Before Big Little Lies, there was Desperate Housewives. Sam Brooks lists all the truly terrible things these women did over eight seasons. Fourteen years ago, the lives of four women (plus Nicolette Sheridan) captivated the world. What secrets did these suburban ladies have? Why did their best friend kill herself and hang around, narrating her … Read more
The Women’s Bookshop has been on Ponsonby Road longer than almost any other shop. This year, it turns 30. We talked to owner Carole Beu about the bookshop and its upcoming birthday party. Since 1999, the Women’s Bookshop been in its same, central spot in Ponsonby. Around it, restaurants, art studios and boutiques rise and … Read more
Immediately following the Christchurch Mosque Shootings the National Telehealth Service expanded by 120 staff to counsel more than 800 New Zealanders by phone. Don Rowe visits to learn how they did it. In the 24 hours following the Christchurch Mosque Shootings an army of counsellors mobilised across New Zealand. Psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers scrambled … Read more
They’re the two most important shows for TVNZ 2 and Three. And their ratings are changing radically, writes Duncan Greive. TV channels tell different stories about themselves depending on whom they’re talking to. When speaking to funding bodies, they emphasise the diversity of genres they air, and interest groups whose needs are met. When speaking … Read more
The 2019 longlist for the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll Awards have just been announced. Here’s the full list of 20 finalists, with the songs themselves to listen to. This morning saw the announcement of the longlist for the APRA Silver Scroll, New Zealand’s most coveted music award, recognising outstanding achievement in the craft of songwriting. … Read more
In today’s episode of The Offspin podcast, Simon Day and Alex Braae go absolutely berserk over the semi-final win that put the Black Caps into the Cricket World Cup final. It took 29 hours and two nights, but the Black Caps have somehow managed to beat the mighty India to advance to the Cricket World … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government releases proposals around medicinal cannabis, oxycontin takes hold in NZ despite US epidemic, and vaping pushed at Māori women. Just quickly, apologies if today’s Bulletin has a few errors, I haven’t slept because of the cricket. The Black Caps are heading to the World Cup … Read more
Wrap around support services and a new software are helping whānau get out of debt, without taking yet another loan. It’s hard not to feel chuffed for Jacquilin Tuatara. Six months ago, the former social worker was drowning in debt and preparing to leave Auckland. A year of unsuccessful job hunting and “chasing contracts” had … Read more
From last Monday, single-use plastic bags are banned in New Zealand. To keep the ball rolling, here are five more things we could look at banning. The hotly-debated plastic bag ban came into effect last Monday, aligning New Zealand with the likes of the EU, the UK, Peru, and other nations with bans on single-use … Read more
Incredibly, the Black Caps have made the Cricket World Cup final. In a sleep-deprived daze, Alex Braae reflects on the mountain of pain that went into seeing them get there. We don’t watch cricket because we want to. We watch it because we must. Cricket is a sport with pain built into it. Not the … Read more
It seems quite a claim to say Chocolate is choreographer Sacha Copland’s best work considering her immense talent but it’s true, says Emily Writes. I am not a fan of immersive theatre or interactive dance or whatever you want to call it. I don’t want to get involved. While my son will wildly volunteer for … Read more
You’ve watched all twelve episodes of Fleabag three times now – where to from here? Laura Vincent has your next obsession sorted. It must be just splendid to be Phoebe Waller-Bridge in 2019, with absolutely everyone (including celebrities like Joss Whedon, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Minnie Driver) going mad for Fleabag, the show she created and … Read more
No, more density doesn’t mean more traffic – and other widespread myths about the effects of increased housing, busted by Greater Auckland’s Heidi O’Callahan. Aucklanders would do well to get more involved in the discussion around how our city develops. Leaving the struggle to the techno-centric planners – with their unwitting NIMBY supporters – and … Read more
In the latest episode of The Offspin, cricketer, commentator, activist and aspiring local board rep Peter McGlashan joins the show to mix sport and politics. The game was utterly frustrating. It was slow, things went wrong at key moments, it made people at home angry and now requires confusing calculations to figure out who will … Read more
