What are you going to be watching in December? The Spinoff rounds up everything that’s coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand. The biggies Industry (season 1 on Neon from December 2) Think of the finance industry on film and you probably think of masters … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for December 1. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.10pm: The day in sum There were three new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation, and the Ministry of Health issued a warning to be vigilant during the Christmas party season Auckland mayor Phil Goff released a proposal for a rates … Read more
Visitors travel from far and wide to Northland’s Waipoua Forest, home of Tāne Mahuta, one of the largest trees in the world. But with the forest under threat from the spread of kauri dieback, are they putting Tāne Mahuta and his brothers and sisters at risk? Into Darkness is part of Frame, a series of short … Read more
In the third part of Coming Home, hosts Duncan Greive and Jane Yee talk to recently returned New Zealanders about the different factors that brought them home this year. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you usually listen to podcasts. We’ve heard a lot so far about the factors that have for decades driven New Zealanders to … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 30. Reach us on info@thespinoff.co.nz 7.00pm: The day in sum Worksafe has laid charges against 13 organisations and individuals in relation to last year’s Whakaari/White Island eruption. Two of those charged have been confirmed as government agencies. The government revealed its plan to double sick leave from … Read more
Michelle Kidd defines her role at Auckland’s specialist family violence court as te kaiwhakatere – the navigator. It’s a one-of-a-kind job, helping guide defendants through the court system. And there’s no one better suited to it than Whaea Michelle. Whaea Michelle is part of Frame, a series of short documentaries produced by Wrestler for The Spinoff. “If … Read more
The New Zealand housing crisis, and how to tackle it, took epistolary form yesterday in letters from the finance minister and the Reserve Bank governor. We read between the lines. Yesterday the finance minister, Grant Robertson, penned a letter to the governor of the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr, on the subject of the housing market, … Read more
In part two of Coming Home, hosts Duncan Greive and Jane Yee meet more recently returned New Zealanders and learn what factors drew them abroad and what life looked like in their new home countries. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you usually listen to podcasts. In last week’s episode, we heard about the “brain drain” … Read more
And the one change that would make it even better. It’s been on telly for 50-odd years, it frequently tops the weekly ratings and it just won best factual series at the 2020 NZ TV Awards. What is it about Country Calendar that we just can’t get enough of? José Barbosa investigates.
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 20-21. Reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz. 1.00pm: Nine new cases of Covid-19 in managed isolation The Ministry of Health has just released its daily Covid-19 update by email. Here’s what it says: There are 9 new cases of COVID-19 to report in New Zealand today, all in recent … Read more
Just as sexuality is a spectrum, so too is asexuality. In Ace of Hearts, members of New Zealand’s asexual community talk about the challenges and misconceptions of identifying as ace. Ace of Hearts is part of Frame, a series of short documentaries produced by Wrestler for The Spinoff. “A lot of people don’t take it seriously,” … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin for Tuesday November 17, today a collaborative effort by a few Spinoff editors standing in for Alex Braae. Presented in partnership with Z Energy. In today’s edition: NZ meat industry shaken by Covid claims, cabinet mandates mask use, and trio of SkyCity executives very abruptly call it quits. … Read more
Thousands of highly-skilled New Zealanders are returning from overseas as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. But why did they leave in the first place? Listen to episode one of Coming Home now. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you usually listen to podcasts. New episodes arriving weekly, brought to you by The Spinoff and Kiwibank. For … Read more
Few people outside of her campaign team gave Chlöe Swarbrick any chance of winning in Auckland Central this year – but the Green Party MP was too busy to listen. Here’s how they turned the electorate green. Three Ticks Chlöe is part of Frame, a series of short documentaries produced by Wrestler for The Spinoff. There … Read more
