Puawai Cairns, head of mātauranga Māori for Te Papa museum, writes about what biculturalism can and should mean in an institution like a museum. “Institutional biculturalism is often applied like makeup: it can create the appearance desired by both the wearer and the viewer, while beneath the surface the ravages of time remain. In the … Read more
Every day in the lead-up to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: José Barbosa on the perfect milkshake. Someone once said “only the madman is absolutely sure”. Well then I guess I’m eligible for in-home care … Read more
The justice minister says he’s cautiously satisfied by assurances from the internet giant after they sent representatives to his parliamentary office yesterday in the wake of Spinoff revelations When the Spinoff broke the news last week that Google had sent out an email naming the man accused of killing backpacker Grace Millane, in breach of … Read more
After writing about fetish videos involving kids on YouTube two years ago, the problem has only got worse, writes David Farrier. Way worse. When will Google do something about it? Editor’s note: While we have endeavoured to protect the identities of the children involved, we recognise that by publishing this story their privacy may be … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Serious fallout from inquiry into government agency use of spy firm, changes announced to migrant worker system, and new developments in Karel Sroubek saga. An inquiry has confirmed that ordinary New Zealanders were spied on by a security firm, on behalf of the government. The inquiry … Read more
A volunteer for the Indigenous Peoples Caucus at this year’s COP24 climate talks, Kera Sherwood-O’Regan reports back from Poland on the indigenous and human rights injustice that has just been delivered by the summit. It’s 2.58am on Sunday in Kraków, Poland. After an intense 48-hour final day at the COP24 Climate Negotiations an hour and a … Read more
Feeling a bit Grinchy this year? Heartwarming new research indicates the real reason we buy gifts comes from a place of selflessness, not guilt. ’Tis the season for gift-giving and for the scrooges among us to complain about the wastefulness of gift-giving. Why give gifts, they say, when people know what they want better than … Read more
The week’s episode of the Great Kiwi Bake Off was a right old sausage-fest, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Tara Ward power ranks the grand finale. This is how we roll on the Great Kiwi Bake Off: sausage-fests and tight buns aplenty. After ten glorious weeks, 12 amateur bakers, a shedload of soggy … Read more
Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms and Fine Wine Delivery Co. In this very special – and very, er, extended – festive edition of Dietary Requirements, the gang escapes the confines of the studio for a wholesome jaunt to the countryside. … Read more
This lightly sparkling natural wine has been popping up on drinks lists all over the show, and it’s not going away any time soon. Pét-nats are kind of a big deal right now. It may be tempting to dismiss this as some flash-in-the-pan fad – and granted, the vibrant labels and crown bottle caps that … Read more
In a very special Christmas episode of Get It to Te Papa, our series following journalist Hayden Donnell on an ambitious quest to collect underappreciated Kiwi cultural artefacts and get them into our national museum, Hayden sets out to restore the winking eye and beckoning finger to Auckland’s Giant Santa. Episode one and two of … Read more
All week this week we count down the five best books of 2018. Number four: Linda Burgess reviews the Ottolenghi cookbook Simple. Why the hell do people buy recipe books? Someone should do their PhD on the number of people who buy one, use it three times, then go back to the usual 10 things … Read more
Emily Writes goes to war with Elf on the Shelf and its disturbing surveillance agenda. A 2015 picture book introduced Elf on the Shelf. Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell wrote the book to apparently spread Christmas cheer. The story describes how “Santa’s elves” watch over children at Christmas time then report to Santa. Have they been naughty … Read more
From furniture to food, wholesale import businesses are on an upward trend. From plush, leather Chesterfield sofas to marble coffee tables framed with brushed stainless steel, wholesale furniture company Hawthorne has managed to strike a pleasant middle ground between classical and modern. “Contemporary but timeless” is how Julian Frizzell, the general manager for the business … Read more
