Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Jenny Etherington who, along with her partner Thomas Mortimer, founded Solvej (sool-vay) Swings – makers of sustainable and long-lasting swings for babies and toddlers. ONE: How did Solvej Swings start and what was … Read more
Young and emerging writers, rejoice! The dear old Spinoff Review of Books unveils a new writer-in-residence award – open only to those tender of age and prodigious of talent. Young and emerging writers in New Zealand get a pat on the head now and then, a little bit of praise, limited exposure, sod-all money, and not a … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Don Rowe encounters New Zealand’s best steak and cheese pie. The Steak and Cheese Index is the one true measure of whether or not a bakery is worth its crust. All establishments live and die by their flagship pie, … Read more
Four seasons in, with a fifth along the way, it’s time to look back, and then look even further back. Sam Brooks looks at who’s who on Westside, and who originally played them on Outrageous Fortune. It’s rare to see a local television show that takes place outside of Ferndale create its own artistic canon, but that’s precisely … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New study lays bare housing unaffordability, a return to the news of a Roast Buster, and inequality continues to widen. Housing unaffordability in New Zealand is among the worst in the developed world, reports Stuff. That’s not necessarily a measure of prices alone, rather it’s a measure … Read more
There’s a big revitalisation of the racing industry on its way, with Racing Minister Winston Peters promising a raft of new measures to get people gambling more. But why, asks Joseph Plunket, should we blindly support an industry that preys on addicts? The government’s shakeup of the racing industry is on course for this year, … Read more
I had the privilege to stand alongside Mātua Nathan and his daughter Alethea in New York last year, writes Julia Amua Whaipooti. Now is a moment of progressive global outrage. It will pass, but his work will not. On April 20 last year I was sitting in the General Assembly at the United Nations when I … Read more
The already dubious return to publicity of a former ringleader of the Roast Busters has a sordid twist: Joseph Parker appears to be using the spotlight of TV news as a way to promote his music. *This story has been updated with comment from Newshub. Joseph Parker, who was part of a group of teenage … Read more
It’s the pentultimate episode of Outlander season four, and things couldn’t be worse. Or could they? Tara Ward finds out. Friends, we are well and truly up the shitter. I thought we’d peaked in the Outlander disaster zone with last week’s craptacular camping trip and Murtagh putting his boots on Marsali’s blankets, but this week life in the Colonies … Read more
Alex Casey woke up at 6am this morning to flick between the first episode for 2019 of both The AM Show and Breakfast. Here are some of the highlights. Nothing captures Monday morning ennui like The AM Show. “Welcome back my friends,” belts out prog rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer, “to the show that never … Read more
Welcome back to Papercuts, our monthly books podcast hosted by Louisa Kasza, Jenna Todd and Kiran Dass. It’s 2019 and we’ve been reading like mad over the summer break. In this episode we talk about reading resolutions, predict the Ockhams longlist, go through our summer reading piles, talk Marie Kondo’s approach to hoarding books, and … Read more
Burger pop-up Goldburger’s foray into Auckland had Samuel Flynn Scott excited – and apprehensive. I have a very difficult relationship with burgers. They kinda make me insane. Nothing lives up to my ridiculous standards and stupid rules. Plus you kinda know they are killing you slowly with each juicy bite. But I soldier on. Chef … Read more
Today brings confirmation about the depth of the crisis in a global context. We need bold action, not tinkering at the edges. And overhauling the tax system has to be part of the change, write Geoff Simmons The Demographia Housing Affordability Report released today shows our country is losing at housing. We are the worst … Read more
The Rainbow Arcade is an exhibition of LGBTQI* representation is video games currently taking place at the Schwules Museum in Berlin. New Zealander in Berlin Joel Thomas went along. There’s a perpetual greyness to the Berlin winter; everything’s desaturated and everyone’s a bit on edge. I’m walking through the rain in Berlin’s famously queer district … Read more
Wendyl Nissen, in an extract from her new book of household tips, advises natural ways to kill the worst thing about summer – flies. Flies drive me absolutely nuts and, unfortunately, with hens come flies. Up north the flies are especially bad in the heat of March and I must confess that after putting out … Read more