In new series Coming Home, Duncan Greive and Jane Yee meet some of the many highly skilled New Zealanders who’ve returned in 2020 to hear their stories and explore what their return means for all of us. The pandemic has handed New Zealand a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – how do we stop it slipping through our … Read more
On the edge of the Mataura River, a disused paper mill is filled with thousands of bags of toxic waste. Locals want to find out who’s responsible for it – and they want it gone before disaster strikes. The Paper Mill is part of Frame, a series of short documentaries produced by Wrestler for The … Read more
From a dentist’s office to a glow-worm cave to an Auckland recording studio, Toby Morris’s monthly comic The Side Eye has been everywhere in 2020. To mark a historic year, we’re launching the first edition of The Side Eye Annual, a printed collection of Morris’s Side Eye comics published on The Spinoff this year. Pre-order … Read more
Has the year 2020 taught us anything, in between all the disease and political upheaval? The Phoenix Summit asked some of New Zealand’s top creatives how their industries are changing. At the beginning of the year a new decade full of festivals, audiences and showcases was promised. By March, many people were writing off 2020 … Read more
Creative Rights = Creative Reads is a new campaign dedicated to educating Aotearoa about the crucial role that rights play for enabling local authors, illustrators and publishers. In partnership with the campaign, we’ve put together a brief explainer on what it’s all about. Art by Ezra Whittaker. Written by Toby Morris
What are you going to be watching in November? The Spinoff rounds up everything that’s coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand. The biggies The Crown (binge season 4 on Netflix from November 15) Something good was bound to happen in 2020, and the new … Read more
Yesterday Marama Davidson said that the Greens-Labour negotiations had been lubricated by the introduction of Mallowpuffs in place of Krispies. Today the Green leaders emerged from negotiations with a tray of assorted biscuits, which may or may not be a concession granted to them in return for parliamentary confidence and supply. But which biscuits are … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for October 24-26. All the latest New Zealand news, updated throughout the day. Reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz 1.00pm: No new community cases; five cases in managed isolation The Ministry of Health has just emailed through today’s Covid-19 case number update. This is how it reads: There are again no … Read more
WATCH: Newshub’s national correspondent took things to another level during Three’s election results coverage on Saturday night – here’s the supercut to prove it. Watching the election results roll in on election night is a triennial event beloved by many New Zealanders, none so much as Patrick Gower. From the second the clock ticked 7:00pm … Read more
All the news, pictures and commentary as the results roll in. Spot anything newsworthy? You can reach us at info@thespinoff.co.nz 12.30am: The night in sum Our political editor was at Labour’s event tonight, but keeping tabs on all the numbers and reactions. Read his summary of the big night here. Thanks for your company! 12.09am: Swarbrick … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s Election Live for October 17, bringing you nothing but dogs at polling booths until 7pm, after which we’ll bring you all the news from the election. Send your dogs at polling booths snaps (no humans please) to info@thespinoff.co.nz 5.50pm: Monty Don in Howick A very good name for a dog. 5.40pm: … Read more
The 2020 election campaign is coming to a close. The Spinoff followed National’s Judith Collins and Labour’s Jacinda Ardern as they travelled Auckland during the final hours of campaigning. Labour’s slogan this election is “Let’s keep moving”, but the party’s campaign got bogged down in Onehunga today as Jacinda Ardern was swamped during a walkabout. … Read more
From 7pm Saturday, the election results will ooze from the pores of democracy. Toast the franchise with our exclusive election night drinking game. It works with Raro, kombucha or something stronger. Repurpose as bingo if that’s what you’re into. Illustrations by Toby Morris. Take a sip when you hear/see “Neck and neck” “Knife edge” “Volatile” … Read more
The marginals, the bellwethers and the other places we’ll be gawking at come the close of polling in election 2020. By Alex Braae and Toby Manhire. Northland Currently held by Matt King for National, who won by a slim 1,389 votes over NZ First leader Winston Peters in 2017. Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime was a further … Read more
Ahead of the election, The Spinoff spoke to marginalised communities about the barriers they face to voting, and why it is so important they make sure their voices are heard.