Gatherings’ Alex Davies is leading a quiet revolution with quirky, delicious food that happens to be plant-based. In just over a year since it first opened, Christchurch’s Gatherings restaurant has made a name for itself not simply for its innovative menu, but for asking us to rethink our whole attitude to food. Owner and head … Read more
An Australian journalist launched an attack on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for not parenting her weeks-old baby properly – and Spinoff Parents readers were not happy. Tash Barneveld sums up why Natalie Ritchie’s take was such a bad one. We all knew Jacinda Ardern’s performance as a parent would be endlessly scrutinised, opined upon, and criticised … Read more
Is the much maligned Final Fantasy VII sequel/spinoff Dirge of Cerberus really as bad as everyone says? I was 17 when Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII came out. As a longtime Final Fantasy nerd at the height of my obligatory emo phase, the idea of a new game focused on Vincent Valentine, everyone’s favourite … Read more
A disability advocate is urging the government to make accessibility a central part of the Kiwibuild programme. Alex Braae reports. The government’s flagship Kiwibuild policy has always intended to lead the way on housing, in the creation of good quality, affordable homes that first home buyers can spend years or even decades in. But advocates … Read more
To help end homelessness, we need to be the sort of people who are willing to get involved each other’s lives, writes Aaron Hendry. The closure of Tiny Deane’s night shelter in Rotorua highlights what’s lacking in much of the public discussion around ending homelessness: humanity. Homelessness is not simply a “problem we need to … Read more
What’s that sound? It’s the rumbling of every bus user in Wellington moaning. But Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes is trying to look on the bright side. A few months back I got a letter encouraging me to give my feedback on some ideas for a new bus system being put in place in Wellington. … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: With the PM away, the government’s support partners have been making waves, former Jehovah’s Witnesses speak out about chronic sexual abuse within the church, and some surprising data on Auckland rentals. To start the week, we’re going to take a look at the recent fortunes of … Read more
Best known for their door-to-door evangelising, Jehovah’s Witnesses are on a quest to save the ‘wicked’ from damnation. For victims of sexual abuse within the organisation, however, that quest has seen perpetrators shielded from justice. Amy Parsons-King has met several survivors as part of an investigation for The Spinoff. These are their stories. This feature … Read more
There’s one more week to go on Survivor NZ, let’s get back in the drink. This season of Survivor NZ is keeping us on the edge of our seat right to the bloody end. This week we found out which three survivors would make it to the final tribal council, and face the jury of … Read more
Our elite squad of critics binge set out on a cinematic binge at the NZ International Film Festival 2018 Birds of Passage Opening night at NZIFF should be spectacular, accessible and memorable, and Birds of Passage delivers, with a drug trade parable told within an indigenous setting. Every grasshopper and bird has the weight of … Read more
From broadbeans to home wiring, the Spinoff and the Commerce Commission provide some essential tips on how to enhance your broadband performance. The internet is buzzy as. Think about it for a second. Inexplicable technology has the answer to every question you’ve ever had, held inside magic flying around in the sky, just waiting for … Read more
It may sound like a sweet gig, but halls of residence can be incubators of stress, anxiety and awful mental health problems. This article was first published in April 2018 in the Otago University student magazine Critic Te Arohi. My parents may not be legally obligated to look after my drunk ass after age 18, … Read more
Beneath the snowflake jokes and the racism, it’s pretty clear that the far-right really likes playing the victim, writes Philippa McLoughlin The recent decision to ban Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux from council venues in Auckland has highlighted a disturbing trend in the way that some New Zealanders are willing to take action to suppress … Read more
Would a journal publish a pseudo-study about arse-wiping? Gary Lewis, senior lecturer in psychology at Royal Holloway decided to find out I had what seemed like rather a good idea a few weeks back. Building on some prominent findings in social psychology, I hypothesised that politicians on the right would wipe their bum with their left hand; and … Read more
