I have once again made a meme, this time to illustrate National's official position on coalition negotiations thespinoff.co.nz/politics/31-...
Hayden Donnell
@haydendonnell.bsky.social
New Zealand's foremost authority on the Big Fresh Animatronic Fruit & Veggies 📍Te Papa
You’re just saying what everyone is thinking.
Once again proud of my contributions to The Spinoff
Starting to suspect some of our politicians can be a little self-serving in their public statements
Act yesterday: NZ First is undermining the Indian free trade agreement with its xenophobic rhetoric Act today: our hot new candidate is the man who called an Indian politician "dick shit" and said it was "so appropriate because she's Indian, so she would be dick in shit" when walking the streets
*Waitematā local board, progressively* yes building houses in the rich suburbs near the city is one option but have you considered putting them in south Auckland instead thespinoff.co.nz/politics/03-...
The supposedly progressive campaign to restrict housing in posh suburbs
The supposedly progressive campaign to restrict housing in posh suburbs
Helen Clark and the Waitematā Local Board want to dump Auckland’s growth on west and south Auckland, but in a nice, left-wing way....
thespinoff.co.nz
Auckland just had its biggest ever May for cycling and the bulk of the traffic was on separated bike lanes so it's a good thing we haven't banned new NZTA investment in cycleways or anything
Imagine if we implemented these other people's plans. We go into recession, experience a long-term spike in unemployment and end up with record numbers of insolvencies, all while negotiating a cost of living crisis
'But belt-tightening, as it turns out, is for poorer people and public servants. It’s not for the esteemed and often politically-connected candidates they want to install in plum roles on Crown boards.' @haydendonnell.bsky.social #NzPol
Austerity is for poor people, not politicians
Belt-tightening, as it turns out, is location-specific. It affects you if you’re in a state house. It doesn't if you’re in the house of representatives.
thespinoff.co.nz
social housing tenants would probably feel more like they had won the Lotto if they could claim a $36,400 accommodation supplement to live in their own property
Hayden Donnell@haydendonnell.bsky.social · 3mo agoone of the major clues that social housing tenants haven't in fact won the lotto is that they need social housing
one of the major clues that social housing tenants haven't in fact won the lotto is that they need social housing
henry cooke@henrycooke.bsky.social · 3mo agoNicola Willis says "at the moment, people in social housing effectively have won the lotto."
I can't believe the damage cycle lanes are gonna do to wellington businesses if this plan to cut 9k public sector employees goes ahead.
thankfully the economy is back on track because otherwise I'd be pretty worried about these guys just going straight to Australia or into long-term unemployment
Most transport maps show where infrastructure is. I wanted to show what that infrastructure actually lets people reach. I’ve been building the Auckland Transport Access Atlas: an interactive map of car dependency, accessibility, equity, and planner priorities across Auckland. ataa.tfwelch.com
David Seymour's comments about not trying to influence RNZ's staffing decisions are slightly undermined by his comments about trying to influence RNZ's staffing decisions
Excellent work @haydendonnell.bsky.social Good News too, the problem of stinky diesel fumes in the Kaimai tunnel can be affordably dealt with via battery trains, like the new intercity trains we are getting for services from Wellington: thespinoff.co.nz/society/05-0...
A train trip back in time to before we screwed up our transport system
The Kaimai Express was a trip to a less car-dominated past. It may also have been a small taste of the future.
thespinoff.co.nz
A wealthy businessman getting a vaunted vanity award only for it to be revealed that they've engaged in grotty personal misconduct? This must be unprecedented in New Zealand history
this webworm from @haydendonnell.bsky.social was originally published on february 17, 2025 – but with donald trump recently sharing an AI rendering of himself as *checks notes* jesus christ, it seems appropriate to re-publish it today: www.webworm.co/trumpistheantichrist/
I’ve Seen Enough: Donald Trump is the Antichrist
Re-issue: It’s time to admit the Christians were right all along. The prophecies are coming to pass.
webworm.co
The worst thing about this headline is I looked it up and he actually has two legs
this was yesterday but the great thing about being in New Zealand is that we also get American April Fools today
The Spinoff@thespinoff.bsky.social · 4mo agoPlease stop April fooling me. I already don’t know what’s real
happy to have established myself as a key source of depressing housing news thespinoff.co.nz/politics/31-...
Exclusive: Government to slash Auckland housing numbers again
Just weeks after cutting back Auckland's housing capacity plans, the government is set to water them down again.
thespinoff.co.nz
you can learn a lot in The Spinoff comment section
Thank goodness The Spinoff rescued @haydendonnell.bsky.social from his totally unhelpful role as a media commentator on RNZ and put his skills to use properly!!
Breaking: New racecourse to look like penis
The main track will act as the shaft, while the back track and harness track will be the testicles.
thespinoff.co.nz
once again very proud of my contributions to The Spinoff
This Iran situation isn't looking great. But surely our politicians have been taking steps to reduce our dependence on oil. Would be very concerned if not thespinoff.co.nz/politics/17-...
Petrol is so expensive. Hopefully we’ve been reducing our dependence on it?
It would be a real shame if we’d done something like stop NZTA spending on walking and cycling. Ha ha ha.
thespinoff.co.nz
This actually feels really reassuring I get the appeal
