the making

Meet Florence Weir, a textile artist cut out of whole cloth. By Theo Macdonald.

Not Quite Dunners

A move back to Ōtepoti Dunedin to buy a house stirs up memories of U-Haul lesbianism and white-tail spiders. BY HERA LINDSAY BIRD

Smart Money

A tertiary education is an investment in future earning potential. But when does this investment become so expensive that its cost outweighs the long-term financial opportunities it ostensibly guarantees? BY THEO MACDONALD

Sight Unseen

Audio description lets the visually impaired ‘see’ everything in a film or TV series. But few of our streaming services include it. Jean Teng talks to a man whose job it is to paint with words.

Running Man

As hopes build for the latest crop of New Zealand athletes, one of the stars of a golden era for the black singlet is still running — and still has stories to tell. Byline: Dylan Cleaver

Culture Etc.

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Perfect pictures

Perfect Pictures By Theo Macdonald Let’s cut to The Chase (Arthur Penn, 1966). For the past five years, the New Zealand International Film Festival has been lost in The Fog (John Carpenter, 1980). Long-term leader Bill Gosden passed away in 2020, 2021’s Auckland leg was rudely cancelled by COVID-19 (We…

Surf’s up

Surf’s up. By Nadia Shaw-Owens

I Can Never Express My Angels

For the first time, the life of New Zealand’s greatest painter, Colin McCahon, has been revealed in his own words. DAVID HERKT interviews Peter Simpson, who explains just why this matters. By David Herkt

My first ever… Rhodes Scholar

Damon Salesa’s deep pacific roots and groundbreaking scholarship have shaped his remarkable life; however his first primary school teacher also likes to lay a claim to his success. Susana Andrew.

Retirement Essentials

Liv Lewis-Long from Simplicity shares her favourite finance tips for those embarking on the “20-year holiday” we call retirement. By Liv Lewis-Long

From a humble villa to being the vanguard of eye care

From a humble villa to being the vanguard of eye care In 1993, a visionary group of ophthalmologists planted the seeds of what would become Auckland Eye, aiming to create New Zealand’s first subspecialty eye care facility. Their ambition was straightforward yet revolutionary: to offer comprehensive care for all aspects…

Long Exposure

A new book and touring exhibition assembles extraordinary photographs from New Zealand’s colonial history to inspire questions about the faces, places, triumphs and injustices which still influence this fractured nation. By Theo McDonald.

Divine symmetry

In her new exhibition, contemporary artist Julia Morison channels a new source of influence through her otherworldly art practice: the Swedish artist and mystic Hilma af Klint. By Theo Macdonald

Partner Content

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Queenstown: A journey towards a sustainable future

NORTH & SOUTH + Destination Queenstown Queenstown, New Zealand, known for its breathtaking landscapes and adrenaline-pumping activities, has long been a favoured destination for tourists. However, the increasing influx of visitors, carbon emissions and pollution has raised concerns about the sustainability of tourism in the region. But don’t pack away…

An answer to the nursing shortage

NORTH & SOUTH + University of Canterbury UC Faculty of Health Executive Dean Cathy Andrew alongside current student Leianne Roblete An answer to the nursing shortage In a bold move to address New Zealand’s critical nursing shortage, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) announces a programme…

Preserving Paradise

NORTH & SOUTH + Love Wanaka Preserving Paradise If you lived in one of the most divine locations on earth what would you do to preserve it? In Wānaka, nestled amongst breathtaking scenery on the southern shores of the crystal clear Lake Wānaka a quiet revolution is taking place. Drive…

Leading the way

NORTH & SOUTH + AUT Dr Samaneh (Sam) Madanian Leading the Way In a world where health crises and natural disasters strike unpredictably, innovative solutions are essential. Dr Samaneh (Sam) Madanian, a Senior Lecturer at AUT’s School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, is at the forefront of this revolution.…

Four Corners

Utopia Lab

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Too Many People Are Dying On Our Roads

We need better roads, not better people.

Intensive Dairy Farming Is Killing The Environment

New Zealand should halve its number of cows.

The Criminal Justice System Is Broken

How we could reduce crime by locking up less people.

New Zealand Has A Dental Care Crisis

How do we fix it?

Why We Should Borrow More Money

A case for changing the way we think about national debt.

Bring Back the Glory Days of Rail

Why it's a smart idea to re-invest heavily in our national rail system.

Backstory

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Heaven or a Place on Earth?

What awaits us after death?

The Lost Islands

Historic artefacts washed up by the tides hint at lost lands whose full stories we can only guess at.

Beyond the Badlands

Strange monsters and ominous ghosts can be traced to repressed memories of violent histories, argues one Australian researcher looking at the past through a novel lens.

The Northern Bear

Our relationship with Russia has been characterised by instability — cycling between friend and foe, the nation and its citizens have often become symbols of our own fear and anxieties.

Echoes of History

Most New Zealanders remain unaware of the Surafend massacre by Anzac soldiers in 1918.

Gone Bush

To evade New Zealand’s draft in both world wars, scores of conscientious objectors fled deep into the bush.

Closed Encounters

Covid-19 checkpoints are not the first time some parts of the country have been sealed off from the rest.

As a Matter of Fact

Dismissal by Western scientists of mātauranga Māori and indigenous knowledge as unscientific “myth” often succumbs to its own criticism.

Archive Highlights

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Bert’s Labyrinth

Survivors are finally speaking out — but years earlier, a journalist tried to publish the inside story of the notorious Auckland commune. Then she came too close. By Anke Richter

Issues

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