Alarmed by the disconnection between his food and its source, Simon Day visits the home of his bacon. I‘ve eaten a lot of bacon. And roast pork shoulder with crispy crackling. I’ve used cured pig’s cheek to make carbonara. Glazed ham at every Christmas. And barbecued so many sausages. But I’d never recognised how disconnected … Read more
After a harrowing experience in a Countdown, Hayden Donnell calls for a moratorium on all classic New Zealand snack mash-ups. For a long time, New Zealand has been suffering from a sickness. It started as a slow creep. A flare-up here and there, easily dismissed; nothing much to worry about. Over time the illness has spread … Read more
No science or engineering background? No problem. A new apprenticeship scheme is addressing the skills shortage by training up people with no previous technical know-how. What do beauty therapy and the internet of things have in common? Absolutely nothing, unless you are 27-year-old solo mum Gabriella Swaby. The Melbourne woman was managing a suburban beauty … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Serious clashes between police and protesters in Palmerston North, ANZ banks ludicrously big profit, and gay conversion therapy could be banned. The most heavily protested annual conference of the year is back, this time in the unlikely surroundings of Palmerston North. The Defence Industry Expo – otherwise … Read more
Alex Casey spends a few hours with some rainbow volunteers shining a light on the trans community. It’s a sunny Friday on Karangahape Road, and rainbow activists Sam Orchard and Toni Duder are nervously waiting outside adult store Peaches and Cream. “Can you do the talking?” Orchard asks. “Sure,” says Duder. Wielding armfuls of colourful … Read more
To you, she’s just Phoebe from Friends. To me, she’s the one of the finest actresses of the small screen, writes Sam Brooks. Lisa Kudrow was the best actor on Friends. Regardless of how you rank the Friends characters (and if you rank Ross anywhere but last, you’re wrong), Kudrow’s performance is unimpeachable. When I watched all ten seasons of … Read more
What to offer trick or treaters to ensure you’re the most popular house in the neighbourhood, according to kids. Whatever your feelings about Halloween, you can’t deny it’s now a part of our children’s lives. So you have several options: 1) Throw yourselves into it with great gusto by decorating your house, dressing up and … Read more
Physiotherapist Ricky Bell pursued groundbreaking research into holistic approaches to obesity and Māori because that’s what his community needed… even if it meant his reputation as a fisherman had to suffer. Ngāti Hine rangatira Te Ruki Kawiti initially refused to sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi, believing it would lead to further loss of land for Māori. … Read more
An essay by novelist Kirsty Gunn, who claims New Zealand fiction remains besotted with dreary issues of national identity. Quite a while ago now, I wrote a novel about a boy growing up, who loves the sea, loves to surf, and who has a day in the middle of summer when the sea seems to want to … Read more
Housing was in the news this week, and there was a striking indication of where the Ardern-led government’s focus lies, writes Guyon Espiner of RNZ There were two big housing stories this week, two quite different approaches to them and one clear signal where the government’s focus lies. The first was a government generated “media … Read more
I love my job, writes midwife Lucy Kelly. But love can’t make up for a wage I can barely survive on. On Wednesday the 19th of September we celebrated 125 years of women’s suffrage in Aotearoa. I found it hard to celebrate. It feels like we’re riding on the wake of a landmark success of … Read more
Halloween in New Zealand is still not really a thing. But Emily Writes thinks it maybe should be. I’ll admit it, I love a good dress up. I was easy to win over when it came to Halloween. I always bought lollies hoping children would come to my door even before having little ones of … Read more
Spinoff royal correspondent Alex Casey waits at the Auckland Viaduct for the celebrity encounter of a lifetime. ‘They will be here any second,” said a feverish woman holding a GoPro, an accurate 23 minutes before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would wobble their way down the Viaduct like me after a mad night at … Read more
He had better things to do, and so do you, writes Aaron Hendry. On Tuesday, hundreds of Christians gathered outside parliament to protest the removal of Jesus’ name from the parliamentary prayer. If you’re like me, perhaps your first thought upon hearing that news was…. really!?!? With everything that is going on in this nation, … Read more