The performance of Kendrick Lamar’s hip-hop carries special meaning for New Zealand’s minorities, Tamsyn Matchett writes. Kendrick Lamar has been on his DAMN. tour for more than a year. He will finish the 12 month marathon next week in Australia. Such a gruelling, brutal schedule is warranted given the huge mainstream success of DAMN., and its … Read more
Six60 are as much a business as a band, and have achieved historically unprecedented success with a very unconventional approach, writes lapsed Six60 hater and music critic Duncan Greive. New Zealand has never known a band like Six60. Their success is complete and unblemished – so vast that it can render the milestones of other … Read more
In the second part of the new podcast series Venus Envy, Parris Goebel, Karen Walker and Rosanna Raymond discuss beating the boys, the shoulders they stand on, and haircuts. It’s been a constant battle against the perception of what women should be, and what they can achieve in comparison to their male counterparts, for globally recognised … Read more
With the folding of TOP and the Māori Party’s struggle to re-enter Parliament, one thing’s become obvious; there just aren’t enough parties. Anna Bracewell-Worrall for Newshub suggests a few potentials. Currently there are five parties in Parliament. There are only two parties in opposition. If variety is the spice is life, the Parliament of Aotearoa … Read more
As winter passes and new life takes hold in New Zealand, indigenous guests from far abroad have arrived to exchange cultural knowledge. It’s more than 12,000 kilometres from Salem, Oregon, to Dunedin, Otago – an epic journey across the Pacific – but for students like Cherokee Miranda Livers, it’s a pilgrimage for a cultural immersion … Read more
Glen Herud’s mission for an ethical dairying company isn’t over yet. In part two of his series documenting his attempts to launch Happy Cow Milk 2.0, Herud talks about single-use plastic in the dairy industry and the plan to get farmers to adopt the “Happy Cow way”. It’s been a very busy month scurrying around rebuilding … Read more
We’re fighting a losing battle for patient safety, says this Auckland nurse – and it’s everyone’s problem. There’s been a lot of chin scratching by the political-pundit class in New Zealand about the nurses strike lately. Why, do they wonder, have nurses waited to take industrial action until a more labour-friendly government is in power? … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Bajan-New Zealander Amber Maya about making music, going to school with Rihanna… and how to dispose of a body. Okay. Let’s start with something easy. Who… are you? I am a performing artist from Barbados and New Zealand. I make what I like to call soul-tronic, or electronic influenced RnB mainly. … Read more
We have heard from a lot of adults about the new Wellington buses. But what do kids think? Five-year-old Eddie gives his honest opinion. My name is Eddie. I went on the double decker bus today. I was doing a review about the double decker bus that I went on today and my baby brother … Read more
New verse by Kaipara poet Sam Hunt. Mum and Mary In the dream my mother is chatting with her friend, Mary, mother of Jesus – Mum and Mary sharing a joint. Mary tends to rabbit on about the cost of living, of everything ‘going up’; husband, Joseph, coming in lately … Read more
The week’s bestsellers at the Unity Books stores in Willis St, Wellington and High St, Auckland. WELLINGTON UNITY 1 Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble (Victoria University Press, $20) The first book of poetry to claim the number-one spot since the Hera Lindsay Bird phenomenon. “The poetry event of 2018“: Steve Braunias, the Spinoff Review of Books. 2 … Read more
Nothing goes better with cheap food than cheaper wine drunk quickly. Here are the 10 best BYO spots in New Zealand, as submitted by you. Ah, the BYO, most depraved of dining methods! Sinking seven standards with the fam and boofing a bit of Thai – it’s the degustation for the modern lad. What better … Read more
To celebrate the release of Chelsea Jade’s long-awaited debut album, Sam Brooks asks her everything about her (and other people’s) music. It’s the rare unambiguously sunny morning in Auckland when Personal Best drops. I’m sitting outside a big building, waiting for an interview, long flowy coat on, big sunglasses on, and I’m listening to the album from … 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 sibling entrepreneurs Brittany and Johanna Cosgrove of Nopesisters, the social enterprise championing ‘fashion for a cause’. ONE: How did Nopesisters start and what was the inspiration behind it? Nopesisters started in October 2016 during Breast … Read more
“Both the board and college leaders have been crystal clear this behaviour cannot continue.” Otago University halls of residence Selwyn College has shut down its controversial tradition of second years secretly voting on and publicly awarding nicknames to freshers at their AGM after previous recipients accused the awards of being “sexist and bullying”. Among the … Read more