It’s Valentine’s Day, so why not pay homage to the New Zealand icon herself, Xena: Warrior Princess (the first three seasons drop on Lightbox tomorrow). Sam Rutledge writes a love letter to the woman herself. Question: was anyone who was alive in the 90s in New Zealand ever NOT watching Xena? I was only born in the … Read more
To celebrate Valentine’s Day and the launch of DB Export’s new campaign, The Spinoff pays tribute to New Zealand’s most famous love stories. Love isn’t something that’s always come easily to New Zealanders. Our “man alone” colonial history has often demanded feelings be suppressed, and emotions were traditionally something to be bottled rather than expressed, … Read more
Our online security is increasingly at risk. Ben Creet, policy manager at InternetNZ, explains what’s happening and what we can do to protect our security. Cybersecurity is so hot right now. Here in early 2019 there’s already been a major hacking and theft in the news (police are still investigating). This comes at the end … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: China conundrum deepens for New Zealand’s diplomats, massive shakeup for polytechs signalled, and seagulls under serious threat. The relationship between the New Zealand and Chinese governments appears to be particularly strained right now. Over the course of this week, there have been a range of individual reports … Read more
It might feel like Cadbury has done enough damage already, but things could just be getting started. First Cadbury came for Roses, and we all screamed. Then they came for the marshmallow eggs, and we all screamed again. Then they cut down their Family Bar size, and we started to tire of screaming. When their … Read more
The National MP’s self-righteous defence for halting yesterday’s meeting ignored the essential role the Opposition plays in upholding the select committee process, writes Andrew Geddis. On Wednesday something happened in Parliament that was on its face a clever but petty political move designed to capture headlines, yet at a deeper level ought to concern anybody … Read more
As China sends abstract signals about its unhappiness with New Zealand, there are some concrete steps that Jacinda Ardern’s government can take, writes Robert Ayson of the Victoria University of Wellington Centre for Strategic Studies. At the height of the Cold War, western intelligence agencies overanalysed who was standing next to whom at Red Square parades … Read more
Breeds such as pugs and bulldogs are bred to encourage a facial deformity that can significantly impair a dog’s health, welfare and happiness. Vets have a moral obligation not to support such cruelty, write the University of Sydney’s Paul McGreevy and Anne Fawcett. Veterinarians have a professional and moral obligation to reduce or prevent any … Read more
The Gone By Lunchtime peloton roars into 2019. Just as you’re wondering whether it’s too late to say ‘happy new year’, Annabelle Lee, Toby Manhire and Ben Thomas wish you a happy new year with a return to the Gone-pod. On the agenda: A hell-poll for National sees Judith Collins casting a shadow over Simon … Read more
There’s a dearth of queer work in Aotearoa, and very little of it is supported by our mainstages. Homos, or Everyone in America is a gleaming light in the darkness. Sam Brooks responds to the play, and talks to the director about its urgency. (For the purposes of this piece, the label ‘queer’ stands in for LGBTQI+ … Read more
For a government promising “a year of delivery”, Ardern’s team has begun in something of a defensive crouch, writes Guyon Espiner for RNZ Labour will count itself lucky the Newshub-Reid Research poll was held for nine days and released the night before MPs returned to parliament on Tuesday. The poll, completed on 2 February but … Read more
Auckland Transport’s plans for the Queens Wharf ferry terminal include a wide bus lane designed to serve cruise ship passengers on the wharf’s eastern side – effectively closing the wharf to the general public over the busy summer months, writes Matt Lowrie of Greater Auckland. “Today, Queens Wharf becomes the public’s wharf,” said then Auckland … Read more
Jo Bates tracks down the elusive sweet Middle Eastern cheese delicacy that is as at home on the breakfast table as it is on a dessert menu. It’s hard to keep up with Yael Shochat’s enthusiasm for knafeh. She’s exuberant on the topic of almost any comestible, but the soft, gooey cheese dish holds a … Read more
School projects weren’t complete without a meticulously selected WordArt title. Madeleine Chapman looks back at the fonts that shaped many children’s lives. Once upon a time the most important decision in life was choosing a font. Every school project needed the perfect font. Not for the body of text; Arial shmarial, who cares. No, every … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Nelson fires give glimpse of climate change future, mystery over Air NZ flight seems to be solved, and working class suburbs experience house price boom. The conversation around the Nelson fires, which have caused so much disruption and angst, has shifted to the future. There’s been a … Read more
