In our latest episode of On the Rag, Michèle A’Court wrestles with the eternal question – how much boob is too much boob? If you have boobs, you may be familiar with the contradictory experience of hearing “tits out for the boys” on the same outing as you might hear “put it away love”. Breastfeeding? People … Read more
Former Street Chant frontperson Emily Edrosa releases her long-awaited debut solo album today. In honour of its arrival, we asked her to explain what inspired Another Wave Is Coming. 1. Mould I spent the four years that I lived in LA drying out, literally. When I lived in the Grey Lynn flat where Street Chant … Read more
The documentary has become the defining art form of the Covid era, writes the director of the first film made in New Zealand since the pandemic began. I’ve flirted with telling the story of our Rakino Island neighbour Colin McLaren for a dozen years. His story has always intrigued me – once part of the … Read more
Another week, another scandal hits a lowly ex-reality TV idiot. But what of those who rush in to defend Pete Evans, and people like him? Emily Writes outlines the tried and true formula. Welcome to the first ever guide to defending D-grade celebrities who share Nazi imagery online. Before we start, you might be wondering … Read more
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 The Promised Land by Barack Obama (Penguin Random House, $70) If you see Danyl Mclauchlan not reading this memoir over the … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New wave of bank closures hitting the regions, Australia rocked by war crimes report, and ten years since Pike River marked. A massive wave of bank branch closures is coming, with BNZ shutting down 38 locations over the next year. They’re in both cities and towns, … Read more
The same week Melbourne Cup favourite Anthony Van Dyck was put down, three horses in New Zealand races suffered similar fates – and their deaths went unnoticed by most of us. It’s a sadly familiar story in a ‘sport’ that doesn’t deserve the name, writes Sandra Kyle. Two weeks ago, viewers watching the Melbourne Cup … Read more
A new poem by poet, designer, artist, and musician Whina Pomana. In response to The Last Mastodon chapbook by Christina Olson So much about the treatment of dead things And incorrect assemblies They built a parking lot on top of Sally Hemings and— The casual disrespect white people have for death that doesn’t look like them And … Read more
After a disappointing election result, Leighton Baker is out as the leader of the New Conservatives, with former deputy Elliot Ikilei taking over. Alex Braae reports. After a review of the election campaign, the board of the New Conservative party has voted to “relieve” Leighton Baker of the leadership, opting to promote deputy Elliot Ikilei … Read more
Today’s central city poonami seals it: Wellington is New Zealand’s capital of crap, reports Emily Writes Wellington city’s shitty problem might be worrying residents but faecal enthusiast Steve Steverson says it couldn’t have come at a better time for those hosting the Annual National Undercarriage Symposium. Steverson said the team behind the poo-fest were thrilled … Read more
There comes a time in every successful politician’s career when their Twitter accounts are ruthlessly trawled through by a combination of political activists, bemused bystanders and, yes, bored journalists. Somehow it’s taken three years for prime minister Jacinda Ardern to experience the same treatment. Over the past few days, Twitter has been alight with decade-old … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he’s joined by Lisa King from AF Drinks. As a society, we don’t have a particularly healthy relationship with alcohol. We … Read more
A suburban Auckland property home to hundreds of rabbits is causing a stir with neighbours, who have called in the Auckland Council to take control of the situation. Dylan Lewis is surrounded by rabbits, all different sizes and colours. The 51-year-old shares his large Mount Eden home with hundreds of the fluffy creatures, and neighbours … Read more
The Masked Singer NZ is the bizarre, top-secret singing contest that’s hitting our TV screens next year. What can we expect? What is The Masked Singer? It’s a reality TV show that began in South Korea and was picked up in 33 countries around the world, from Australia to Israel to Ukraine. Basically, it’s an … Read more
With New Zealand tourism in a lull – and backpackers in the firing line – Queenstown-based start-up Kiwi Welcome is creating a new model of sustainable travel where visitors add value to the land. For the past few years – up until Covid-19 began hoarding the headlines – one of New Zealand’s most pressing public … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 19. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.00pm: The day in sum Two new cases of Covid-19 were reported in managed isolation. There are now just 37 active cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand. The prime minister was among those marking a decade to the day since the Pike … Read more
