Joel MacManus
@joelmacmanus.bsky.social
Senior Writer at The Spinoff.
Reposted by Joel MacManus
Inside the weirdest trial of the year: Jim Grenon, Julian Batchelor and TVNZ
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
Inside the weirdest trial of the year: Jim Grenon, Julian Batchelor and TVNZ
Billionaires, secrets, conspiracy theories, denials of racism, contempt of court and twists at every turn. This case had it all.
thespinoff.co.nz
December 18, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Inside the weirdest trial of the year: Jim Grenon, Julian Batchelor and TVNZ
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
I spent three days in the Auckland District Court watching the weirdest trial of the year.
Billionaires, secrets, conspiracy theories, denials of racism, contempt of court and twists at every turn. This case had it all.
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
Billionaires, secrets, conspiracy theories, denials of racism, contempt of court and twists at every turn. This case had it all.
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
Inside the weirdest trial of the year: Jim Grenon, Julian Batchelor and TVNZ
Billionaires, secrets, conspiracy theories, denials of racism, contempt of court and twists at every turn. This case had it all.
thespinoff.co.nz
December 18, 2025 at 7:46 PM
I spent three days in the Auckland District Court watching the weirdest trial of the year.
Billionaires, secrets, conspiracy theories, denials of racism, contempt of court and twists at every turn. This case had it all.
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
Billionaires, secrets, conspiracy theories, denials of racism, contempt of court and twists at every turn. This case had it all.
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
After two years of major housing, infrastructure and planning reforms, Chris Bishop may have done more for the Abundance Agenda than any other politician on Earth.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-...
The minister for abundance
After two years of major housing, infrastructure and planning reforms, Chris Bishop may have done more for the abundance agenda than any other politician on the planet.
thespinoff.co.nz
December 9, 2025 at 8:50 PM
After two years of major housing, infrastructure and planning reforms, Chris Bishop may have done more for the Abundance Agenda than any other politician on Earth.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-...
Today was the day New Zealand truly became a 40% off deck furniture piss country
December 4, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Today was the day New Zealand truly became a 40% off deck furniture piss country
The butter chicken pie has risen from a niche fusion food to New Zealand’s third-best-selling pie flavour. Who gave the nation this unique culinary taonga?
thespinoff.co.nz/kai/01-12-20...
thespinoff.co.nz/kai/01-12-20...
The pie-oneer: In search of the unsung hero who invented the butter chicken pie
The butter chicken pie has risen from a niche fusion food to New Zealand’s third-best-selling pie flavour. Who gave the nation this unique culinary taonga?
thespinoff.co.nz
November 30, 2025 at 8:31 PM
The butter chicken pie has risen from a niche fusion food to New Zealand’s third-best-selling pie flavour. Who gave the nation this unique culinary taonga?
thespinoff.co.nz/kai/01-12-20...
thespinoff.co.nz/kai/01-12-20...
There's a stark contrast between Living Streets Aotearoa in Auckland, a useful advocacy group for pedestrian infrastructure, and Living Streets Aotearoa in Wellington which seems to exist only to complain about e-scooters and has never found a project they actually like.
A Brave New World for Aotearoa as we find the lost art of walking and even cycling again
However as GA have pointed out, our streets (and even roads) are not keeping up for a variety of reasons. Despite walking and cycling contributing to over $1.1b to our GDP IN THE REGIONS (let alone our cities)
However as GA have pointed out, our streets (and even roads) are not keeping up for a variety of reasons. Despite walking and cycling contributing to over $1.1b to our GDP IN THE REGIONS (let alone our cities)
New Zealand is walking again, but our streets aren't keeping up - Greater Auckland
This is a guest post by Tim Jones, President of Living Streets Aotearoa. By profession, Tim is a writer, editor and anthologist, and his latest book is the poetry collection Dracula in the Colonies. N...
www.greaterauckland.org.nz
November 26, 2025 at 9:24 PM
There's a stark contrast between Living Streets Aotearoa in Auckland, a useful advocacy group for pedestrian infrastructure, and Living Streets Aotearoa in Wellington which seems to exist only to complain about e-scooters and has never found a project they actually like.
Reposted by Joel MacManus
If Little takes nothing else away from Joel’s piece, let it at least be “cars are not people”
In his first council meeting as Wellington mayor, Andrew Little gave a big promotion to controversial rival Ray Chung and opened a political rift between Labour and the Greens.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-...
Andrew Little buddies up to the right
In his first council meeting as Wellington mayor, Andrew Little opened a political rift between Labour and the Greens.
thespinoff.co.nz
November 25, 2025 at 2:01 AM
If Little takes nothing else away from Joel’s piece, let it at least be “cars are not people”
A quote from the man who just gave Ray Chung a promotion.
