The number of South African born cricketers contracted in New Zealand has now cracked the required number for a full team. So if they were put up against the Black Caps, who would win? The number of South African born sportspeople who have left their country to pursue their dreams continues to increase, and cricket … Read more
The Binding of Isaac was the indie cult hit of 2014. Josh Davies examines what makes this game so compelling four years on. I am addicted to this game called The Binding of Isaac. I love it. I have been playing it since it was released and don’t plan on stopping. Instead I am going to convince … Read more
In Repressed Memories, James Mustapic delves into NZ pop culture’s graveyard and digs up some bodies. This episode: remembering Dane Rumble, Fast Crew, J. Williams, Evermore and Scribe. Watch all the Repressed Memories videos here. The Spinoff TV screens Fridays at 9.45pm from June 22nd on THREE. Thanks to NZ on Air. The Spinoff’s music … Read more
Hi ho! Our new episode of Papercuts is here to give you both book goss and a pile of recommendations to get you through this wintery weather. Did we kill Philip Roth? We preview this week’s PANZ conference, Louisa & Kiran rave about Rachel Kushner’s Mars Room and we look at three excellent books about motherhood. We also … Read more
Over 80 writers entered New Zealand’s premier literary award – but only 10 have made the shortlist. We’ve sent out emails of regret to the unsuccessful applicants for the 2018 Surrey Hotel Steve Braunias Memorial Writers Residency Award in Association with The Spinoff but right here, right now is the first time that the 10 shortlisted … Read more
Lightbox Movies has a huge selection of movies to choose from, but film geek Sam Brooks is most excited about the obscure, hard-to-find and objectively best ones. A Fantastic Woman Obviously, the first thing a film nerd should catch up on, if they haven’t seen it already, is the latest winner of the Academy Award for … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes has been doing some research and she’s sorry to tell you that everything is your fault. Usually I avoid stories that have titles like “It’s your fault your children are fat” and “Millennial parents: Lazy Shit-eating Scum”. Generally, it’s because I think they’re wrong but also because the horrible messages … Read more
The government says new data suggesting foreign buyers have a much larger role in the housing market than previously thought is “a vindication” of its foreign buyer ban. But that doesn’t mean the ban makes any sense, writes Guyon Espiner for RNZ. It’s a great bumper sticker. Ban foreign buyers! It’s simple, it resonates and … Read more
Steff Green is turning her experience of bullying into a story of hope for young children in the form of a new picture book. She is nine years old. Two girls at her school pretend to be her friends, but mock her and humiliate her behind her back. She confronts them one day, tells them … Read more
An accidental innovation hub has become a $1 billion venture. If New Zealand wants to build a better standard of living for everyone we must replicate that magic, says Vic Crone. An unremarkable building in a leafy Parnell street is these days hi-tech hallowed ground. Level two of 24 Balfour Road is the birthplace of … Read more
Earlier this month, PledgeMe founder Anna Guenther’s home in Brisbane tragically burnt down. Here she explains what happened, how she felt, and why she’s unusually zen about it. On Monday morning on June 11, my house in Brisbane caught fire. To answer all the normal questions: no-one was hurt, yes everything was destroyed, no I … Read more
Cher is coming to town! Sam Brooks runs through the many facets of Cher’s near-60 year career – and what makes her so special. Cher as pop star Look, Cher has been a pop star longer than most of us have been alive. She’s had more hits than I have had glasses of wine. She … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: ASB data paints very different foreign buyer picture, fuel tax passes into law, and a battle is brewing on the West Coast over grazing rights on heritage land. ASB has come out with significantly higher rates of houses being bought by foreign owners, in a recently released … Read more
From kettles and candles to laptops and lamps, hundreds of common household items have been recalled over the last few years. But chances are, you never even knew about it. In part one of The Spinoff’s great recall list, we look at various items in the heating, small appliance, electronics and homeware categories. Earlier this … Read more