Have you found yourself with more lemons than you know what to do with? Hens laying overtime? Never fear, this perfect citrus slice is here. Once upon a time I had a little gold hen, who lived in a flowering tree and laid me a sweet fresh egg every day. And that’s where the fairy … Read more
‘Like Escher, if he was more into dicks than staircases.’ Poet Hera Lindsay Bird celebrates the work of New Zealand artist Hannah Salmon, aka Daily Secretion, who creates portraits of angry ‘alpha men’. Like most teenage punishers who took art history in high school, I spent years resentfully analysing the composition of Colin McCahon paintings … Read more
Longtime fan Nik Dirga pays tribute to the magazine that weaponised satire before the internet. Last week, news broke that Mad magazine – warping young minds ever since 1952 – would stop publishing original content. It will reportedly switch to just reprint material later this year, and then likely end regular publication entirely soon after … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: More revealed about aftermath of Hit and Run raid, police delete social posts glorifying tactics to catch kids, and regional airports may be bailed out. Politicians were shown edited footage of the Hit and Run raid which throws into question the NZDF version of events, reports … Read more
An ancient grove of pōhutukawa on Takapuna beach was once used by Māori to prepare the dead for burial. Today the trees are frail and pose a danger to the path below. Mana whenua want it closed but some residents want to keep it open as it provides easy access to the beach. There’s a … Read more
Quotas of women at the top are creating a backlash; an ‘opt-out’ system of considering all suitably qualified females for promotion is a better way forward, argues an expert. For years women have been told that to break through the glass ceiling they need to be proactive, find mentors, deconstruct the barriers they create for … Read more
Radio NZ journalist Ravinder Hunia has a dilemma over who to support at the Cricket World Cup tonight. Will it be the birthplace of her father in Punjab, or the birthplace of her mother in Te Puke? My father Surjit Singh was born in an Indian village, Daroli Khurd, in Punjab 60 years ago while … Read more
Police social media posts showing children being arrested have drawn the ire of the Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft and Green MP Golriz Ghahraman. The Children’s Commissioner has criticised police and media organisations following widely shared social media posts showing the arrest of three children in Auckland yesterday. “We are concerned with posts by police and … Read more
After waiting almost two years for the return of the 80s sci-fi/horror Netflix hit Stranger Things, Alice Webb-Liddall binged the third season on Monday night, and still sobbing from the finale, reviewed the laughter, violence, and heartbreaking sadness. Who would have thought that there was a place with more rats than Titirangi. Luckily for the … Read more
Since this story was published, The Spinoff has learnt Zane Kelsall was the subject of allegations of inappropriate behaviour in Canada. Read more here. Why the hell have a couple of Canadians opened what could be NZ’s best natural wine bar in the heart of Auckland’s suburban North Shore? Samuel Flynn Scott finds out. Milford … Read more
As part of the University of Otago’s Maya-Māori cultural economy exchange last month, four Mayan academics visited New Zealand to share their experiences of colonisation. Alice Webb-Liddall spoke to the group about what indigenous people can learn from their shared experiences. “It’s easy to get stuck in a bubble of your own survival,” says Maria … Read more
Inheritance plays as part of The Basement Theatre’s Matariki season this week. Sam Brooks talks to one of its creators about what the show wants to say. Jess Holly Bates has quite a bit of experience making shows that start conversations. Her show Real White Fake Dirt critiqued Pākehā privilege in a way that was both … Read more
After a truce as both sorted out new corporate bosses, the Sky v Spark sports war has suddenly hotted up again. Trevor McKewen had a ringside seat. Earlier this year, the live sports viewing landscape in New Zealand suddenly got very interesting. Then it took a twist. Then it went quiet. On Monday open warfare … Read more
The Black Keys’ new album “Let’s Rock” is out now, and to celebrate the release, Taylor Macgregor drinks his way through some selections (aka easiest ones to find on Spotify) from the band’s acclaimed discography. In all honesty, it’s been a long time since I listened to The Black Keys. But when the YouTube algorithm … Read more
As of this week, I don’t qualify for a benefit. Why? Did I suddenly get healthy enough to work fulltime? Did a distant cousin leave me their millions in Apple stock? No. I just made the mistake of falling in love. Two years ago, MP Alastair Scott was asked about disabled people losing their financial … Read more