Does New Zealand have any chance of winning the Cricket World Cup? Wood and leather enthusiast Alex Braae casts his eye over where every team stands heading into the tournament, and puts his credibility on the line with some predictions. You might think it’s rugby season, but in fact the greatest summer sporting event on … Read more
After almost 20 years with a drinking problem, Baal Caulfield* explains how he handled life after alcohol. Read parts one and two of Baal Caulfield’s story of giving up alcohol. Trying to keep occupied without booze can be an extremely difficult task. You see, unlike heroin or meth, my drug of choice was legal, socially … Read more
Alice Neville drank a lot of cocktails at New Zealand’s first dedicated cocktail festival in Wellington last weekend… here are a few standouts. Wellington’s always been a good booze town. These days it’s all about the craft beer and natural wine, of course, but years before hazy IPAs and pét-nats were de rigueur, there were … Read more
Anna Knox reviews the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s Shed Series – Responses and finds that Shed 6 transforms the experience of live classical music entirely. Last time I wrote about the NZSO, I claimed that hearing them perform was not about the ‘whole experience’. I’d like to say in hindsight that was foolish and I’ve changed my … Read more
For the National opposition, a breakaway Christian party is a Hail Mary of the highest order, writes Craig McCulloch for RNZ. While to Roman Catholic faithful the Hail Mary is an essential prayer and path to redemption, most often nowadays the phrase invokes a last-ditch desperate play with little chance of success. National Party leader … Read more
The thought leaders of the late 2010s subject themselves to a regimen of terrible eating and self-imposed abeyance. The funniest part is that half the time, so do I. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is a man under pressure. His company’s profit streak conceals an ongoing net drop in its real users. He’s facing renewed criticism … Read more
It’s Scomo versus Shorten as Australians go the polls today, ending an all-pervading campaign. New Zealander Paul Davies has been watching it from his sofa Billboards have been defaced, eggs thrown and vile old Facebook posts dug up. It’s difficult to ignore the plethora of election coverage that has bombarded us over recent weeks – … 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, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. This week he talks to Soraya Hendesi, founder of the skincare company … Read more
This Italian dark leafy green comes into its own in the cooler months, and makes a delicious autumn/winter salad with apple and sunflower seeds. Now that the weather has cooled and the white butterflies have finally disappeared, my cavolo nero has bounced back to life and is producing more green-blue leaves than we know what … Read more
Tonight the nation’s journalists, photographers, videographers, reviewers and columnists gather at Auckland’s glamorous Cordis Hotel for the most glittering night in media, the Voyager Media Awards. Read a selection of The Spinoff’s rip-roaring 17 nominations here. Website of the Year Please discover more of our great content at the following link: thespinoff.co.nz Best First-Person Essay … Read more
Right about now, Vincent O’Malley is delivering a mighty Michael King Memorial Lecture at the Auckland Writers Festival. In this startling extract from his new book, The New Zealand Wars Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa, O’Malley explains how the decimation of Māori in Tūranga (Gisborne) “completely eclipsed” the country’s losses in Gallipoli. Actual fighting may have … Read more
The biggest education strike in New Zealand history, including primary and secondary school teachers, and principals, will take place on May 29. But what can parents do to help? Emily Writes has some advice. On Sunday it was announced that teachers in primary and secondary schools would strike for more funding, lower class ratios, support … Read more
New poetry by Wellington writer Chris Tse. The Magician—Notes on distraction Every time I turn to see where I should be looking I see my reflection. ~ There is so much of the world within reach from your desk—screens within screens, and holes within holes—tails wagging dogs, and newspapers crying wolf. … Read more
Madeleine Chapman wrote a book and was asked to speak about it at a writers festival. The problem was, nobody wanted to listen. No one came. Seriously, no one came. The first sign, a red flag drifting through my subconscious, was the modest attendance at the three person 2pm panel. Three writers, all known, one … Read more
