Alicia Silverstone was the It Girl of the mid-nineties, and she’s back heading up a new show, American Woman, which drops on Lightbox today. Tara Ward rounds up where she’s been since her yellow plaid days. It feels like a lifetime since Alicia Silverstone burst into our collective consciousness with a string of ‘90s classics like Clueless, Batman … Read more
The news media are routinely criticised as part of the problem in perceptions of crime, justice and the prison system. So what angles would reporters pursue at the government’s much heralded criminal justice summit? Asher Emanuel went along to the event in Porirua to find out. In a departure from the carefully managed schedule, the … 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. One of the coolest things about the tech ecosystem is when founders cash out, instead of heading off to party and relax, they invest both … Read more
All week this week we present new verse, to celebrate National Poetry Day on Friday. Today’s poet: Tracey Slaughter of Thames. breather 1. * The only thing left of god by then was the key to a hotel room. Is it worth saying the room was turquoise & smelt like us coming in an … Read more
The death of newsreader Greg Boyed has prompted many of us to consider whether we’re doing enough to look out for friends and family who may be struggling with depression. It’s up to all of us to start the conversation – and keep talking, writes Aaron Hendry. When I was 8 years old, I considered … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Aaron and Jo Taylor, founders of wellness drink No Ugly. ONE: How did No Ugly start and what was the inspiration behind it? We’ve worked in advertising for over 20 years. We’ve … Read more
Pressure is mounting to ban the intensive farming practice found in feedlots. What are they, and why are they such a problem? Don Rowe explains Fifteen minutes out of Ashburton, thousands upon thousands of cattle are penned in grassless paddocks. The cows are meat animals, spending their final days held in these so-called feedlots being … Read more
Green MP Gareth Hughes reports from Australia, where the seemingly neverending political upheaval is getting in the way of big decisions – like what to do about climate change. Political spills are as quintessentially Australian as that image of the dingo eating the washed-up shark on the beach while two snakes mate in the foreground. … Read more
Poorly paid, with no job security and no formal career development, the mostly female profession of teacher aide has been badly treated for generations – and the knock-on effects are keeping others out of the workforce. Jai Breitnauer reports. Teachers are striking, psychologists are speaking out about the impact of a lack of resources, and as … Read more
Food entrepreneur and Dietary Requirements co-host Sophie Gilmour is living her best life at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland. In her inaugural diary, she introduces us to the inimitable Darina Allen, the school’s founder, and geeks out on all things food. WEEK ONE After my friend Camille and I sold our business, Bird … Read more
Are our plants blooming early, or are we using a redundant system to coordinate our lives? If you look outside right now – go on – what do you see? Depending on where you’re reading this, that answer varies. Obviously. But if you happen to look up from your device anytime soon and appreciate the … Read more
Hobsonville Point had it all this week: scandal, drama, and a thousand painted teardrops on the window of Agni’s soul. The Block NZ was shaken to its very foundations as we witnessed the Wolf go on a rampage, relived the annual ‘Build a Plank’ challenge, and a thousand My Little Ponies were sacrificed in a ruthless … Read more
They’re the lost seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but now they’re back for New Zealand’s viewing pleasure. Sam Brooks rounds up the early-episode moments that continue to live on in infamy. Season One, Episode One: Porkchop Porkchop! There are many reasons that Drag Race is remarkable, and one of them is that the first queen who … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Two day justice summit wraps up, Winston Peters gets up to mischief in Australia, and voting in the Howick by-election gets underway. A two day summit on justice, crime and rehabilitation has concluded in Porirua. Senior ministers heard a range of views about what was wrong with … Read more
TOP’s leader writes about the party’s rebirth, and what the furious reaction to it says about the state of New Zealand politics. The reaction to the relaunch of TOP was overwhelmingly positive, and I am immensely grateful for that. What surprised me is how quickly people can leap onto any reason to demonise people or … Read more
