A remarkable quilt project at Wellington’s Play_Station, Sissymancy! references the AIDS Quilt project while laying new ground for current and future generations of queer artists, writes Mark Amery. I remember being called a sissy at school. Not nice. The effeminate aligned with cowardliness. It was one step away from being called a fag. The … Read more
Onehunga-bred hip hop collective SWIDT have released what might be one of the most politicised music videos in New Zealand history. They talked to Josie Adams about why it felt like the right time. At just over two minutes long, ‘BUNGA’ is short, but it says more about the Pasifika community than most Palagi will … Read more
In this charged essay, Spinoff columnist Morgan Godfery takes stock of Treaty of Waitangi interpretations that pay lip service to values without honouring the core tenets of power. Illustration by Toby Morris. This feature is made possible thanks to the Spinoff Members Fund. We need your help to make journalism that matters. For more information, click here. … Read more
Backed by tech giants Google and Atlassian, not-for-profit Humanitix redirects thousands in booking fees to charitable causes while at the same time disrupting the highly competitive ticketing industry. Jihee Junn talks to the CEO of its New Zealand operations to learn more about how the platform works. Founded in Australia in 2016, Sydneysiders Adam McCurdie … Read more
To many, Marco Pierre White is a legend, but his controversial remarks in a recent interview have some New Zealand chefs questioning why the former enfant terrible has star billing at Taste of Auckland. A celebrity chef who recently made global headlines for his sexist comments about female chefs is headlining Auckland’s biggest restaurant festival, … Read more
By reference to history and science, we predict which way tonight’s crunch game in the Rugby World Cup is likely to go. 1 The semifinal falls two days after the New Zealand release of JoJo Rabbit, the new movie by acclaimed filmmaker and Hurricanes talisman Taika Waititi. The last time an England versus All Blacks … Read more
How on earth do you fill three days without work? Clearly, by bingeing content you don’t have time for on a normal weekend. The Spinoff is here to help, with 10 favourite marathon-length suggestions. Kath & Kim (Netflix) Does it make me a crim to be a Kim? We can’t all be Kaths. The foxy ladies … Read more
A new poem by Auckland-raised poet Chloe Honum. Elegy with Cannons and Bees It rained all night and still is not over. Nevertheless, the bees drop themselves roughly into autumn. What happened? Why did you have to go? In Albert Park, water arcs continuously from cherubs’ horns. Painted cannons face the city. I … Read more
Welcome back to Papercuts, our monthly books podcast hosted by Louisa Kasza, Jenna Todd and Kiran Dass. After a few extra weeks off, Papercuts are back to chat about the controversial Booker decision, NZ Bookshop Day, the Goldsmith shortlist and some exciting upcoming author events. Book reviews and to be read piles are all divulged … Read more
Boomers versus zoomers, the great uncontested swathes, and what makes Greymouth special. Policy Local was made possible thanks to Google News Initiative, Meredith Connell, Spinoff Members and Jenny Sutton. With the votes now counted for the local elections, the team behind the candidate comparison super-tool, Policy Local, looks back on some of the more interesting … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. We’re back and we’re tired and we’re sorry. There’s too much real news to keep up with, what with all the big media announcements, MAFSNZ break-ups and the return of New Zealand’s greatest comedy show. Plus, Jane … 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 Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Picador, $20) “With a sense of perverse futility, Kawaguchi’s characters move through … Read more
The first half of the final season of depressed equine comedy BoJack Horseman drops today on Netflix, and it’s as bleakly hilarious as ever. Being a fan of BoJack Horseman the television show means having a complicated relationship with BoJack Horseman the character. On the surface, he’s not somebody you want to empathise with – an … Read more
NZ Korean healthcare workers Aram Kim and Rebekah Jaung on efforts to understand the suicide problem in the Asian population. “Even one suicide in any ethnic or population group is one too many.” — Understanding deaths by suicide in the Asian population of Aotearoa New Zealand | Te whakamārama i ngā mate whakamomori i te … Read more
