Tara Ward sets out on a valiant quest to find the best apple in Aotearoa. The idea that every apple is a good apple is fake news. We’ve all got stories about shit experiences with apples, when it looked good on the outside but it was a floury disaster zone on the inside, or it … Read more
Tara Ward talks to three creative Kiwis who’ve been spurred on by their favourite TV show to some gloriously niche things. Some people reckon television is a bad influence, but to them I say, turn on The Chase and chill out. I’ll put up with having square eyes and a rotten brain, as long as … Read more
Welcome back to hell for a special episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, where we finally discover what makes Aunt Lydia tick. Spoiler: it’s karaoke. Tara Ward recaps season 3, episode 8. On the basis of this episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, I reckon karaoke is to blame for everything in Gilead. This week we were … Read more
Only a few days ago, all was quiet and calm. And then, out of the blue, a series of culinary news stories hit that soon had New Zealand frothing at the mouth. Tara Ward reviews the wreckage. New Zealand, we need to talk. We’ve gone mad. Food mad. Last week, we were hit with a … Read more
It was another wacky week in our favourite dystopia with some walking, some dancing and a whole lot of shouting. Tara Ward recaps the latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. Let’s not beat around the dystopian bush, because this was an unusual episode. It was made up of a weird mish-mash of events, like June … Read more
In a surprise twist that left contestants stunned, Stu and Amy returned to The Block NZ this week. But are they here to stay, and if not, who should replace them? Tara Ward has some ideas. The ground shifted, panelling fell off the walls, and mustard throws everywhere self-combusted in shock when 2018 champions Stu and … Read more
Aunt Lydia’s pumped, Fred’s pumped, we’re all pumped for this week’s episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. Tara Ward recaps episode six of season three. The Handmaid’s Tale loves a good prayer situation, and this week we had them coming out our ears. Let us bow down before the TV gods and pray this is the episode … Read more
The Feijoa Club is a new Kiwi children’s comedy that launched on Hei Hei this week. Tara Ward checked it out, and reckons it’s one of the best home-grown shows to hit our screens in a long time. Gather ye feijoas while ye may, but make sure all your eyes are on Hei Hei’s The … Read more
Tara Ward power-ranks our nation’s most valuable, revenue-generating resource: Our big-ass rural monuments. Big Monuments are taking over the nation. No town is safe, no highway untouched by their enormous limbs and massive beaks and enormous carroty girths. We’re obsessed with these oversized symbols of Kiwi identity, and it’s time we celebrated them for what … Read more
Welcome back to another week of Gilead hijinks, as Serena takes a quick trip to Canada, June discovers the power of a mixtape and Fred has another dumb idea. Tara Ward recaps episode five, season three of The Handmaid’s Tale. There’s not a second in June’s day where she’s not worrying about something. Will I … Read more
It’s the biggest question in public art: which of these strolling sculptures would smash the other? Tara Ward plays referee. Who would win in a fight: Boy Walking or Giant Hand? It’s a question that’s perplexed both scientists and statues for at least a week, and a mystery so consuming I will never rest until … Read more
Sound the alarm, evacuate the building and douse the entire city of Auckland in flame-proof retardant, because The Block NZ is back, and this season is: Firehouse! The Block NZ returns tonight for its eighth glorious season, which Mark Richardson promises will be “the most challenging season of The Block, EVER”. Exsqueeze me, Mark Richardson, I sat through two episodes last … Read more
There ain’t no party like a Gilead party, as June enjoys a dedication, a mobility scooter and some poolside plotting in this week’s episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. Tara Ward recaps. Say what you will about Gilead, but they bloody love a straight line. This week’s episode was a masterpiece of order and symmetry, as … Read more
An innovative new roading system is being trialled in New Plymouth that could reduce the amount of plastic sent to landfill. It’s a New Zealand-first, so Tara Ward got up close and personal with the road to see what all the fuss is about. The fair city of New Plymouth made the news this … Read more
