How to stop procrastinating and actually (finally) get on top of KiwiSaver. Because there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you don’t know a single thing about it. Read the full series here. In a lot of ways, KiwiSaver is a bit of a misnomer. Sure you’re saving for your future retirement, but … Read more
Last week the discovery of Nazi symbols sprayed outside a Wellington synagogue brought shock and condemnation. But New Zealand is no stranger to antisemitism. In light of increasing ignorance about the Holocaust, we need to revisit and acknowledge our history, writes Scott Hamilton. Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Around the world, candles will be lit … Read more
At a recent wedding I was asked how Christchurch is doing now. It turns out that question is more difficult to answer than I thought. On a warm autumn night in Melbourne, a nice man wearing a nice suit has two questions. The first is easy: Where do you live? “Christchurch,” I tell him. As … Read more
Twenty-two years ago, Lucy Lawless wasn’t just playing Xena, she was part of one of SNL’s greatest ever sketches. Sam Brooks pays tribute to Stevie Nicks Fajita Round-Up. The year is 1998. Jenny Shipley is prime minister, we win zero medals at the Olympics, and an actress named Lucy Lawless is the first New Zealander to … Read more
Everyone needs a good spud salad recipe in their repertoire, and this herb-packed offering is hard to beat. This is my go-to potato salad recipe and it was one I had never written down nor considered sharing. Until before Christmas, that is, when we headed inland to celebrate the festive season Kiwi style with a … Read more
The fourth trimester is exhausting for new parents. Here’s how you can help. There are no visitors, only staff. This was the most empowering advice I got as a new māmā because it gave me permission to let go of the people-pleasing and embrace the generosity of those around me. They call it the fourth … Read more
Far from home, the Latin American football fanatics of Waiheke Island are fighting to regain their place on the New Zealand football league. It’s a tale of passion, pride and love for the beautiful game, writes Michael Andrew. This story was made possible by Spinoff Members. To support independent, homegrown journalism, join today. For the … Read more
The Frenchest man to helm a starship is back! The first episode of Star Trek: Picard is out, and José Barbosa and Josie Adams have some thoughts. Warning: contains spoilers (kind of a big one) Josie Adams Captain Jean-Luc Picard was a father figure to me for a couple of years, so seeing him back … Read more
Laurie Anderson talks with Martin Patrick about the power of art, the complexity of language, transforming the voice, working amid a dire political situation, Buddhism and Burroughs, and their shared love of terriers. A familiar voice is on the line. When we talk, American artist and musician Laurie Anderson is in Massachusetts, preparing an exhibition of … Read more
And in the effort to decolonise, each can learn from the other, writes Gaurav Sharma, editor of the Multicultural Times. For nation-states that emerged from centuries of brutal colonial rule, decolonisation is needed, in all its forms. The coloniser left India in 1947, and still the country is struggling. In Aotearoa, the coloniser coexists with … Read more
A new fantasy series by Isa Pearl Ritchie focuses on a girl who struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. Here, Ritchie explains how her own childhood sparked Awa and the Dreamrealm. I was confused a lot of the way through my schooling. I would zone out a lot in class and I struggled to pay … Read more
The first two episodes of TVNZ’s new action series The Dead Lands were released to a worldwide audience of millions last night. Alice Webb-Liddall spoke to some of the cast and crew about the epic genre-bending show, and what it means for New Zealand television. When The Dead Lands was released in 2014, some called … Read more
The Real Pod reassembles to dissect the summer in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. We’re ba-ack! After a long cruel summer full of Jay Jay and Minou heartbreak, The Bachelorette NZ reveals and a mild case of ring worm, there is much to discuss. Why has Breakfast returned more sexed-up … Read more
The world is on edge over a coronavirus outbreak that started in early December in Wuhan City, China. The virus is thought to have first infected people working at a seafood and live animal market. So what could the original source have been? Siouxsie Wiles explains. Update, January 27: Soon after the “snakeflu” paper was … Read more
