Summer reissue: Three Women is a fervent, scrupulous qualitative review of female desire. It’s also a lesson in commitment – and the powerful act of paying attention. First published 8 July, 2019. Imagine a pole vaulter strolling into the Olympics, eyeing the bar – the women’s world record is 5.06m – and casually hitching it like … Read more
On Friday 15 March, a terrorist attack in Christchurch took the lives of 50 people at prayer. Eighteen months into her first term as prime minister, Jacinda Ardern faced a formidable task: communicate what happened, embrace a ruptured community, and force through real reform. Madeleine Chapman reports. This was first published 22 March, 2019. The … Read more
Summer reissue: Tired of his tropes and infatuations, Michelle Langstone writes about her waning love for the writings of Japanese author Haruki Murakami. First published 29 July 2019. I left you behind with a note that said “Free to a good home. No longer wanted.” Blunt, perhaps, but that’s how it is when love runs … Read more
Summer reissue: A lot of knowledge has been lost about traditional Māori attitudes to menstruation, but some extraordinary Māori women are making sure it’s not lost forever, writes Leonie Hayden First published 17 April 2019 Like a bolt of lightning out of the blue it sometimes occurs to me that a thing I’m doing, or … Read more
What’s a lovely summer picnic without a lovely savoury scone? These scones make wonderful picnic food and are packed with flavour and texture. Whip them up, wrap them in a clean tea towel and head outdoors to picnic under the shade of a leafy tree with good company and an equally good book. Scones are … Read more
Sam Brooks steps back in time to 2009, the year of Now! That’s What I Call Music 31. What did his younger self think of those songs – and do they still hold up today? This post was originally published on March 4 2019. The year was 2009 and it was full of, as your worst … Read more
Summer reissue: It was supposed to be Auckland’s answer to Melbourne’s laneways or New York’s Chelsea Market, but the empty sites at Queen’s Rise paint a very different picture. Alice Neville reports. First published 31 October, 2019 In June 2018, to much hype, a new “laneway-style dining destination” opened in downtown Auckland. Housed behind the … Read more
Summer Journeys: After touring the world with his band The Phoenix Foundation, Samuel Flynn Scott has figured out the real reason we travel – to nosy around where humans buy snacks. The Spinoff Summer Journey series is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click … Read more
A new poem by Sydney poet Catherine Vidler. apart from pink sun, sun pink from apart apart from pink sun, apart from all-dying grass, cloud-fuzz, brown-tinged, stretched virtual-zero, stones exposed, thirsty cracks, dry fountains, domestic courtyards aghast, this mix, dirty, dirtier, despair worn sharp-casual, this peculiar view, eerie light-lurking, apricot shapes … Read more
Leading physicist Richard Easther explains what’s been going on with the smoky orange skies above New Zealand. On New Year’s Day, social media in New Zealand was flooded with images of eerie orange skies above the South Island as the smoke from a continent-scale fire disaster crossed the Tasman Sea. Eerie. All we can hear … Read more
Summer reissue: In the week that a woman was told her bikini was “inappropriate” to wear at an Auckland pool, Alex Casey provided some much-needed reminders for women wearing clothes everywhere. First published on 9 April 2019 Women, you probably already know this but… you’re wrong. Your clothes are wrong, your togs are wrong, whatever … Read more
Summer reissue: An urban farm in Auckland has been raising cows for meat for years. This time, they decided to involve the community in the process – but the backlash was so intense, the plan was canned. Alice Neville talks to those involved about what went down, and what we can learn from the saga. … Read more
Summer reissue: I’ve worked at parliament for three different MPs over five years. For the first time, I’m now working for a woman MP, and the kind of messages sent to her online are shocking. This post was first published 14 January, 2019. “Hey, what are you up to tonight?” “Is that your boyfriend?” It’s … Read more
Summer reissue: The lack of female faces in the hallowed halls has been put down to their traditional roles in our colonial society. Now the digitisation of historical records is blowing that theory out of the water. This story was first published on 11 October, 2019. There are 171 people in the New Zealand Business Hall … Read more