The only published and available best-selling 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 Dead People I Have Known by Shayne Carter (Victoria University Press, $40) Welcome to the charts, Shayne. You’ll stay a while, yeah? … Read more
With the first 101 issues of Rip It Up going online this week at Papers Past – about 3000 pages in all – where to start? Two dedicated readers and contributors share their favourite moments from the magazine’s early years. In 1980 Simon Grigg founded the influential indie record label Propeller, which launched Blam Blam … Read more
The Royal Commission investigating the March 15 attacks will look to determine if the event could (and should) have been prevented. AUT law professor Kris Gledhill explains what the Commission needs to do to stay on the right track. The Christchurch mosque attacks raise both narrow and wider issue. The narrow issue, in the hands of … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major transport plans announced for Wellington, fears some forests will be unprotected from mega mast, and complexities of drug driver testing outlined. A major, decades long investment has been announced for Wellington’s transport network. It’s a mix of incremental short term upgrades focused largely on those not … Read more
Our old mates the Australians are going to the polls on Saturday. What should we watch out for over here? Alex Braae has a cheat sheet for all the Trans-Tasman political nerds out there. What’s all this then? New Zealanders, all let us rejoice, because one of the weirdest democracies in the world is about … Read more
The government has deliberately limited public understanding of Rocket Lab’s US military connections in order to support American security interests, documents show. Before the first rocket took off from Mahia Peninsula on the East Coast two years ago, MPs considered whether they should clarify that New Zealand’s new space industry would be strictly for peaceful … Read more
As speaker, Trevor Mallard took the exception of ‘naming’ the National MP Nick Smith. It’s just the latest salvo exchanged by the veteran pair. The more important question, however, is whether the accusations of bias hold up On Wednesday last week Judith Collins made good on her word and produced a delicious looking plate of … 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 pod we’re absolutely snowed under with exciting news from the reality TV world, the real world, and the Nando’s world. There’s a 24 year-old sheep knocking around, the old Milo formula is the … Read more
A report into the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) revealed that the means of investigating benefit fraud, in particular, the relationship statuses of beneficiaries, infringed on their right to privacy. The Spinoff explains what the investigation is all about, and why it matters. Why was there an investigation? In 2018 the Privacy Commissioner heard concerns … Read more
Generations of New Zealand makeup users grew up with Shiseido’s Moisture Mist range, home to the iconic Beauty Cake foundation compact. Now, after 41 years, the Moisture Mist brand is closing down. “Dear Moisture Mist customers,” read the graphic red and white message posted to the Moisture Mist Facebook page on Monday afternoon, “We are … Read more
Forget his problematic Instagram and his pet monkey, Justin Bieber made his most evocative piece of art during a whirlwind trip to New Zealand in 2010. Cast your mind back to 2010. Donald Trump was just a guy asking budding entrepreneurs to manage a doggy day care on his reality TV show. The Social Network … Read more
Sam Brooks has a transcendent experience at the part of the Auckland Writers Festival grown-ups never hear about: the school sessions. A few years ago I could’ve been mistaken for a teenager, especially given that I dress like a toddler recently given autonomy over their fashion. As I walked around the Aotea Centre, a space … Read more
The annual national Race Unity Speech awards happened in Auckland on Saturday, where six of New Zealand’s best high school speakers addressed how we can improve race relations. Year 13 Mount Albert Grammar School student Takunda Muzondiwa spoke about struggling to stay connected to her home in Zimbabwe, while trying to create a new home in … Read more
As the referendum approaches and the road toll rises, the government is under pressure to deal with drug testing, but it’s more complicated than it first appears, writes Don Rowe. The government has announced a public consultation on drugged driver testing following rising road tolls, an impending referendum, and intense pressure from an opposition desperate … Read more
The first 101 issues of Rip It Up have been added to the free online archive Papers Past. Gareth Shute tracked down some of the people behind this legendary publication to get a sense of how it started and why it was so essential to the local music scene. Rip It Up magazine was a … Read more