The latest film by New Zealand’s celebrity director Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit, is out in cinemas now. Spinoff writers offer their thoughts on the ‘anti-hate satire’, and whether it lives up to Waititi’s catalogue of hits. Sam Brooks, culture editor I had a lovely time watching Jojo Rabbit – it’s an enjoyable, tense coming-of-age film that … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Reaction to the government’s agriculture emissions deal, formal apology made for Parihaka, and union fuming over unpunished trucking abuses. Agricultural organisations and the government have agreed on a plan for the industry to self-regulate on emissions reduction. Here’s a cheat sheet on the agreement, which … Read more
Local lingerie brand Lonely is well-known for celebrating a diverse range of bodies and preaching messages of inclusion and body positivity. So why are they deleting comments and blocking users offering critical feedback on their size range? New Zealand lingerie brand Lonely has received criticism online for preaching messages of body positivity and acceptance, despite … Read more
It’s time we all accepted that James Blunt is good, argues Madeleine Chapman. “I woke up this morning and realised all I do is apologise for a song I wrote in 2005.” The song he wrote in 2005 was ‘You’re Beautiful’ and James Blunt is nothing if not self-aware. The above line is the opening … Read more
People are calling Watchmen the next Game of Thrones, but what is it? Here’s the essential background before you start streaming it on NEON. Okay, so tell me what Watchmen is. Watchmen is a new HBO show based on a comic book series (or graphic novel if you’re fancy). It takes place in an alternative, … 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 James Bartle, founder of ethical clothing brand Outland Denim. Right now, you’re probably wearing something you’re not super … Read more
What the B Corp certification actually means and why it matters. Five decades ago, economist Milton Friedman was concerned about business accepting a social responsibility. In an oft-cited 1970 essay for The New York Times Magazine, Friedman argued that while CEOs could feel an individual responsibility to society around them, “a corporate executive is an … Read more
Parents editor Emily Writes on everything wrong with Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig’s latest work on motherhood. Two of the most beautiful and profound friendships I have had in motherhood were conceived in similar ways. When my son would not stop crying, I developed a habit of walking up and down our steep street. I was … Read more
Amy Russell loves to run, but as an overweight person, she is marginalised by an industry that finds that hard to understand. I love to run. Something about its intensity and rhythm is captivating to me. It’s simple as can be, but physically and mentally all-consuming. When a friend asked me ‘what do you think … Read more
A scathing account of the state of television and the wider media, from the departing Newshub boss. Less than a week after Mediaworks put its television operations up for sale, the head of its news arm, Hal Crawford, has announced he is leaving. Crawford’s departure – he is returning to Australia with his family – … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Wellington-born Thomasin McKenzie, Sylvanian Family enthusiast and star of Jojo Rabbit. At just 19, Thomasin McKenzie has already played a sexual assault survivor, a cancer patient and a Jewish teenager hiding in the walls during WW2. I was pleased to see her enjoying a day off on her mum’s Instagram the … Read more
The prime minister has hailed a ‘historic’ agreement between the government and farming groups. What does it amount to, and is it a substantial step forward in the climate fight, or a ‘sellout’? What’s all this then? For as long as the Emissions Trading Scheme has existed, it has been dogged by the fact that … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Euthanasia bill set to go to a referendum, police whistleblower says he was threatened with legal action, and the finer details of Zero Carbon report. The country is likely to see another referendum next year, on the question of whether the End of Life Choice … Read more
With over 15,000 public submissions on the bill, the Environment Select Committee had a lot to think about. Here’s everything they did – and didn’t – seek to change about the Zero Carbon Bill. Please do not print it out, but let it be known that the Environment Select Committee has published its report on … Read more
The latest in Sony’s stable of 90s remasters should come with a pair of rose-coloured glasses. Sam Brooks reviews the 2019 MediEvil remaster. In this generation of gaming, we’ve seen the glowed-up return of a few of our childhood avatars. The bandicoot spins back in, looking fresher than ever. The purple dragon flies back in, more … Read more