For nearly 60 years our image of who we are has been reflected back at us from our TV screens. Tara Ward explores the evolution of New Zealand television. Some people reckon the internal combustion engine is the world’s greatest invention, but to them I say “have you ever tried to watch an amateur baker … Read more
Brianna fell down the time-travelling rabbit hole in this week’s episode of Outlander, but who did she meet there? Tara Ward recaps. Chuck me in the Fraser bathtub and sponge me down with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, because this season of Outlander is stronger than Claire Fraser’s wig in a hurricane. ‘Down the Rabbit … Read more
They may denounce violence, but the attitude of many young New Zealand men towards women remains toxic, says Dr Christina Vogels. Over the past two weeks a number of narratives have threaded their way through the conversation about the Grace Millane tragedy. The primary one has been disgust and anguish that a young woman on … Read more
The pension probably will still be around when today’s youth retire, but refusing to change the system at all will mean a tougher working life, writes Jenesa Jeram. It’s hard to make young people care about New Zealand Superannuation. I should know. Even when confronted with David Seymour’s warning that “NZ baby boomers are building … Read more
Every day in the lead-up to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Madeleine Chapman doesn’t understand the obsession with Michael Bublé. Before I go any further, I want it known that I like Michael Bublé and his … Read more
Sure, you could buy it in a tub – hell, you could just buy a packet of ready-made pies – but that’s not the point. The point is Christmas contentment. I love a lot of things about Christmas in the United States. I love the cold, (sometimes) snowy weather in the Northeast. I love the … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Exploitation cases of migrant workers pile up, more drama around the delayed census, and Ngāpuhi hapu vote against settlement model. A man has been arrested in the Hawke’s Bay, charged with more than a dozen counts of slavery and human trafficking in the horticulture industry, reports Radio NZ. … Read more
In this edited version of her speech at the Hamilton Press Club last Friday, Green MP Golriz Ghahraman recounts her journey from a childhood in Iran to becoming the first refugee elected to the NZ parliament, and why identity is at the heart of democracy Being a Middle Eastern woman is a strangely over-burdened birth … Read more
In the final episode of Project Runway New Zealand, the designers had to make a whole damn collection. Henry Oliver ranks the results. First, the show itself. Overall, I was impressed. I was initially scared that the cast lacked the chops to make it a competitive series: sure, actual skill doesn’t matter that much on these … Read more
The Single Object is a series exploring our material culture, examining the meaning and influence of the objects that surround us in everyday life. In the sixth part of the series Lucy Treep looks at the history and future of a famous chaise longue at the Architecture and Planning Library at the University of Auckland. Walking … Read more
In the latest in the Frame documentary series produced for The Spinoff by Wrestler and funded by NZ on Air, we follow chef Luke Adams as he prepares a hāngī for his children’s school fundraiser. “It never really seemed important in the beginning,” says Luke Adams. “It was just something that was always going on.” … Read more
It can be hard making small-talk with your loved ones over the holidays – which is exactly why television was invented. Sam Brooks shares the best shows to binge on Lightbox over the silly season, no matter your demographic. For the child (outside you): Paw Patrol. Your child has probably seen all of it already, and … Read more
Smaller, cheaper, cleaner: e-bikes and e-scooters are already disrupting even transport giants like Uber, writes Greater Auckland’s Patrick Reynolds. The electric revolution on our city streets, already underway, looks much more like a scooter than a Tesla. Why? Physics and geometry: size really matters for both energy consumption and spatial efficiency. And both drive affordability and therefore … Read more
What do you get your drunk uncle for Christmas? What about your aunty who believes in conspiracy theories? Or your cousin’s wife who is super racist? Emily Writes has your back. Buying Christmas presents is heaps of fun when you like the people you’re buying presents for. But what if you get the family dickhead … Read more
Every day in the lead-up to Christmas, open the door to reveal a Spinoff writer’s short, sizzling commentary on a weighty subject. Our arbitrary and strictly enforced word limit: 365. Today: Henry Oliver on why there should be a one year break in new albums, TV shows, movies, and books. How many books do you … Read more