Great Kiwi journalism, delivered weekly
-- 10 December 2019 --


Welcome to the latest edition of The PressPatron Post, our weekly collection of top Kiwi journalism from our community of independent media sites.

In this week's issue: meet the communities behind NZ's cohousing movement, a guide to next year's cannabis referendum, research about 'benevolent sexism' and its links to violence, an investigation into unfair banking fees, a day in the life of a poverty advocate, and more.

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A life together: The rise of cohousing, papakāinga and the 'social mortgage'

"It’s a way of living that is often mistaken for either a ‘hippy commune’ or a boarding house, but cohousing is slowly becoming a viable solution to New Zealand’s growing housing needs. It’s also a way of fighting the isolation and loneliness that is harming our collective wellbeing."

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'Benevolent sexism' and the switch to violence

"Studies indicate that men who believe in the concept 'men should protect women' are ironically more tolerant of violence towards women."

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Cheat sheet: NZ cannabis legalisation bill, and the referendum question, revealed

Toby Manhire from The Spinoff explains the essential details about New Zealand's upcoming cannabis referendum.

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Gordon Campbell on the recent upheavals inside Iran

"In the fortnight since the Internet got switched back on in Iran, the ferocity of the crackdown on the recent demonstrations has become evident. Reportedly, hundreds of people have been killed, thousands wounded and thousands more have been arrested."

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Bad Things Happen: Fees, fees, fees

"Banks make big profits from the fees they charge customers – but many fees have no direct relation to how much it costs the bank to provide the services."

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Fighting poverty at the coalface: The diary of a WINZ advocate

"The government would argue it's on track to reduce child poverty significantly by the next reporting round, and culture change is well underway at Work and Income. But change at WINZ is a slow-moving process."

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The Listener's 100 Best Books of 2019

"Welcome to the Listener’s annual list of what our reviewers consider to be the best reading of the past year, with recommendations in many genres including fiction, crime, biography, history and science."

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Worms. Glorious Worms.

"Queenstown organic grower James Porteous reckons that the humble worm can solve many of our waste, pollution and water quality issues."

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New Zealand residential property values are now rising even in previously sluggish markets like Auckland and Christchurch

"Residential property values showed sustained growth throughout the country over spring, according to the latest figures from Quotable Value (QV)."

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After Amazon creates a near identical shoe, Allbirds asks: 'Please steal our approach to sustainability'

Online shopping giant, Amazon, has launched a collection of shoes that copy the popular design of Kiwi company Allbirds. Instead of suing, Allbirds has asked Amazon to also copy their sustainable business practices. Idealog chats with their founder to find out more.

Did you enjoy these articles? This is just a small selection from Aotearoa's largest network of independent media sites!