Endless misconceptions exist about people who identify as ‘ace’, and filmmaker Julie Zhu wants to clear some of them up in Frame documentary Ace of Hearts. “Bisexuality used to be ‘the invisible sexuality’, but now I feel like asexuality is. I see people in the LGBT community saying it’s not part of the LGBT spectrum.” … Read more
The US president is promoting unfounded allegations of voter fraud. Now, New Zealand’s election is being called into question on Twitter. Posts on social media reveal that New Zealand is no more immune to claims of voter fraud than the United States. And while the allegations may not be coming from any of our politicians, … Read more
Novelist Catherine Robertson explains why she and poet Jane Arthur will not be stocking [redacted] or [redacted] at their new store, Good Books, in Wellington. “You’re so brave” is the most irritating thing to say to someone who’s set up a new business. It implies you’ve taken a risk that no sane person would contemplate, … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: 5 million Covid vaccines on the way in major new agreement, new tourism minister confirms change in industry focus, and an outstanding outline of the current drug law mess. There is now the possibility that every single New Zealander who wants a Covid vaccine will … Read more
New Zealand is the world’s only major purchaser of phosphate from Western Sahara, where mineral revenues are driving a newly declared war. Amal Samaha explains what you need to know. On Friday morning, leaders of the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi independence group in Western Sahara, declared war on the Kingdom of Morocco over the latter’s … Read more
The current inquiry into allegations of Australian Special Air Service war crimes in Afghanistan highlights the far from admirable culture in our own defence force, writes Nicky Hager. The reports have gradually been coming out for years: repeated killing of civilians and mistreatment of captives by Australian SAS troops, people who believed they were above … Read more
Stuart Nash wants to refocus the tourism industry on high-net-worth individuals. But younger, poorer travellers have much to offer too, writes Alex Braae. Backpackers and freedom campers are easy groups of people to hate. They drive vans with stupid slogans written on them. They’ve got a reputation – possibly unfair – for white-guy dreadlocks and … Read more
At the National Library on Wednesday, Lyttelton poet Ben Brown delivered the 2020 Read NZ Te Pou Muramura Pānui. He spoke powerfully about Aotearoa’s incarceration of young people, and the extraordinary book he edited last summer as part of a writing workshop at Rolleston’s Oranga Tamariki youth justice residence, Te Puna Wai ō Tuhinapo. This … Read more
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for November 18. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.00pm: The day in sum The state of South Australia was put into a strict lockdown for six days. The royal commission of inquiry into the March 15 terrorist attacks finished. There were three new cases of Covid-19, all detected in managed … Read more
Donald Trump has promised it’ll be free. So has Justin Trudeau. But the New Zealand government hasn’t yet decided whether we’ll have to pay for a Covid-19 vaccine. There’s a glimmer of hope in recent announcements from drugmakers Moderna and Pfizer that their vaccines are highly effective at preventing Covid-19 – but the pandemic’s end … Read more
It seems everybody is watching The Queen’s Gambit. What is it about the Netflix series that is so damned compelling? Let’s be real for a moment: for most of us, unless you’re the one playing it, chess is incredibly boring. It is about as aurally and visually stimulating as watching beige paint dry on a … Read more
Rugby commentator Keith Quinn’s call for rugby players to ‘harden up’ shows how much New Zealand’s macho culture has changed since the days he ruled the airwaves, writes Trevor McKewen, author of the book Real Men Wear Black. I have a confession to make. I am helplessly addicted to the tearjerking TV documentary series Lost … Read more
In a time of changing tastes, diets, supply chains and ways of working, Goodtime Pies has had to constantly adapt. Alex Braae examines the evolution of the humble pie. The petrol station pie has always been a classic, but it has come a long way since being a lunch of last resort. Once a driver … Read more