Alex Casey 
Alex Casey goes on a hunt to find the rarest $10 note in the land. I’ve always been really good at finding money. Not in the useful, fiscal hole kind of a way, but in the literal, frequently picks up bottle caps thinking they are 50c coins kind of a way. Last year, a car … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her fourth power rankings for The Bachelorette NZ, where the red flags are raised and lads are crazed. Click here for previous instalments. In the words of Tavita, I simply did not expect everyone to open up so hectically this week. We had men weeping, we had twists and turns, we had … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her third power rankings for The Bachelorette NZ, where it’s double trouble and Glenn turns to rubble. Click here for previous instalments. Even though I called it months ago, I still can’t breathe properly when I think about how good it is to have Lily McManus joining Doctor Lesina on this television … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her second batch of power rankings after the first dramatic week of The Bachelorette NZ. Click here for the first instalment. Two Bachelorettes. Two. Bachelorettes. The room is spinning, the floor is lava, my nose is running worse than Brendon’s post red-carpet because I have been crying and laughing hysterically since I … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her first-impression power rankings after episode one of The Bachelorette NZ. Isn’t it incredible what a difference five years makes? Since the first season of The Bachelor NZ, Art Green has found the love of his life, written a book, married the love of his life, launched a business, bought a house, … Read more
Alex Casey counts down more of The Mad Butcher’s maddest Insta-breakfasts, with bonus commentary from The Butch himself. We live in very uncertain times. We don’t know what the future of our planet looks like, we don’t know if Minou and Jay-Jay will ever see each other again and we can’t even be sure that … Read more
Pool toys are cool for the summer, but don’t do so well in landfill. Alex Casey meets a woman trying to prolong the life of New Zealand’s novelty inflatables. If Instagram is any indication of real life, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the human race is currently being ruled by giant inflatable swans, blow-up … Read more
With less than two weeks until the premiere of The Bachelorette NZ, Alex Casey runs through the full list of male suitors. We’ve got less than two weeks until The Bachelorette NZ starts on TVNZ and I am bloody fizzing. Without getting too ahead of myself, I am convinced that this will be the best … Read more
Over the weekend, Sir Ian McKellen resurfaced the extensive blog that he produced while filming The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand. Alex Casey plucks out the most wholesome highlights. It’s pretty cool that in the 20 years that have passed since Sir Ian McKellen posted his first blog about The Lord of the … Read more
It’s a Kiwi tradition fraught with outrage, red tape and injury. It’s also really bloody fun. Alex Casey takes a look back at the evolution of the lolly scramble in New Zealand. Legend tells of an impromptu lolly scramble that rocked the Wellington art scene in a matter of seconds. The year was 2003, and … Read more
Turns out that a lot of people are very mad at a lot of our iconic tourist attractions. This summer will go down in history as the first time that I stood in the shadow of the mighty L&P bottle in Paeroa. The rumours are true – I have never seen a botty so big. … Read more
Summer reissue: In the week that a woman was told her bikini was “inappropriate” to wear at an Auckland pool, Alex Casey provided some much-needed reminders for women wearing clothes everywhere. First published on 9 April 2019 Women, you probably already know this but… you’re wrong. Your clothes are wrong, your togs are wrong, whatever … Read more
Summer reissue: The $800 per ticket, council-funded festival of ‘creative collisions’ has been cancelled and the company behind it has gone bust. Alex Casey reports. This story was first published on 17 June, 2019. The first problem was that nobody knew how to say it. Without any discernible vowels, pronouncing WLG-X, the name of a … Read more
Summer reissue: Alex Casey goes down a YouTube rabbit hole to try and find the best New Zealand advertising jingle ever created. This post was originally published on 28 May, 2019. It happened without warning. Staring into my simmering bolognese last week, something came over me. I turned slowly, the harsh kitchen lights dimming to … Read more
