An essay by Philip Matthews in response to the publication of Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize lecture. I keep hearing about allegedly weird Joaquin Phoenix interviews that don’t really seem that weird at all. Internet news alerts say we need to talk about that Joaquin Phoenix interview or they might put out some quick Buzzfeed summary … Read more
Our resident teen and tween expert Louisa Woods on why The Talk isn’t just a talk – and why you need to start early. In the immortal words of Salt-N-Pepa, Lets talk about sex, baby. Well, not quite. Let’s talk about sex, kids, hits closer to the mark. While much has changed since 1991 when … Read more
We asked, you delivered: shocking photos of the destruction and trauma visited upon the cats, dogs and trampolines of Auckland overnight. A largely unheralded storm tore through Auckland last night, downing trees, power lines and much of the city’s electricity grid. Cats were scared, dogs were terrified, and many a trampoline was found up a … Read more
Housing and Transport Minister Phil Twyford responds to Wayne Mapp’s Spinoff column accusing Twyford and Jacinda Ardern of ‘sounding like zealots’ over public transport and affordable housing. In one of the more baffling attacks on KiwiBuild, former National MP Wayne Mapp this week claimed the government is “telling people how they should live” by building … Read more
After seven seasons, the characters of Modern Family have gotten themselves into some wild, wacky and straight-up weird situations. Sam Brooks collects the best of them. Modern Family is one of the most successful sitcoms of the current generation of TV. It’s won boatloads of awards, always gets great ratings and has never had a drop … Read more
If someone pitched you the idea of using a contentious event in New Zealand history that resulted in land confiscations, hundreds of deaths and years of intergenerational trauma as a marketing idea, what would your response be? Down in Wellington at the Hurricanes rugby HQ, the answer was ‘great idea, go with it!’ Let’s examine … Read more
Last week, New Zealand-born, LA-based songwriter Boyboy (aka Sam McCarthy, ex Goodnight Nurse, Kids Of 88) released his debut, self-titled album. For The Spinoff, his mum, Lyn McCarthy, asked him about his writing process, meditation, and what’s going on in that cover photo. What’s your album called? All I can see is some funny logo up in … Read more
A storm has ripped through the North Island uprooting trees, killing power across Auckland and sending trampolines airborne. Here’s the Spinoff roundup of everything essential There’s nothing like weather chat to bring strangers and acquaintances together, and today the water cooler conversations will be going off. Except, of course, that many people won’t be at … Read more
Mojo Coffee NZ general manager Katy Ellis responds to criticism over the company’s decision to raise coffee prices following the minimum wage increase. First, I’d like to take the opportunity to clear the air. There is talk that we do not pay over the minimum wage; in fact, we pay a large majority of our … Read more
With 120,00 Auckland homes still without power after last night’s monster storm, and many expected to be waiting days for its restoration, here are some tips for carrying on without wattage. Instead of breaking down the couch for firewood and conceding that bugs might be an efficient source of protein after all, there are ways … Read more
With heavy rain and wind pounding away at New Zealand, what does it mean for the buses, trains and roads? It’s a little more complicated than you might think. What sorts of weather lead us to change our daily travel behaviour? How do we respond to scorching heatwaves, sapping humidity, snow and frost, strong winds, … Read more
A slew of commentary and cartoons around the Green Party co-leader contest suggests we have to ‘choose’ between policy priorities, and it couldn’t be a bigger stack of nonsense, says Green MP Chloe Swarbrick. If your modus operandi is purchasing organic food and carting it out the supermarket in a reusable bag, sipping fair-trade coffee … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: There’s a pretty serious storm out there, Ngai Tahu thinks big, and dumpers are costing Whangarei charity stores thousands. We wouldn’t normally lead The Bulletin with the weather, but this isn’t normal weather. Metservice has heavy rain warnings for Taranaki, Whanganui, the Hawkes Bay and Taihape, and strong … Read more
Much of the criticism is unfair and almost cruel in its depiction of the many hard working people who work in the industry – believe me, I’ve seen it all, writes David Faulkner. Life as a property manager has never been tougher. Despised and hated by many, loved by few we are constantly under attack. Whether it’s … Read more
