Environmental limits, changing tastes and a redefined social licence are driving consumers away from animal proteins. In part two of a series on the rise of veganism, Daniel Eb looks at what New Zealand must do to get on board. There is a sense of impending transformation ahead for agriculture in New Zealand. The world’s … Read more
He’s a lot of things: a commentator, political PR guy, Twitter scrapper, dad, recovering alcoholic – even Mongolian ambassador. But Matthew Hooton’s main focus at the moment is chalking up a philosophy Master’s in London. Toby Manhire meets one of the most fascinating – and polarising – characters in NZ politics Life is a like … Read more
Alex Casey dives into the murky world of crispy-cuppa-companion nomenclature in New Zealand. Every now and then, a simple revelation knocks your entire world off its axis. You could be staring at your daily box of Shapes, when suddenly your gaze pulls focus like a Magic Eye and you realise that the white background on … Read more
Red Dead Redemption 2 is still creaming it and José Barbosa is still playing it and loving it. But the developer behind it is fast losing its sparkle. If you’d take a moment and have a good squiz around you, you’ll figure out whose image the world has been remade in. We’re living in … Read more
Will we ever truly reach peak TV? Maybe! And if we do, 2019 might be the year when it happens. Sam Brooks and Alex Casey run down all the things you absolutely cannot miss in 2019. Golden Boy / Mean Mums (TV3) The successful pilots from TV3’s inaugural pilot week are presumably coming this year, both having … Read more
The easiest way to declutter? Not buying useless crap in the first place, writes Hannah McGowan. The popularity of TV shows like Tidying Up with Marie Kondo makes me gloriously happy. Reducing clutter is in, “sparking joy” and “thanking” items for the service they provided before you biff them is becoming everyday lingo. There is … Read more
Since 1981, a pioneering Dutch immigrant has been developing a distinctive New Zealand style of cheese, and now the world is starting to sit up and take notice. But for Albert Alferink, he’s just doing what he’s good at: working. Waikato: home of the Tron, the mighty river, Hobbiton, Waikato Draught and Jacinda Ardern. The … Read more
Henry Oliver talks to Georgia and Caleb Nott, the siblings who make music together as Broods, about being dropped, getting back up again, and their new album Don’t Feed the Pop Monster. Georgia and Caleb Nott were back in New Zealand over the summer. After a whirlwind tour supporting Taylor Swift, they slowed down, visiting … Read more
It’s Kohitātea, the eighth month of the Māori year – also known as Rehua, Kai-tātea and Hānuere – when the Rehua star outshines the night sky and fruits ripen for everyone to enjoy. Learn more about the maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar, here. The period of January was often referred to as the Rehua month. … Read more
The US federal government shutdown is a case of political and economic vandalism, committed by politicians against the people who elected them, writes Alex Braae from the USA. The guy in the museum got quite agitated when I mentioned we were about to drive to White Sands National Park. He was already a slightly wild-looking … Read more
How honest do advertisements really need to be? Madeleine Chapman investigates a newspaper ad promising a price of $14.99 when the real cost is far, far more. The best advertisements make you stop. Sometimes because they’re funny, or fun to look at. Sometimes because they’re inspiring. And sometimes, though less often, because they offer a … Read more
A lost exotic pet lizard called Hades was found in an Auckland suburb, but instead of returning it to its owner, it was flown to an MPI vet in Wellington. What happened? Don Rowe investigates. It started with an anonymous tip: “Request all government communications regarding the theft and transportation of a bearded dragon – … Read more
How does a new meal kit delivery company break into the New Zealand market: they call up a handsome Kiwi fireman who we can all relate to. Jaco Kluts is an astonishingly normal man. He lives in an ordinary house in a steadily gentrifying suburb in Auckland, just near Penny Bright’s old place. Outside on … Read more
Restaurant dining can present even more complex issues than daily decisions at the supermarket or at home. But what responsibility do chefs have to inform and shape their diners’ eating habits? Nowadays, ethical eating is often presented as a truism: we are told we should all be making ethical food choices, not only at home … Read more
The most anticipated reality TV event of the year, Celebrity Treasure Island may have just got its first castaway. Hit the dab, 2019, you’ve done it again. I might still be moderately drunk from Hogmanay, but The Spinoff has been handed some extremely piping hot intel from a high level source that Max Key is … Read more