If we’re serious about our commitment peace, we shouldn’t be hosting a ‘forum’ sponsored by a giant arms manufacturer, and we shouldn’t have troops involved in illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, argues Green MP Golriz Ghahraman Last week, as harrowing details emerged of the targeted murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Donald Trump provided … Read more
Hayden Donnell surveys one of the more rare whiskies to ever go on sale in New Zealand, and asks whether it’s worth its gigantic purchasing price. Last Wednesday night, I pulled into a North Shore industrial zone to taste-test rare and expensive whisky. It was an event put on by the Fine Wine Delivery Company and … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Electric trains to continue on main trunk line, alarm sounded over loss of Auckland tree canopy, and MP Jami-Lee Ross gives proxy vote back to National. The railway network of New Zealand has been given a shot in the arm, which could signal more investment in … Read more
The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read more comics here The Bulletin is The Spinoff’s acclaimed, free daily curated digest of all the most important stories from around New Zealand delivered directly to your inbox each morning. Sign up now Email *
A cyclist filmed delaying a driver on a west Auckland road is so alarmed at the reaction that he’s issued a plea for Kiwis to come to their senses and end the cultural war. The inflammatory issue of cyclists riding two abreast or otherwise inconveniencing those in automobiles is regular clickbait on New Zealand news … Read more
Black Caps devotee Michael Appleton assesses the chances of cricketing glory as the side begins its season in the United Arab Emirates. The Black Caps’ new season starts in the UAE tomorrow morning. Between now and late March, they’ll play eight test matches, 14 ODIs and seven T20s against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh. … Read more
Polish off your whisk and separate your egg whites because it’s Dessert Week on The Great Kiwi Bake Off. Let’s pray to the gingerbread gods that Harry and Meghan managed to catch this week’s episode, because they’d learn more about Aotearoa in one hour of GKBO than three thousand years of Orc visits and Government House … Read more
Today’s 6.2 earthquake was centred near Taumarunui and transmitted via a rigid subducting slab on the east of the North Island A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck at 3.13pm today, centred 25 kilometres south-west of Taumarunui. Fire and Emergency said there were no immediate reports of damage. Classified as large and deep by GNS, it led … Read more
Emily Writes has been considering how great it is to be a kid while staying up until midnight making a Halloween costume for her child who wants to be a “bubble”. I’ve been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to my son, a chapter each night as he cuddles up in my lap. He thinks … Read more
Get your fill of the glorious green spears because they’re here for a good time, not a long time – and they make a damn fine addition to a classic carbonara. You know that summer isn’t too far around the corner when asparagus makes an appearance on the supermarket shelves. I love the versatility of this vegetable. … Read more
Yesterday saw yet another story of young home owner success splashed across the news. But this time both sides of the political divide kicked off, sledging the government and the new mortgagees alike. Don Rowe explains. Monday morning dawned like many others. It was raining in Auckland. Denise L’Estrange-Corbet was being weird on the telly. Stuff … Read more
Dogs think harder when their owners speak gibberish words, a study has found, and one New Zealand dog behaviourist suggests it could be because they’re trying to read humans’ thoughts. This story was first published on Newshub.co.nz. They’re trusty workers on farms across the country, loved companions and considered part of the family for many … Read more
In episode five of Get It to Te Papa, a Lightbox Original made by The Spinoff, Hayden Donnell’s odyssey takes him to the front door of New Zealand’s only true living legend: Suzanne Paul. Watch Get It to Te Papa on Lightbox here. On March 2, our TV crew pulled up to a big house on … Read more
Facing criticism, comparison and scrutiny every day takes its toll. Heaping even more pressure on someone who’s suffering isn’t the answer, writes chef and MKRNZ judge Ben Bayly. It’s no secret that restaurants are high-adrenaline, high-stakes workplaces. The hours are long, it’s highly competitive and with the added pressure of maintaining impeccable customer service, there’s … Read more
People are freaking out about the potential hazards of Lime e-scooters. Hayden Donnell asks whether we could apply these same standards to another type of vehicle causing even more harm. At first the reaction to the introduction of Lime e-scooters was positive. There were explainers. Stories about how far people had travelled in a single … Read more