Stan Walker just made Postie (nee Plus) cool again, but he’s not the first celeb brand ambassador to raise our collective eyebrows. Tara Ward takes a trip down New Zealand’s weird and wonderful celebrity endorsement highway. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, and Postie (nee Plus) wants to thank us for buying a … Read more
British reality TV sensation Love Island is back on NZ screens, this season at the extremely questionable time of 5pm. But what is it? And why are people so obsessed? Shave a heart amongst the wild thickets of my hairy back, for I am ready for love. I am ready for some steamy summer loving, … Read more
In the words of wise old owl Aunt Lydia, good things come to those who wait. Tara Ward recaps the first three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale season three. Just as tinned tomatoes arrived in the supermarkets of Gilead, our own personal apocalypse was today blessed with three episodes of a brand new season of The … Read more
LEGO Masters Australia is a new show that will grab you by the heart with its extendable Technic arm and never let go. Before LEGO Masters, Lego was nothing to me. It was an evil beast that gave me the shits when I stood on it in bare feet at 3am, and I took great … Read more
A close reading of the brand new, oddly hopeful trailer for season three of The Handmaid’s Tale. The latest trailer for the new season of The Handmaid’s Tale got me so excited that I inhaled half a pack of Chocolate Finger biscuits in approximately ten seconds. Then I felt bad because Serena Joy had a finger … Read more
Over Easter, Prime aired a piece of slow television gold: Go South. Tara Ward watched the whole thing. First published on 23 April 2019 It was five and a half hours into an epic 12 hour journey through New Zealand when I saw it: a giant cat, randomly standing on the platform of the Christchurch train station. … Read more
Yesterday Starz released a promo photo for Season 5 of Outlander, and the world shifted on its axis. And breaking news: Jamie Fraser’s wig is finally perfect, writes Tara Ward. We’re crossing live to the 18th Century, where Outlander hero Jamie Fraser has been survived some terrible things. He has loved and lost. He’s been battered and … Read more
There are two weeks; 14 days; 336 hours of school holidays to fill. What better way to fill it than a bunch of great TV? Tara Ward runs down the best TV and movies on Lightbox to watch with your kids these school holidays. It’s school holiday time again, which means the children of Aotearoa … Read more
What is Newton’s Law, or more important who is Newton and what is her law? Tara Ward has the lowdown on Newton’s Law, which you can watch on Lightbox right now. What’s it about? Josephine Newton is a brilliant Melbourne lawyer. She spends her days in court as a small-time solicitor, advocating for the suburban underdogs charged with … Read more
Blessed be the fruit loaf, The Great British Bake Off is back. Tara Ward relives the best moments from episode one of the new season of the world’s kindest TV show. We could all do with a warm and fluffy escape right now. Last week I ate my way through more packets of Toffee Pops … Read more
At the end of a long week of anger and sorrow, you may need something soothing from your TV screen. If that’s the case, we can help. After the horrific events of last Friday in Christchurch, writing about television seems frivolous. But, if we use the power of television for good, it can offer us … Read more
Changing Rooms was a 90s DIY show like no other. After this year’s Australian Changing Rooms reboot crashed due to low ratings, Tara Ward relives the glory days of the UK original. This year’s Australian reboot of Changing Rooms came and went from our screens quicker than you could turn a piece of MDF into a hanging shelf … Read more
In honour of International Women’s Day, Tara Ward rounds up the best BFFs you can hang out with through the screen. Not only are women taking over an entire day in the calendar, they’re taking over the bloody television too. Better living everyone, because TV keeps giving us brilliant and amazing women inspire us, make … Read more
There’s a lot to love about the acclaimed comedy-drama Better Things, which returns to Lightbox for a third season this Friday. Tara Ward takes at look what the show gets right about parenting. Better Things heroine Sam Fox reckons that if she was to ever name her home, it’d be called ‘Tiny Assholes With Vaginas’. … Read more
With a new season of the much-loved drama Cold Feet beginning next week on TVNZ on Demand, Tara Ward takes a trip down memory lane to remind us all why it remains such an iconic show. 2003 was a shit year for television heroines. I spent the year in a chronic state of dehydration, first … Read more