Following the launch of debut game Dr Grordbort’s Invaders, Weta Workshop’s game division invited Baz Macdonald in to discuss the project’s long development and to explore what the future holds for mixed reality gaming. Stepping into Weta Gameshop, the development studio at Weta Workshop, the first thing you see is a gigantic Edwardian-era fireplace decorated … Read more
Dragon tears, meteorites, or just plain shit – ambergris is an olfactory miracle of the deep. Sought after for thousands of years, and worth upwards of $10,000/kg today, ambergris washes up on beaches across New Zealand all year long. Don Rowe goes looking for it. This story originally ran in Barker’s 1972 magazine under the title … Read more
A tangled web of secrets and lies was revealed in this week’s Outlander episode, as the Frasers tried to right their wrongs. They also ate some mashed potato. Tara Ward recaps. There are more reasons to love Claire Fraser than there are ginger curls on Jamie’s head. She has a collection of knitted arm-warmers to die … Read more
A graduate of a women-only startup incubator is using crowdsourcing to gather usable data about patterns of sexual assault. Whereas once the female of the species was expected to deal with ‘creepy’ behaviour from men as best she could, the #metoo movement has empowered women to speak out about sexual harassment and violence in our … Read more
Another year, another twelve months full of video games that seem to exist only to drain your bank account – but which ones should you be hanging out for? Sam Brooks rounds up the most anticipated games of 2019. Anthem (February, PS4/Xbox One/PC) After the quiet failure of Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem is BioWare’s attempt to go … Read more
In 2017 New Zealand imported a massive 20,000 e-bikes and that number is likely to have grown exponentially in 2018. But what do you need to know before you buy one? Russell Brown has the lowdown. First published 12 May 2018. If you think you’re seeing more e-bikes on the road, you’re not wrong. In … Read more
Ahead of the release of his new film Glass, Alex Casey looked back at the best twists in director M. Night Shyamalan’s back catalogue. Try as I might, I never seem to see a twist in a movie coming. It doesn’t matter how hard I strain my eyes, how many maths woman calculations I do … Read more
Which was the best, loudest, most alternative volume of the ’90s alt-rock compilation series The Trip? Craig Major listens back to all nine editions and casts his verdict. In 1993 Sam Neill was running away from dinosaurs, Kurt Cobain was still breathing, and a compilation album released by Warner NZ thrust alternative music into the … Read more
While your chances of being attacked by a shark are tiny, the risks of an injury from beach litter and marine debris are surprisingly high – and growing every year. Our beaches are our summer playgrounds, yet beach litter and marine debris injures one-fifth of beach users, particularly children and older people. Our research, published … Read more
Someone had to do it. First published 13 January 2018. In 2015, around the time of the World Cup, the New Zealand Cricket Museum started selling this stunningly attractive poster. Designed by Into the White Press, it details the evolution of the New Zealand one day international cricket uniform, from its beige beginnings to years … Read more
New Year, new you? We hear that a lot in January. The focus tends to be on the body, but what if you have a shit personality online? What can you do to fix that? Emily Writes can help. I think 2019 should be the year that people who are assholes in comment sections try … Read more
Women have been doing groundbreaking science for centuries. So why don’t students learn more about them? Can you name a female scientist from history? Chances are you are shouting out Marie Curie. The twice Nobel Prize-winning Curie and mathematician Ada Lovelace are two of the few women within Western science to receive lasting popular recognition. … Read more
Rangatira ki te rangatira: Ardern’s approach to Waitangi commemorations offered the chance to break from the bad old days under PMs of both parties, wrote Annabelle Lee This post was first published January 24 2018 Every Waitangi it’s the same. The lack of gratitude shown by Māori at being among the poorest, sickest, most unemployed and … Read more
Imagine you didn’t get paid for a month or two for your work. Big businesses have used this tactic to keep cash in the bank – but how long do our corporates take to pay? Rebecca Stevenson investigates. This post was originally published 17 February 2018 In New Zealand, they account for 97% of businesses. … Read more