The Weekend: When the tide turns

Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was.

The window in which to “have an opinion” on an unfolding news story is shockingly small. Just as large newsrooms know that being “the first” to publish a breaking news story is often more important than anything written in it – ever opened a breaking news banner to see exactly one sentence with “more to come” underneath? – we, as an online magazine, know that there is huge weight in timing your opinion. And almost every time, it needs to be quick. A few hours is all you get to add to the conversation before people start to move on. It’s a recipe for disaster a lot of the time, forcing journalists (myself included) to churn out some regrettably half-baked thoughts in order to not miss the boat.

I first wanted to write something about Mike King in 2017. What I wanted to write wasn’t far off what I wrote on Thursday this week – largely concerns about the one-man-band aspect of Gumboot Friday and the apparent disregarding of the need for a multi-faceted, agile and diverse approach to mental healthcare in New Zealand. But it wasn’t the right time. I was sagely warned that all I would get was a lot of public hate and not a lot of conversation. I wanted to write something again in 2019, when King was named New Zealander of the Year, as it felt that the one-man-band had increased in public presence but not in outreach. I kept reading experts reminding us over and over again that there was no magical fix for mental health, and to believe there was would be dangerous for everyone. And I kept hearing people – including himself – say that King was the answer.

This year, after King’s Gumboot Friday $24m funding deal was finalised, I knew I should write something soon, but still couldn’t find the right time. Over the years I had met more and more people who had misgivings about the influence King seemed to have when it came to government direction and funding, and his minimising of the work that countless mental health organisations do year in and year out. It appeared the tide was turning.

Then he said something truly ridiculous on the radio. Something that even his staunchest defenders had to stop and question. I had always wanted to write a long, carefully worded article detailing my (and many others’) concerns about King but suddenly there was the window, and despite it only being a few hours since his remarks were reported, the window was already closing. King has been in the media for his remarks countless times. He’s also said ridiculous things before with no discernible change in his ability to solicit donations and funding for his charity. If I wanted to start a conversation, it would have to be right now.

It’s been less than 48 hours but readers have spent more time reading “The King and his god complex” than any other story published on The Spinoff this year. People are very interested in Mike King, whatever their opinions, and the feedback has been genuinely enlightening. It’s not a new thought or story, it just happened to be that now was the right time to start talking about it. I hope the conversation continues.

This week on Behind the Story

Last week, The Spinoff unveiled its top 100 New Zealand TV shows of the 21st century, sparking plenty of debate about what truly deserved the top spot. This week, The Spinoff senior writer and Top 100 listmaster Alex Casey is joined by a panel of TV fanatics – Kura Forrester, Rhiannon McCall, Stewart Sowman-Lund and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith – for a special Behind The Story recorded live event at Q Theatre in Auckland. Together, they’ll unearth some beloved TV gems and make their cases for their all-time favourite local TV show, with the live audience helping choose a new winner.

Listen here, on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.