Livestreams posted on Facebook by our major news organisations have been overrun by an army of anti-1080 activists. Hayden Donnell goes in search of the source of the spam campaign. Yesterday the government announced new wheel clamping regulations. As it often does, the Herald posted live video of the press conference on Facebook. It was … Read more
Strewth! Buckle up Bache-fans, it’s Week One of The Bachelor Australia season six, and we’re already being taken places. Welcome to season six of The Bachelor Australia! For new fans, this show is just like Tinder, except the leading man doesn’t know who he has swiped right on, and 25 potential girlfriends all turn up … Read more
The launch of a new aerial imaging company in New Zealand gives a bird’s eye glimpse of Auckland’s rapidly changing landscape, allowing us to compare some of the city’s major infrastructure projects in places like Hobsonville, Mount Roskill, Papakura, Flatbush and Drury before and after construction. As a wise man once said, it’s about time … Read more
Alice Neville tries a multifaceted, dragon-inspired Belgian beer from Waikanae, while Henry Oliver opts for a full, fragrant and ever-so-slightly funky pinot gris from Waipara. NORTH END OUDE DRAAK 6.2%, 500ml, $19.99 from Fine Wine Delivery Co As a youth, I spent many tedious weekends in Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast, my only entertainment a … Read more
All week this week we present new verse, to celebrate Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day on Friday. Today’s poet: Sam Hunt of Kaipara. The further you look ‘The further you look the less you see’ she said as she smiled & went down on me. She talked of her marriage a contract … Read more
Chances are, if you have kids of a certain age, they know Blippi – and they love him. Angela Cuming, one of Blippi’s adult fans, went on a hunt to discover what makes the ice cream loving, stupid hat wearing, US Air Force veteran tick. It’s 3am on the children’s ward at Waikato Hospital and … Read more
As sported by Brodie Retallick and Liam Squire, the classic All Blacks mullet hairstyle is making a comeback. And not before time, writes Tony Lyall. So here we are, one game into the 2018 Rugby Championship and already a beautiful trend is emerging. During the All Blacks impressive outing against the Wallabies on Saturday, amongst … Read more
If Andrew Little had forgotten how hard it will be to liberalise the criminal justice system, two colleagues reminded him on the very night he began his task, writes Guyon Espiner for RNZ The Criminal Justice Summit, which is to lay the foundations for an advisory group to then flesh out the government’s goal of … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: NZ MPs have ringside seats to Australian chaos, Catholic Bishop of Dunedin apologises to city, and red zone ‘quake outcasts’ to be paid out. It’s all going off in Australian politics right now, and in a weird coincidence, some New Zealand MPs have had ringside seats. Deputy … Read more
Advertising a double header rugby event means you have to treat all four teams equally, which Rugby Australia failed to do, says Madeleine Chapman. On Saturday afternoon, before playing an international test match at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, the World Champion Black Ferns warmed up on a small patch of astroturf by the road. Warming up … Read more
Ethan Donnell, director of Sick Homes, the latest in the Frame documentary series produced for the Spinoff by Wrestler and funded by NZ on Air, describes the people he met, and the reality of the places they live Once a week, Brett Johnson takes apart the small machine that pumps air through a mask and … Read more
The seventh expansion of World of Warcraft, Battle for Azeroth hit the metaphoric shelves last week. Uther Dean talks to some of the game’s most diehard Kiwi fans. It seems odd that World of Warcraft is 14 years old. That number of years both seems like far too much and not nearly enough. It always seems to have … Read more
All week this week we present new verse, to celebrate National Poetry Day on Friday. Today’s poet: Tayi Tibble of Kelburn. Assimilation they consider themselves to be a modern couple they take turns giving and receiving oral they split the bills evenly and they share the chores but when he … Read more
Social enterprise is a global phenomenon but, write Steven Moe and Wayne Tukiri (Tainui, Ngāti Whaawhaakia), New Zealand should be using Māori cultural practices to better understand what social enterprise is – and what it could be. Until recently, not many people knew what a social enterprise even was. But in the last few years there’s … Read more