November 24, 2025 at 8:43 PM
A quote from the man who just gave Ray Chung a promotion.
In his first council meeting as Wellington mayor, Andrew Little gave a big promotion to controversial rival Ray Chung and opened a political rift between Labour and the Greens.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-...
Andrew Little buddies up to the right
In his first council meeting as Wellington mayor, Andrew Little opened a political rift between Labour and the Greens.
thespinoff.co.nz
November 24, 2025 at 6:50 PM
In his first council meeting as Wellington mayor, Andrew Little gave a big promotion to controversial rival Ray Chung and opened a political rift between Labour and the Greens.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-...
Christopher Luxon wants ‘a more mature conversation’ about selling public assets. Big daddy Spinoff is here to explain the birds and the bees of privatisation.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/21-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/21-...
How to have a ‘mature conversation’ about asset sales
Christopher Luxon wants 'a more mature conversation' about selling public assets. Big daddy Spinoff is here to explain the birds and the bees of privatisation.
thespinoff.co.nz
November 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Christopher Luxon wants ‘a more mature conversation’ about selling public assets. Big daddy Spinoff is here to explain the birds and the bees of privatisation.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/21-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/21-...
To save the CBD, stop calling it the CBD.
To succeed in a post-Covid world, city centres need to be more than ‘central business districts’.
thespinoff.co.nz/business/18-...
To succeed in a post-Covid world, city centres need to be more than ‘central business districts’.
thespinoff.co.nz/business/18-...
To save the CBD, stop calling it the CBD
To succeed in a post-Covid world, city centres need to be more than 'central business districts'.
thespinoff.co.nz
November 17, 2025 at 7:04 PM
To save the CBD, stop calling it the CBD.
To succeed in a post-Covid world, city centres need to be more than ‘central business districts’.
thespinoff.co.nz/business/18-...
To succeed in a post-Covid world, city centres need to be more than ‘central business districts’.
thespinoff.co.nz/business/18-...
"Make bold plans, small plans have no power to fire the imagination" - Sir Dove-Myer Robinson.
November 15, 2025 at 4:00 AM
"Make bold plans, small plans have no power to fire the imagination" - Sir Dove-Myer Robinson.
Some cities are actively pursuing growth. Others are stuck in a state of managed decline, merely cutting costs for loud existing homeowners while doing nothing to build for the future.
I'm increasingly worried that Wellington is irrevocably stuck in the second category.
I'm increasingly worried that Wellington is irrevocably stuck in the second category.
November 15, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Some cities are actively pursuing growth. Others are stuck in a state of managed decline, merely cutting costs for loud existing homeowners while doing nothing to build for the future.
I'm increasingly worried that Wellington is irrevocably stuck in the second category.
I'm increasingly worried that Wellington is irrevocably stuck in the second category.
The conservative minority on Wellington City Council never had the votes to kill the Golden Mile, so instead they played for time, demanding more reviews and consultation to delay it until a conservative won the mayoralty. Andrew Little has played right into their hands.
November 14, 2025 at 11:27 PM
The conservative minority on Wellington City Council never had the votes to kill the Golden Mile, so instead they played for time, demanding more reviews and consultation to delay it until a conservative won the mayoralty. Andrew Little has played right into their hands.
Wellington's failure to build an obviously needed upgrade to its dilapidated main streets is a damning and demonstrative example of a capital city self-immolating through incompetence and political cowardice.
November 14, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Wellington's failure to build an obviously needed upgrade to its dilapidated main streets is a damning and demonstrative example of a capital city self-immolating through incompetence and political cowardice.
I've written extensively about homelessness policy on New Zealand and have repeatedly used the metaphor of disease and cure.
I think it's accurate: homelessness can affect anyone, it takes a toll on mental and physical health, and it gets worse the longer it is left untreated.
I think it's accurate: homelessness can affect anyone, it takes a toll on mental and physical health, and it gets worse the longer it is left untreated.
I dunno man if I ever found myself in the middle of writing the sentence “extending the metaphor of treating homelessness as a disease,” I’d be taking a real hard look at what I was doing aye thespinoff.co.nz/politics/12-...
The government’s homelessness ‘ban’ may not be as ridiculous as it sounds
The only cure for homelessness is homes, but responsible policing plays an important role in manage the symptoms.
thespinoff.co.nz
November 11, 2025 at 9:34 PM
I've written extensively about homelessness policy on New Zealand and have repeatedly used the metaphor of disease and cure.
I think it's accurate: homelessness can affect anyone, it takes a toll on mental and physical health, and it gets worse the longer it is left untreated.
I think it's accurate: homelessness can affect anyone, it takes a toll on mental and physical health, and it gets worse the longer it is left untreated.
