“The first and most important thing we’ve got to do is prove there are a lot of people out there with long Covid.” Studies have shown that around 10-20% of people infected with Covid-19 may go on to develop long Covid. That means there could be as many as 200,000 New Zealanders dealing with the illness. But a new long Covid registry has just been launched in Aotearoa, giving local researchers their first chance to quantify the impact it’s having on New Zealanders. You can read more about the registry and find out where to sign up at the link in our bio.

Bookabach has launched an investigation after Re: News raised questions about messages one of its hosts sent. As part of Krishna’s best man duties for his closest friend’s wedding, he needed to book a holiday home for the bachelor party. But the night before they were due to check in, he got an email from the property’s owner: “no curries to be cooked in the house”. Krishna, who doesn’t want his real name used, and who was born in New Zealand and has Indian heritage, says he felt the message was only sent because he has an Indian name. Re: News spoke to another person who felt she too had been discriminated against by a venue because of her Indian heritage. Read the full story at the link in bio. Please be respectful in the comments section. If you want to get in touch with the author of this article, @anna.harcourt email [email protected]

Pro-wrestler Aaron Henare becomes first Māori to bring mataora to pro-wrestling in Japan 🤼‍♂️ NYC instals vending machine with drug harm reduction supplies 💉 And an $850K Rolls Royce was stolen from an Auckland home 🚙🤑 Here are your headlines for Thursday, at a glance.

“Of all the hautapu I’ve led over the years, this one feels the most fulfilling and appropriate. I say this because in Māori culture, women are revered as the highest form of sacredness.” As Matariki approaches, we take a look at why this year’s official hautapu ceremony to welcome in the start of Matariki will hold special significance. Not only will the Prime Minister and other guests from overseas be attending in Rotorua – but for the first time – wāhine Māori will be leading the karakia. “The most remarkable aspect of this year is the participation of six women leading the karakia, with each karakia representing a different star.” One of those is Te Waikamihi Korohina Ormsby who has come from Brisbane to perform the karakia representing the star of Pōhutukawa. “For me, returning home for this Māori New Year embodies the essence of the saying ‘Matariki calls you home”, she says. Hautapu is a Māori tradition that commemorates and acknowledges the start and culmination of the Māori new year. Traditionally men have led the karakia for hautapu but this year, organisers are actively trying to show why women should lead in these spaces. Mataia Keepa is one of those pushing for things to be done a little differently. “What better way to showcase to the world that within Māoridom, our people are resolute in their pursuit of equality”, he says. This is part of our reo Māori series, Ohinga, created by @mahitahiagency, with funding from @te_mangai_paho. Stay tuned for a new episode every week.

When Jaimee Boyce opened her HelloFresh meal kit and saw a lonely coriander leaf encased in a sleeve of plastic like it was a precious artifact, she couldn't help but laugh. The ‘five grams’ of coriander was meant to be a garnish on top of curry for two people. “I even made a joke of cutting the leaf in half and putting one half on top of each serving,” she laughs. “How do they get away with this?” HelloFresh’s global team told Re: News the lonesome coriander leaf “seems to be an oversight by our supplier and warehouse”. But maintained it “cannot avoid this specific piece of packaging” because it extends the shelf life of their ingredients. “We did notice the packaging size as an area for improvement and it has been on our sustainable packaging roadmap for some time.” What are your thoughts on HelloFresh’s packaging? Read the full story at the link in bio. If you want to get in touch with the author of this article, @zoemaddensmith email [email protected]

“Looking back, I definitely don't think I enjoyed the majority of the sex that I was having during that hoe phase,” says Ash Williams, Auckland’s self proclaimed ‘Bad Bitch’. “Every single encounter, I would say I was internally being like, ‘I don't like this or I wish you would stop doing that’. But I didn’t know what communication was back then because I'd never really tried it and I'd never been brought up like that.” Growing up in a religious household, sex wasn’t something Ash’s family talked about. Or if they did, she was taught sex was painful and something that could ruin her life. So for a long time Ash had a fear of intimacy and was in the dark about how to speak up during sex. But now, at 27, she’s discovering what she likes and doesn’t like in bed - and how to communicate that. “There's this societal pressure to be submissive or to please the man. But no, fuck that. You're there to get your needs met too.” You can hear more stories like this in The Good Sex Project, an eight-part podcast series about how we can figure out how to have good sex and relationships. The Good Sex Project is produced by @popsockmedia and @nzstuff with video content from us! The Good Sex Project was made with support from nz_on_air Listen to Good Sex Project where you get your good podcasts.