Around 2pm every day this week, The Spinoff counts down the 100 most iconic local television moments of the 2010s. Today, moments 20-1. Previously: The 100 NZ TV moments of the decade, #100 – #81 The 100 NZ TV moments of the decade, #80 – #61 The 100 NZ TV moments of the decade, #60 … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Josh Thomson about his satanic transformation in tonight’s Wellington Paranormal Christmas special on TVNZ2. There’s a scene in the Wellington Paranormal Christmas special tonight that is sure to cheer up even the grizzliest of Christmas grinches. Due to a clerical error, Tawa Mall has accidentally booked Satan instead of Santa and … Read more
Alex Casey looks back at 10 years of reality television in New Zealand, a genre which reflected both our viewing habits and the good, bad and ugly sides of our national character. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling like watching television in 2019 has become kind of a stressful chore. What used to be … Read more
If you want to shock and amaze your friends and family this Christmas, look no further than the deep recesses of $1 reserve Trade Me. Folks, I’m going to let you in on a huge Christmas secret here: you can get all your presents for $1 if you know where to look. And not just … Read more
It’s been a Sunday morning staple for Kiwi kids for decades, but What Now may be facing new challenges in the era of social media. New Zealand children’s show What Now has utilised many different ways of engaging with its young audience over the past 38 years. Whether it was getting kids to write in … Read more
Christmas is celebrated by many as a time of joy and togetherness, but the holiday season can also add a whole new set of pressures for Kiwis living in need. Alex Casey talks to three charities who are working with The Warehouse this Christmas to lighten the load for those who need it most. Sometimes, … Read more
Alex Casey goes in search of the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth. If you’ve been anywhere near Instagram this year, you are probably familiar with this image. An influencer – perhaps a woman with a messy bun and a no-makeup makeup look, or a bronzed man with a six pack lounging … Read more
Alex Casey dissects the most exciting and enticing New Zealand pop culture news of 2019. I know, I know. This story could just be the headline and it would probably win an award. This story could just be a tweet and it would get upwards of 10 likes. But, folks, it’s pure hell out there … Read more
Don’t get sucked in by the jovial banter and the sausage sizzle with Jacinda Ardern. Stephen Colbert is an international criminal mastermind who must be stopped. New Zealand is fizzing today with the exciting news that someone from another country has noticed that we exist. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired the first part … Read more
Alex Casey goes on a journey to find out all there is to know about what a “normal” vulva looks like. Spoiler alert: there are many, many versions of normal. The funniest and most embarrassing thing anyone has ever said to me in my whole life happened during my very first smear test. I was … Read more
As TVNZ celebrate 50 years of network news this week, Alex Casey celebrates 50 of the most iconic looks that otherwise might be left forgotten. This week, as TVNZ celebrates 50 years of network news, there will be much time devoted to the stories that stopped the nation. Plumes of smoke billowing out of Mt … Read more
Could beloved reality star Lily McManus be joining The Bachelorette NZ? Alex Casey assesses the evidence. UPDATE 30/1/2020: After last night’s tease that a mysterious second woman will be joining The Bachelorette NZ, an eagle-eyed viewer sent in this compelling side-by-side knee tattoo comparison. It’s a hard time to be a lover of reality romance … Read more
Local lingerie brand Lonely is well-known for celebrating a diverse range of bodies and preaching messages of inclusion and body positivity. So why are they deleting comments and blocking users offering critical feedback on their size range? New Zealand lingerie brand Lonely has received criticism online for preaching messages of body positivity and acceptance, despite … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Wellington-born Thomasin McKenzie, Sylvanian Family enthusiast and star of Jojo Rabbit. At just 19, Thomasin McKenzie has already played a sexual assault survivor, a cancer patient and a Jewish teenager hiding in the walls during WW2. I was pleased to see her enjoying a day off on her mum’s Instagram the … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Leigh Hart about the return of Late Night Big Breakfast, the finest morning TV parody show New Zealand has ever made. Late Night Big Breakfast is set to return to TVNZ in 2020 after a five year hiatus, creator and comedian Leigh Hart has confirmed. Filmed in a fully-operational Target furniture … Read more