Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily.
Today on The Spinoff: Is KiwiBuild finally on its last legs? Plus: the world’s biggest TrueBliss fans, an early and strong contender for novel of the year and more.
“Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. But in the middle there was a familiar lament: New Zealand’s tax system, he said, is ‘unfair and unbalanced’. ‘We are almost alone in the OECD in terms of not properly taxing assets and wealth in some form. Our current system entrenches inequality. It’s not my place any longer to say specifically what the answer is here, but I do know that the answers are out there.’
Robertson will be vexed to hear that a recent left-leaning government did little to change those tax settings, even after it won a historic and likely irreproducible MMP majority. He’ll be frustrated that the finance minister from that administration repeatedly shot down calls to enact a broad-base capital gains tax.
He will be absolutely apoplectic at the news that the finance minister in question was in fact him.”
Gloomy vibe from infrastructure sector as RMA changes unveiled
Is KiwiBuild finally on its last legs?
The voices that vanish in a decimated newsroom
How you can stay informed the year the world votes
Two billion voters are set to go to the polls in 64 countries this year. One of the perks of being a Spinoff member is receiving The World Bulletin, a weekly newsletter rounding up global news. Edited by Catherine McGregor, it’s sent to members every Thursday. Becoming a member means you’ll not only help sustain local journalism but stay on top of consequential world news, see less advertising, be able to comment on the Spinoff and more. Join today.
‘It was my Eras tour’: Meet the world’s biggest TrueBliss fans
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame.
Page-turning rural gothic: Ash by Louise Wallace, reviewed
‘Emily Dickinson made me into a writer’: Lauren Groff’s Books Confessional