The government’s homelessness ‘ban’ may not be as ridiculous as it sounds.
The only cure for homelessness is homes, but responsible policing plays an important role in managing the symptoms.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/12-...
The only cure for homelessness is homes, but responsible policing plays an important role in managing the symptoms.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/12-...
The government’s homelessness ‘ban’ may not be as ridiculous as it sounds
The only cure for homelessness is homes, but responsible policing plays an important role in manage the symptoms.
thespinoff.co.nz
November 11, 2025 at 8:43 PM
The government’s homelessness ‘ban’ may not be as ridiculous as it sounds.
The only cure for homelessness is homes, but responsible policing plays an important role in managing the symptoms.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/12-...
The only cure for homelessness is homes, but responsible policing plays an important role in managing the symptoms.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/12-...
Reposted by Joel MacManus
A long but interesting and engaging read, with a focus on solutions.
November 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
A long but interesting and engaging read, with a focus on solutions.
Reposted by Joel MacManus
Long read from Joel MacManus visiting Vancouver,
Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
- 6,000 apartment complex built on First Nations land, without needing city council permission
- Further in the article, Joel writes of the parallel in #NZ
Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
- 6,000 apartment complex built on First Nations land, without needing city council permission
- Further in the article, Joel writes of the parallel in #NZ
November 9, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Long read from Joel MacManus visiting Vancouver,
Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
- 6,000 apartment complex built on First Nations land, without needing city council permission
- Further in the article, Joel writes of the parallel in #NZ
Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
- 6,000 apartment complex built on First Nations land, without needing city council permission
- Further in the article, Joel writes of the parallel in #NZ
I went to Vancouver to visit Sen̓áḵw, one of the most impressive housing developments in the world. Squamish Nation is building 6000 apartments on its reserve land with no city council permission required. Could this be the future of iwi-led housing in Aotearoa?
thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-11-2...
thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-11-2...
Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
Joel MacManus visits Vancouver, where a First Nation is building a massive complex of apartment towers on its reserve land, with no city council approval required. Could this be the future of iwi-led ...
thespinoff.co.nz
November 10, 2025 at 9:04 PM
I went to Vancouver to visit Sen̓áḵw, one of the most impressive housing developments in the world. Squamish Nation is building 6000 apartments on its reserve land with no city council permission required. Could this be the future of iwi-led housing in Aotearoa?
thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-11-2...
thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-11-2...
Reposted by Joel MacManus
Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
Joel MacManus in Vancouver, where a First Nation is building a massive complex of apartment towers on its reserve land, no city council permission required. Could this be the future of iwi-led housing in Aotearoa? thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-11-2...
Joel MacManus in Vancouver, where a First Nation is building a massive complex of apartment towers on its reserve land, no city council permission required. Could this be the future of iwi-led housing in Aotearoa? thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-11-2...
Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
Joel MacManus visits Vancouver, where a First Nation is building a massive complex of apartment towers on its reserve land, with no city council approval required. Could this be the future of iwi-led ...
thespinoff.co.nz
November 5, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
Joel MacManus in Vancouver, where a First Nation is building a massive complex of apartment towers on its reserve land, no city council permission required. Could this be the future of iwi-led housing in Aotearoa? thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-11-2...
Joel MacManus in Vancouver, where a First Nation is building a massive complex of apartment towers on its reserve land, no city council permission required. Could this be the future of iwi-led housing in Aotearoa? thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-11-2...
NZ First MPs keep proposing laws they have no intention of passing, and the media falls for it every time.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/06-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/06-...
The brilliant performative politics of NZ First’s fake members’ bills
NZ First MPs keep proposing laws they have no intention of passing, and the media falls for it every time.
thespinoff.co.nz
November 5, 2025 at 4:41 PM
NZ First MPs keep proposing laws they have no intention of passing, and the media falls for it every time.
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/06-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/06-...
Detailed data analysis by The Spinoff reveals an incredible true fact: people live in houses.
thespinoff.co.nz/society/05-1...
thespinoff.co.nz/society/05-1...
What new population data reveals about why some cities are growing and others aren’t
Detailed data analysis by The Spinoff reveals an incredible true fact: people live in houses.
thespinoff.co.nz
November 4, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Detailed data analysis by The Spinoff reveals an incredible true fact: people live in houses.
thespinoff.co.nz/society/05-1...
thespinoff.co.nz/society/05-1...
Reposted by Joel MacManus
Great piece from @joelmacmanus.bsky.social .
Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
Inside the Canadian apartments redefining indigenous housing
Joel MacManus visits Vancouver, where a First Nation is building a massive complex of apartment towers on its reserve land, with no city council approval required. Could this be the future of iwi-led housing in Aotearoa?...
thespinoff.co.nz
November 2, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Great piece from @joelmacmanus.bsky.social .