Summer reissue: Starz released a promo photo for season five of Outlander, and the world shifted on its axis. And finally, Jamie Fraser’s wig is actually perfect, writes Tara Ward. This post was originally published on April 18, 2019. We’re crossing live to the 18th Century, where Outlander hero Jamie Fraser has been survived some terrible things. … Read more
Summer reissue: One of the many unspoken rules of British life is that when one is drinking at the pub with others, one buys rounds. For the naive New Zealander, it’s stressful AF, says Elle Hunt. First published on 22 July, 2019. At the pub one Friday night in London a few weeks ago, I … Read more
Catch up on Scratched, The Spinoff’s video series celebrating New Zealand sporting heroes who never got their due – but whose legacies deserve to be in lights. Ruia Morrison: An unlikely tennis journey from Rotorua to Wimbledon Meet Ruia Morrison, the first New Zealand woman and first Māori tennis player to compete at Wimbledon. Raised … Read more
Writer and actress Michelle Langstone reflects on loneliness on a trip to Singapore. The Spinoff Summer Journey series is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click here. Three days in Singapore as a step-down converter from the bougainvillea-stained Greek holiday that has left my … Read more
Summer reissue: A column this year pondered why anyone would work in fencing, but it applies to much of manual labour. With her husband’s permission, Emily Writes shares his story of what an honest living really is. First published on 1 February 2019 “Fencing sounds like a great way to make an honest living, but you … Read more
Catch up on Two Sketches, featuring Spinoff cartoonist Toby Morris chatting and drawing with a selection of New Zealand illustrators, artists, comic artists, cartoonists, sketchers and doodlers. Michel Mulipola: WWE, Marvel, Tekken and drawing The Rock Toby draws and chats with Sāmoan artist Michel Mulipola. Apart from being a pro wrestler, Michel is also a comic … Read more
Summer reissue: Your house might be tidy but now you’re surrounded by garbage bags full of all of your KonMari’d shit. What do you do? Emily Writes looks for answers. First published on 10 January, 2019. My house was as messy as my life is – which is to say very messy. But then I … Read more
Summer reissue: Madeleine Chapman goes through starchy hell to rank every flavour of chip available in New Zealand*. First published 29 March, 2019 *Of course I will have missed some and of course you’ll let me know. Sorry and thanks in advance. This list is so long it really doesn’t need an intro. Hell-123) Any … Read more
What are you going to be watching in January? The Spinoff rounds up everything that’s coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Lightbox, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand. Click here to read our listings for December. The Biggies AJ and the Queen (binge on Netflix from January 10) The RuPaul empire … Read more
Summer reissue: Toby Manhire spends a day chasing kingys – and PM-adjacent yarns – with Fish of the Day host Clarke Gayford. This story was first published on 19 April, 2019 and originally ran in Barker’s 1972 magazine Mid-week, mid-morning under a muddy grey January sky. We’re skimming into the Hauraki Gulf on a stupidly expensive boat, stacks … Read more
In the wake of the shocking revelations about Three, Duncan Greive assesses the health of New Zealand’s six big media companies. This story was first published on 20 October, 2019. Winston Peters has studied the cold, pitiless heart of a certain strand of New Zealander for four decades now, and has become our foremost expert … Read more
Summer reissue: Sam Brooks digs into his childhood to present his magnum opus: a ranking of all 151 OG Pokémon. This post was originally published on 20 April, 2019. You can see the scrollbar at the right side of your screen. Let’s just get into this, shall we? Opinions are, as always, my own and … Read more
2019 is history. Shifting effortlessly into prophesy mode, our gallant politics-watchers plunge headlong into the crystal ball. National and NZ First will shit-talk each other all year and then form a government after the election. Alex Braae Judith Collins will defect from the National Party to lead ACT and take that party to 3% at … Read more
Huge claims from Uther Dean about The Wicked + The Divine, the books he’s spent the last five years with. The Wicked + The Divine is the best story released this decade in any medium. I want to be clear here. People often confuse favourite for best when talking critically. I am not saying that … Read more
Summer reissue: What’s it like to wait over a decade for a new record from one of your favourite bands? David Farrier writes about the joys, perils and embarrassment of being a Tool fan in 2019. This was originally published on 3 August, 2019. Before you say it, let me: Tool fans are the worst. … Read more