Parents who have had it drilled into them that their under-10s will fall behind if they don’t homeschool all day are stressing out. There’s absolutely no need to, and teachers agree. Today marks a return to school for most primary school kids in New Zealand, except that they won’t be returning anywhere. It’s groundhog day … Read more
Wondering how to spend a long weekend when you can’t leave the house? Emily Writes has a guide to all the other wild documentary series you could watch. Netflix’s true crime/poverty porn series Tiger King is a hit, there’s no doubt about it. It’s been the streaming service’s most popular title for nine days straight … Read more
A tape recording in a brown paper bag recently landed in Emily Writes’ letterbox. After thoroughly disinfecting it she was shocked to discover what it contained. Today was a normal day, day 8,271 of the lockdown, and I saw there was a parcel in the letterbox. Knowing a trip to the letterbox would be the … Read more
Netflix’s four-part series Unorthodox traces a woman’s escape from a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn. Emily Writes considers the lessons we can all learn from her journey. There was a moment watching Netflix’s miniseries Unorthodox when I felt like I was actually in Berlin, where much of the show is set. I felt hope and … Read more
Emily Writes talks to teenagers about how the level four restrictions are affecting them, and asks how they can be better supported. There are unfortunately so many terrible stereotypes about teenagers, but Gen Z might just be our most resilient generation yet. Struggling through feelings of helplessness around climate change, they started a movement to make … Read more
Tips on how television can help educate your kids, for parents who have to keep working. It feels as if a great many parents are simply flourishing during this lockdown with fairy gardens, bird song and mason jars, daily bongo drum dancing and essays written by three-year-old prodigies about how satisfying it is to be … Read more
Emily Writes speaks to children throughout the country about how they’re feeling right now and what advice they might have for grown-ups. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members here. About one third of New Zealand households have children. And today those … Read more
The job is always hard enough. Here are some ways to think about how to handle it changing. As I write this my son is a donut. His best friend Billie is a foot. They are chatting to each other on Facebook video, trying out different filters. They’re cackling away to each other and my … Read more
When people feel like they have no control over their lives – like in the midst of a global pandemic – the comforting certainty of conspiracy theories seems increasingly attractive. Today I fell down a rabbit hole of rabid Trump supporters who are convinced Covid-19 is both a hoax and also Trump’s greatest moment as … Read more
We’re excited to announce the launch of Emily Writes Weekly, a new paid newsletter by The Spinoff in collaboration with Emily Writes, landing in subscribers’ inboxes every Thursday evening. Below she explains what it is – and why it costs money. It has been five years since I wrote my first blog post. It’s easy … Read more
The fear you carry over this virus is the fear those of us who have children with compromised immune systems carry all the time, says Emily Writes. Standing at the empty aisles in Pak n Save a woman turned to me and said – “well great – there’s no hand sanitiser, what am I going … Read more
‘Over the last six months I’ve realised there are always more tears.’ In August, Emily Writes wrote about the tough months following her son’s hospitalisation and diagnosis. This is what’s happened since. Part 1: Ward One: Emily Writes on love and fear and hope at her son’s hospital bed Six months ago I was holding … Read more
News broke today that Hannah Tamaki is rumoured to have been cast for the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars. Emily Writes explains why the religious leader and aspirant politician has no place on the show. Update, 25 February, 4.30pm: Mediaworks has announced that Hannah Tamaki has been dropped from the new season of … Read more
We need to challenge those who minimise the actions of rapists based on the gender or ages of their victims, argues Emily Writes. Content warning: this article contains descriptions of sexual assault. News out of Australia of another college supporting a sexual predator is as unsurprising as it is horrific. Victims of sexual assault, regardless … Read more