You don’t want your retirement savings invested in nuclear bombs, sure. But what about conventional defence equipment that’s also used for essential civilian purposes? This month’s assassination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and the Australian navy’s evacuation of people escaping bushfires are two very different events, but they highlight the dilemma faced by KiwiSavers wanting … Read more
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay (Picador, $23) Legit funny. 2 Girl, Woman, … Read more
Two years after the release of Mac Miller’s Swimming, his family has released its companion piece, Circles. We explain what it is, how it came together, and why you need to listen to it. What is Circles? Miller’s sixth studio album, and his first album release since his death in 2018. It was recorded soon … Read more
We need Māori voices in parliament who aren’t beholden to the major parties, writes former Green Party policy co-convenor and candidate Jack McDonald (Taranaki, Ngāti Haupoto). I was one of those kids that was always interested in politics. I have early blurry memories of excitedly watched election night results. In our primary school leaving book, … Read more
A new poem by Palmerston North poet Katrina Upperton. Howl I Buy the biggest jacket you can find and let your synapses back up till the machine fails, pick at your sparking fingers. Check out that Robocop radiator: the wiring is something you would not believe. C’mon, man, think: you’ll never get the … Read more
Some New Zealand parties have signed up. Others are still deciding. But if they don’t, should you trust them at all, asks Cate Owen. You shouldn’t just care that political parties are buying digital ads, you should treat any party that won’t sign up to Facebook’s political ad transparency measures with suspicion. Why? Because digital … Read more
She’s an Oscar-winning actress, a widely hated celebrity and founder of one of the most successful wellness brands in the world. And all your jade egg jokes make no difference at all, writes Sam Brooks. A few weeks ago, the trailer for new Netflix show The GOOP Lab was released, along with a provocative image: … Read more
One million people from Myanmar live in 34 camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. They are considered some of the largest and most densely populated camps in the world. New Zealand Red Cross’ international delegate Elodie Berthe shares some of their stories. After what seemed like an never-ending car journey on windy roads full of potholes, … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Response to coronavirus ramps up, PM and Māori leaders agree to meet, and Labour launches their political year at retreat. A pandemic response plan has been triggered by the government around the Wuhan coronavirus. The NZ Herald reports an incident management team has been established, and information is … Read more
With moves underway around RNZ Concert and a new state-funded music station, how will experimental and less commercially-focused musicians be affected? The Spinoff spoke to New Zealand-born and London based jazz musician Myele Manzanza about the cultural and financial landscape for non-mainstream artists in Aotearoa. The future of publicly funded music platforms is currently in … Read more
A downtown Auckland institution, the 28-year-old foodcourt Food Alley is soon to be demolished. Alice Neville and other Spinoff staff visited at lunchtime the day after the news broke to see how diners and stallholders were feeling. My earliest memories of Auckland life revolve around Food Alley. ‘Twas the summer of 03/04 and I’d come … Read more
Avenue 5, the new show from The Thick of It and Veep genius Armando Iannucci, veers off-course after an ambitious launch, writes Sam Brooks Armando Iannucci has proven himself as one of the great satirists of our age. First making his name with Alan Partridge and then The Thick Of It (a takedown of British … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Greig Brebner from Blunt Umbrellas. This week on the podcast is a business that began with the realisation … Read more
Detox teas have been taken off shelves after being shown to include a pharmacy-only laxative ingredient. Promoted as being aids to weight loss and an organ cleanse, detox teas have had a resurgence in recent years thanks to Instagram influencers hawking them at every turn. What do they really do? According to a recent Consumer … Read more
As the Labour caucus gathers for its annual retreat in the Wairarapa, Toby Manhire asks what might be on the agenda. Labour MPs are meeting today in Martinborough for their now traditional January dress-down gear-up for the political year. The Brackenridge resort, just off the road to Lake Ferry, has in recent years seen the … Read more