Why do we act like the idea of reducing our meat consumption is an assault on the very backbone of the nation? This story originally ran in Barker’s 1972 magazine under the title A Life Less Meaty Vegans are one of the few groups it’s still widely acceptable to hate on. So worthy, we complain. Talk about … Read more
Good morning, and welcome back to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Problems with seasonal work laid bare, expanded CPTPP trade deal becomes more likely, and new swimming safety guideline launched in Auckland. A few big stories over the last few weeks have indicated serious strain on New Zealand’s seasonal economy. The details differ, but at the heart … Read more
Pregnancy and birth-related injuries are all too common, but with ACC requiring proof of that treatment or other external force was to blame, many new mothers are forced to live with excruciating, untreated pain. Sarah Bichan reports. It’s almost taboo to talk about birth injuries. Some people have never heard of pelvic floor dysfunction (vaginal … Read more
Calum Henderson’s seven step guide to adding the Beautiful Game to your summer. This story originally ran in Barker’s 1972 magazine. The best part of any match at Kiwitea Street in Sandringham, Auckland, is the five minutes after the referee blows the final whistle, before the volunteers come down from the clubrooms and start taking down … Read more
In the last few years, Twizel’s setting in one of the most scenic parts of the South Island has proven an irresistible draw for tourists. And that’s bad news for locals, writes Twizel resident Sarah Arnold. There’s no feeling in the world better than when you first enter Mackenzie Country. When there is a gap … Read more
Bringing you the best weekly reading from your friendly local website. Maria Slade: Transport’s dirty little secret: The truckers breaking the law just to survive “Aside from getting out of the truck to load and unload 100kg pallets of bread the driver did not stop from 10.30pm, when George met him at the truck depot, … Read more
How is Austin Powers still relevant in 2019? And why hire the Queen for your birthday party? Alex Casey talks to the movers and shakers of New Zealand’s celebrity impersonator scene. It ain’t easy being shagadelic. Orewa local Gary Brown, the only legally authorised Austin Powers impersonator in the world, knows that cold hard truth … Read more
My YouTube Party of Five is a new series in which we invite people to share their five favourite YouTube videos, the ones hold closest in their heart, the ones they’ll play at 2am while drunk at a party. This week: Sam Brooks. “Something bad, something good, or something funny?” Whenever I’m hosting a gathering … Read more
Twenty years on, Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s I See a Darkness continues to beguile listeners. Jonny Potts tries to make sense of a timeless classic. It’s strange to consider I See a Darkness in terms of its age. Really, it’s strange to consider it being subject to time at all. It’s one of the very few records which … Read more
How two families, in the space of one week, brought out the worst in New Zealand media and public. Tragedy unites us. A shared pain can be what brings a nation together, with people from all backgrounds setting aside their differences to suffer, grieve, and rebuild together. But as it happens, there’s one thing that … Read more
As our summer road trip season rounds to a close, Sarah Austen-Smith takes a whistle-stop tour of country cafes between Auckland and Wellington to see whether the grass really is greener in the regions. Black Stump Berries, Te Puke Pulling into Black Stump Berries in a seven-seater Toyota Highlander full of kids, my first thought … Read more
With the PM’s withdrawal agreement shot down, but Britain still set to leave the EU on March 29, a new course of action is needed – and fast, writes Leeds University political scientist Victoria Honeyman. As the clock ticks down to March 29 2019, all of the political manoeuvring, negotiating, arguing and fighting is coming … Read more
Should you have to take yourself apart and give yourself away, just to find out who you are? Western society has long been obsessed with hoarding, with clutter. Marie Kondo, with her combination of minimalist style and impeccable manners, is currently taking the world by storm, but she is just another in a long line … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation in which host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Rebekah and Tamati Norman of local apothecary company Native Rituals. Business at its best can be … Read more