Last night Newshub-Reid Research and Colmar Brunton both released opinion polls. Political pundits, in the middle of a poll drought, waited eagerly for what turned out to be wildly diverging results. Josie Adams talks to Colmar Brunton’s Jason Shoebridge about what happened. Last night’s polling results had little in common, with the only consistency across … Read more
“It’s the semi-final of Dancing with the Stars! And so soon!” said nobody. Sam Brooks power-ranks the penultimate episodes of Dancing with the Stars. Everybody danced twice tonight! The theme for the first dance was ‘a tribute to a musical icon’ and with the 2019 definition of ‘iconic’ that could be extended to include the … Read more
Alex Casey pays tribute to one of the only good things left in this cold, hard world. There’s been a lot to love about this season of Dancing With the Stars NZ. If you like runaway ponytails, this is the show for you. If you like completely hectic judges being unpredictable and also changing their … Read more
Think you don’t need a slow cooker? Think you’re too cool, too hip, too spontaneous? Think again, says Amanda Thompson. Say hello to my little crockpot. Yes, I know it is very old and unattractive and the handle is broken and there are bits of nasty brown packing tape on the lid for some long-forgotten … Read more
Director Slavko Martinov brings his eye for social critique to Christchurch’s Poultry, Bantam, and Pigeon Club in the dramatic, uplifting flockumentary Pecking Order. “There’s a big difference between backyard poultry and exhibiting,” says Beth Inwood, the treasurer of Christchurch’s Poultry, Bantam, and Pigeon Club. I have no idea what “backyard poultry” is, but over the … Read more
Last year prolific – and profitable – author Steff Green quit her day job to write full-time. And she’s creaming it. Responding to a recent Spinoff essay by Stephanie Johnson, she says it’s time for the old school to drop the scorn and learn from those nailing self-publishing. This story was published in June 2019. … Read more
British reality TV sensation Love Island is back on NZ screens, this season at the extremely questionable time of 5pm. But what is it? And why are people so obsessed? Shave a heart amongst the wild thickets of my hairy back, for I am ready for love. I am ready for some steamy summer loving, … Read more
Residents of New Plymouth are suggesting Austin, Texas, become their next sister city. Taranaki-raised Josie Adams compares the two. New Plymouth, the nipple of the North Island, has two sister cities: Mishima (Japan) and Kunming (China). This is apparently not enough, and the city is looking to add the clout of an American to its … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Two polls released showing bizarrely different scenarios, Murupara runs out of cash, and report finds racism embedded in the justice system. In the space of a single evening, two wildly different poll results came out. Each tells an entirely different story of the voting preferences of the … Read more
Large breasts can be great, but they can also wreak havoc – mentally, physically and sexually. Erin Gourley talks to university students who want to reduce their cup size by going under the knife. This story was first published in Critic Te Arohi, the University of Otago student magazine. “I found my old bra the … Read more
In the fifth episode of The Offspin, we’re joined by Basir Safi and Ismail Wardak, two Kiwi-Afghan cricket lovers who talk about learning the game in refugee camps, the incredible story of Afghanistan’s ascent and the high expectations the world now holds for them. Another day, another win at the Cricket World Cup for the Black Caps. … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. Emily Writes: We need to talk about Noa “The stories everywhere were immediately click-worthy. I hate that straight away I was drawn in. Authorities had apparently granted a Dutch teenager her wish to be given assisted suicide. Legal under certain circumstances in the Netherlands, it … Read more
Earlier this morning, reports emerged that the beloved Tapu Te Ranga Marae in Wellington had burnt to the ground. Here is the incredible story of how it was built, told by Tess McClure and Daniela Maoate-Cox for Radio NZ. This piece was originally published in 2016. Bruce Stewart spends his days in this reclining sofa chair, spread … Read more
Sam Brooks goes to a ‘lads’ lunch’ expecting the worst – and somehow gets the advertised ‘good vibes’. When I heard of Lads Who Lunch, my first response was, “Oh, like the Sondheim song?” This was my first hint that maybe I was not the intended audience for Lads Who Lunch. The events, started by … Read more
