Madeleine Chapman 
On Sunday, a rocket was launched into orbit off the Māhia Peninsula by Rocket Labs, an aerospace manufacturing company founded by New Zealander Peter Beck. Madeleine Chapman watched the full livestream and reports the highlights. I love a space movie. Anything that involves people emotionally trying not to die in the incomprehensible expanse that is … Read more
The Moana soundtrack can be heard anywhere; in Countdown, at the movies, blasting from the car next to you at the Royal Oak roundabout. Madeleine Chapman sat down with one of the men responsible for the movie’s music, Opetaia Foa’i, to talk Disney, collaboration, and knowing when to draw the line. I spotted Opetaia Foa’i in Ponsonby … Read more
Every office has at least one grinch, it’s a fact of life. But can an office grinch be converted into a festive fanatic? Madeleine Chapman tries her darnedest. I’ve always held onto the stubborn belief that nobody truly hates Christmas. They might think they hate Christmas, but really they just hate effort. Yes, I’m well … Read more
A massage therapist was convicted in November 2017 of indecent assault against 14 women during massages they purchased through the voucher site GrabOne. Madeleine Chapman reports. Trigger warning: the following story contains descriptions of indecent assault. The only other spectator in courtroom nine at the Auckland District Court had yet to open her eyes. She … Read more
J. Cole plays Spark Arena and seems to have no idea how much his fans love him. There’s something about rap crowds. It’s a pride in knowing every single lyric of every single song an artist has released, even the old, obscure ones. Especially the old, obscure ones. The real fans were out in full … Read more
With 2017 coming to a close, one brave fisherman has thrown his hat in the Worst Opinions ring with a rant against te reo and those who dare speak it. Madeleine Chapman responds. You might be thinking that the Spinoff publishing responses to bad columns is getting old. But so are these columnists and that … Read more
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is the star of Arnott’s latest ad and film campaign. Madeleine Chapman attended the premiere and still doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be. Something big is happening at Arnott’s. In August they released two “trailers” to a supposed real-life film starring notorious great-but-boring person Steve Hansen in a quest … Read more
New Zealand’s top broadcaster has been on a journey since Winston Peters went left. Madeleine Chapman charts the Hosk’s passage through Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief. The takes have been coming in hot since Winston Peters rose ceremony’d the entire country and chose to marry Labour (and adopt their large adult son called the Greens). But … Read more
Migos performed in New Zealand for the first time at Spark Arena last night. Old soul Madeleine Chapman went along to see what the youths have been raving about. Walking towards Spark Arena for the Migos concert, my cousin Shanee and I ducked into a dimly lit doorway to prepare for the security checks that … Read more
The national secondary school basketball champs have been newly crowned, but more importantly, a star was brought to the fore. Madeleine Chapman introduces New Zealand basketball’s newest superstar. Charlisse Leger-Walker, a year 11 student at St Peters College in Cambridge, is the best school-aged basketball player New Zealand has ever seen. The Grand Final of … Read more
If the Beehive were a US college, Winston Peters would be the It Girl with multiple suitors. Madeleine Chapman presents a guided tour through Peters’ relationship options as the Hot Girl on Campus. While New Zealand twiddles its collective thumbs and stares longingly at Beehive windows, Winston Peters is meeting with teams from Labour and … Read more
London Grammar played live in Auckland for the first time on Saturday. Madeleine Chapman was at Spark Arena to see it unfold. There were technical issues at the London Grammar concert. I know this because the wait between the opener James Vincent McMorrow and the main act was 45 minutes. I also know this because … Read more
As part of the The Spinoff’s social enterprise series, Madeleine Chapman attempted to use only the most woke businesses for a week’s worth of consumption. It wasn’t easy but she was left uplifted. A week of living entirely from the fruits of social enterprises would be fun, is what I said aloud at work … Read more
New Zealand’s newest and fanciest KFC opened on Fort St in Auckland this week. Vocal KFC fan Madeleine Chapman was there to experience the magic. I showed up to the new KFC opening on Fort St wearing a KFC sweatshirt, KFC trackpants, and a KFC beanie. The security guard at the door was checking names … Read more
