Should you choose to offset your emissions, and where does the money go?

Covering Climate Now: ‘Click here to offset your emissions.’ It’s an appealing, guilt-assuaging idea. But what does it really amount to, asks Mirjam Guesgen. New Zealanders travel overseas a lot, with trips totalling close to 3 million a year. And every time a Kiwi takes flight, tonnes of earth-heating gases spew into the atmosphere. One … Read more

Jacinda Ardern: ‘We have a duty of care, and we failed in it’

The prime minister has admitted mistakes, and outlined measures to change the party culture. Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister and leader of the Labour Party, yesterday addressed at length the situation around allegations of sexual assault by a Labour volunteer and an investigation into a Labour staffer. “We have a duty of care, and we … Read more

Race briefing: Hutt City, where a 28-year-old might become mayor

In our latest local elections 2019 race briefing (read the rest here), Alex Braae breaks down the surprisingly bitter Hutt City mayoral race. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. Where? Hutt City covers the rapidly gentrifying … Read more

Plant power: The Spinoff food section goes vegan (for a week)

Covering Climate Now: Why we’re saying adios to animal products (just for a little while).  The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here! As part of The Spinoff’s commitment to Covering Climate Now, a week-long worldwide initiative aimed at strengthening the media’s focus on climate change, … Read more

The gaming apocalypse scenarios most (and least) likely to happen in real life

Covering Climate Now: Grim post-apocalyptic settings are a dime a dozen in gaming, but which ones are the most realistic? Sam Brooks talked to climate expert David Tong to find out. The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here! Every year there’s a good chance that … Read more

The Testaments: Pip Adam reviews the ultra-hyped new Margaret Atwood

One of our country’s finest writers gorges herself on Gilead – and finds herself wishing for more osmosis between the Booker-shortlisted new novel and the horror-story politics playing out around us.  Over the past five days I’ve re-read Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, caught myself up with the MGM/Hulu TV series of the … Read more

Waterdeep Mountain High: Welcome to the Home of the Dragon Burger

In this special episode, we welcome you back to Waterdeep Mountain High, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast set in a below average school in the mystical land of Faerun. The gang are back and this time they have to… get summer jobs! Join Kate, Forrest, Hillardo and Peng as they begin employment at Dragon Burger. … Read more

The clothing label that’s built a bond with Kiwi women through online interaction

Napier-based women’s clothing company KILT is a big brand with local charm. Josie Adams finds out how they’ve adapted their boutique strategy to work on a national level. Having grown up in the internet era New Zealand fashion label KILT has developed a unique relationship with its customers via an online connection. Founded in 2003, … Read more

Blank stares and brain explosions: My day speaking only te reo

For the first day of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Alice Neville banned herself from speaking English. Here’s how it went down. I discovered a foolproof way to make a day of speaking only te reo Māori easy. Just don’t talk. Seriously, turituri and you’ll be fine.  I know, I know, that’s not the … Read more

The Bulletin: A week of covering climate change

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Covering Climate Now week begins, hate crimes in focus six months after Christchurch attack, and scale of house flipping laid bare.  Over the course of this week, you’re going to see a lot of climate change coverage. The Spinoff will be one of the organisations participating … Read more

Our climate story: Life in Auckland and Southland in 2050

Covering Climate Now: A changing climate means changing landscapes and changing lives. Mirjam Guesgen talks to the experts about the implications at two ends of New Zealand. The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here! Auckland is known for its sandy, inviting coastlines and sprawling urban … Read more

Five ways to make the best bill ahead of next year’s 2020 cannabis referendum

The New Zealand Drug Foundation has just released a proposed model for the legalisation and regulation of cannabis in Aotearoa. With the 2020 referendum fast approaching, what should the government be considering in their approach to this legislation? As the days tick down towards 2020 and the referendum on cannabis legalisation the NZ Drug Foundation … Read more

Crunch time: the critical month for NZ and climate change begins now

Covering Climate Now: Submit, protest, vote. These are the moments that must be seized, writes Sam McGlennon The Spinoff’s participation is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here! The waves are now running together. The next month of national, regional and local politics in New Zealand will go a long way to determining … Read more

Going way back with Auckland’s monorail-promising mayoral candidate

An Auckland mayoral candidate has broken the internet* by announcing a plan for a monorail around the central city. Who is Craig Lord, and is he serious? Alex Braae spoke to him shortly after his campaign launch to find out. The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming … Read more

I stand with Greta, and with the strikers: James Shaw’s letter to NZ school students

