Toby Manhire 
Exciting developments in one of New Zealand’s most enduring news categories: people and things getting sued by Colin Craig. The enigmatic former Conservative Party leader has reportedly threatened angry blogster Cameron Slater with legal action over the publication of a poem what he wrote. “In an email to the blogger,” reports the New Zealand Herald, “Craig … Read more
The NZ flag debate is fomenting confusion throughout the international press. Voting forms for New Zealand’s flag referendum have been dispatched by the legions of androgynous orange workers at the Electoral Commission, and the debate has returned to entertain and curse us. One point on which almost everyone, or at least those who favour a … Read more
A close hearing of history reveals the things world leaders say to one another when they think the microphones are off. This week the world reeled at the release of footage that captured small talk between US President Barack Obama and Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull at the Apec summit in Manila, during which they competed … Read more
During a quiet moment at the Apec summit in Manila, microphones picked up Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull and US President Barack Obama chatting like any pair of old geezers might, about bilaterals and what have you, and Obama has the gall to say “You actually talk to the New Zealanders?” He’s kidding, relax, he’s kidding. … Read more
The weekend events in Paris have generated millions of words in response, be it reportage, raw emotion, or analysis. Paradoxically, it is possible to feel less informed the more you take in. Here are seven pieces that we think it’s worth taking the time to read. 1. Written before the latest attacks, George Packer’s fascinating … Read more
For the second consecutive day, a group of opposition MPs has walked out of Parliamentary Question Time in protest at rulings by the speaker, David Carter, over remarks made by the Prime Minister. In the house yesterday, John Key enraged MPs who had raised concerns about New Zealand citizens in Australian detention on Christmas Island … Read more
In Geneva this week, Australian delegates appeared in a grey convention room as the UN Human Rights Council conducted its official Universal Periodic Review of the country’s human rights record. You can watch the whole thing, as it unfolded in the Palais des Nations, below, though it’s only fair to warn that it’s mostly tedious, … Read more
Craig expected to pursue legal action against Craig following Craig’s revelation about Craig. Contained within the thundering and snappily titled pamphlet Dirty Politics And Hidden Agendas: Colin Craig Vs The Dirty Politics Brigade and Their Campaign of Lies (PDF here), an unnamed interviewer speaks to someone called “Mr X”, a pottymouth insider. This morning Colin … Read more
According to a range of sources the month concluded some days ago, but let’s face it you were so high on All Black hysteria you’d not have noticed the Spinoff Politics Power Rankings had we published them any earlier. So without any further delay: the Power Rankings for the month of October and up until … Read more
Nicky Hager tells The Spinoff about his case in the High Court, Dirty Politics a year on, and his next book – “one of the most important projects that I could imagine”. Nicky Hager has been back in headlines lately after court documents revealed, among other things, that Westpac had provided his transaction statements to … Read more
Christmas Island made headlines in 2001 when the Norwegian ship MV Tampa attempted to land more than 400 asylum seekers on the Australian territory, an island nestled beneath Indonesia with a resident population of less than 2,000. For years before and after the island had been a target for so-called “boat people” travelling from Asia … Read more
Following the All Blacks’ tense victory over the Springboks early on Sunday morning, the New Zealand prime minister did what he does, and, let’s be honest, what many of us would do were we the New Zealand prime minister: he sauntered into the team’s dressing room and chewed on a beer with The Boys. Photographer … Read more
Say what you like about Judith Collins but she lacks nothing for confidence. Given the ranking of “politician” and “car salesman” in the lists of least loved professions, it takes some chutzpah for an MP to accept the role of brand ambassador for a car yard. What next? Moonlighting as a journalist? (Actually come to … Read more
Day in day out, or some weeks from Tuesday to Thursday, at least, our parliamentarians gather en masse, or about 20 of them usually, to debate matters of state in the House of Representatives. From time to time The Spinoff intends to recognise these oratorical contributions with the award of the Spinoff Golden Gob. Drawn … Read more