Emily Writes reviews the now infamous orgasm episode of the even more infamous Netflix show The Goop Lab. It was four days after the fourth person asked me to review the orgasm episode of Netflix’s The Goop Lab that I finally sat down to watch it. I don’t like Gwyneth Paltrow but I also don’t … Read more
Yes, the capital’s having a shithouse summer, but there are plenty of reasons to look on the bright side, says Emily Writes. The world-famous Routeburn Track will be closed for the “foreseeable future” and Milford Track is staying shut for at least a few more weeks after terrible storms hit the south. Mataura, Gore, Wyndham … Read more
With school swimming pools continuing to close across the country, it’s never been more difficult for a New Zealand child to learn to swim. Today many families will stand at the school gates and send their little ones off to school, some for the first time. That mixture of fear, pride, and excitement mixed with … Read more
Emily Writes visits Flick Electric Co’s HQ to learn why they think having dogs in the office hasn’t just made their workplace happier, it’s made them more productive too. Nobody is quite sure how Flick HQ in Wellington became a dog office. Apparently, someone brought their pup in. Then another person did. Then another. Georgina … Read more
It can be near impossible for many New Zealanders to afford the most meagre of holidays. But there is an answer, and that answer turns out to be: go foraging berries. Emily Writes explains. Stuff published a fantastic article by Josephine Franks the other day. The rise of ‘holiday hunger’: The Kiwis who can’t afford … Read more
My name is Eddie and I’m seven and my mum said I have to write about my school holidays and I just want to play Minecraft. I love swimming so these are the best places for swimming by me Eddie. Eddie: Kilbirnie pool is new now but the only thing that’s new are the water … Read more
Emily Writes got to meet the contestants in the new Bachelorette NZ show, and boy were their teeth shiny. The Bachelorette NZ airs at the end of this month, so it’s definitely time to find out more about the men who will feature in this show that you will complain about on Twitter but definitely … Read more
The Spinoff’s royal correspondents report live from the thick of the Megxit fallout. The shock announcement by Prince Harry of Sussex Windsor Buckingham and Meghan Markle Sussex Windsor Buckingham Hull to step down from parades and waving from carriages has shocked the world. We are providing 24-hour news coverage of this fascinating event from our … Read more
The new Apple TV+ fantasy series is utterly nonsensical and suffers from a severe lack of sexiness. Still, Emily Writes can’t quit it. It will come as no surprise that I was absolutely frothing about Jason Momoa’s new show See. So much so that I signed up to Apple TV+ as soon as it came … Read more
The scale of the horror in Australia right now can be hard for kids to process. Emily Writes explains what she’s been doing with her own sons to help them feel a little less afraid. My sister and niece and nephews live in Sydney and my brother, uncles, and grandmother live in Queensland. I was … Read more
Summer reissue: A column this year pondered why anyone would work in fencing, but it applies to much of manual labour. With her husband’s permission, Emily Writes shares his story of what an honest living really is. First published on 1 February 2019 “Fencing sounds like a great way to make an honest living, but you … Read more
Summer reissue: Your house might be tidy but now you’re surrounded by garbage bags full of all of your KonMari’d shit. What do you do? Emily Writes looks for answers. First published on 10 January, 2019. My house was as messy as my life is – which is to say very messy. But then I … Read more
Ada is a dog with a very unusual, life-saving skill: warning her diabetic owner that her blood glucose levels are getting dangerously low or high. All dogs are good dogs, but Ada is a very special dog. The seven-year-old husky is New Zealand’s first Diabetic Response Dog. Ada’s owner Vicki Parry was diagnosed with type 1 … Read more
For a lot of people, there’s not much joy to be found at Christmas. Emily Writes spoke to Dr Sarah Bell-Booth and Gwendoline Smith about how to deal with the hard stuff in the face of all that relentless holiday cheer. Despite my anxiety, I generally enjoy Christmas now that I can do it on … Read more
Emily Writes reviews Frozen 2, the new movie that your kids will be watching until the end of time. The wind was howling like a swirling storm inside as I stood outside the Embassy with my two children. The line to see Frozen 2 stretched out onto the street. Hundreds of Elsas and Annas and parents … Read more