Today marks the start of Covering Climate Now. To launch the week, the New Zealand climate change minister, James Shaw, writes an open letter to participants in the School Strike 4 Climate ahead of their day of action later this month. The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us … Read more

The Kiwi business bringing nature back to modern medicine

Antibiotics are becoming increasingly less effective, so what treatments can we look to when the drugs stop working? With help from plant extracts, award-winning company HerbScience is seeking to breathe new life into how we treat bacterial infections. When Cynthia Hunefeld was just 10 years old, her father was hospitalised with a severe bacterial infection. … Read more

Future of Kiwi onion dip hangs in the balance as Nestlé factory closes

For some, it symbolises the very backbone of New Zealand’s food culture. But can Kiwi onion dip survive after the factory that makes reduced cream is shut down? The Australian factory that makes Nestlé reduced cream, an integral ingredient in Kiwi onion dip, is shutting down, casting a shadow over the future of the New … Read more

The beating heart of the Māori economy

Every year Matariki X brings Māori innovators and entrepreneurs together to share their experiences and inspire one another. Callaghan Innovation’s Vinnie Campbell says the Māori economy’s biggest strengths have nothing to do with money. This story was funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. … Read more

The increasingly uncompromising Todd Muller

National’s new agriculture spokesperson finds himself in one of the party’s most important portfolios, at a time of dramatically increasing tensions in the sector. Will Todd Muller, a man regularly mentioned as a future leader contender, find common ground? Todd Muller’s obsession with politics began with an American encyclopaedia, which his parents bought from a … Read more

Tohutao: Ngā pea kōhua ki roto i te purini tiakarete

To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, cookbook authors, 2014 MasterChef-winning sisters and badass wāhine Māori Karena and Kasey Bird (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Manawa) have translated some of the delicious recipes from their second cookbook, Hungry, into te reo Māori for The Spinoff. Today, poached pears in chocolate. NGĀ PEA KŌHUA KI ROTO I TE … Read more

Hope, change, and a sprinkling of bigotry at Hamilton’s big mayoral debate

Hamilton councillors have drawn headlines this year for being anti-science and insensitive to terror victims. At a mayoral debate on Wednesday, there were signs a campaign for change is gathering force. The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. It was the … Read more

‘It was insane, but I had to do it’: Miss June on mixing music and medicine

Miss June’s Bad Luck Party was recorded literally between hospital shifts, and their summer schedule includes both festival dates and their frontwoman’s graduation from medical school. We sat down with the band to ask just how, exactly, they’ve survived so far. The first years of life for Tāmaki Makaurau pop-punk quartet Miss June have been … Read more

Teaching Māori history must not be simply a spray tan to brown up the past

Compulsory New Zealand history in schools is an exciting opportunity but it’s crucial we’re critical of the stories we tell ourselves, writes historian Aroha Harris, co-author of Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History.  History is not simply an assemblage of facts and evidence. History is also the interrogation of those things. This may be unsettling news … Read more

On the Labour Party crisis and Jacinda Ardern

The Spinoff editor writes on the story that has engulfed NZ politics this week. One of the very few positive things to come out of a hideous week in New Zealand politics has been the sieving-out of the blinkered, partisan zealots. On one side, those who are ready to conjure up the wildest of potions … Read more

Meet Rawinia Higgins, our first woman Māori Language Commissioner

In June 2018, Rawinia Higgins was appointed chairperson of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. She’s the first woman and the first te reo Māori second-language speaker to hold the role, and during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, she sat down with The Spinoff to talk about her life. “You can’t do a … Read more

Kanye West was the hero we didn’t know we needed

On the 10th anniversary of the infamous “Imma let you finish” episode, Josie Adams reflects on what this moment revealed about both Taylor Swift and Kanye West. Cast your mind back a decade: 2009 DJ Earworm was still good, Barack Obama was sworn in as president of the US, Israeli ground forces began their invasion … Read more

Tohutao: Ngā momo reka o te hāmana huamata

To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, cookbook authors, 2014 MasterChef-winning sisters and badass wāhine Māori Karena and Kasey Bird (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Manawa) have translated some of the delicious recipes from their second cookbook, Hungry, into te reo Māori for The Spinoff. Today, a tino reka salmon salad. NGĀ MOMO REKA O TE HĀMANA … Read more

The zodiac signs as Charli XCX songs

Charli XCX has just released her latest album, Charli. The futuristic musician is always looking ahead, and so are her fans. We’ve paired each star sign with their perfect Charli XCX song. Charli XCX burst onto the scene in 2012, when she co-wrote and performed electro-pop headbanger ‘I Love It’ with Swedish duo Icona Pop. … Read more