David Seymour rode to the rescue of publicans and pub-loving rugby fans a couple of months back when he introduced a bill enabling licensed premises to open for World Cup screenings in the early, very early and very, very early morning. Toby Manhire catches up with the one-man ACT caucus over breakfast, beer and All … Read more
At something like 5am in the Coca-Cola city, the deal was done. The nations’ representatives had presumably been reduced to 12 hangry men – or, more precisely, 11 men and one woman – and after more than five years of negotiation, squabbling and secrecy, a Partenariat Transpacifique, as they like to call it on the … Read more
Earlier today the New Zealand prime minister delivered his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Here’s the whole thingamy: It was fairly brief, as far as these sorts of things go, but we know how busy you are, so we’ve boiled it down to a snackable 100 words: Mr President. The … Read more
The month is up, and the Spinoff Politics power rankings are in. Organised arbitrarily into five gaining power and five going the other way, the completely scientific cookie crumbles like this… UPWARD 1. James Shaw / Gareth Hughes After a positive and non-partisan campaign for the Red Peak flag to be added to the plainly … Read more
Unpicking the meaning in a picture of the prime minister standing in reasonably close proximity with Potus. The New Zealand prime minister, John Key, is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, or the “UNGA games” as the event is probably not known. He had hoped to catch a moment with the US … Read more
Unnamed sources linked to the notorious Piers Gaveston Society and Edward Snowden have exclusively revealed to The Spinoff Politics clues to the process by which the Government will select a new animal to take up residence at Wellington Zoo. An independent expert panel will be appointed to consider a wide range of suitable animals for … Read more
As I write it is 3am over there, and only recently has British Twitter’s bewilderment begun to subside. Bewilderment, specifically, at the jawdropping allegations that David Cameron – you know the guy, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – once placed his penis in the mouth of a dead pig. The claim, based on … Read more
The Mighty Zuck, His Zuckness of Zuckerberg, announced this week that plucky startup Facebook was giving some serious thought to introducing a “dislike” button, for users who didn’t exactly “like” the post they were reading, but felt utterly obliged to click something. Good idea. And why stop there? Here are a bunch of other buttons … Read more
It all began with an execrable rendition of The Star Spangled Banner and went downhill from there. On and on it went, did CNN’s “three-hour debate from hell”, like some weird Ancient Greek endurance event, conducted before the mad backdrop of an old Air Force One airliner that the saintly Ronald Reagan used to get … Read more
Already I’ve banged on (and on) enough about Red Peak, so I’ll be very brief. There is broad parliamentary consensus that popular enthusiasm for the Aaron Dustin designed flag means it warrants a place on the shortlist. Labour agree, the Greens agree, so does the Maori Party and ACT. And National, too. John Key said … Read more
Schadenfreude is not a football team in the German lower leagues, but it is nevertheless a state familiar to sporting partisans, not least fans of the beautiful game. For followers of English football teams that don’t begin in Chel and end with sea, precisely this basest of human emotion, pleasure at the misfortune of another, … Read more
The man who toppled Tony Abbott is a huge fan of the New Zealand Prime Minister. Late on Monday night, in the press conference following the spill that defenestrated Tony Abbott, Australia’s new Liberal Party leader and prime minister designate, Malcolm Turnbull, said this: “My firm belief is that to be a successful leader in … Read more
Toby Manhire watches All Black coach Steve Hansen give an interview of surprising emotional honesty. There was a wee outburst of online anger when The Nation announced its star interviewee was Steve Hansen. But I’d wager that, had they stuck around, even those who have no appetite for rugby whatsoever would have found something remarkable in … Read more
Economics and politics can be hard, so to make it easier for us to get the hang of things, our elected representatives oftentimes turn to metaphor. Here is a selection of examples from this year, drawn from Hansard, the official record of parliamentary debate. Bill English, National, 22 July 2015: “The fact is that if … Read more
Arbitrarily split into five political players whose power is growing and five going the other way, these rankings will become a monthly event. For the purposes of this glittering premiere, however, the month of August will be considered to run from August 1 through to September 10. All complaints should be directed to your local … Read more