Following the multi-billion dollar success of Pokémon Go, Nintendo is intent on turning a profit from the most mysterious human experience of all: sleep. Last week Nintendo announced their intentions to gamify sleep, the last sacred, ad-free and private space we possess. The release read like a teaser for the new Black Mirror episodes: “In … Read more
There are few things New Zealanders love more than walking around the city without shoes or socks on. And now, just maybe, the Northern Hemisphere is ready to get onboard. Betteridge’s law states that any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word ‘no’. Though often true, it can sometimes … Read more
You can insure your dog, your phone and your life. You can even take out cover for the inevitable day you shuffle off this mortal coil. But do you really need to, Christopher Walsh asks? Insurance. We’re saturated in it, but despite all the choice it never seems to be cheap. Take out car, home, … Read more
Climate change will affect us all, but it already affects women and other marginalised genders differently. The United States is in the midst of a battle over reproductive freedom. Seizing on the conservative political fervour of the moment, politicians are attempting to strip back women’s rights to abortion, contraception and other reproductive health care. Women’s … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Fraser McConnell, co-founder of alternative payments app Choice which is currently running a two-week pilot phase with Wellington bars, restaurants and cafes. First of all, give us your elevator pitch … Read more
A new generation of commercial fishermen is pushing for change, and chefs are helping to tell their story. “I used to be a little bit naive and think there was no end to anything – a good day’s fishing would always be the same,” says Nathan Smith of Gravity Fishing. “But it’s not the case. … Read more
What’s the best way to get adults reading? Get them reading when they’re children – and there’s no better place to start than the Unity Children’s Bestseller Chart. These lists of the bestselling children’s books at Unity Wellington and Little Unity in Auckland cover the sales period May 10 – June 6 2019. AUCKLAND 1 … Read more
Lucy Kelly’s essay ‘How working in an abortion clinic changed my mind about terminations‘ remains one of the most popular posts in Spinoff history. Two years on, she reflects on its international impact, and how the abortion debate has, and hasn’t, moved on in New Zealand. Two years ago I published an essay about how … Read more
Labour’s Māori MPs should count their lucky stars Te Ururoa Flavell is busy doing other things, writes māui street‘s Morgan Godfery. It’s a mug’s game making a call about the general election more than a year out from polling day. If an election were held tomorrow Labour would almost certainly return with its seven-seat monopoly … Read more
Marc Daalder goes inside Wellycon, New Zealand’s largest board game convention to find out why the genre is having a renaissance. Snakes and Ladders sucks. At least, that’s according to BoardGameGeek.com, the near-definitive database for a hobby that has exploded in popularity in recent years. On BGG, as it’s known – or, affectionately/cringingly, “The Geek” … Read more
In a special edition of The Offspin, Mohammad Isam, ESPN Cricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent, spoke to the podcast about his experience of the Christchurch terror attack, and the effect it had on him and the team. On March 15, the day before the final match of Bangladesh’s tour of New Zealand, at 1:52pm on Mohammad Isam … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. This week on The Real Pod, we’ve absolutely Real Pod-ed it. It was throuple week on Dancing With the Stars NZ, but we were struck with a nightmare trio of our own: technical difficulties, geographical changes and a … Read more
The essential best-selling book chart in New Zealand, recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 The New Zealand Wars: Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa by Vincent O’Malley (Bridget Williams Books, $40) O’Malley continues his reign at the top, and in case you haven’t already bought it, can … Read more
Toby, Annabelle and Ben present a special, transformational collectors’ edition in Gone By Lunchtime #50. Was the wellbeing budget truly transformational? Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee and Ben Thomas size it up, along with the high drama prelude of the so-called Treasury hack. Plus: Is the time ripe for a new Christian Conservative political party? Either download this … Read more
Kura Forrester recently won the Billy T award for her show at the NZ International Comedy Festival. Despite the award being named after a Māori comedian, she’s the first Māori to win it since 2004. She sat down to talk with Alice Webb-Liddall about her influences, why Māori people are so funny, and her one-night-stand … Read more