In a rant about media peddling nonsense, the Newstalk ZB host peddles nonsense about that Time border cover and we look forward to him saying sorry for peddling nonsense. The host of the Mike Hosking Breakfast, Mike Hosking, has left himself with no alternative but to issue an apology and correction over words spoken by … Read more
James Roque is a man in Frickin Dangerous Bro (the others are Jamaine Ross and Pax Assadi). Together they present Frickin Dangerous Bro Review White People Things. Episode One: bath bombs. Kia ora! I’m James, one third of Frickin Dangerous Bro (aka the brownest, funniest and cockiest sketch group in New Zealand). We reckon brown people … Read more
Louisa Kasza reviews Rachel Kushner’s novel The Mars Room, which is hailed in this week’s New Yorker – alongside the US edition of Can You Tolerate This? by Ashleigh Young – as one of America’s best new books. A cool, Joan Didion-esque breeze of seeming indifference blows through the writing of US novelist Rachel Kushner. The … Read more
You might not know that Dancing with the Stars NZ is actually filmed in front of a live studio audience. This week Miriam Moore was a member of that audience, and this is her story. Not since the days of Legends of the Hidden Temple have I longed to be a live audience member as much … Read more
Reilly Hodson looks at the best music videos of the year so far and how they’re commenting on these messed up times. In a world where music consumption seems to occur mostly with headphones plugged into a phone in one’s pocket, it’s easy to overlook the art of the music video. What was once one … Read more
What are our children missing out on when they’re excluded from graduation ceremonies? And what is it like for parents? Heidi North makes the case for inclusivity. I graduated from the University of Auckland in May with a Master in Creative Writing. I’m a study-junkie, so this is the third time I’ve got a qualification from … Read more
Even before it aired, Heartbreak Island had attracted an excess of controversy. Duncan Greive says the show is much better and stranger than its detractors would have you believe. Has there ever been a show as doomed as Heartbreak Island? The name is manifestly a jack of ITV’s smash hit Love Island, only inverted so … Read more
José Barbosa infiltrates the glamorous Great Gatsby Party at the Toy Mansion, formerly home to Kim Dotcom, in a quest to recover his long lost undies. The Spinoff TV screens Fridays at 9.45pm from June 22nd on THREE. Thanks to NZ on Air.
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, we look at the meaning of Matariki. Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleaides star cluster. It rises during mid-winter and marks the beginning of the Māori new year. The word is an abbreviation of Ngā Mata … Read more
Needles may be scary. But do you know what’s worse? The flu. Alex Braae got over his fear and got the flu shot, for the greater good. I haven’t had a flu vaccination in a couple of years. In that time I’ve also had the flu a couple of times. When I let this slip … Read more
The Real Pod assembles with a very special guest to dissect the madness that was Married at First Sight Australia, with special thanks to Nando’s. This week on The Real Pod, are blessed to be in the presence of reality superstar Tracey Jewel – author, rapper, Lord of the Rings enthusiast and Married at First Sight Australia legend. Here … Read more
KiwiBuild is the perfect opportunity to drag up our pathetic building standards, argues the head of the NZ Green Building Council. We all have a home. It might not be the place that you hunker down each night, but we all have a place we know of as home. A home should be a sanctuary, … Read more
God Defend New Zealand is terrible. It got exactly what it deserved, argues Jamie Wall for RNZ. Crystal Collins certainly has the name of someone who can sing, and for all we know, she might be able to. It’s just the learning the lyrics part of her repertoire that needs a lot of work. Her … Read more
It’s a bold claim from Simon Bridges, but has his office pulled a bit of a swifty on the numbers? Alex Braae checks the maths. Here’s the claim: National Party leader Simon Bridges says in the nine months of the Labour government, there has been more industrial action than under nine years of the National … Read more
The leader of the National Party has been heavily criticised for delivering a tone-deaf interview on the prime ministerial baby on Friday. Hayden Donnell resolved to help him beat his demons and redefine his personal brand. The worst thing was he thought it was going well. Simon Bridges was revelling in the grim nihilism of … Read more