Madeleine Chapman becomes bewitched by a new television phenomenon: people reacting to Don Brash on current affairs panels. This morning Don Brash, former leader of the National Party and current bad person, was on The AM Show alongside writer Verity Johnson. The topic was the Māori Party and I guess every single other person in the country … Read more
Election day isn’t just for voting, there are countless rules to follow between the hours of 12am and 7pm on September 23rd. Professional voter Madeleine Chapman spells them out. At 11:59pm on Friday September 22nd, New Zealand will be as it has been for the past two months. Drowning in a swamp of an election, … Read more
With the release of a new album and a NZ show coming up, Madeleine Chapman spoke to London Grammar’s Dot Major to find out just what’s been happening for the past four years. Scroll to the bottom if you’re just here for the free tickets. I never would have thought there was a place for … Read more
Climate change is a harsh reality for the Pacific Islands. After travelling to the Solomon Islands to meet the communities already affected by climate change, Madeleine Chapman looks at New Zealand’s responsibility in the region and the campaign for the Zero Carbon Act. There’s a completely unfounded and illogical belief among humans that, at the … Read more
Political scandals are popping up everywhere but what the people really want is cold, hard stats. So Madeleine Chapman went along to the Labour and National campaign launches and crunched only the most important numbers. Campaign launches. How important are they in an election? This is a genuine question because, until recently, I’d never been to … Read more
Climate change is a harsh reality for the Pacific Islands. Madeleine Chapman travelled to the Solomon Islands with World Vision to meet the communities whose lives are already being upturned by climate change. The homes at the Lord Howe settlement are well built. So much so that it took me by surprise when we entered … Read more
Traversing through the seven circles of hell that is social media has been made a journey of redemption this week, thanks to a beautiful, beautiful try at the Rugby World Cup. Madeleine Chapman breaks it down frame by frame. Is there anyone on this godforsaken planet who doesn’t enjoy a highlights video? It doesn’t matter … Read more
Climate change is a harsh reality for the Pacific Islands. Madeleine Chapman travelled to the Solomon Islands with World Vision to meet the communities whose lives are already being upturned by climate change. At 105 years old, Stewart can remember a time when his island wasn’t underwater. At 105 years old, he can remember a … Read more
Ahead of the release of their seventh studio album Sleep Well Beast, The National frontman Matt Berninger spoke to superfan Madeleine Chapman about their new look, politics in music, and why Ed Sheeran got to cameo on Game of Thrones and he didn’t. I’ve never considered myself a melancholic person. In fact I’d go so … Read more
Climate change is harsh reality for the Pacific Islands. Madeleine Chapman travelled to the Solomon Islands with World Vision to meet the communities whose lives are already being upturned by climate change. The skipper navigated our banana boat through wooden posts that shot out of the ocean like tombstones. Beyond them, on an island no … Read more
Getting young voters engaged in political discourse is a challenge no NZ party has yet cracked. Could memes save the day? Madeleine Chapman leads a guided tour. At age five, most children are able to detect sarcasm and identify it as humour. By age ten, they’re able to differentiate between sarcastic and ironic humour. And somewhere … Read more
The largest collection of pinball machines in the country resides in a Pukekohe family home. Madeleine Chapman visited the Peck family to see it in the plastic flesh. I tried to look nonchalant as the small metal ball rolled around the bumpers, hit a spring, and shot right down the middle, missing both flappers and … Read more
BBC have announced that the 13th Doctor in Doctor Who will be played by a mere human woman and men are not happy. Sadly, this isn’t the first time a woman has committed an act of violence against thousands of men. Madeleine Chapman ranks the worst of them. There’s nothing worse than blatantly miscasting a fictional … Read more
Rising Hollywood star Ansel Elgort has a reputation for being kind of bad. Madeleine Chapman met him to find out the truth. Ansel Elgort sounds like a douchebag. He’s 23 and famous, with a Vogue photographer for a dad and an opera director for a mum. He grew up rich in New York and skipped all … Read more
To celebrate 25 years of making music together, former child band Hanson played a single concert at Auckland Town Hall. Madeleine Chapman went along with a stranger she met while eating dinner. Despite my outsized confidence in the reliability of my friends and family, on Tuesday night I found myself eating at Nando’s, about to … Read more