From extracting hemp oil to African artificial insemination programmes, a Christchurch-developed super refrigerator is taking the business of freezing to new levels. An obscure piece of kit that began life in a government science lab is now on the verge of creating a new $100 million export industry for New Zealand. Christchurch company Fabrum Solutions … Read more
It’s one of the most controversial entries in the long-running series, but on its 20th anniversary Sam Brooks is standing behind Final Fantasy 8 as the best one of them all. I have two lingering memories of Final Fantasy 8. The first is being stuck right at the end of the first disc. I’d just … Read more
Ever wanted to work for The Spinoff? Now is the hour. The Spinoff is seeking a new member for our commercial team to come and work in our sunny city fringe offices. The focus on the role will be ensuring our existing clients are kept happy and fulfilled, while also bringing in new business to … Read more
All week this week the Spinoff Review of Books revisits the great poet James K Baxter, on the occasion of a new book of letters. Today: CK Stead remembers Baxter, in this extract taken from his memoir in progress, South-East of Everywhere. Early in 1966 the Otago University Students’ Association invited me to Dunedin. I was to be there for … Read more
Harvard professor Dan Nocera has long been electrifying the scientific world with his work on harnessing the untapped potential of solar energy. But his research into the creation of a new type of fertiliser, shared at the MacDiarmid Institute’s AMN9 conference, could have dramatic implications for New Zealand. Alex Braae reports. It’s always an interesting … Read more
Until New Zealand Cricket addresses the Scott Kuggeleijn situation, Black Caps superfan Michelle Langstone will no longer be watching her beloved team. Here she explains why. A letter to New Zealand Cricket chair Debbie Hockley, and to the board of NZ Cricket – You don’t know me at all, but I’m one of the biggest fans … Read more
Auckland Arts Festival is rolling around again and there’s so much to choose from this year. Sam Brooks picks the six shows everyone will be talking about – the ones you’ll kick yourself for missing. Festival time can be stressful, especially once you pick up that pretty brochure with dozens of shows to choose from … Read more
Emily Writes picks some kids shows you can watch without wanting to poke your eyes out with a blunt stick. Before I had kids I wasn’t going to let them watch any screens. We didn’t even own a TV when my firstborn came along. He went without TV until he was about two. Then his … Read more
In the last week China has acted and sent a message it believes we have aligned too far to the west, argues Mike Rehu With the concerns deepening of a cold war type conflict between the US and China, will New Zealand have to choose between the two powers? That question underpins much of this … Read more
As government and business lag behind, the fledgling community-driven housing sector is pursuing alternatives to bypass an unjust system, writes Thomas Nash Is there any hope for the future of housing in New Zealand? Our tax law encourages wealthy landowners to enrich themselves through untaxed revenue (also known as capital gains). The government faces scrutiny … Read more
Reboot your school lunch repertoire – or your office lunch repertoire, for that matter – with a delicious new sandwich filling. I feel as though the school holidays were over even before they started, despite my initial feelings of trepidation at the thought of making it through six long weeks with three kids under six! … Read more
Vague and antiquated legal language undermines complainants in cases of sexual assault, writes New Zealand Law Journal editor Brenda Midson. One of New Zealand’s most notorious sexual misconduct cases re-emerged recently when a ringleader of the Roast Busters, a group of teenagers who were investigated five years ago for alleged sexual offences against underage girls, gave … Read more
House of Drag winner Hugo Grrrl says his Wellington events company has had over 100 events disappear from Facebook. Wellington events organiser and drag king George Fowler has been left “devastated” after a targetted attack on Facebook caused the entirety of his companies’ events to be removed. Winning TVNZ’s House of Drag as drag king … Read more
Two 20-year-old Auckland students have created an app that combines the brevity of Q&A platforms like Yahoo Answers or Quora with the visual nature of websites like YouTube or Instagram. Now, they’re competing against 11 other teams all across Asia in one of the biggest student tech competitions in the world. A few years ago a … Read more