Cigarettes, once sold in brightly coloured packets that were highly appealing to children, will now be drab and mostly covered by dire warnings. The Spinoff’s smoking correspondent Alex Braae reviews the new plain packaging. I remember watching New Zealand play in the Benson and Hedges cricket World Series when I was a kid. In fact, … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Madeleine Chapman winces while watching cycleway protester Lisa Prager swing a hammer. As Lisa Prager diligently swung her sledgehammer over and over again in an attempt to break a concrete block, my back started to hurt. She was side … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Casey cracks open a can of horror in Fanta’s new Jelly Fizz drink. It’s time to admit that Big Fanta has gone too far. I entertained their past endeavours into grape and lime with a wry smile. I … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Ātea editor Leonie Hayden taste tests the new Heartland hāngi flavoured chips. Heartland potato chips are my favourite potato chips, hands down. They’re often on sale, not too oily and are a sturdy, low-breakage chip which makes them great … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, does the celebrated new bakery from the Orphan’s Kitchen team live up to the Instagram hype? The good burghers of Point Chevalier have been spoiled over the last couple of years. Excellent cafes like Twisted Tomato, the Beach Cafe … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, an anonymous staffer reviews the official merchandise of the former First Son. On a sunny Saturday afternoon in December last year I sat outside my flat, sweating into my phone, too ashamed to put my name on an order … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, José Barbosa and photographer Joel Thomas plunge into suburbia to bear witness to the majesty of west Auckland’s Christmas displays. It’s the time of year when Auckland’s bail the family up into their Swifts or Pathfinders and go to … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Henry Oliver drinks a Crate Day’s worth of LaCroix, millennials’ favourite sparkling water, which has just arrived in New Zealand. Napkins are dead: to begin with. And crowdfunding is dead. McWraps are dead. Golf, holidays, the wine cork, they … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, staff from The Spinoff gorge themselves on giant pieces of fried chicken. Before you read this review, go somewhere you can listen to this at the same time. Trust us. Today The Spinoff lunched on more than $50 of … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, José Barbosa suffers pure horror in the form of Hamilton Gardens’ trauma-inducing scarecrows. Hamilton gets ribbed a lot, but the city has at least two things going for it: 1) the mighty Waikato River (why was the city built … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Casey reviews Halloween night at Horrorfest NZ. Say what you will about Freddy Krueger, but the man is very well-situated to point out a toilet at a crowded event. Our gazes followed his long, sharpened knife finger all … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, the Spinoff’s resident youths Madeleine Chapman and Don Rowe try out the latest summer beverage. Don: So it turns out Coke events are a lot like Coke advertisements – beautiful people standing around just generally stoked about living a … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Madeleine Chapman’s life is changed by mi goreng potato chips. Before you start reading, please think back to your strongest and fondest mi goreng memory. If you don’t have one, get one. If you don’t want one, leave. In … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Madeleine Chapman finds an old friend on the road. We all like to pretend we love long walks, but have you ever walked the length of the country to prove it? Finn Egan is three weeks into his estimated … Read more
With It smashing box office records and filling pants everywhere, a bunch of Spinoff clowns went to the flicks to put the horror film to the test. This is their story. Huge horror fan Madeleine Chapman was not scared at all even in the slightest I don’t watch horror movies because I’m scared of them … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, utter boor Don Rowe attends the theatre. Pour me a pinot and call me Simon Wilson, cause I think I like the theatre now! Last night’s Matilda was both my first play and first musical, ever – a fact … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: In celebration of Thane and Dunc’s anniversary party – held tonight at an Auckland strip club – Emily Writes reviews The Rock’s website. Because usually she loves The Rock. My husband has listened to The Rock for as long … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, in this men-only post, we salute a man ad for a man house. This post is for men only. Ladies, please close the window. Move over, man cave. Get ready to swipe your man card for the mansion. The … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today Simon Day asks: is Duck Island Ice Cream the greatest thing the Tron has ever produced? Hamilton has suffered from an image problem for decades. Suffocated beneath the weight of its own branding, the legendary city slogan “More than … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Don Rowe surveys the chaos at the 66th Annual All Breeds Cat Show. You know what they say: nothing fixes a hangover like the hair of the cat, and so I took my hangover to a cat show at … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Don Rowe worships at the temple of roti, K’ Rd Malaysian joint Warisan Uncle Man’s. In the late 80s, more than eight thousand kilometres from Auckland city, a tradition of roti excellence began. The venerable Uncle Man, a humble … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today The Spinoff’s general manager Kerryanne Nelson visits Specsavers on Auckland’s main street. I’d been having headaches on and off for a few months. I just thought it was part of life with a toddler and a job, so I … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. This time, Pani Chapman (staff writer Madeleine Chapman’s mum) reviews the best cooked taro in Wellington. I’m always looking out for the best cooked taro in Wellington because taro is my favourite food. My children try to tell me that … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: Sam Brooks reviews the West Side Story touring blockbuster spectacle. I consider myself a big fan of musicals. I listen to them more than your average homosexual, I try and see a few every year, and I wish I … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: Calum Henderson tries the New Zealand sweetie fusion to (hopefully) end all New Zealand sweetie fusions. “Oh they haven’t, have they?” – Toby Manhire, Spinoff Politics editor, 9:15am Oh yes they have. Pascall – the confectionery company owned by … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: José Barbosa reflects on an essential item of his wardrobe. First, let’s get something straight: this hat is fucking dope. It has dope embroidered on the front in mint-as gold thread. The ‘O’ of the dope is extra wide and … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: Sam Brooks on his favourite bowling-alley-in-a-multiplex-bar, Metrolanes. “Where are the dive bars in Auckland?” A visitor to this fair city asked me that recently. I assumed by dive bar they meant ‘an empty bar with cheap alcohol’ rather than … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: Madeleine Chapman makes a pilgrimage to the frenzy-sparking new Kmart in the Hutt. The staff at the newly opened Kmart in Petone wave green pool noodles in the air to signal an available checkout. It’s funny, it’s genius, and it’s exactly … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: Don Rowe reviews a subscription toothbrush. I do my best to avoid checking the mailbox and thus my first Freshbrush was partially eaten by snails. In hindsight that’s actually quite an endorsement though because I eat bamboo too and find it … Read more