The Netherlands to ban all electronics in schools 📵 New Māori and Moriori place names maps revealed 🗺️ And a suspicious powder found at White House turns out to be cocaine 🏛️ Here are your headlines for Wednesday, at a glance.

On July 5 1881, a poll tax was forced on Chinese settlers after Parliament passed the Chinese Immigrants Act. Chinese settlers were the only ethnic group that had to pay a poll tax. At the time, it was set at £10, then raised to £100 in 1896, which was greater than the average annual wage at the time. To put this into perspective, if it was adjusted to today's dollars, £100 is about $23,000. Many Chinese settlers came to New Zealand to work at the goldmines. But as employment in the goldmines decreased, anti-Chinese sentiment began to increase. Anti-Chinese organisations such as the White New Zealand League, the Anti-Chinese League, the Anti-Asiatic League and the Anti-Chinese Association began to emerge around this time too. With calls for restrictions on Chinese people immigrating to New Zealand, Parliament copied what was being done in Canada and Australia, and imposed a poll tax. More restrictions were placed on Chinese people wanting to migrate and live in New Zealand during the 1920s. These extra restrictions led to the poll tax being largely inoperative. The poll tax was eventually waived by the Minister of Customs from 1934 but the Act was not repealed until 1944. In 2002, the Government at the time, under the leadership of former Prime Minister Helen Clark, formally apologised to the Chinese community for the poll tax. But the apology was delivered in English and Mandarin - a Chinese language the early settlers did not speak. In February, the Government apologised to the Chinese community again for the discriminatory poll tax - this time in Cantonese and English. Photo credit: Collection of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum.

“When I think about you girls, I feel at home. But I miss my home in Vietnam as well and that makes me sad. When I feel lonely here, I miss Vietnam deeply, and I want to go back. “But when I miss you girls, I get to see you, and I feel happy.” When Hương was giving birth, she thought she was just having one baby, but after she pushed out her first baby, the doctor told her another was coming. In this bilingual episode, she talks with her daughters Hà and Ly about dependence, marriage, and home. Conversations With My Immigrant Parents (@convoswithmy) is a podcast and docu-series where immigrant whānau have conversations they normally wouldn’t, crossing barriers of language, generation, and expectation. Co-hosts saraiddesilva and @juliezhuu travelled Aotearoa meeting families from different immigrant backgrounds, sitting in as they spoke to each other about love, loss, what home means to them, and where home really is. Full podcast episodes available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

“I was really confused how other people were able to manage their periods when I couldn’t.” Research shows that one in 10 New Zealanders who menstruate have endometriosis, although advocates believe that number could be even higher. The disease often starts in teenage years and getting a diagnosis is difficult, according to Jess Sandoval, founder of Endo Warriors Aotearoa (EWA). Endo Warriors is partnering with @hellpizza this month to raise funds for people with endometriosis. You can find out more about that campaign and the symptoms of endo at the link in our bio. This content is sponsored by HELL. We have closed the comment section as we’re a small team and don’t have the capacity to make sure the comments section remains a safe space 💜

Puffer jackets could endanger children in car crashes 🚗 Tayi Tibble becomes the first wahine Māori to feature in the New Yorker 📝 And drought in Mexico causes Sriracha hot sauce shortage 🌶️ Here are your headlines for Tuesday, at a glance.

“[My daughter] will come up to me and say ‘I’m cold, Mama’ and then crawl up into a ball in bed and say it again. It’s so sad, it breaks my heart.” Last winter, 110,000 households couldn’t afford to keep their homes adequately warm. Renting advocates say New Zealand’s current standards, known as The Healthy Home Standards, are not enough - in fact, they’re the bare minimum. Re: News spoke to Tala, a renter who told us about how she has tried her best to make a warm, safe home for her daughter, and how her property manager and current regulations have gotten in the way. “Me and my partner want to keep her safe and warm so badly, but money is a constant worry, and we’ve tried everything to try and make this house warm and dry.” Read the full story at the link in bio. The background of some images in these slides have been extended using AI.