On her new album, Kylie Minogue goes acoustic and courts a sub-Sheeran faux-country sound. It does not go well. Sam Brooks reviews. Kylie Minogue is one of our most enduring and unique popstars. This is an objective fact. She’s been making pop music – honest-to-god mainstream pop music – since the 80s. She’s made one of … Read more
Despite five numbered entries over eleven years, Suikoden remains a much loved but little known RPG series. Sam Brooks writes about one of his favourite video game series ever, and what makes it so special. If there’s a niche that I occupy that very few other people do, it’s that I love video games based on 14th-16th … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. This week on The Real Pod, we are inundated with hard-hitting real news from around New Zealand. There’s a slide in Dunedin that doesn’t slide, Anika Moa hitting the hot seat on Seven Sharp … Read more
The Budget Responsibility Rules are arbitrary and unhelpful, argues Branko Marcetic. When your house is in decay, a refusal to spend money to fix it is the opposite of prudent Just over a year ago, Labour and the Greens unveiled a set of Budget Responsibility Rules that committed them to keep delivering budget surpluses, paring down debt … Read more
The fourth instalment of Peter Wells’ diary of life with cancer, republished from his private Facebook with permission. Read part one here, part two here and part three here. February 20 I’m the luckiest person on earth. I always feel this when I walk into our Napier house. It’s really where Douglas and I are truly … Read more
Have you had a scammer trying to get you with a robocall yet? Science and technology journalist Peter Griffin investigates the phenomenon. Remember last year’s wave of tech support scams, where you received calls from a foreign sounding “technician” asking for access to your Windows computer as well as your credit card details? They have … Read more
Vincent Olsen-Reeder writes about collaborating with experimental Māori musician Rob Thorne and the New Zealand String Quartet, and the push and pull of multicultural exchange and taking traditional forms to new worlds. Composing music has been a love of mine since I first picked up a guitar at age 10. I’ve always felt an intrinsic connection to … Read more
Hayden Donnell might be living far from New Zealand these days, but there’s no escape from the relentless idiocy of our transport policy debate. He runs down the latest media salvos in the battle between road warriors and public transport champions. I’ve been in London for a while now. It can be tough being so … Read more
After the minister suspended its profiling pilot, Immigration NZ has released a spreadsheet and a briefing note. Tze Ming Mok is deeply, deeply unimpressed. An RNZ producer contacted me last night to share a PDF of Immigration NZ’s profiling spreadsheet and briefing note that they had released to the media. She had been contacting a … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes introduces our new advice column: Is it Normal? – a place for parents to ask experts the questions they Google at 2am. I am a worrier. I would die if anyone saw my Google search history. Many late night searches begin: “Is it normal for a three year old to…” … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to the Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government prepares ground for a no-treats budget, Waikato DHB pulls out of expensive app failure, and a controversial immigration programme put on hold. The government is preparing the ground for a treat-free Budget by pointing to the situation they inherited. At yesterday’s post-cabinet press conference, PM … Read more
The Australian rugby star has triggered controversy by saying on social media gay people are headed to ‘HELL … Unless they repent of their sins and turn to God’. Such misuse of Bible scripture is the biggest impediment to Pasifika Rainbow people being able to live our lives without fear, backlash and hatred, writes Tuiloma … Read more
In the third piece in our series on the midwifery crisis in New Zealand, Kimberley Davis writes about how – and how much – midwives are paid. We are often told that we’re lucky to have the midwifery-led maternity-care system we do here in Aotearoa, and indeed we are. It’s unique and it’s the envy … Read more
NZ filmmaker Taika Waititi has raised hackles by diagnosing racism in New Zealand in a sweary simile. But good news! Turns out he’s totally incorrect, and all you need to do is scroll down the pages of NZ news sites and social media to find out. Late last week Dazed published an interview with Taika Waititi and … Read more
This weekend, Auckland supergroup/side gig LEISURE collaborated with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, playing at the Auckland Town Hall as the first in a series of APO concerts with pop acts. Hussein Moses came away with mixed feelings. A supergroup or a side gig? It’s hard to justify a band like LEISURE as both, but that’s how … Read more